I've never used a handgun for hunting. I just bought a lightly used 6" 686, and I was wondering if anybody out there had hunting experience using the 686.

While I can use iron sights well out to 25 yards, what kind of optic/sight systems would be recommended for white tail deer hunting out to a maximum of around 100 yards?

I currently carry Federal 180 gr. CastCore for wildlife control. It's advertised as a deer hunting round, but if there are better choices produced by quality ammo manufacturers, please advise. Thanks.

I have not used my 686 for hunting and likely wont. I think its probably a decent cartridge out about 75 yards for deer. I'd use a high quality jacketed bullet, and take broad side shots.
I have shot deer with my 629 and it has a B&L 2-6 scope on it.
I used 240 grain Hornady XTP bullets.
My 625 will get some hunting time, and it carries a leupold 4X.

Good luck.

IMHO, 100yds is a bit much to ask of the 357 for a clean kill.



I just installed a Hi-Viz fiberoptic front sight on my 629 Classic. I'll let you know what I can do with it at 50yds when winter decides to give us a break up here!

100 yards may be pushing it, 60 and under seem more reliable with a .357. Any heavy, cast 180gr bullet will be your best bet. Look into buffalo bore ammo they make a nice 180 gr .357.

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SWCA #2777

Killed a couple with the .44 mag out to about 50 yards.Try to be like a bowhunter when hunting with a revolver.The closer the better.Two years ago I got cocky and wounded one at 100 yards.Never found it.With my '06 it would have been found with some tracking.No excuses.My fault.Still stings to this day as that has only happened twice in over 40 years of hunting.Once was with a bow.I'm not gonna get cocky again.Practice,practice and practice.With the .357 keep your shots at 50 yards max.Oh yeah if you think you have practiced enough you are wrong practice some more.
P.S.I use the original Bushnell Holosight

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I'm just here for the guns.

I've killed several deer with my 6'' 686. All were within 40 yards. Don't know if I would shoot at one if it was much farther than that. I look at the .357 for deer as very similar as to hunting with a bow. Both in yardage limitations and shot placement. Penetration is key with the .357, Cast or JSPs 158gr or 180s. If you're shooting factory, any name brand ammo should work. Federal American Eagle JSPs work well as do the Federal Fusions. Remington's JSPs shoot and work well also. Iron sights work well out to feasible yardages, but if you must use optics, make sure that the scope does not interfere with your ability to cock the hammer in S.A. Red Dots work well on 686s.

If you are are stand hunting I would recommend a nice variable powered pistol scope, but for still hunting I would suggest a nice red or green dot scope preferably with 2 or 3 moa scope .

That sounds like a really cool proposition. If I hunted anymore I'd like to give that a try with my 686. Happy hunting!

Thank you for the information, gentlemen. I was pretty sure 100 yards was pushing it for a .357 mag, and you guys confirmed. I've taken plenty of white tail in 50 yards or less with my old Win. Model 94, so that will be my maximum target distance. Thanks again for your thoughts and suggestions. I'll see what I can do on paper with iron sights for now.

Absolutely right..

As well practiced as you may be able to get punching paper at distance, you can't be practiced enough for the infinite variables encountered when getting set to take a poke at game in the woods, especially when trying to reach out farther than reasonable for the cartridge. They never come out in the open, on your strong side, 20 yards away, turn broadside and pose while you squeeze off your perfectly executed shot..

I killed a couple with a 4" 19 loaded with a Lyman 168 gr. cast pushed by a stout charge of #2400. Both were within 35 yards and fell at the shot. I would limit my 357 to no more than 50 yards or so.
BTW- I killed a doe last year with my 2" 34. She was down in a ditch trying to get away after I had hit her with my truck. One shot above the eyes...DRT. As with any caliber shot placement is the key.

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S&W Accumulator

I would have to say the 629 is a better choice too, and agree with some of the above members. More likely to get a cleaner kill, and IMO the recoil isn't nearly as snappy as the .357.

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Still just a kid at heart

I switched to handguns for whitetail in 1976. At first, a 4" .357 was all I had so that's what I used. I read what all the pundits said but went with the .357 anyway. Some said too anemic, some said marginal and only very few said a .357 was OK.

My first handgun deer was taken at 40 yards with a clean shot. The deer ran up and down a ravine for a good 100 yards. The terrain was clean and I saw the deer the whole time so recovery was easy. In prior years I used a 12 gauge and I never had a deer run at all.

I subsequently bought a .45 Colt Blackhawk and loaded it to "Ruger only" near magnum power. Currently I shoot a 15" bbl. Encore .308 Winchester, loaded to recommended handgun power. Deer taken with the latter 2 handguns all dropped in their tracks.

For handgun hunting I stay below 50 yards. But, I will say that with the Encore I'd go to 100 yards if the shot were right.

Based on my personal experience I would want a gun bigger than a .357.

