Hunting partner who is a .41 shooter wanted to take a deer with a 6.5" Model 27 that was left to him by another one of our group who passed away two years ago.
Last year he used the gun with 160 XTPs and H110. Had a good clear shot at a 105# doe broadside at 35 yards. Bullet passed right through both lungs. Deer ran under his tree stand and my friend hit it again going away in the front right leg breaking the lower bone, causing the deer to fall. He put another round in between the shoulder blades before it could get up which ended the flight....
Back in 1972 I was on my first deer hunt with friends in Texas and double lunged a 10 point at about 15 yards. Load was a hardcast Lyman/Thompson 357156 155 grain gaschecked bullet at 1200 fps from a 4" Model 19...deer was last seen going over a neighbors fence about 400 yards from me with blood going down its sides...
.357s will kill deer...it is where they fall down that may be a problem.
Bob
