[uncle buck]

Just curious anyone ever kill a whitetail and or bear with a 2 1/2 barreled hand gun?
Snub nose are for protection and concealment. Also I would not hesitate to carry one in Bear country when calling predators.. Since the only time I would shoot a bear would be when you know they are coming at you... I have called in bear when calling predators.. However "It's Slowly I turn Inch By Inch Step By Step, foot by foot !" Then I run like heck...
Just say? if you shot a whitetail at 30 yards with a snub nose 357 Mag would it be the same knock down as using a 357 Mag with an 6" and or 8" barrel?


"I Just Gotsta Know?"

 

[tundragriz]

Wouldn't know from personal experience of course but I suppose a gun like this could kill a number of deer in rural areas that have been hit by a car and have broken backs or legs.

 

[Woods walker]

It would be irresponsible and stupid to shoot at a deer at 30 yards with a snub nose revolver.

 

[fjp110]

You would not hit a deer at 30 yard with a 2 1/2'' barrel. and of corse it would not have the same effect as a 6'' or 8'' 357. I really hope this whole thing was a joke.

 

[4cslabs]

You would not hit a deer at 30 yard with a 2 1/2'' barrel. and of corse it would not have the same effect as a 6'' or 8'' 357. I really hope this whole thing was a joke.

Not sure why you wouldn't hit one at that distance with that gun
My snubby is darn accurate at 30 yds
I'm sure if I had and/or wanted to I could easily hit a deer at 30 yards with it. That being said, I have much more appropriate guns that are used for deer hunting so I would not use my snubby for that purpose

 

[Dogface]

You would not hit a deer at 30 yard with a 2 1/2'' barrel.

Maybe you can't but I could. A good 2.5" handgun like the S&W Model 19 is an accurate weapon in the hands of a shooter.

And BTW before the flaming starts I would not hunt with one.

 

[uncle buck]

You would not hit a deer at 30 yard with a 2 1/2'' barrel. and of corse it would not have the same effect as a 6'' or 8'' 357. I really hope this whole thing was a joke.

No joke...I hunt predators in bear country...topic could make me decide to use a longer barrel 357 Mag when calling instead of the 2 1/2 incher.
Also If I was going to hunt deer with a hand gun it probably would be an Encore pistol in maybe a 7MM08.

What am I going to use this year for deer? A Bazzoka. lol lol
I might use a 22250 with a 60 grain Partition deer bullet or a 4570 Encore long gun.

 

[hunt/fish365]

I can see no reason why it wouldn't be a good gun to dispatch a wounded animal. Say, if you didn'y want to shoot them again with a 30-06.

I could also see carrying it for protection while calling predators. That would be my choice too.

As far as actually hunting with one I would look into something else. My Ruger GP100 with a 6" barrel carries well on the hip. Don't even realize it's there. A 4" gun would carry even easier, but you would loose some velocity. The sight radius starts getting short too.

 

[hunterx]

You would not hit a deer at 30 yard with a 2 1/2'' barrel.

Maybe you can't but I could. A good 2.5" handgun like the S&W Model 19 is an accurate weapon in the hands of a shooter.

And BTW before the flaming starts I would not hunt with one.

Absolutely , I have a 2.5 inch tubed gun that is more than capable of hitting the kill zone past even the 30yd mark

 

[Muab Dib]

A 2 1/2 " .357 Mag. maxed out with a proper bullet will kill a deer at 30 yds. with proper bullet placement. Accuracy as well as power are "adequate". No doubt. Having said that it would surely not be on my top ten list of firearms to do the job.

(Would any of us stand 30 yds. away from said revolver and not think it could make us assume room temperature?)

Muab Dib

 

[uncle buck]

They also make a special 357 Mag factory hunting bullet for deer hunting...So if I was going to use a 357 Mag I would make sure I had the right bullet too. I have had conversations with people who have killed deer using the 357 Mag Marlin lever actions.
for deer.

