Would you consider a 4" .357 sufficient for deer @25 yards or less?

[demented]

 If so, what ammunition or bullet type/weight would you prefer? 

[Swampman]

Yes, I'd probably use a 158 grain soft point.

[Catfish]

Yes. With a 158 gr. HP you could take a deer as far out as you can lung shoot him, but you will have to track them some. Usually less than 150 yrds.

[Mikey]

Most any 158 - 200 gn load.  Remington's are good, so are Winchesters, Federals, etc. or handrolled.  Cast semiwadcutters in the 158-200 gn range are perfect.  I prefer the heavier load and it works very well.

[Tom W.]

A 180 grain cast is accurate from my 4" Security six....

[demented]

 I should have read down a few post, what I asked was already answered. 

[pruhdlr]

For me it would be the heaviest bullet,with the widest meplate available. This combo would completely penetrate and leave a good blood trail(if the deer actually attempted to run). ---pruhdlr

[SwampThing762]

I recommend a 158 grain hardcast with wide meplat at around 1200 fps.  water quenched wheelweight bullets would be a prefect pill.

ST762

[Swampman]

The cast lead bullets won't expand at all.  They'll drill a neat hole like a FMJ.  They are ok for hogs.

[SHOOTALL]

If so, what ammunition or bullet type/weight would you prefer? 

If you can keep your shots in the kill zone sure. 158 gr soft point or XTP's
Why would it not kill a deer ? We expect it to stop 250-300 lb men whats a 150 lb deer 

[blhof]

All the above agree that it will kill a deer, but if you're talking about a large mulie or even a far northern whitetail buck, you're going to have to track it no matter what bullet you use, unless it's a brain or spinal shot.

[Dee]

Not necessarily.

[ftlupton]

Modern .357 loads are at least as powerful as many of the old lever gun loads that killed truckloads of deer back in the days.

[SHOOTALL]

its all about shot placement pure and simple . A 22 will kill a deer or elk for that matter if shot placement is perfect. So the question should be can you place a perfect or near perfect shot with your choice of weapons on a given day under existing conditions ? You realize that the trend to magnums is a trend to cover mistakes in some applications . If a 30-30 will kill a deer with a good shot this 30 cal magnum will kill it if it hits it anywhere. No not all think this way but many do. The more I read of African hunting the more it is apperant that a good mid bore with good FMJ bullets work on most game IF SHOT PLACEMENT IS GOOD . There is an article in American Rifleman about the rifle Bell used to kill alot of elephants , a 7X57 . The writers daughter killed her elephant with the same rifle back in the 60's before a min. cal. rule was passed. The gun killrd buff, rino, and about everything else.
So don't ask if a gun will kill a critter ask yourself if you can make the shot .

[Old Fart]

I took one a few years back with my S&W model 28 three inch.
It was around 25 yards, maybe a bit farther.
I want to say 158gr jacketed soft point. Not 100% sure on weight.
Got a nice vitals hit and it took a couple steps and dropped over.

[FN in MT]

  When I was still on the job I used the old Keith #358429 170+ gr SWC  at 1100 fps in a 4" gun on hundreds of road injured deer, a few bear and even several elk. Many shots were simple head shots...to the ear.  But many times they would be 15-20 yds away against the Highway ROW fences.  I'd just hold for a lung shot which did the trick. Always got through and through penetration on lungshots.

  I know an injured deer isn't a std old out eating in the field deer...so sorry for an apples/oranges reply.

  Deer are not bulletproof. Honest. They do not require  .300 magnum rifles  or .500" handguns. It's all about PROPER PLACEMENT.

FN in MT

 

[223fan]

It has killed bigger animals than deer,so my answer is yes.I would use a 158gr. or heavier.

[JKump]

Been there and done that, 158 grain Federal Fusion did the job. When I handgun hunt I use a 4" Taraus Tracker .357 Mag., I just hunt like I am Bow hunting.
Added a picture of a little Button head I took, shoot at 26 paces. DRT. He was slightly turning and I put it in the front chest, bullet exited down his right leg.

