38/44 for deer hunting

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2frogs posted this 14 October 2023

I would like to know why the 38/44 is not good for deer hunting? I am using the 170 gr 358429 ? Keith bullet in my smith 686 for 50 yards. I have a green dot sight on it. It's pretty accurate at 50 yards. Mv about 1200 fps. Other forums say it's not good for deer?? I fail to understand this. Any advice on this is appreciated. Johnny

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delmarskid posted this 14 October 2023

Sounds like it’s doing what a .357 does.

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2frogs posted this 14 October 2023

I don't understand what you mean by that.

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delmarskid posted this 15 October 2023

I meant that from what I read the 38/44 load that you mentioned matches the .357 magnum’s performance.

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2frogs posted this 15 October 2023

Oh,I see . So do you think it will be ok for close range deer hunting.

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Aaron posted this 15 October 2023

If it was the only gun you had, would you use it?

 

 

With rifle in hand, I confidently go forth into the darkness.

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2frogs posted this 15 October 2023

If Elmer Keith can do it I think I can. Either that or use my 17 HMR..only 2 choices I have now. I might get a 416 Rigby for next year.

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ten-mile posted this 15 October 2023

It is adequate if you are.  The key is whether you can precisely place your shot and forego any opportunity where you cannot. My 38/44 Outdoorsman has delivered for me in the past.

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delmarskid posted this 15 October 2023

I wouldn’t feel under gunned with that load. Inside of 50 yards you’ll get full pass through.

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Hornet posted this 15 October 2023

A lot of "Internet Experts" seem to think that deer have somehow developed Kevlar skins and require massive amounts of power to kill. Where you hit them matters MUCH more than what you hit them with if you use a suitably constructed bullet. Know your limitations under field conditions and pick your placement. Good Luck.

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Lee Guthrie posted this 16 October 2023

Will it kill a deer?  YES

IF you are within 50 yards and shoot through the lungs.  

It may very well run for a long distance, and if it does not exit the blood trail could be hard to follow.

Many conservation departments will allow its use.  However, I've seen a lot of deer shot with 30-30 that failed to exit with lots of lost deer.  Both of your proposed cartridges are good for deer only at short range and perfect shot placement.

Unless it was a survival matter, I would never use either one of those cartridges for deer hunting.

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delmarskid posted this 18 October 2023

The deer I’ve shot with handguns have not left good blood trails. Pick your shots carefully and practice a lot on smaller targets would be my advice. When I can hit something like a tennis ball at 25 yards standing with two hands I know I’m ready.

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KaKl posted this 23 October 2023

I have seldom hunted, so I defer to what experienced hunters write. With regards to the "38" caliber, I recorded this many years ago by Brian Pearce: "... loaded with 155 to 180 grain cast bullets of correct design with a muzzle velocity of 1,200 to 1,500 fps will sail through deer and black bear broadside rather easily." He was commenting on the modern 357 revolver, which is downloaded from the originals. Your 38/44 load meets his recommendation.

More recently Richard Mann had this to say: "For most, the .357 Mangum is the best handgun cartridge for deer hunting. It does not hit as hard or make as big of a hole as the .44 Magnum, but the .357 Magnum is enough gun for deer, and more importantly, it’s enough gun without too much recoil." Modern factory 357 loads are little faster than your 38/44. (Mann has also had success with the 327 and recommends it, too.)

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2frogs posted this 23 August 2024

Appreciate all your replies. I have faith I can do it. 50 yards groups of 3 inches. Not sure of the velocity yet,but I know it's 1200 or better..

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lotech posted this 23 August 2024

I think the .357 or .38/44 is mininal for deer hunting and then only if you shoot very well. I'd use the softest alloy that will give good accuracy and expansion and doesn't lead the bore.  A 10 BHN bullet at 1200 fps will expand at fifty yards. I wouldn't cast harder than about 12 BHN if I was using the load for hunting.  

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2frogs posted this 23 August 2024

Now,you are the only one that I have heard,say you need a soft bullet. The other people say it needs to be a harder bullet so you get more penetration. The soft will expand to quickly with less penetration.??. Which will give more of a passthrough.?

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David Reiss posted this 23 August 2024

I spent my college days hunting whitetails in the piney woods of east Texas with a 6" .357 mag Dan Wesson. I had pretty good luck, but bullet placement was key as stated above. If I had a larger caliber revolver I would have used it. 

I found that using the heaviest bullet possible was best and it was not necessary to have a bullet that would expand. A SWC of 158 - 170 grains that would penetrate through was best. I most always shot to hit the lung/heart area and used the hottest load possible. Most shots were between 30 to 75 yards, some head shots at the lower ranges. 

Back then I was young and dumb as they say, but had very good eyesight and a very, very accurate revolver.   

David Reiss - NRA Life Member & PSC Range Member Retired Police Firearms Instructor/Armorer
-Services: Wars Fought, Uprisings Quelled, Bars Emptied, Revolutions Started, Tigers Tamed, Assassinations Plotted, Women Seduced, Governments Run, Gun Appraisals, Lost Treasure Found.
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lotech posted this 23 August 2024

If you're only hunting deer-sized game, there is not much body to penetrate; a soft, expanding cast bullet is more than adequate. Again, if your an expert shooter, a hard bullet is fine, but will behave as a FMJ bullet. Hit exactly what you aim at and it will work. Some of us need bullets that provide expansion.    

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2frogs posted this 23 August 2024

Very well said. So far I'm about to maintain 3 inch groups at 50 yards. Which I think is pretty good with muzzle velocity of 1200 or better. I have several desperato bullets that are 20 to 1 alloy which shoot pretty decent. Plus some harder t B bullets at 180 gr. I had to give up casting because of health issues. Of course I could always use the Hornady jacketed bullets.. johnny

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Tom Acheson posted this 23 August 2024

One scribe suggested to roll out a basketball and shoot at it. When you are no longer hitting it, you've established YOUR maximum hunting distance. The thinking was the basketball reploicates the vital area of a deer.

I 've taken (23) Wyoming Mule Deer 1982 -2014 using a .41 revolver, iron sights, cast bullets ranging between 280 and 325-grains. I practiced A LOT and never attempted a shot beyond my strong confidence distance.

At one time Wyoming Game and Fish had a regulation on using a handgun for deer hunting. The round had to have a remaining energy level of 500 foot pounds at 100-yards. There were no .357 commercial loads that could do that so you would be left debating with a game warden that your .357 handload met the standard. Probably a debate you would lose. Today that rule may be gone though.

Tom

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mashburn posted this 30 August 2024

From experience

The 38-40 is a way too light in the britches for deer hunting.

Mashburn

David a. Cogburn

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