back in the early 70s I purchased a S&W mod 27 with a 8 3/8" barrel and loaded it with factory loads to go deer hunting. I was not the worlds best shot, and knowing that I only hunted the areas where I knew the brush to be too thick for there to be much of a chance of even seeing deer past about 50 yards.
Now I found an area where HOGS were fairly easy to find but deer were a bit less common but still available.
I had initially loaded that revolver with 158 grain hollow point factory ammo, and over the first several years I found that the most frequent result, was that once I made a shot, Id spend the next 30 minutes getting down from a tree stand and slowly following a blood trail, but I always found the deer or hog within about 50-80 yards, from the place they were hit!
I didn,t blame this lack or perceived lack of effectiveness on the revolvers power as the bullets, Id used,because they usually zipped thru, the game and obviously produced a fatal wound.
I got into hand-loading because I knew I needed a great deal more practice and hand loads could be made for 1/4 the cost of factory ammo.
I did some research and changed to 170 grain cast bullets,
http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/bullet-casting/mould-details.php?entryID=13
this resulted in me shooting a great deal more and with that practice I gained a good deal of experience and accuracy improved dramatically, I blamed my lack of accuracy,with the factory loads in the first couple years on lack of practice , as the retrieved game was seldom hit exactly where I had aimed.
now my brother-in-law owned a 45 acp govt model and he frequently hunted with me with very similar results, but he got very few exits and at times longer trailing jobs.
we both decided to upgrade,as we both felt the pistols we used were not idea, but we went at the problem in a different way,
we both eventually decided that neither my revolver or the 45 acp pistol he used was the ideal deer hunting tool, but surprisingly my brother-in-law purchased a marlin in 357 mag lever action carbine because he had watched the results I got, with most shots being pass thru and exits, and concluded power was not the problem, and he concluded it was an accuracy issue and had nothing to do with power,
(plus since I was loading 357 mag, he could get FREE AMMO)
and he has used that 357 mag carbine for at least 3 decades with zero complaints.
I figured I might not be hitting exactly where I wanted too but with more practice that would be cured, so I started practicing a great deal more , which eventually got me into bullet casting and reloading, but I also realized that a revolver with a bit more punch would also help, so I purchased a 8 3/8" barrel S&W 44 mag.
the result might be predictable,to most of you guys, in that it took me about two more years to get really effective and accurate with the revolver , while my brother-in-law who purchased a marlin in 357 mag lever action, was instantly much more effective, as his accuracy went from 8"-10" 50 yard groups with the 45acp pistol, to 2" 50 yard groups shot with a 4x scope on his marlin carbine.
he had decided that a hand gun cartridge had plenty of power but its use in a revolver lacked accuracy and control, I decided to stick with the hand gun , and force myself to master the skill required,,but master its use took a great deal of practice and I also decided too hedge my bet by adding a bit more power.
now 35-40 plus years later I look back and its obvious we both made the correct decisions, as he still hunts with that 357 marlin carbine and I still have a 44 mag revolver, but I upgraded to a 10 5/8" barrel version with better sights.
and swapped to a 310 grain bullet, in the 44 mag and started to get consistently better results with a good many DRT kills.
I wondered if it was the power or my skill so after a few decades I started using the 357 mag revolver on hog hunts occasionally, and quickly realized that the 357 was very effective compared to what I used to be able to do with it,in that I now get a good many quick kills, and shooting its very easy, but its not a 44 mag, and its obvious its not hitting as hard.

#1. placement
#2.placement
#3. placement
#4. ad nauseium (sp)
#5. wound channel 357vs429 entrance.

only things I have shot with a handgun was 1 bear 44mag drt
3 deer 1 drt and 2 tracked 50 and 100 yrds. bad placement.
1 moose 454 casuall. 4shots 10 yrds and down.

seems placement is the ticket.

