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I've been hunting our new lease in South Miss. Several of our plots are less than 50 yards long and not as wide. While sitting in the blinds I've been thinking a handgun would be an ideal weapon to be hunting with.

I've got plenty of experience with handguns in the duty/cc context. I've not hunted much with one. So here is my question to those of you with experience in handgun hunting. Would you be satisfied using a .357 mag. at the above ranges or would you step up in caliber? Keep in mind this will be for southern deer hunting and the occasional hog.

Along with caliber feel free to share what bullets have been most dependable.

Ruger Super BlackHawk Hunter in 44 mag. Or if your lucky enough to find one, in .41 mag. Either one of those calibers will easily kill deer or hogs with regular old Factory Ammo.

A .357 mag will no doubt kill deer. Hell, ive killed them with my Glock in .357 Sig Caliber. But that was with optimum conditions, and a perfect shot at 20 yards.
But if you want to stretch your shots out to 100 yards, I think you'd be better served with a .41 or .44 mag. JMHO. Though.

A properly loaded 357 mag will work at the ranges you suggest. A 41 or 44 mag will work better if you can shoot them well.

I personally would feel comfortable with the 357 Magnum for 50 yards and under , in a handgun bigger is usually better for hunting . I will probably use my Glock 20 in 10 mm on the Boar Hunt this Spring with the Hornady 200 XTP loaded with Hod Longshot in Starline Brass

I actually have a good amount of range time with a 629 and Redhawk out to 100 yards. I'm comfortable using the caliber. I no longer have either gun so stepping up in caliber is going to require a purchase. Not a terrible predicament to have to suffer!

Dang good recommendation, Bea. My Glock 20 is one heck of a good hunting handgun. I've killed a truckload of feral hogs with mine using the Hornady 200gr XTP over a max handload of AA-9. I'm getting 1350fps out of mine with that load.

And it's my favorite handgun for when I'm Bowhunting in the Rockies for Mule Deer & Elk.
I wouldn't be afraid to use it on a Grizz in the Lower 48, in an unexpected oh ShiiTT confrontation, if that's all I had with me, either. But for Grizz Country, I carry a spare 15 round mag loaded with Buffalo Bore's 10mm 220gr hard cast loading going around 1200 fps.

I use a GP-100 in 357 mag with a 6" barrel. Seems my eyes are not what they used to be so I had to put a 2x7 Burris on it. The scope sure makes putting your bullet where it needs to go alot easier.

I load a 158gr Hornady xtp with a max charge of win 296. I limit my shots to around 50yds and so far have been very impressed with the proformance of that bullet and load.

Ive used both the 357 mag and 44 mag revolvers for deer and hog hunting for decades , either produces a fatal wound if well placed, but if you hit a deer or hog well that doesn,t always insure an instant DRT kill., and distances traveled after a hit with the 44 mag tend to be shorter in my experience

Ive loaded a hard cast 44 caliber 300-310 grain lyman or LEE gas check bullet over 20-21 grains of H110 powder in my 44 mag for decades , (start with 19 grains and work up a 1/2 grain at a time ) it shoots clear thru most hogs and deer exiting and still going strong so be aware you don,t want to shoot a deer with a second deer directly behind the first, and I,d also point out that occasionally even well hit game runs 40-80 yards after bullet impact

http://handloads.com/loaddata/default.asp?Caliber=44%20Magnum&Weight=All&type=Handgun

If you've heard hand guns just don,t put deer down and a 357 mag is just not up to the task, I can tell you from DECADES OF experience that yes theres a difference, and the 44 MAG PROPERLY is a bit more effective, but the 357 MAG LOADED WITH A GOOD 158 GRAIN SOFT POINT OR THE BULLET I'VE USED FROM NEI (link below)FOR decades is 100% lethal in the hands of a decent shot and you can get complete pass thru shots with decent hard cast bullets in most hand gun calibers suitable for hunting, yes you make a good point that the 357 mag doesn,t always seem to put a deer down with near the authority that as an example a 44 mag does but its been my experience that results are a good deal more about exact shot placement, than any change in caliber, within certain limits.
Ive used both caliber hand guns for 40 plus years
http://www.neihandtools.com/catalog/index.html

a stiff load of blue dot, 2400, OR h110 and this gas check bullet has done the job for decades, but remember shot placements critical with a hand gun, and a 6"-10" BARREL LENGTH ALLOWS YOU TO HAVE BOTH A LONGER SITE RADIAS AND GET THE FULL BENEFIT FROM THE POWDER BURN.

http://www.handloads.com/loaddata/default.asp?Caliber=357%20Magnum&Weight=All&type=Handgun

+1.............

