26 replies to this topic

[outdoorsguy29]

At this moment the only handgun I have is a 4 in. barrel Taurus model 608 .357 . Question: What game is suitable to hunt with handgun in California in .357/.38?

[wannakillacoyote]

Russian Roulette?? lol Couldn't help myself.

[John Bishop]

Coyote, bobcat, jackrabbit. I wouldn't try deer unless I was blind or tree stand hunting with a range of 35-45 yards. If you get to Arizona the .357 is a good javelina caliber.

[outdoorsguy29]

Many thanks John Bishop. Finally a decent answer I could live with (for now).

[BC9696]

First off, welcome to the forum. Expect some humor and sarcasm, it goes with the sportsman territory. Something with a longer barrel would be much better for hunting. I have a .357 Colt Trooper III that is amazingly accurate. Of course, the barrel is 50% longer than yours though. A .357 w/ a 4" barrel is better for close & personal self defense than it is for the field IMHO. Definitely agree with the tree stand idea...a wounded pig might come straight at you.

[Mayhem]

typically barrel length does not effect the accuracy of a handgun. However it does effect sight radius and that in turn effects YOUR accuracy with a handgun. Mounting a pistol scope on your handgun will eliminate site radius issues, leaving you, the caliber and cartridge as the factor that decides what you can hunt and how far out you can hunt it.

[BC9696]

Agreed. An undeniable advantage of longer barrels, especially with powerful magnum calibers, is that by placing weight toward the muzzle, they help reduce the punishment of recoil. They also do a lot toward muting muzzle blast. A 7 1/2-inch .357 revolver is much more pleasant to shoot than one with a four-inch barrel.

[Bisley]

Jacks are the most fun of all. I have not used shotgun for jacks for the last ten years, just seems mundane. If you can learn to shoot rabbits, still or running, with a pistol or scoped rifle, you have really accomplished something. You may only hit 10% of the time, if your lucky, but the satisfaction is well worth the wait. I have converted most people I know to this, and the first time they hit, they're hooked. Remember, it's not all about how many, it's about that 50 yard running jack you put down with 1 shot you never forget. Good luck and good hunting.

[Mayhem]

Agreed. An undeniable advantage of longer barrels, especially with powerful magnum calibers, is that by placing weight toward the muzzle, they help reduce the punishment of recoil. They also do a lot toward muting muzzle blast. A 7 1/2-inch .357 revolver is much more pleasant to shoot than one with a four-inch barrel.

To me Recoil only effects recovery time and has no Impact on accuracy unless your already sore, or you limp wristed a super magnum and got wacked in the head. I'm the type of person that gets a chubby when I shoot a .500 S&W Mag. My first handgun I ever Fired was probably Ed Lacy's .454 Casull. If you are getting sore in the web of your hand between the thumb and forefinger there are some shooting gloves that can help. Do not anticipate recoil. A drill My Dad had me do as a kid was he loaded up Ed's 454 with light 45 colt rounds and only 1 or 2 hot .454 casull rounds and had me shoot not knowing where the hot loads were. I learned to treat every round the same. Don't limp wrist your firearm, keep a firm grip on your Pistol Your firing arm straight and locked with your firing hand pushed into your supporting hand. Lean into the shot and not away from it. allow the recoil to push your body back allowing your body to absorb the energy from recoil. this causes very little barrel flip as your allowing the recoil energy to come straight back. The only down side to this is you may get a sore firing hand after about 100+ rounds on a super mag, Gloves can reduce this.

[outdoorsguy29]

Many thanks for the six excellent pieces of advice. When and if the time comes I'll be sure to let you all know how it went. Also found someone that is ready to introduce me to archery...maybe to hunt as well.

[outdoorsguy29]

Agreed. An undeniable advantage of longer barrels, especially with powerful magnum calibers, is that by placing weight toward the muzzle, they help reduce the punishment of recoil. They also do a lot toward muting muzzle blast. A 7 1/2-inch .357 revolver is much more pleasant to shoot than one with a four-inch barrel.

Did I forget to add that with all Taurus revolvers (unless they are snub ose) they all come comped (mine has three holes on each side of my front sight). Question: So you suggest a scope would help even on a four in. barrel? What kind do you recommend?