I've shot a couple of handfuls of deer and pigs with various .357, .44, .41, .45acp, and 9mm guns with 4-7" barrels.
My only hesitation is with the 9. 35 yds, 115 JHP stepping out, he ran 40 yds and bedded (never knew I was around), but was still alive an hour later. I don't recall exactly where I hit, but it wasn't bad (finished him with a Roberts when I went searching).
I'm willing to try the 9 again, though I might never get around to it. The other cartridges- all good, though better is better.

Placement/accuracy is a biggy...but a .357 carbine is a different animal from a .357 revolver in the effect of the bullet even with the same placement.

Back in the 70's I used the Speer 160 grain half jacket semi wad cuter in the 357 mag and got excellent results on hogs with proper shot placement. I don't recall ever getting an exit.

IME the bullet choice plays a key role in desired effectiveness. Also a larger bored revolvers hit harder no doubt about that

no , and you won't if you use the right cal, bullet and shoot straight .

Years ago I trailed a slightly wounded, smallish doe with a SBH loaded with 200 grain hollow points. After it was all said and done, I didn't use a pistol on deer for a long time. I think they were Remington scalped jackets or something. They caused deep flesh wounds, like grenades.

Then I started reloading and discovered cast bullets shortly after. What a difference in performance.

I would use a cast bullet in my .357 mag. I shot a buck a couple of years ago four times at close range. Three shots to the lungs, and a small deer that would NOT go down. I used a fourth shot to the head to put it down.

I was simply not impressed. I like my rifle better, but i suppose that if i had a good handload with a cast bullet, i would try something new and hope for a different result.

All or most of mine, BTW, were JHPs.

I should have added that XTPs were not around in those days. I wouldn't hesitate to use them, and have on hogs out of a 444.

My hunting handgun for bigger game is a RRH 5.5" in .45 Colt. My experience is very thin but I offer it FWIW. I've taken a buffalo heifer and two cow elk so far. My understanding as a neophyte was that I needed hard cast bullets for such game to get the penetration needed to the vitals from a less than broadside shot.

Well, penetration was indeed there-the broadside chest shots at both of the heifers were like a knife through butter. No problem. But in retrospect it was the more phlegmatic disposition of a buffalo that inclined them to rather stand around until the pump went dry and there was no follow-up needed.

However, with the more tightly wired elk, the 45 cal hole through the chest seemed only to grant a rather disheartening view of the animal, head up, making for distant meadows with plumes of "breath" rhythmically escaping her chest in the dry cold air. It took at least two hundred yards for her to run out of steam. Thankfully it was fairly open country.

The load in the three cases was 325-gr hard casts at about 1325 fps and while they are superb penetrators even the slab sided chest of a buffalo is not that resistant nor "deep". The cow elk is even less so. Weights of the animals were ~ 900 lbs for the buffs and maybe half that for the elk.

While placement trumps all ultimately, I've decided that a soft point with some expansion potential is what I need, particularly for much smaller whitetails, but even for elk-sized animals. Hornadys 300-gr XTP or XTP Mag come to mind.

I'm reminded I need to load some .480 Rugers. Thinking 275gr Gold Dots at ~1300 fps or so. Hopefully knock over a doe with it.

T&C, you might be loading those a tad light for our huge Texas whitetail does...

340... interesting post, thanks for sharing it.

I've done a modest bit of handgun deer-hunting, and used to hunt with a couple of other fellows in WI who were similarly inclined. We were all bit by the magnum-itis bug early on, so we all used various types of .44 Magnum or .45 Colt revolvers. And of course, we were pushing those guns to the limits... my hunting .45 Colt load for several years was a 300 gr RNFP cast bullet pushed at 1300 fps out of a Ruger Bisley. Like you said, it takes a lot of practice to get good enough to kill deer cleanly. If I recall correctly, it took me about 2 years to get to the point where I could be confident of a one-shot kill on deer out to 80-100 yards with my iron-sight Bisley. I never actually shot at a deer farther than 75, though. Part of the reason it takes so long is that even though I was pretty tough when it came to recoil, my hand couldn't take more than about 30 of those big boomer loads in one session. Well, it could, and I did, but the numbness and tingling that persisted for up to 2 days after such a session made me realize it wasn't a smart thing to be doing.

