Pistol for deer

[robescc]

I have taken two deer with my 357 mag Ruger Security Six with a 6" barrel.  Some people think it is not enough but it was a complete pass through on one and shoulder/vitals on the other.  What do you think?

Again, the smallest caliber you would think is ethical

[edmondshunter]

41mag all the way.  Its has nominally less power than the 44mag, but way easier to shoot and control.  Besides its a deer not a grizzly

[rasbo]

44mag why? cause I have one.

[markts]

41mag all the way.  Its has nominally less power than the 44mag, but way easier to shoot and control.  Besides its a deer not a grizzly

I voted 41mag because I love mine and drops deer like someone snatched the carpet out from under him Also as Edmondshunter said way more controlable than 44mag Mark

[Gutpile]

You forgot .45 Colt. It may not be smaller but is way slower than some of the listed cartridges. It has quite a following in the handgun hunting circles and some consider it to be the starting point. I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a deer with a .357 or 45 colt.

[addicted]

if i cant shoot a good group with it...... i wouldnt mind going down to a .357

[Dirty Mike]

i have a 454 raging bull with 8 3/8 barrel havent shot anything with it yet has anybody taken a deer with a 454 and howd it do?

[C-Money]

I would use a .357 mag, I would not have an issue with the ranges stated in the first post. I almost put .38 special, but just not quite comfortable enough.

[robescc]

I though about putting in the 38 special but I am not sure it has the umpf.  It would out of a rifle but not a pistol 

[CP]

Technically speaking, 38 special & .357 are the same caliber & 9mm is basically the same as well (.003” less).  I wouldn’t use a 38 special, .40 S&W, .45 ACP or 9mm on deer, any of the others should be fine.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

You didn't specify caliber on T/C Contender...I used one before I switched to archery back in '87, but it was a 30/30...

[tomy salami]

9mm works fine with some quality HP's for added umph.

At that range, with a good shot, they will not go anywhere.

Same results as using a 300Win.........hold, the bloodshot meat.

[yakimarcher]

a 30 yard headshot with a .22 would drop a doe. but... ethically i have to go with the .38- thats plenty!!

[tomy salami]

22 had done many a nasty thing.

Aint legal, but I have heard it will git the job done.

22 is not he BB  gun it is made out to be.

Buddy in the Midwest, years ago, waxed a buck at 60 yards.....double lung.....with the venerable 22.

[yakimarcher]

My co workewrs dad got killed with a .22. close range shot in the lower back (accident) but the bullet wouldn't exit. It just bounced around and did fatal damage.

[wadu1]

I would go with the 41, .45 ACP ball went right through a doe I was trying to dispatch on the Yakima Firing center after getting hurt during a live fire exercise. It took all 7 to get it down and out. During the turn of the century my grandmother only had a Stevens crackshot in .22 short she used that little gun to keep meet on the table. I still have a mule deer mount she did in about 1903/05 a nice big 2X2.

[Holg3107]

I shot my deer 2 years ago with a .44 mag out of my contender at 55yds and had more than enough power, that said i think a .357 mag would be the smallest cal i would even think about hunting with. Yes a .22 will kill a deer, it will kill an elk if everything is perfect but i don't think thats the point of the question, stick with the magnum calibers 

[jackelope]

t/c contender in pertnear whatever caliber you want.

[Ripper]

  I chose 357 as the minimum cal. I have one but have never shot a deer with it. If I were going buy a pistol just for deer hunting it would be a T/C because I'm a big fan of T/C's anyway. Very versatile. I'd probably stick to a smaller, flat shooting cal such as a 7mm-08. Keep the recoil down.

[Dirty Mike]

anybody hit something with a 45 colt or a 454?

[Bofire]

The 45 colt with good loads smokes the 44 mag. for power. 454 is a butt kicker.
Carl

[Kent Hunter]

I've only taken one deer with a handgun and it was with my Ruger .480 topped with a Leupold 2x scope. Distance was a lasered 113 yds. Pass through shot and dropped where he stood. I want to do it again!! I can see how people get darn near addicted to handgun hunting. I can't explain it, but it was just a different feeling taking that deer with a handgun instead of a rifle.

[BLKBEARKLR]

35 Rem TC Contender, fixed 4 power lighted reticle bipods, knocks a deer to the dirt.

[ing]

a 30 yard headshot with a .22 would drop a doe. but... ethically i have to go with the .38- thats plenty!!

Well if you shoot it in the head that sounds ethical to me.

[ing]

I've only taken one deer with a handgun and it was with my Ruger .480 topped with a Leupold 2x scope. Distance was a lasered 113 yds. Pass through shot and dropped where he stood. I want to do it again!! I can see how people get darn near addicted to handgun hunting. I can't explain it, but it was just a different feeling taking that deer with a handgun instead of a rifle.

How does that 480 shoot?  Does it buck much?  I have a couple of 44 mags and a 41 that I want to hunt deer with and i know they will kill a deer just fine, but I've been thinking about getting something bigger.

