Any tips on 357 Mag handgun hunting?

Hi Folks,

Just out of curiosity - do you have any tips to hunt with a 357 Mag revolver?

- Practise - how does one prepare to shoot accurate shots when the adrenaline is pumping?
- Target area on animals?
- Which size animal could / should one take on with a handgun?
- Which type of ammo? Generally, folks recommend heavy wadcutter lead bullets, or monolithic solids with a cutting edge

Much obliged for your knowledge!

Stick with deer sized game and 158 grain semi jacketed hollow points, get close, practice hitting a pie plate at 50 yards with your wife chewing you out for something. Expect to miss at least once.

I'm not much of a handgun hunter but I'll give you some good advice gleaned from my mistakes; practice, practice, practice and keep the shots under 50 yards for deer/pigs/etc.

I’ve killed a bunch of deer with a 6” 686. Lots of practice. You owe it to the animals to make clean ethical shots. Keep it within archery ranges. Can you kill a deer at 50 yds? Of course. I’ve done it. But for a beginner I’d say keep it to 30 yds and in. That deer gets really small behind that front sight. Practice on the “small” dessert size paper plates. Then move up to the large photograph style pics of deer. No aiming point. You have to figure it out. When hunting always take a rest. Off your knees. Off the side of a tree or a shooting rail in a stand. Shooting stix are nice when on the ground. I’ve had good luck with American Eagle 158 jhp.

My only attempt at deer hunting was a bust, It seems by the time I got my Smith cocked the deer was gone.
SWCA 892

I haven't had good results on deer with a variety of .357s, but I admit, I was testing out the theory of lighter bullets, with guns from 4" to 8". Never shot one more than 25 yards away with a .357 and never put a bullet outside a 4" cricle right behind the leg (not a shot I favor but some have hit there!).

All have been with 125 gr. bullets except one which was a Barnes 140 Tac-TX out of a 6" Python (My guess is it did not expand).

I did hunt with one last year but I have graduated to 185 and 195 gr. bullets - not that I think 158 would be horrible. In all honesty, I've never shot a big deer with .357 - one dressed about 60 lbs and I shot it with a scoped 8" DW - it ran a stepped off 440 yards! Oddly enough that one, hit with a 125 gr. Remington factory load, either lost the front part of the bullet or did not expand because the exit hole on the off side was tight on my little finger and the wound track in the lungs was smaller than 1".

OTOH, I have killed a lot of game with .44s and .45s including 7 with .45 Auto - all of them but two have dropped on the spot but that might be because I hit the right spot (broke bone on most of them).

I consider it a failure if a deer or wild boar stays on its feet for 2 seconds or runs more than 25 yards - but to be sure I've had plenty of failures - mostly with rifles. That could be because I am willing to shoot further with rifles. I've only killed two deer with handguns past 50 yards, one with a Ruger Old Army at about 95 yards ( a shot I took only because my Hawken failed to fire and it was the last day of the M/L season) and one with a Triple Lock .44 Spl at 110 yards.

Please do not take the above as a condemnation of the .357 more like a realization that bullets are hard to predict - even from rifles! I shot two nearly identical does one day within 10 seconds of each other - the first, with a 210 JHP from a 6.5" .44 spl (about a 1000 fps load) that went down instantly. It was in thick woods and at the shot a LOT of deer started moving - I grabbed my Win. Model 70 custom in 338-06 - so I could see the intevening branches - and shot one in about the same place but it ran over 50 yards - both were with 210 gr. bullets - the .44 at 1000 fps the .338 at 2800 fps. Both shot through both lungs, both deer fressed witin 5 pounds of each other.

That does not mean I think the .44 Spl. is the better cartridge, it is just an acknowledgement that thing can work out differently. If I had to make an educated guess it is that the one shot with the .44 was broadside and the bullet broke both shoulders - the one hit with the .338 was angled and the bullet did not break either shoulder (it did make a heck of a hole in both lungs!).

Just Ramblin.

Riposte

Back on the farm killed a few deer with my Mdl. 19-2 6". IIRC around 25 yards in the woods next to a field.

I shoot deer with center fire rifles that routinely run over 25 yds. I’m talking 270, 308, 7mag. If you don’t hit the shoulder they’ll run sometimes if not most times. Their dead. They just don’t realize it. Put it through the shoulder and they generally go down. I like to put it behind shoulder to not waste as much meat.

Have taken a decent number of deer with revolvers.

All have been with an optic, either traditional pistol scopes or red dots.

Closer is better.

Most have been right around 50-60 yards. A few were 25-40. One was at 88.

I use a .44 mag but a .357 with the right bullet will work

I spent several years in interior Alaska. We used .357's on pot meat. Otherwise the theory was "take enough gun" as in a .44. Years later I took a javilina in South Texas w/a Model 28 Smith. Damn thing took all 6 rounds of 158 gr ball and died at my feet. Shoulda took the .44!

South Africa

Did anyone notice that. He will be hunting South Africa.......sure there are some deer sized game there.....but I'd like to know what the OP is going after prior to commenting any advice. Deer/Pigs/Black Bear/Predators/Varmints all are taken easily with various 357 loads. South Africa is a different ballgame......most common is hunting from a blind over a water hole. OP let us know what and how you are hunting.