 

[79inpa]

if you can hit a deer with a 2.5 inch long snub it will kill it. Most of the people on here have never tried to see how how small of a gun you can use if you take your time and aim right.

 

[uncle buck]

This is true...How many times have you been in the deer woods and you could almost reach out and touch the deer. 5 yards, 10 yards, yep I have been that close to deer many a time..

 

[Dogface]

They also make a special 357 Mag factory hunting bullet for deer hunting...So if I was going to use a 357 Mag I would make sure I had the right bullet too.

Any of the 158 gr. and up .357 bullets will work fine on deer. I would not recommend lighter bullets because they do not penetrate as deep as the heavier bullets.

I think Hornady does / did make a bullet specifically for the Marlin carbine. It was about 160 gr.

 

[hunt/fish365]

I'll second dogface on the grain of bullets. Almost any copper jacketed bullet in 158 gr or heavier will work. If you are going to limit yourself with such a short barrel you may want to consider a lighter bullet though. It may get a few more FPS. 125's may not be bad with a short barrel as the velocity may be a lot slower allowing it to penatrate more. Of course I could be completely wrong on my thinking.

Unless you already have a 2.5" snubby I would at least buy a gun with a 4" barrel. IMO the only good reason for a snubby would be concealed carry. If you are hunting concealing a gun would be the last thing on my mind.

When I bought my 357 it was a toss up between a 4 and 6 inch barrel. I went and handled both. If it would have mostly been a backpacking gun I would have chose the 4". Since I knew I would want to hunt with it I chose the 6". I have no regrets. While looking up the difference in weights between the two it was very small. The extra length didn't bother my as I carry it on my side.

If you want something that would be mostly a carry gun (not concealed), but would like to hunt with it occassionally I would look into either a S&W, ruger GP100 or a taurus tracker. These are all fairly light guns. The taurus being the lightest without getting into exotic metals. All those guns can be bought with either a 4 or 6 inch barrel.

If you got the right shoulder holster I can see no reason why even a 4 inch gun couldn't be concealed with the right clothing.

 

[fjp110]

so you all are saying that in a hunting situation you could make a fatal shot on a deer at 30 yards with a 2 1/2''. sure you could. take an 8'' pie plate hang it from a string at 30 yards then run in place of a few seconds with your back to it. now try that shot. Even if you did hit it the velocity of a .38 is not adequate to hunt deer, especially out of a 2 1/2''. if the real question is a question of self defense, get a .44 mag. then you will not be under gunned.

 

[Muab Dib]

Straw through the cow fjp. The issue is about a .357 Mag at 30 yds. killing a deer. I responded that if the right bullet was used and if the shot was placed in the right spot that would yield a dead deer. Nothing was said about jogging to the target with "your back to it". A 2 1/2" bbl 357 should yield about 1050 - 1200 fps with a max load with a 158 gr. bullet. That equates to 400 - 500 ft.pounds of muzzle energy. That my friend will kill a deer at 30 yds. The issue isn't if the load and revolver is adequate...it was will do the job if necessary. Thus the answer is yes. I doubt if you'd want to take that 8" pie plate and put it on your chest and see how many of us "snubnosed users" could hit it...jogging or no. Heck, even old Elmer killed a mule deer at 600 yds with a 4" 44 mag...do the math on that one. 'Course that was Elmer.

Muab Dib

 

[RonM]

In Delaware, handgun season a .357 must have a 5.5 in barrelto be legal....

 

[fjp110]

I doubt if you'd want to take that 8" pie plate and put it on your chest and see how many of us "snubnosed users" could hit it...jogging or no.
Muab Dib

cute. . .

 

[fjp110]

I admit I miss read the original post. sorry about that.

if you shot a whitetail at 30 yards with a snub nose 357 Mag would it be the same knock down as using a 357 Mag with an 6" and or 8" barrel?

simple answer . . . no it will not have the same velocity at the muzzle or at 10 yards or 30 yards. the barrel length differences will generate different muzzle velocities.