[45Colt]

My S+W Model 28, had a 4" barrel.I could hit back then,pretty much under 12" at 100 yards.That's with open sights.And,no comp.Full house loads.Mostly with 158gr gr loads.For more than "sure hits",I'd stay about 50 yards max,with open sights.A scope on a 357,wouls more likely found on 7.5" on up barrels.A "Holo scope" might be a good choice.Unless some one can offer another choice.

[Old timer]

Intruders

[msand951]

What kind of ammo would you recommend for the 357 for coyote. Something im not sure about is if bullets are not suppose to contain lead right?

[sixgun]

+ 1 on the intruders ... .41 or .44 mag is a much better choice with at least a 6 inch bbl for hunting

[outdoorsguy29]

Coyote, bobcat, jackrabbit. I wouldn't try deer unless I was blind or tree stand hunting with a range of 35-45 yards. If you get to Arizona the .357 is a good javelina caliber.

Say John, I remembered what you said about what I could use my .357 on and since then have picked up a Browning Camper .22LR . Can you recommend anywhere in San Jose where I can use it on small game for starters?

[Jason]

I really enjoy shooting ground squirrels with handguns. It's a bit of a challenge but if you have an area that hasn't been hunted really hard they are easy to get in range and it is good handgun practice. I like shooting Jack Rabbits also but they are not as much of a challenge.

[John Bishop]

Say John, I remembered what you said about what I could use my .357 on and since then have picked up a Browning Camper .22LR . Can you recommend anywhere in San Jose where I can use it on small game for starters?

Sorry, I've never hunted in that area.

[fishandhunt4ever]

I am surprised nobody mentioned Zombies.

[Caneman]

Can a .357 Mag 158 gr JSP handle our California Black Bears?

[Bisley]

A .22 CAN kill a bear, but that does not mean it's the best option. Black bear are not the world's biggest or toughest game, but if you do have something a little larger, I would opt for it first. But if you do stick with the .357, a JSP is a wise choice, may wannt to consider a 180gr one too.

[Leonten]

In the 70's I shot a small deer with my 357, with a 158 grain bullet. I immediately went out and bought a 44 mag. It was a font shot right into the chest, but it took off and without my dog I would have lost it. The range was about 25 yards. I know that's only 1 instance, but it cured me from deer hunting with a 357. As far as Black Bear, only if its treed would I try with a 357 and I'd probably hit it as many times as I could. Although the 357 meets the legal minimum to hunt with in CA, I'd use it on the smaller game that was previously mentioned.

[outdoorsguy29]

   Since the last time I put a post up I have had  a lot of time to consider what was said here.      Humor I can deal with sarcasmI put up enough of with my own brothers.   So to be clear what can be used on what as far as my .357 goes it is suggested I get one with a 6in barrel and scoped correct?   At present in my ammo collection I have Buffaloe Bore hardcast ammo, Leverevolution ammo and not to mention alot of .357 semi-hollow points and hollow points.   Question which would be suitable for deer and what would be suitable for pig?

[ShooterJohn]

The hard cast ammo has the best penetration of the ammo you mentioned. I've always found penetration to be the best option over hollow points and such.

[A17Shooter]

Some say that a hard-cast Keith style bullet is best for handgun hunting.  The sharp shoulder tends to cut every vein, artery or nerve that it touches.  Other bullet styles simply push things to the side as they pass through.  You might get some of Elmer Keiths books on handgun hunting.

 

Hard cast bullet metals start with a mix of 10% tin to lead for the bullet metal.  The most extreme I've seen in actual use was 50/50 lead and silver solder mix.

[ShooterJohn]

Those are what I cast and shoot Gary.  The Keith style of bullets.  They're good for cutting trees down too!

[sxshooter]

Just my 2 cents, but if I was in your situation and going out to buy another revolver for the game you're considering, I'd get a larger caliber and longer barrel. A .44 Remington Mag or up and 8" barrel would be where I'd start. If you're serious about handgun hunting, think about single shot guns like a Thompson Center Contender or such. A 30-30 Contender is a much betters big game hunting gun and you can change calibers by changing barrels.