I hear ya on the muzzleblast. It's one of the reasons I'll probably never shoot another .500. Recoil wasn't too awful bad (with a handgun that weighs almost as much as some of my rifles), but the concussion took all the fun out of it. If I want to experience that again, I'll just tape a stick of dynamite to my chest and touch it off.

Fortunately, for most handgun hunting purposes the .44mag has been more than enough for me. I've got nothing to prove, and the critters I've killed with this gun certainly aren't talking smack about my lack of manly armament.

Great tips for starting out, by the way. Folks could learn a lot about handgunning if they'd just start small and learn the basics BEFORE jumping into hand cannons.

I have shot a few deer with 125 gr..357 Federals or Remingtons in my professional life. These were previously injured (car,dogs,fence etc.) or free roaming "pets" raised by humans. Most were at less than 25 yards but all had some adrenalin going when I got to them. All were shot in heart-lung area and none needed two shots.
Deer will usually live 20 to 30 seconds with such a shot from nearly any gun. They can cover a lot of ground in 30 seconds. Those loads don't penetrate enough for a "raking" shot (a euphemism for "gut shot"). I used them because of their reputation on riled-up humans and though loud, they were out of the barrel be it could rise much--less perceived recoil and shot to about the same point as practice wadcutters out to 50 yards. 158 grainers shot higher and 173 gr. Fed. lead deer loads were likely to fetch up a squirrel in a tree at my sight setting in a 4-inch S&W M66.
I wouldn't recommend the 125's to HUNT deer. I did once get five instant kills with five shots on beavers sitting on logs with them one day. Unfortunately I was sitting in a flat bottomed aluminum boat and had forgotten to bring plugs. I also got a splitting headache and ringing ears for over 16 hours. I've never done that since.
I now usually pack a single action Ruger, 5 1/2 in. bbl., Bisley stock loaded with hard cast 255 gr. Keith bullets in .45 Colt at 1000 fps available from Buffalo Bore. At just below the speed of sound, they make a nice boom instead of a godawful magnum crack. Still not good for the ears. For recreational purposes I occasionally fire one or two 325 grain BB's at 1325 fps. Even with the Bisley stock I get through having fun pretty quickly.

Phil, look into a performance center without the break or a BFR in the 460. You will not be disapointed

Phil, I got my Gun Nuts hat in the mail the other day. Thanks!

Phil, Great video good advice.
PS, I also got my hat four days ago. I 'almost' look as debonair as you.

Good to see you Sir Phil getting into the Hog Leg Category

Have a load that works great for my 357 Mag, 200 grain Round Nose Cast pushed by H110. Favorite load for my 44 Mag is a Elmer Keith Load, 250 & 255 Grain Cast Elmer Keith Style and 21.0 grains of 2400

Rule #1 for self defense loads,

NEVER USE RELOADS!

Sarge01;
It's funny, but for reasons I have no explanation for, nobody thinks the best rounds for shooting men are the best rounds for shooting deer. Guess a 150 pound deer is harder to bring down than a 250 pound man. Nobody in his right mind would question the use of 125 grain softpoints in a .357 for self-defense, except to say it might be overpowered. To read some writers you get the impression that .357s bounce off deer. Never seen a .357 shot deer, don't know. Maybe they do bounce off.

I'm not saying a .357 is inadequate, but a 150 pound deer is more difficult to bring down than a 250 pound man. Humans are soft and weak.

I don't know of many humans that would shrug off two 12 gauge 1 oz slugs to the heart and lungs at 35 and 40 yards and only go down to a 3rd in the neck.

Whitetail deer are exceedingly tough.

I want to get into handgun hunting this season.
I've only shot my Sig. .40 S&W, I shoot it well at bow ranges, but I've heard that the caliber is too light/slow for adequately dispatching deer.
I would like to get a .44mag, what is the shortest barrel length that would be appropriate for hunting?
4"?
6" ?

I've got a 35 year old S&W M57 - 8 3/8" that's hitting the woods this fall!

RipperIII
Barrel length isn't near as much concern as sight radius.
The "longer" your sight radius, the more accuratly "you" can shoot the revolver.
So, therefore, barrel length relates more to sight radius than performance.
I know some folks that do VERY well with a 4" bbl.
Anything less than my 8 3/8" and I'm all over the target.
Barrel length is something you will have to work out on your own.
Good luck, good hunting, God Bless.

Bubba

Hey WAM, "FLASH FRY" comes to mind LOL!

I think the main difference between man and deer versus the .357 Magnum is that the most likely shot at a man in a defensive situation would be full frontal a close range, whereas the deer would be more likely to present a shot at a difficult angle with possible obstructions at much longer range.
Skeeter Skelton once said that the performance of the .357 at 100 yards is comparable to the .38 Special. Just sayin.

I have a 8 3/8" M-27, about the same age as FirstBubba's revolver. It is a M-27 because M-57s were hard to find in the seventies and M-29s impossible. Although my 4 inch M-19 is wonderful to carry and easy to make acurate double or single action shots at near targets, the 8 3/8" Smith is infinitely easier to hit with at longer yardages thanks to the long sight radius and reduced recoil due to the weight of the gun. Yes people do accuse me of carrying around a walking stick when this revolver is in my hand. It seems to me that the .460 bellows and kicks worse than the .500, also seems to me that the pressures are higher which would be the reason. Frankly I don't need either, .44s and .45s will do for me.

RipperIII,

No disrespect intended. Having done quite a bit of handgunning myself, I think people underestimate how hard it can be to accurately place shots at hunting distances.

I would equate it to archery; I would consider myself proficient to take deer out to maybe 50 meter with a handgun, further with a muzzleloader, and further with a rifle...but there is no way I could pick up a bow, even with a bit of practice, and effectively hunt with it.

My opinion, although unsolicited, is to get a heavy caliber pistol, ideally in the 41 mag to 454 Casull range with a longer sight radius, making sure that it has an exquisite single-action trigger pull, and practice, practice, practice with full power hunting loads until you are as accurate out to your intended range as you are with your archery equipment.

Kimber 10mm is the way to go with Double Tap ammo.

At my age my memory fails me sometimes. I have shot many deer with my .357. Most of them have been crippled by cars or fences or dogs. These deer are harder to kill because the adrenilin(sp) is flowing. Our duty round was 158 grain Win. Silver Tips. Sometimes the deer took a couple of rounds to get the job done, but I expected that in later years when we changed to .45s it took a couple of those also. I guess when I said I never shot deer with the .357 I have never hunted with it.

Just to add from my experience: I shot a 100lbs doe at approx. 25 yards using a 4" S&W Model 19 with .357 Hydra Shok 158 JHP, a lung shot dropped it in its tracks. Did fire a finishing shot to ease any suffering. Would recommend this ammo, usually a 6" barrel is better for hunting but, a 4" will do. You must limit yourself to the equipment and your proficiency, its about preparing. Handguns usually require alot of practise to hit what you are shooting at and in the spot you are aiming. A .357 is a good starter as you can afford to shoot it and the blast and the recoil are easily handled by most persons, I would limit shots to 50 yards (if standing broadside) with a .357. USE HEARING PROTECTION I carry plugs in my pocket daily and wear them while shooting and I'm still suffering some hearing loss.

Ripper, re: your .44 question, I've got a 5 1/2" Super Black Hawk, I don't think you'd want to go shorter due to muzzle blast and perhaps too short of a sighting plane.