what is better for deer hunting .44 mag or .357 mag?

Answer 1

Both work well, I prefer the 44 mag just because that was what I started with. That caliber has put every deer down with in 10 yards of where they were shot at. My hunting buddy used a 357 for awhile until he made a double hit on a doe and it ran 75 yards before going down. Now he uses a 44 mag to. His doe was hit twice in the upper chest cavity and hit both lungs. With the lung hits Ive had on my deer there was more damage to all chest organs compared to his with the 357.
To each his own. My vote is for the 44, I currently use that or a 454.

Answer 2

There are a large minority who will disagree, but most people think of the 357 as too small for deer hunting. I don't have a problem with people using it, but my personal minimum is 41 magnum in a revolver. Note that the 357 had been around a while when Kieth began working on hot loads in 44 Special that eventually turned into the 44 magnum, specifically for hunting.

Answer 3

I’ve used both and prefer the 357 over the 44.
Size is not the key to success, accuracy and bullet selection is.
I’ve never had a deer walk away from either caliber.

I prefer the 357 because of the flatter trajectory, over the 44 or larger calibers.

I would have to say that the 41 is also a very fine caliber, with good trajectory.

It all boils down to shot placement and bullet selection, the lack of either one and all you have is a wounded deer.

I would not even consider anything over the 44 magnum for white tail.

D58


Hunting with Rifle, Pistol, Muzzle loader and Bow for over 3 decades.
Reloading Rifle, Pistol and shotgun for over 3 decades.

Answer 4

What is better for deer hunting .44 Mag or .357 Mag??? At short range out of a carbine or handgun the .44 Magnum is superior everytime.

H

Answer 5

I prefer the .44 mag or .41 mag but as long as the user is using .357 mag hunting loads and a gun with a min. of 6 inch barrel I can see using the .357 mag. I dont recommend hunting with any pistol/firearm with less than a 6 inch barrel as a primary weapon.

Answer 6

I tried a .357 one season. shot 1 small one at 60yd with a hot loaded 180 grain 3 times & finally found it after blood trailing 20 minutes.was'nt happy with that at all. with a perfect shot you can kill deer humanely with a 22 or 357 but theres no margin for error, a 44 mag has about 3 or 4 hundred ft. lbs. more energy & makes a bigger hole but dont take any shot your not sure of & dont expect them to fall down from a heart shot. good hunting.

Answer 7

The .44 Magnum is the better. In some states (e.g. Wyoming and Colorado) the .357 is not a legal handgun cartridge for deer because the Wildlife Departments there consider it underpowered for big game.

Answer 8

Depends on your individual taste; it is all about shot placement and skill. The 357 has flatter trajectory and less recoil, and so on. Remember that the 44 mag has about one half the knockdown power of a 30/30 rifle. You are stretching a defensive weapon into doing something that is usually done with a rifle so you have stepped outside the envelope; but we are humans and we do it because we can. Living in a bubble is so boring.

Answer 9

A .357 us usually considered the minim for hunting deer with a handgun. Certainly, anything that is adequate to kill a man is adequate to kill deer. However, most people, myself included would rather use the .44, especially if you will be encountering larger animals. The ability to hit what you're aiming at is the biggest factor though. Especially with a handgun. You also need to use a quality hunting bullet and probably one of the longer barreled handguns.

Answer 10

A .44 mag is better so you can get the deer down in one shot.