I am in a wheel chair and the club that I hunt in here in La. is all swamp. I was wondering what caliber would be better to use, the 10mm or 357 on whitetail deer? my longest shot will be about 50 yds and our deer weigh sbout 140lbs for a big deer. We run dogs so I would be putting a red dot scope on top. Any hel is appreciated.

It basically boils down to which format you like better as they are very similar in performance. I am a revolver guy, although you can get the 10mm in a wheelgun (S&W) as well and for that matter the .357 in an auto. A revolver is inherently more accurate, in general, and easier to scope than an auto. A GP100 or Bisley in .357 Mag gets my vote of the two options, but the 41 Mag would be a better choice.

I'd hafta go with the .357 over the 10 for the reasons mentioned above, plus ammo is easier to come by for the .357, at least in my part of the country.

Thad, The 357 for the reasons stated above....What guns do you own? Whats the barrel lenght on the 357??

Currently, I don't own either. I was told that the 10mm was just as good as the 357 as far as knock down. Ammo would not be a problem for either. I was leaning toward the 357 myself but I wanted to hear from someone with more experience with handgun hunting. What factory loads should I go with since I don't reload for handguns.

Thad, A 357 with a long barrel that can mount a scope would be a good choice.To get every foot pound of energy from a 357 the TC Contender with a 10" barrel is the way to go.They are easily scoped and the 10" barrel will get every FPS from the ammo.I believe Winchester loads a 357 with a 180gr partition bullet.Federal and Remington also have 180grJHP ammo. To take it another step higher you could go with a 41 mag as recommended by s4s4u above.I own both caliber revolvers and can honestly say that the recoil of the 41 is only a little more then the 357.Whether its a 357 or 41,the gun you can shoot most accurate is the one you should choose.

I just watched Ted Nugent shoot a fallow deer with a Springfield 1911 in 10mm this morning on the Outdoor Channel. His first shot he said was about 90 yards (open sights)and he said it was a heart shot. While tracking the deer he shot it 2 more times before it went down. He said he was using Corbon 165 gr hollow points if I remember right.

I think I would go with a 41 mag in a revolver.

That first shot wasn't a heart shot it was pretty far back, Ted was wrong, and 90 yards with that short a barrel... well.

Thad, since you don't own either I would recommend a .41 Magnum over either the 10mm or the 357. The S&W Model 57 Classic introduced this year is a nice gun and very well suited to whitetails at 50 yards. It also scopes easily.

To read more about the 57 click here.
http://www.handgunhunt.com/promo/membership/features/readNewArticle.php?oid=33

I agree, 41 all the way!

I thought the impact looked farther back but I was not positive. I also wondered about the yardage. Hard to tell through the camera.

Thad,

The fellas above give you great advice. Upon first reading your post I surmised that you owned a .357 and/or a 10 mm, and was ready to chime in on one of those two choices only. But, seeing as you have niether and are a clean slate - so to speak - take the advice of the guys and go .41 caliber at the least. Its a very accurate caliber, and so inherantly that most revolvers chambered in it seem quite accurate themselves. You will find the recoil very manageable in either a double or single action revolver (Ruger Blackhawk - hhurrummm...hint, hint - you don't need a scope at 50 yards or less...hint,hint. But the Model 57 Gary refers to IS a sweet handful :)) and the Federal 250 grain castcore factory load is a real thumper in .41 Magnum.

Renster

Thanks for all the input. Seems like the 41 is the way to go. I have a friend that has a Ruger Blackhawk NIB he said he would sell me for $400. I might have to take him up on that deal.The only thing is I would have to get it drilled and tapped to put a scope on it. I'm just worried about the recoil if I have to shoot it one handed.

Thad,

Hold $350 in CASH out in front of him with puppy dog eyes and he'll sell you the gun. (he is a friend - right?)
Is there any physical reason that you must put a scope on it?
One handed shooting with a .41 Magnum and 250 grain Federal castcores...stout but, no problem. It won't fly out of your hand, and it won't hurt you.(DO get plenty of practice though) I have been hunting with a .44 Magnum in all flavors of revolver for 20+ years and have finally settled down on an Anniverary Model Blackhawk with a 6 1/2" barrel. It is my favorite of all that I have owned, and although I prefer to take careful aim at big whitetails with both hands (remember - mine is in .44 Magnum caliber and I shoot 270 grain Speer Gold Dot soft points), I have been known to get into tight situations where one handed shooting was prudent. I've never regretted it, but I've been shooting the .44 for a long time. The .41 is very pleasant to shoot, especially in a single action. That gun will just "roll" in your hand like it's apart of you!

Renster

Thanks. I just haven't done a lot of handgunning and I thought the red dot might help me some. The club that I'm in is shotgun only but they did make an exception for me. It seems like no matter how I set up the deer always come to my off hand that's why I'm going to the hand gun. At least I can get a shot if the deer comes out on my off hand. Before that I couldn't get my chair turned in time to make a shot with the shotgun. This way I might have a better chance. My friend has some 180 grain and 200 grain hand loads he's throwing in with the price.

Heck ya, that is a deal NIB w/ammo! If you could do it with a shotgun, you can do it with the revolver. Good luck!

Thad,

There are companys that make scope mounts that will replace the factory sights without having to drill and tap the blackhawk. I'm don't know there names but there are plenty guys on here that do.

B-Square and Weigand make mounts that don't require drilling and tapping.

he is a friend ask for a test run before you buy if you have any doudt about handling the gun. afew rounds down the barrel will help just remember most handgun hunters practice often. so pefection is not to be expected untill you have practiced too.

I was hunting with a guy using a Glock 10mm. He dropped a mulie doe at 45 yards, one shot, lots of blood and it traveled about 5 yards. I was impressed.

I've been shooting my 357 Sig in a Sig Pro. I'm getting 6" groups at 100 yards off a bench and rest. Auto's can be accurate too. I think that I'll be using it on my next doe hunt and will keep shoots to less then 50 yards.

Bill in OR