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October 5, 2006, 07:00 PM | #1 |
Junior member
Join Date: March 14, 2006
Location: I live in Southern Illinois.
Posts: 422
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Handgun deer hunting...
I live in Illinois and in the state you are allowed to hunt deer with a handgun as long as: 1. the barrel is 4in or longer 2. the handgun is .30 caliber or larger 3. th load you are using must be able to produce at least 500 ft/lbs of muzzle energy. I a getting a Ruger GP-100(.357 Magnum) in a few weeks when I turn 21 and I wanted to know if anyone has any experience hunting deer with a .357 Magnum?
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October 5, 2006, 07:12 PM | #2 |
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Join Date: December 5, 2004
Location: KTN
Posts: 1,221
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I have hunted with a Ruger SBH in .44 mag 7.5" bbl.
I am guessing you are looking for people who have killed with a .357..... That's why I said I hunted with one!( )
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October 5, 2006, 07:21 PM | #3 |
Junior member
Join Date: March 14, 2006
Location: I live in Southern Illinois.
Posts: 422
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Lol!
Sounds like a good story! Care to share?
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October 5, 2006, 09:09 PM | #4 |
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Join Date: September 20, 2006
Location: California
Posts: 441
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1911 with a 16" barrel and shoulder stock..
Seriously, probably .357 in smith or ruger. |
October 5, 2006, 10:20 PM | #5 |
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Join Date: December 5, 2004
Location: KTN
Posts: 1,221
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no real story....Just never see anything when I have it one me!
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HDR Ban!? It's a shame all of my guns sank with my boat last week... Time to catch up.....like mayonnaise |
October 5, 2006, 10:24 PM | #6 |
Junior member
Join Date: March 14, 2006
Location: I live in Southern Illinois.
Posts: 422
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I see.
I figured there was a good story about how you issed the deer with all 6 shots or something! It happens to te best of us. Thats how the coyotes are a lot of the time around here. If I'm fishing thn I see the 5 of them. If I'm laying in some brush with a .308 in my hands then I don't see much of anything (except deer which I have to bow hunt or hopefully in the near future hunt with a handgun)
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October 5, 2006, 10:26 PM | #7 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 22, 2006
Location: Missouri
Posts: 294
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I hunt with a .41 mag, but my stepdad hunts with a ruger blackhawk in .357mag. I load 180gr Hornady XTPs for him over a nice dose of H-110. They do the job.
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October 5, 2006, 10:31 PM | #8 |
Junior member
Join Date: March 14, 2006
Location: I live in Southern Illinois.
Posts: 422
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pumpkin...
what can I expect? Is a well placed shot going to drop one on the spot, or do they almost always run a good ways? I just don't know wat to expect is all.
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October 6, 2006, 05:10 AM | #9 |
Senior Member
Join Date: June 14, 2004
Location: NY State
Posts: 6,575
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"Drop one on the spot" is not always something that will happen even with a rifle !! The only thing I've used on deer is a 44 mag which is about twice as effective as the 357. What you must do is practice. Find a good ,heavy bullet ,160 gr, that will give you no bigger than about 1 1/2" groups from the bench. Then practice , practice !!
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October 11, 2006, 10:25 AM | #10 |
Senior Member
Join Date: January 16, 2006
Posts: 162
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i have hunted with my 6" gp100 with mixed results. It will kill every deer if you do your part, but I dont always get exit wounds. Naturally, this makes tracking very difficult. It will work if you wait for perfect broadside shots, being sure to avoid the shoulders. I think I will get a 44 mag soon based on what i've seen.
If your gonna use it use careful shot placement and good ammo like buffalo bore. |
October 11, 2006, 03:01 PM | #11 |
Senior Member
Join Date: August 11, 2005
Posts: 1,177
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I started out handgun hunting with a .357mag Ruger Blackhawk 6.5" bbl. It is one tuff gun, we took some handloads (probably) further than we should have, but it never balked.
158grn or 180grn JSPs or Cast bullets will serve you nicely, that is if you can get the deer to cooperate.
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October 11, 2006, 05:17 PM | #12 |
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Join Date: February 19, 2005
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 5,323
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Years ago I purchased a 6" Python to use for whitetail hunting. I knew very little about handguns at the time and after some reading I decided it was not "big enough". Didn't hunt for a while or hunted with rifle....
I started shooting the 41 mag a good bit. Really like the caliber although I do understand why some would choose a 44 mag for hunting over the 41 mag. Took my Model 57 out a couple of times where there weren't many deer and never got a shot. Still love the caliber and shoot it more than any of the magnum calibers. Got serious a few years back as life stabilized and bought a Ruger Super Red Hawk in 480. That is my deer revolver. I know the 41 mag is plenty, but I just want some additional fire power. My advice is not to buy a 357 to hunt with going out of the gate.... get a 41 or 44 mag or up the power a bit to 480 Ruger. You won't have this nagging question in your mind that you don't have enough gun when the deer takes off after you make a good hit in the heart lung area. |
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