One friend, Jake, had been hunting with his S&W M29 using full-power 240 gr JHP loads at the same time, but had less success than I did with the .45, even though he was a much better shot than I was at the range. After several years, he switched to a long-slide 1911 in .460 Rowland, and his success on game improved considerably. He attributed it to being able to make a faster followup shot with the big auto than he had with his revolver. I suspect it had more to do with the heavy recoil of the M29.

Another friend, Jon, was likewise a M29 man, but recognized that the recoil was starting to get to him after 10+ years of shooting heavy loads (and truthfully, much as I love S&W's, a M29 is MUCH harder on your hand than a Bisley or even a plow-handle Blackhawk). He switched to a 6" barrel S&W M686 and loaded it with 158 gr XTP's at true magnum velocities, and topped it with a 2X scope. He was absolutely deadly with that revolver.

I have stuck with the .45 Colt for my handgun hunting, for the most part, but I've really cut down on the power of my loads. There's not much that walks on four feet that can't be killed with a 260-270 grain bullet travelling at 1000-1100 fps. In a Bisley, these loads are mild enough that I can shoot 100 rounds in one session without pain, and they still make plenty big holes on the receiving end. I use even milder loads in my M625 Mountain Gun: 265 gr RNFP cast bullets at 950 fps or so.

In the 357 Magnum, as you say there is a world of difference between the cartridge's performance in a carbine vs a revolver. The same thing is true with .45 Colt, BTW... I'm playing with some 310 gr cast bullet loads in a Rossi M1892 clone, and I'm getting velocities I can't quite believe, well within the pressure limits of the '92 action. I won't post those numbers until I finish load workup though, with photos, so folks won't take me for more of a lying sack of [bleep] than they already do.

340,

That's an excellent story to show how it's not the equipment, but the loose nut behind the trigger. I've killed hogs with a 115gr 9mm, which demonstrates that it's shot placement every time. Failure is rarely the cartridges fault.

And I used to bear hunt with a gent who used a .357 magnum rifle; a re-barreled Winchester 92 I think it was. I used a .30-30 or an 8" Dan Wesson .357. I never saw any difference between the .357 Carbine and the .30-30, but I did see a difference between the carbine and the revolver; very noticable difference.

Yep, it's ALL about shot placement; and until the shot is placed correctly, there's really no sense in discussing anything else.

My experience on game with a handgun so far is limited to hogs, and at close (25 - 65 yards. .44 "mag" with a suppressor, 14" Contender barrel, 1050 fps or less, either 300gr Barnes "Busters" or 335gr Hard Cast. Normally one shot kills when placed in the neck or with shoulder shots, a few 2 kills with one shot, NEVER recovered a bullet so far.

well, I do have some 370gr Cast Performance. I could try for a two-fer...or a hat trick

Last year I shot one pig with the Federal HST 230gr .45 ACP +P out of a Colt 1911. The shot went ahead of the shoulder, instead of behind it, but it still dropped right there. I might just slap them in my Les Baer and take them instead of the big Ruger. They are somewhat easier to find than .45 Gold Dots.

These are important issues to consider, of course, prior to the Campfire Hog Hunt in March...

Sorry, it is what you use and the bullet/boolit you shoot from it.
I have several tons of deer killed with revolvers and every caliber needs something different in the way of the bullet.
The .44 will never fail with a heavy, hard WLN or WFN. The Lee 310 is great. The .475 has dropped about every deer in it's tracks, four this season so far, with a hard boolit.
I don't like a .357 revolver because of poor bullet choices and light weights. The .41 starts to get close to right. The .44 starts it, the .480 is great and the .475 is good from a tiny deer to the largest animal.
I have problems with some calibers, 45-70 revolver and .500 JRH that both need cast boolit adjustments. Either will poke a hole with no blood trail, kill perfect or blow meat to hell and back depending on the alloy.
The .454 can fail on deer too with the wrong choice.

