Mythbusted! .357 Magnum 125JHP on Deer - Page 4

nomad636 · November 23, 2015, 02:16 PM

I have no doubt that the .357 is enough to take down deer. Personally, I took a doe last winter with my .40S&W at 10 yds. I was using Federal HST ammunition. The firearm used was a Springfield XDM with a 4" barrel. The bullet expanded after passing through the front shoulder. It penetrated both lungs and exited the far shoulder leaving a solid 1" hole. The doe didn't make it 5yds before falling flat on her face. (I left my archery release at the house and wasn't going to forfeit my last day of hunting because of it. It was also rifle season, so it was a legal kill.)

I have taken several Texas Hogs with my .22WMR and my .17HMR. I have no doubt, that (if it were legal) and smart shot placement were used, that they would both take down a deer too.

I have seen and followed the caliber debate ad-nauseam. I'm sure that this post will cause an uproar from other hunters.

Honestly, I get sick and tired of watching keyboard ninjas and their overzealous EGO talk smack about other hunters and their methods. The bottom line that I go by is this: 1) Firearm and ammunition is legal for hunting. 2) I am proficient with the weapons platform being used. 3) I have an ethical shot.

Sure there are better weapons systems and calibers out there, but some of us have to use what we have.

OK. Rant over. Pedestal turned over to the next hunter.

JASmith · November 23, 2015, 07:25 PM

Quote:

From SLAMFIRE:

...Most deer in my area are actually small, a 120 pound deer is a good sized deer. According to gunwriters, cannon shells will bounce off these deer, and yet, the OP is doing quite well with a 357 Magnum rifle.

And those who say the 125 gr .357 JHP is not good for a 124 lb deer are perfectly willing to use it to defend themselves from a 200 lb man bent on killing them?

With deer, we can choose to wait for a shot into the vital zone in the chest.

In self-defense, we take the shot we can get.

Which is more challenging?

sfwusc · November 23, 2015, 10:04 PM

.357 mag wouldn't be my first choice for defense either but you can't carry a shotgun around with you all day.

All rounds have their place.

TimSr · November 25, 2015, 08:06 AM

Quote:

And those who say the 125 gr .357 JHP is not good for a 124 lb deer are perfectly willing to use it to defend themselves from a 200 lb man bent on killing them?

Pound for pound, a human is one of the weakest animals on the planet.

lordvader · November 25, 2015, 02:58 PM

The 357 mag is enough to take down a deer/hog. Anyone who says otherwise has never hunted with one. You can kill a deer with a 22 short rimfire if you hit them in the head. The 357 can generate more power than a 44-40 or 38-40, which is what they used in the 1800's to hunt large game with, aside from your larger buffalo calibers. It all boils down to one important thing. SHOT PLACEMENT. Deer are not Grizzly Bears, it doesn't take a cannon to bring them down.

kcub · November 25, 2015, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Deer are not Grizzly Bears, it doesn't take a cannon to bring them down.

That monsieur, is where you are sadly mistaken. When have you seen a deer and a grizzly bear in the same room at the same time? It takes 20mm cannon minimum to bring down a grizzly dear.

Super Sneaky Steve · November 18, 2016, 09:30 PM

Here we go again! I love proving every year how a 125gr .357 Magnum bullet out of a rifle isn't only OK for deer, but it is the BEST for deer!

This year I shot a very big doe. She was facing me at 50 yards. I had maybe a minute of daylight left.

She was below me so I had to shoot on an angle. I placed the bullet square in her neck. The bullet traveled into her chest. Into and out of her heart, into and out of her liver, then broke a rib on the other side just barely staying inside her.

I have never had to track any deer with this load. When I took this shot she flopped right on the ground. Didn't even take a step.

If you're in an area where you're forced to use a straight walled pistol cartridge and want the BEST cartridge rifle combo. This is it.