I did not noticed that the original poster was from South Africa. I hunted plains game in South Africa, and deer-sized or slightly larger plains game in South Africa seem to die pretty readily from a shot to the chest cavity with 165 gr 30 caliber bullets. Now mine we're all taken at ranges out to 200 yd, but I would think that hunting out of a blind over a water hole with 40 or 50-yard shots. You would have plenty of success with the 357 Magnum.

South Africa?? Bigger..much bigger .like 500 Nitro express....and.... save one fer yerself

MOD19IYAOYAS said:

South Africa

Did anyone notice that. He will be hunting South Africa.......sure there are some deer sized game there.....but I'd like to know what the OP is going after prior to commenting any advice. Deer/Pigs/Black Bear/Predators/Varmints all are taken easily with various 357 loads. South Africa is a different ballgame......most common is hunting from a blind over a water hole. OP let us know what and how you are hunting.

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Thanks for all the answers!

Being from and in South Africa does not make such a big difference in this regard because things like shooting techniques and bullet performance stay the same. What works on deer and boar should work on impala and warthog.

I was once sitting next to a corn field whe a kudu bull appeared at ten paces - ideal handgun hunting distance.

Since I am in process of licensing an Astra 357 Mag revolver with 4" barrel, I am considering the possibility of hunting with it. Target animals could be kudu and warthog. Kudus weigh 350-550 pounds, but are fairly soft - they go down fast with correct shot placement. Warthogs are smaller and hardy, max 220 pounds, and get taken very oft for rations.

In both cases, speed is a necessity - the locals speak of a two-second break.

Decades ago, the late Robert T. Shimek had a great article in one of the big gun magazines detailing his experiments with hunting whitetail deer with 357 Magnum revolvers. He found that 125 grain loads lacked penetration and the 125 grain JHP bullets tended to fragment badly, leaving a sizable entrance wound, but not reaching vital organs.

He settled on 158 grain bullets as being the best, but also stated that a 6 inch barrel was the minimum barrel length for good velocity and accurate shooting, an 8 inch barrel being even better. His hunting revolver was one of the hard to find S&W Model 19's with an 8 3/8 inch barrel. He also limited shots to not more than 50 yards and the shot had to be broadside, no quartering shots as penetration would be inadequate.

Here in Indiana, for a lot of years, rifles were not allowed. You could use: Shotgun with Slugs, Muzzle Loader, or Handgun.
I chose handgun. I used the 2 calibers I had, 357, and 44 M.
I remember the gun magazines at the time saying the 44M was marginal on Whitetail deer.

My experience gave me a very difference of opinion.
I love 44s, and 45s. But they’re way more gun than needed for deer from a stand in the woods.

For me, a 357 from a 4 inch barrel always shot clean through every deer I fired upon. The boring old Lyman 173 grain lead semi wad cutter going a chronoed 1200 feet per second killed just as fast as any shiny 158 jacketed hollow point.
I saw a Gun Tuber shoot that load into gel. The penetration was way deep, I wish I had actual numbers, but it was a lot.

So, if I was going handgun hunting, the gun would be a 7 shot, 4 inch 686 Plus revolver, with the 173 hard cast SWC at 1200.

****EDIT: I like your 163s!

Thanks Yendor!

I have access to 124gr CNWC, 163gr SWC and 110gr brass monos (Impala LWHV).

https://impalabullets.co.za/_webmod...dgun bullets pricing 2025.pdf?t=1754979957117

Properly loaded you can achieve 5 FEET of penetration from 357mag hardcasts. That’s enough for any game animal in N America.

As an avid bow hunter and hand gun hunter I’d say learn your accuracy potential at varying ranges and keep shots within your limits for accurate shot placement. Choose a cartridge with an appropriate power level and projectile for the game species you want to hunt. Go enjoy the time in the field.

One thing i learned hunting with a hand gun is noise amplifying head phones. I hunted a lot of years with a 20in barrel and 870 and slugs before i got smart and started putting a plug in my left ear. Hand guns i learned two.

Yendor 1 said:

Here in Indiana, for a lot of years, rifles were not allowed. You could use: Shotgun with Slugs, Muzzle Loader, or Handgun.
I chose handgun. I used the 2 calibers I had, 357, and 44 M.
I remember the gun magazines at the time saying the 44M was marginal on Whitetail deer.

My experience gave me a very difference of opinion.
I love 44s, and 45s. But they’re way more gun than needed for deer from a stand in the woods.

For me, a 357 from a 4 inch barrel always shot clean through every deer I fired upon. The boring old Lyman 173 grain lead semi wad cutter going a chronoed 1200 feet per second killed just as fast as any shiny 158 jacketed hollow point.
I saw a Gun Tuber shoot that load into gel. The penetration was way deep, I wish I had actual numbers, but it was a lot.

So, if I was going handgun hunting, the gun would be a 7 shot, 4 inch 686 Plus with the 173 hard cast SWC at 1200.