Doc, lets see your work up for that 92. I have one in 454 and surely would love some good 45 loads for it. great little guns.

deerstalker, I believe I'll get to that in the new year... right now I'm busy trying to kill a 150+ class whitetail. The bullets are ready, I've cast about norty-feven of 'em...

It's no secret I'm a proponent of hunting with hot-loaded pistol-caliber leverguns.

bfr, I believe you have the voice of wisdom on this. Good post.

well for what it's worth on the carbine vs revolver, i have loaded cast bullets in .41magnum, 44magnum, and .45colt for use in marlin levers. The velocity numbers are quite above the same bullet in the revolver.
I call the marlin .45colt the "light" 45.70. It pretty much is.
i went back to my notes and found the following:
RCBS scovill 270 saa, cast to 283grains, wheelweights:
9.5 grains of unique they were also sized to .454
Marline 1894 cowboy carbine
1. 1159fps
2. 1170fps
3. 1181fps
4. 1182fps
5. 1187fps
That's kind of what i meant about a 45/70 light.

go get em! make it a 180! good luck.

Hi, I'm the new guy here (second post). Been mainly hunting with handguns for the past 15 years now, and harvested a lot of whitetails during this time with .44 magnum handguns.

Along the way I've tried a lot of bullets and finally settled on what works for me. I don't know if it will apply for you or not . . . for the advertisers don't necessarily agree with what I prefer! LOL

Last year I took it pretty hard when I couldn't find the first deer in 15 years since switching to the Federal Cast Core 300 grain hardcast lead flat nose .44 mag cartridge. The shot was only about 45 yards and the shot was good and clean . . . I simply had no blood trail. A week later we found my buck, about 400 yards away. Still . . . my string had ended, and it HATE leaving a deer in the woods as bad as I do having to track it!

As someone else mentioned, a heavy flatnose hard cast bullet will virtually always do the job, and do it very fast. IF they run at all, generally the deer I shoot run no further than 40 yards. Of course, I've never recovered a bullet . . . you WILL get an exit wound. A non-expanding bullet also doesn't damage as much meat either.

This round proved extremely accurate too for me in my 6" holosight topped S&W Model 29-5 revolver too.

Velcom to the fire.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/74...-300-grain-castcore-flat-point-box-of-20
this federal 44 mag ammo looks like a good selection,if you don,t hand load, but id point out that with cast flat nose bullets performance is dependent on a good knowledge of the games anatomy and very precise ,and correct shot placement.
a shot thru the green dot will be quickly fatal, place the shot a bit higher and forward to destroy the shoulder and spine if your more concerned with anchoring the animal quickly than maximizing the venison,you pack out

Hello
I like to handgun hunt. I have been know to use caliber's that most feel are not adequate to hunt with, but to me it all comes down to shooter accuracy and Bullet Placement. I have alway's been a Fan of the .32 caliber. That said I have a S&W revolver chambered in the new hot Federal .327 Magnum cartridge. I took a large Bob-cat with it about Four year's ago now. I used a Handloaded cartridge with a Sierra Sport's master Hollow Point bullet. The shot was a True 35 Yard shot and the cat dropped Dead after one shot. I shot well over 400 round's of the exact same handload that I killed that cat with just a week prior to bagging him in the woods. I would not settle until I was getting one hole ragged results at the 25 Yard line. My Practice led to my accuracy in the woods I knew what the round & Gun could do if I did my part and it all ended well. My next quest will be to drop a white Tail with the same gun and same round. I don't feel I need a Howitzer to kill an Over sized Goat with horn's of thin skinned nature...I Plan on making a head shot on a Deer when the time is right, just because I can and have in the past... TheGeneral

I'm still one who can't recommend a head shot. Small target, quite mobile.