Radny97 · November 18, 2016, 10:37 PM

Cool. Nice kill.

bamaranger · November 19, 2016, 01:59 AM

Another deer for you .357. Good for you. Is that a soft point 125? Who makes that slug?

shootniron · November 19, 2016, 04:48 AM

Those are NOT JHP's...as you state in the original post.

Super Sneaky Steve · November 19, 2016, 08:50 AM

In my original post I used a Hornady XTP hollow point.

They make very robust hollow point bullets and I had a full pass through when used.

I have since switched to Remington soft points because they are cheaper and I have them in bulk.

treg · November 19, 2016, 09:27 AM

Congrats on the deer and thanks for the write-ups!

I have long felt that the JSP would maximize the pistol cartridge rifle for hunting deer size game. You would not have gotten near the penetration with a JHP of any type. I've seen JHP fail too many times when the going gets tough.

Art Eatman · November 19, 2016, 10:06 AM

Ah, the thread that would not die!

Chainsaw. · November 19, 2016, 10:42 AM

Having grown up in Texas where most idiots...err....people seem to think a 270 is minimum for the 100# doe I roll my eyes where I hear sentiments like that about 357. The 357 is considered one of the aboslute best man stoppers bar none. A deer is about he same weight and thickness of a human. Nice catch.

Kachok · November 19, 2016, 12:00 PM

I have never been against using a 357 for deer, but I have said for years and still believe that the 44 Magnum makes a better choice for hunting with a pistol cartridge, same as my belief that a 260 Rem or 6.5CM makes a much better low recoil rifle cartridge then a 243 for the same application. I know plenty of people who deer hunt with 223s, 357s, 30 carbines, even a 9mm carbine and they all swear they work, but I don't like extended tracking jobs so I stick to firearms that make north of 2,000 ft/lbs with fast expanding 120gr+ bullets and I have never tracked anything (that I shot) more then about 40 yards in my 30 years of hunting.

rightside · November 19, 2016, 12:21 PM

Great job, Steve!
Seems every one of your shots for the past what? 3 years? gets those deer in the liver!
You any kin to Liver eatin' Johnson?

November 23, 2015, 02:16 PM	#76
nomad636 Senior Member Join Date: October 13, 2015 Location: Arlington Texas Posts: 126	No Doubt I have no doubt that the .357 is enough to take down deer. Personally, I took a doe last winter with my .40S&W at 10 yds. I was using Federal HST ammunition. The firearm used was a Springfield XDM with a 4" barrel. The bullet expanded after passing through the front shoulder. It penetrated both lungs and exited the far shoulder leaving a solid 1" hole. The doe didn't make it 5yds before falling flat on her face. (I left my archery release at the house and wasn't going to forfeit my last day of hunting because of it. It was also rifle season, so it was a legal kill.) I have taken several Texas Hogs with my .22WMR and my .17HMR. I have no doubt, that (if it were legal) and smart shot placement were used, that they would both take down a deer too. I have seen and followed the caliber debate ad-nauseam. I'm sure that this post will cause an uproar from other hunters. Honestly, I get sick and tired of watching keyboard ninjas and their overzealous EGO talk smack about other hunters and their methods. The bottom line that I go by is this: 1) Firearm and ammunition is legal for hunting. 2) I am proficient with the weapons platform being used. 3) I have an ethical shot. Sure there are better weapons systems and calibers out there, but some of us have to use what we have. OK. Rant over. Pedestal turned over to the next hunter. __________________ Never go to war with a man who can end you from another zip code. Remember that just because you are out of sight... doesn't mean you are out of range. Unless of course.... you can end him from a further distance.

November 19, 2016, 01:59 AM	#84
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,308	another Another deer for you .357. Good for you. Is that a soft point 125? Who makes that slug?