[JackOfAllTrades]

Technically speaking, 38 special & .357 are the same caliber & 9mm is basically the same as well (.003” less).  I wouldn’t use a 38 special, .40 S&W, .45 ACP or 9mm on deer, any of the others should be fine.

Oh good grief! Bullet diameter has nothing to do with the poll. There is great difference in the energy delivered from the 'different' cartridges listed.

I have taken 7 Blacktail in Washington with iron sighted pistol. 44mag works quite well, and in the hands of a skilled shooter the 357mag will do fine also.

There used to be rules in the game pamplet for minimum energy delivered. I think those rules should be reinstated as the new rule pretty much makes it conservation officer judgement call if what you're shooting is strong enough to hunt game with or not. There are some stupid people out there that will try their 9mm at 75yds on Deer. Not a good idea. A lot of us carry a side arm when hunting with rifle. I see nothing wrong with humanely dispatch a rifle shot animal that is suffering with that smaller side arm though.

-Steve

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

What happened?,
Back once upon a time they had more restrictive limits for handguns,

Handguns:
Big game, except cougar, may be hunted with
handguns with a minimum barrel length of 4 inches
per manufacturers specification, and fire a minimum
24 caliber centerfire cartridge. Cougar may be
hunted with 22 caliber centerfire handgun. Rimfire
handguns are not legal for big game.


When did they change it?

I Archery hunt now, but If drawn for Multi I could use a .357 ? cool !

[Kuduman]

I voted 357Mag but I would personally use my 44Mag.

[JackOfAllTrades]

What happened?,
Back once upon a time they had more restrictive limits for handguns

I'd have to check reg copies I might have from a few years back.. I wanna say it's been at least four or five years since they removed that lanquage. I talked to one officer once that said it would be very tough to prove that a hand load was too week or strong enough by taking a samping of someone's ammunition in the field, and very expensive to send it off to be proofed.

Now if an animal is witnessed shot by a hand gun, but the animal is not recovered, then the officer could write a citation not per the old rule, but per conditions of the shot with lower power cartridge not designed for hunting. I don't know the particulars, but it makes it easier for the officer to write said citation without 'proving' that the cartridge was under powered.

-Steve

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Really, I would not hunt with my handgun (Archery addict), but when I get drawn for bear this spring () while trying to call one in, I could carry my .357 as back-up.

[MikeWalking]

i have a 454 raging bull with 8 3/8 barrel havent shot anything with it yet has anybody taken a deer with a 454 and howd it do?

I talked to a guy I met in Alaska a few years back. Think he was from Iowa?

He said he had shot a fawn about 30 feet out from a treestand with a .454 Casull.

It went in the top of the shoulder and bounced around several times before exiting. He was very disapointed about that...."Shoulda expended all it's energy inside"

I didin't say much.  But later I thought, you shot a fawn? at near point blank? with a .454 and you're complaining it did to much??

[NWBREW]

Really, I would not hunt with my handgun (Archery addict), but when I get drawn for bear this spring () while trying to call one in, I could carry my .357 as back-up.

Not mine....dirty gus shot this.....44 I believe.

[Shootmoore]

Really, I would not hunt with my handgun (Archery addict), but when I get drawn for bear this spring () while trying to call one in, I could carry my .357 as back-up.

Not mine....dirty gus shot this.....44 I believe.

Nice bear!  Now tell Dirty Gus to keep his finger off the trigger until on target and ready to fire 

Sorry its the firearms instructor in me, first thing that popped out on the pic 

Shootmoore

[NWBREW]

Really, I would not hunt with my handgun (Archery addict), but when I get drawn for bear this spring () while trying to call one in, I could carry my .357 as back-up.

Not mine....dirty gus shot this.....44 I believe.

Nice bear!  Now tell Dirty Gus to keep his finger off the trigger until on target and ready to fire 

Sorry its the firearms instructor in me, first thing that popped out on the pic 

Shootmoore

  Yeah.....That was the first thing I said to him. 

[ADAMS]

Don't think T/C Contender is a caliber.  Why didn't you include the 10mm Auto?

On a small deer at close range, I might be tempted to use a .357 Mag with a hot load.  Same thing goes for the 10mm.

[carpsniperg2]

i would prefer my 454 casull but i have used 357 mag on deer before never had any problem with it taking them cleanly.

[Kent Hunter]

The .480 does snort a bit when you trip er off, but I didn't notice it at all when I killed the deer. It's the same as when you shoot an animal with your rifle. I don't think anybody notices the recoil when they shoot at game. I don't anyway.

[Intruder]

357 but given the choice I'd go bigger

[hoytem]

I have taken two deer with my 357 mag Ruger Security Six with a 6" barrel.  Some people think it is not enough but it was a complete pass through on one and shoulder/vitals on the other.  What do you think?

Again, the smallest caliber you would think is ethical

good to know! I have the same pistol and wondered if I would be under gunned to take a deer. What species of deer did you take? Were they small whitetail?

[coyotewallace]

I've taken em with 10mm,357mag,41 an 44mag,500 S&W but here is my goto pistol
8.59 Galaxy