[bubbinator]

IMHO,  357 bullets in adequare weights to kill a deer size animal do not expand well enought to kill quickly.  They will exit, but not enough is done in the process.  Excellent JHPs from multiple suppiers are available and will do a MUCH better job of anchoring your deer.  My favorite load is a Sierra JHC 140 Gr./ H-110/WW P230(Same powder) Per Seirra and Speer Load manuals, w/CCI SPMag primers.  It expands great, exits almost all the time, and you don't have call back-up to track it. Load/application cicra 1975!

[Lloyd Smale]

Im not a bit 357 fan especially when it comes to hunting big game but im sure at under 50 yards it will kill a deer cleanly. Im also a big cast bullet fan but in the 357 and even the 41 mag i tend to go with bullets that will expand to compensate for the small diameter of the bullet. For the 357 i would probably go with a 150-160 grain jacketed soft point or a cast hp. Deer arent hard to get pentration on but if it were bear or pigs i was hunting and God forbit all i owned was a 357 id probably go with a 180 cast flatpoint.

[Mohawk]

I have used the Remington 158 gr Semi-jacketed Hollow Point with good success in a 4" S&W Model 28. through the lungs they run about 40 yards and collapse. Exit hole about the size of a nickel.

[buck460XVR]

I've shot several deer with a 6'' 686. All were under 30 yards and all went less than 40 yards.

IMHO.....If someone is incapable of blood  trailing/tracking a deer for 40 yards, they should not be in the woods.

[Larry Gibson]

If so, what ammunition or bullet type/weight would you prefer? 

My experience with shooting deer under 25 yards with 4" .357s shows that the 125 HP Winchester or Federals kill deer quicker (heart lung shots) than any other .357 factory round of any weight bullet.  For a reload I use the older Lyman manual load of Blue Dot under the Hornady 125 XTPFP.  At 1400+ fps out of a 4" barreled .357 revolver it kills deer very well indeed.

Larry Gibson

[bubbinator]

Exactlythe way I feel, with similar experience.  Thanks for the validation.

[Redhawk1]

Im not a bit 357 fan especially when it comes to hunting big game but im sure at under 50 yards it will kill a deer cleanly. Im also a big cast bullet fan but in the 357 and even the 41 mag i tend to go with bullets that will expand to compensate for the small diameter of the bullet. For the 357 i would probably go with a 150-160 grain jacketed soft point or a cast hp. Deer arent hard to get pentration on but if it were bear or pigs i was hunting and God forbit all i owned was a 357 id probably go with a 180 cast flatpoint.

Lloyd thinks like I do. But if I used a 357 Mag, I would use a 158 gr. soft point. Also like a WFN 180 gr. cast.

[Mohawk]

.357 Mag is fine for 25 yards or so. treat it like you are bow hunting and you are fine.  I have NEVER used a 40 + caliber and never had a problem having meat.

[Van/TX]

It'll work just fine.  I like the Fed 180 grain cast core cartridges but at 25 yards with proper placement the bullet should make very little difference nor should the barrel length.  Deflate the lungs = dead deer ...Van

[pruhdlr]

NO WAY IN HECK will a 357 kill a ........Blah,Blah,Blah.....

Just kiddin'. Like Van,my choice would be a heavy(180gr+) WFNGC hardcast. AND at the bow hunting ranges. AND especially comeing outta a 6"+ bbl.(7 1/2 would be great).This combo should(?) shoot thru any deer out there. The rather large meplate will also create quite a bit of hydorstatic shock as it passes thur. ---pruhdlr

[Mohawk]

Well said, Van......

[lastchanc54]

I once killed a deer with a 357. The animal was broad side and a full 80 yards out. I put a 140 speer bullet through the heart and it dropped in it's tracks. I was using a 6 inch Colt Python (not a 4 in). Yes, I did shoot a lot and knew exactly where the bullet was going to hit.I also took two more deer with a 357, one at 30 yards and one  at 45 yds, both one shot kills.
 NO I don't recomend it to most people. Using a 4 in S&W and handloads, I have made shoots on none game targets to over 200 yards. Now days I shoot a scoped 44 super blackhawk or one of my Encores.