November 19, 2016, 09:27 AM	#87
treg Senior Member Join Date: November 26, 2006 Posts: 1,102	Congrats on the deer and thanks for the write-ups! I have long felt that the JSP would maximize the pistol cartridge rifle for hunting deer size game. You would not have gotten near the penetration with a JHP of any type. I've seen JHP fail too many times when the going gets tough. __________________ .44 Special: For those who get it, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't, no explanation is possible.

November 23, 2015, 10:04 PM	#78
sfwusc Senior Member Join Date: July 14, 2013 Posts: 231	.357 mag wouldn't be my first choice for defense either but you can't carry a shotgun around with you all day. All rounds have their place.

November 25, 2015, 02:58 PM	#80
lordvader Member Join Date: September 30, 2015 Posts: 86	The 357 mag is enough to take down a deer/hog. Anyone who says otherwise has never hunted with one. You can kill a deer with a 22 short rimfire if you hit them in the head. The 357 can generate more power than a 44-40 or 38-40, which is what they used in the 1800's to hunt large game with, aside from your larger buffalo calibers. It all boils down to one important thing. SHOT PLACEMENT. Deer are not Grizzly Bears, it doesn't take a cannon to bring them down.

November 18, 2016, 09:30 PM	#82
Super Sneaky Steve Senior Member Join Date: August 9, 2011 Posts: 1,250	Here we go again! I love proving every year how a 125gr .357 Magnum bullet out of a rifle isn't only OK for deer, but it is the BEST for deer! This year I shot a very big doe. She was facing me at 50 yards. I had maybe a minute of daylight left. She was below me so I had to shoot on an angle. I placed the bullet square in her neck. The bullet traveled into her chest. Into and out of her heart, into and out of her liver, then broke a rib on the other side just barely staying inside her. I have never had to track any deer with this load. When I took this shot she flopped right on the ground. Didn't even take a step. If you're in an area where you're forced to use a straight walled pistol cartridge and want the BEST cartridge rifle combo. This is it.

November 18, 2016, 10:37 PM	#83
Radny97 Senior Member Join Date: July 8, 2015 Posts: 1,021	Cool. Nice kill.

November 19, 2016, 04:48 AM	#85
shootniron Senior Member Join Date: April 16, 2011 Location: Georgia Posts: 1,599	Those are NOT JHP's...as you state in the original post.

November 19, 2016, 08:50 AM	#86
Super Sneaky Steve Senior Member Join Date: August 9, 2011 Posts: 1,250	In my original post I used a Hornady XTP hollow point. They make very robust hollow point bullets and I had a full pass through when used. I have since switched to Remington soft points because they are cheaper and I have them in bulk.

November 19, 2016, 10:06 AM	#88
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Ah, the thread that would not die!

November 19, 2016, 10:42 AM	#89
Chainsaw. Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2015 Location: Issaquah WA. Its a dry rain. Posts: 1,774	Having grown up in Texas where most idiots...err....people seem to think a 270 is minimum for the 100# doe I roll my eyes where I hear sentiments like that about 357. The 357 is considered one of the aboslute best man stoppers bar none. A deer is about he same weight and thickness of a human. Nice catch.

November 19, 2016, 12:00 PM	#90
Kachok Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2012 Posts: 304	I have never been against using a 357 for deer, but I have said for years and still believe that the 44 Magnum makes a better choice for hunting with a pistol cartridge, same as my belief that a 260 Rem or 6.5CM makes a much better low recoil rifle cartridge then a 243 for the same application. I know plenty of people who deer hunt with 223s, 357s, 30 carbines, even a 9mm carbine and they all swear they work, but I don't like extended tracking jobs so I stick to firearms that make north of 2,000 ft/lbs with fast expanding 120gr+ bullets and I have never tracked anything (that I shot) more then about 40 yards in my 30 years of hunting.

November 19, 2016, 12:21 PM	#91
rightside Senior Member Join Date: February 4, 2012 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 419	Great job, Steve! Seems every one of your shots for the past what? 3 years? gets those deer in the liver! You any kin to Liver eatin' Johnson?