A survey was done long ago between the .357 and .44 mag. The .357 lost 50% of deer hit while the .44 had 100% recovery. The .41 is a "tweener" but can work better then a .357, the .44 is better. Most .40's in autos are as good as the .41. But the .44 is better.
I don't like the stuff about perfect hits when hunting, few if any can do it 100% of the time, it is bull to the highest degree. It is a revolver and 99% can't handle it off hand.
Guys shoot 2" to 4" groups at 25 yards and tell you they hit deer in the spine at 50 to 100 yards. Get over it, it is a lie.
You have buck fever, hold a revolver off hand and can place a shot exact, where do you come from?
What you want is a caliber that works if off a little on the hit. The .44 will do it. The .357 is sad and must be perfect but I forget there are so many perfect shots on the net.
Some do it as I see but the average hunter CAN'T. I suppose I could use a .357 but I don't like it. I hunt to kill as fast and clean as I can so iffy guns are never used.
My deer hunting starts with the .44 and the best ever is the .475 Linebaugh in the BFR.

I tend to agree with this. Although I have heard of good results with the 357 with the proper bullets, I personally stay with the 41 or bigger. Just not willing to take the chance.
Have had really good luck with the 41mag, and flat love the 475L.

i agree with bfr i've shot deer with 357 in my younger days and while only lost one.I hunt with with 475 or 500 most of time with once in a great while the 41 mag which only shot one doe with and while i didn't kill it she walked in front of my partner and he killed it.

with all that sai if you have funds step up to a 44

I agree that the 44 mag is higher on the food chain than the 357. I do not agree that a 357 will loose 50% of the deer shot. I never lost nor had a problem killing deer or hogs with a 357 when I used one, but now use 41 mag or larger as the larger bores are definitely more decisive.

My inclination if choosing to step up in caliber was going to another 629. A couple of you have talked about using your Glock 20s. To be honest, that had not occurred to me. The 10mm is a step up. What interest me the most is getting a capable hunting cartridge in a handgun that can readily double up for CCW use. I went back and looked up an article in Shooting Times written by the late Greg Rodriguez where he was using a 1911 10mm on his place for those very reasons.

"...was using a 1911 10mm on his place for those very reasons."

Don't get Safariman started!

Jerry

Jerry, all are welcome to the table!!!

Not sure why one would ever choose a 41 over a 44, and i own both. I have read all of the bullschite reasons and they are, well, schite. Buy about any 240 or + gr load and go kill the wimpie deer. Ammo is easier to find as are components if you are a hand loader.

I can't see why anyone that owns both can't see the advantages of the 41 mag. I know for a fact that I can shoot the 41 with full power loads faster accurately than I can the 44 mag with 240's at full power.

I felt the same as EdM until I gave the 41 a fair comparison and then The 41 became a favorite. The 41 is a deer killing machine. 210 bullets of the same design as 240 in the 44 will out penetrate the 240's.

I would not hesitate to use the 41 mag on elk, not in then least.

Having used the 41 a great deal for many years I can tell you it doesn't take a back seat to the 44 at all. I know I sound like a broken record defending the 41 but it just flat works. I only use 230 gr Keiths or 250 gr LBT's but 45 years of success with a cartridge has to mean something & its not just on deer. Elk, bear, feral hogs & moose have been victims & all were with one shot.
Is it magic...no, but neither is the 44. If you are shooting factory ammo you are looking at 12 ft lbs of recoil in the 41 maggie as opposed to 16 ft lbs in the 44, thats 25%. I've also stated many times that if it came down to one gun it would be a 44 for me but not by much because I can't see much difference.

Dick

i shoot a 230grain keith style bullet out of the .41. or can, that's a .410 bullet. I shoot a 240grain keith style bullet out of the 44mag, that's .429. I don't see much difference.
now i am playing with the 310grain keith style bullet in the .44, which 41 i don't think goes that heavy.
but i don't see where in the majority of cases the 44 overwelms the 41.
i think that 310grain lee i am running at about 1000fps.
Now i am also running a 285grain SAA bullet, keith style, through the .45 colt. With the 8inch tube smith, it is doing about 1100fps. I don't see a lot of difference in them within normal distances.