I shot 4 deer at 33 yds ( ranged ) with 4" 629, 240 JHP, with 4 different brands, all deer ran form 35-95 yds. Trace blood trail, but got lucky and all were found. All broadside shots, lungs on all 4, heart and percardium on 2 of them. I switched to Hornady XTP all subsequent deer from 30-50 yds, jumped took a step or two and fell over with a large gaping wound on the off side. My wife shot a deer at 85 yds this fall, standing in the open, she had a rest, 30-06 rifle, Rem 180 Core loct, it RAN 95 yds, minimal blood till last 30 yds. Did I mention it was broadside, took the top of the heart off and pureed the lungs. When it was hanging I put an arrow through the chest holes and the shot was perfect. I am going to be 58, have hunted with 06 for 46 yrs this fall, always 180 cor loct PSP and any deer I shot I found, some fell like hit by lighting others ran with out a heart up to 50 yds. Point is keep looking, the trail is there you just have not found it yet. I used to use rem 158 JSP 6" 19, they punched a pencil hole through deer, I wish I had Hornady back then. Be Safe,

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I BACK OUR BLUE

100 yds is long for any handgun unless you are a well above average shot. Jeff Cooper once wrote you should be able to regularly hit a beer can standing at 75 yards before shooting at a deer with a handgun. If you've never tried it, it ain't easy! I also wouldn't bet on a .357/180 expanding at 100.

Someone suggested thinking like a bowhunter, and that's great advice.

Long shots aren't the mark if a good hunter, but getting in close for a humane kill.

First deer I got with a handgun was close, maybe 5 yds?
M29 6", 240 gr. Rem SP.
Shot high as I had it sighted for 100 yds.
Hit it in the neck & jaw.
2ed shot aimed lower, up the spine, back of the head.
Deer was still trying to get up after the first shot.



Another one I shot about 8 years ago with my S&W 500 Magnum at 35 yds went noware but down.......

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Only difference Fool/Mule-ears

If you read my reply in Post #9, you would know that I already got the message on the effective hunting range of my 686. I take hunting seriously, and I've never left wounded animals in the field. I appreciate good advice, but please lose the condescending attitude. Thanks.

Sorry if you're offended, but that's the truth.

If you re- read my reply, you may notice I wasn't referring to the effective range of your .357, but the ability of the hunter to make a humane kill at 100 yards. Yes , with a scope, solid rest, accurate gun/load sighted to that range, anyone of moderate skill can consistently put shots into a well defined target the size of a deer's vitals a 100 yards with a traditional hunting revolver (i.e not a hand-rifle).

But game animals do not accommodate us by showing up in the open at known ranges, standing still, perfectly presenting their vitals. Field conditions seldom provide a solid rest from which you can clearly see the animal, good light, and no wind.

I suppose with a setup like a lot of folks here in TX use, effectively creating a rifle range with a deer feeder and all the comforts of home, all those conditions are controlled. But unless the person is handicapped, I call that deer shooting, not hunting.

Sorry. I get a little touchy when I think I'm being lumped into a group of what we call "slob hunters." I don't live in TX and shoot deer from a baited stand, which is illegal in my state. No offense to those who use deer stands because of dense terrain, but we use a ground pounding mode of firearms hunting in my part of the world.

I learned to hunt from my Dad, starting when I was 10 years old. He'd haul me out of bed in the dark, and take me into the Hills to learn how to look for sign and understand deer habits. When I was 12, and old enough to legally hunt, he gave me the ideal rifle for brushy terrain: a Winchester Mod. 94 .30-30. I've taken a lot of white tail with that rifle at distances anywhere from 25-100 yards. Dad taught me to be sure of my shot in order to make a clean, humane kill.

Fifty years after taking my first white tail, I'm still hunting the Hills, and while the terrain remains thick in most areas, it's getting thinned because of Pine Beetle decimation. We now have considerable numbers of clearings that attract browsing deer; thus, I want to know the limits of the 6" 686 for hunting white tail. I appreciate the experience shared by those who are handgun hunters.

When I started hunting with a handgun I used a 357. After taking a couple of deer I saw that the 357 was not enough gun and we have small deer here in SC. I switched to a 44 and they drop at the shot. I also killed 2 bears in AK with a 44 and they went less than 20 yards. Deer can be killed with a 357 but the 44 is a much better choice. As far as optics try a fixed 2X or 4X scope. The fixed power have a wider field of view.

Have taken several with .357's, but .44 mag works better.
Shot one with a Dan Wesson with the 15" barrel at about 125 yards, ran about 10 yards. Like a fool got in a bind for $$$ and sold the gun, now worth a lot more $$$, they didn't make many of the long tubes.

A few comments late in the game:

I've given up on magnified optics for deer hunting. Iron sights or reddots have replaced any scope on my revolvers. Magnification either entices you to take too long shots, or is too slow on up-close moving game and can make shot placement tough when they're really close. All you see is undefined hide! (Have been in all of those situations, BTW. Doesn't make for happy hunts.)

All of my deer have been taken with .44s. The .41s just haven't been at the right place at the right time and I've been reluctant to try a .357 after using the .44. It's nowhere as effective as my .223s!

However, a friend hunted quite a few years with a Model 28 in Ohio. No complaints from him, but he's since transitioned to the .41, so...

I have a close friend who has killed 3 white tail deer with a .357 magnum GP100 Ruger with 6 in bbl and open sights. All were taken within 50 yards or less, and he told me that 2 of them dropped pretty much where they stood, and one ran for a very short distance. He was using factory loads, but not sure exactly what.

Thanks all. The weather finally warmed and I got out to shoot the 686 last weekend. It groups great at 15 yards, but I'm going to be looking into some sort of enhanced iron sights or halo sight systems that will give me a more precise image at distances up to 50 yards. Given the ballistics, I'm sure that will be my maximum range.