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Agree 1000%. Shooting a deer broadside is no different than shooting a man through the chest. 2 sets of ribs with organs in between. The 357 is hailed as a fantastic PD round. Yet questioned as a deer round. This makes no sense.

Bald1 said:

The 357 is hailed as a fantastic PD round. Yet questioned as a deer round. This makes no sense.

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This is probably because humans get shot at 3 or 11 yards, and deer get wounded at 30 or 50 yards.

Ds J said:

This is probably because humans get shot at 3 or 11 yards, and deer get wounded at 30 or 50 yards.

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Maybe. But that’s on the shooter.

Bald1 said:

Agree 1000%. Shooting a deer broadside is no different than shooting a man through the chest. 2 sets of ribs with organs in between. The 357 is hailed as a fantastic PD round. Yet questioned as a deer round. This makes no sense.

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Deer don't carry the same emotional baggage from getting shot that humans do. Most, not all, humans will fall to the ground even if it is a survivable wound that is not incapacitating. A deer that's been shot will continue to run until they are physically unable to do so or they have gotten far enough from the threat that they no longer feel in danger. The the deer really doesn't have the intellect to link being shot with dying.

Last year 232,000+ deer killed in Ohio. Less than 1% killed with a handgun. Going to have to try it this year simply because of the challenge. I will use a 629 classic DX in 8 3/8” but will limit my shot to 20-25 yards after a summer full of practice.

cmj8591 said:

Deer don't carry the same emotional baggage from getting shot that humans do. Most, not all, humans will fall to the ground even if it is a survivable wound that is not incapacitating. A deer that's been shot will continue to run until they are physically unable to do so or they have gotten far enough from the threat that they no longer feel in danger. The the deer really doesn't have the intellect to link being shot with dying.

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Understood. But he’s dead. They do this with rifles as well

MGC1957 said:

Last year 232,000+ deer killed in Ohio. Less than 1% killed with a handgun. Going to have to try it this year simply because of the challenge. I will use a 629 classic DX in 8 3/8” but will limit my shot to 20-25 yards after a summer full of practice.

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44 Magnum out of such a revolver is easily good out to 75 to 100 yards, the limiting factor is accuracy. A good 4x scope would be a good idea for the longer shots.

If you are hunting for a 357 Magnum check out Buds.......sorry could not resist this one.....

Bald1 said:

Understood. But he’s dead. They do this with rifles as well

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For sure. How many times did you put one into the boiler room and the deer still ran 50 or 100 yards? And that's with a rifle that probably has at least double the energy of a handgun. The only shot I've seen drop a deer right where it stands is one that breaks the front shoulder. You usually don't have to track those. But I wouldn't hesitate to use a 357 magnum at 50 to 75 yards. I think that a 158 grain, jacketed soft point would be my bullet of choice.

This brings to mind the first handgun hunt of a young friend who went afield with a six-inch GP100 stoked with a load that remains well-stuck in my mind.
This fellow was an associate both in USPSA competition, where he achieved Grand Master status in two divisions, (iron) Limited and Single Stack, as well as helping us instructing in our training group. An exceptionally skilled shooter. If you've never seen a USPSA grand master shoot a handgun you owe it to yourself to find a match and go watch.
But he wasn't one-dimensional. He and his father had a place in northern Wisconsin and he'd been hunting and fishing since practically he learned to walk. So when the time came to try his hand at handgun hunting, it was an easy transision.
I recall being on the club range with him as he was practicing with the GP100. My chrono was showing his flat-nosed 180 hard-cast handloads going a speed I hesitate to mention- something north of 1400fps after being pushed by a ridiculous shovelfull of H-110. The fireball was gorgeous and the recoil prodigious. I remain aghast at the structural integrity of the Ruger.
His first shot in the field hit a medium-sized buck in the heart at about 35-40 yards. The deer did not move an inch; it dropped like a rock.
He proclaimed his load a success and last I heard, he was still using it on those hunts where he put aside his .300 Win Mag or .338 Lapua.

My one experience was with a .357 model 19 a 6" gun with my 140 Sierra HP ammo. I was set up on the end of a 4 man drive as I was the guest on that hunt. Had a pocket full of whitetail B tags so does and yearlings were fair game

I was planning on dropping as many as I could with a full cylinder of ammo. As the bunch approached I waited for them to draw even with me & nailed a nice doe right behind the front leg, perfect double lunger. She dropped at the shot, I assumed it was a done deal and moved onto target #2 which tuned out to be a button buck about 3/4 the size of a doe. He hit the dirt & I swung onto #3 a rapidly departing doe all pumped I took a classic double action Texas heartshot double tap style except pulled slightly right missed the starfish hitting the back of the ham.

All this a less than optimal outcome.

My hunting buddy took after the limper with his double ought buck loaded model 1100. Never got a shot

I looked over my scene of destruction, well here's the little buck, where's the doe? In the melee she had rallied enough to get to her feet and stagger off. Apparently she was found a few days later up under a slashpile all swollen up.

So my advice to a fellow handgun hunter? Don't be like me.


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