I will toss another vote for the .45, just love my 5.5" Bisley. I run two loads, a 255 flat point at about 1000fps and a 280 LBT at 1300fps and that is all I need out of a pistol.

Throating was $50 and cut groups in half.

Back to the op, for smaller whitetail it will not matter a bit, a .357 with good loads will stop 100lb whitetail quite easily.

Hunt hard, kill clean, waste nothing and offer no apologies.

"In rifle work, group size is of some interest...but it is well to remember that a rifleman does not shoot groups, he shoots shots." Jeff Cooper