Morning Folks,
Found your site the other day and its deffinatley something I'm interested in. So I thought I would join and see what I can learn. I've been shooting handguns off and on for about 23 years now. But not on a consistant basis. And all of it just plinking. I've always wanted to get into handgun hunting. Just never actually did it. So I figure life is to short and we should do the things in life we desire to do within reason. So, here I am.

I currently have 2 handguns that I think will be good enough to get me started out and then I can upgrade to a T/C later. The first one is a Ruger MKII 22 L.R. with 8 1/2'' Tactical Solutions upper on it. Its a very accurate pistol and I've shot it a good bit and already have a UltraDot for it.


I could use this one for small game and practice.

The other one is a 686-3 S & W 357 mag. with 4 '' bbl. I was hoping to use this for close range deer hunting. Any advice would be appreciated.



I look forward to learning all I can from you folks. Hope you all have a blessed day.

Welcome to the forum, tradrick!

Practice, practice, practice.

And, welcome to the club.

Welcome! I'm fairly new myself, but the sight has been a great resource. Nice Ruger.

Welcome, and hold on to your wallet. Folks around here will have you buying (or wanting to buy) at least one new one per week.

Great advice!

Nice guns!!

You have the setup to do what you want. Have fun.

Oh yeah,
With your 357, keep the distance where you can keep all your shots in an 8 inch circle, and shoot for the lungs/heart. Wait for a broadside shot with the 357.

Thanks for the welcome guys. Any recommended loads for the 357? I don't reload yet. Thats next on the list, maybe Xmas. I'm sure a scope or red dot would be better for hunting white tails with the 357. But having it drilled and tapped for a scope mount makes me cringe. And I don't see me doing that. Is there any other alternatives to mounting a scope? Might be a stupid question but can't never tell what might be avalible these days.

At 25 yds. I can keep all 6 shots on a paper plate standing without a prop. I haven't tried any longer distances than that yet. I guess I need to get started to see what my effective range will be. Thanks for the help.

Welcome to the site. You can take that MK II and learn a lot. There's nothing like trigger time with a 22. Learning and practicing all the fundamentals And, to really hone your skills, take up small game hunting with it. Depending on what part of the country your in will depend on the style and game but, regardless, there's no better practice for big game hunting than hunting them little critters (IMO).
I have no experience hunting with a 357 mag so, I really can't comment. Good luck!

I'm not for sure but at one time Federal had a 180 gr.hollowpoint and I believe Remington did also.A good 158 gr hollowpoint or softpoint should do really well on deer,for boar or bear there is a 180 cast bullet/loaded ammo/ but I forget who makes it,I'm a reloader so my knowledge of factory ammo is a little rusty.A paper plate is a pretty good guide to help you practice for deer,shoot at the shorter distances til you get proficient(25 yards ) 40-50 yards is usually what a lot of hunters stop at using open sights,but like Kral said trigger practice with snap caps ,a .22 handgun,even a pellet gun,will help you to know and feel when your gun/sight picture is right,with good shot placement the .357 works very good on deer.And welcome to the site,theres a wealth of information on this site.

when you get your encore or contender you will be shocked at the distance you can get out of those rig's.

Welcome tradrick. I too am somewhat a newbie to this forum. HAve only been here a month or so and have found everyone here to be first class. Worlds of knowledge here from the experts and hard chargers.

I had a 629, and the scope mount didn't require alterations to the gun. I just had to remove the rear sight. Yours might be the same way. I would think at 357 distances a red-dot would be perfect.

WELCOME to HH!!

Thanks for all the great advice guys. I just came in from work and had to stop by a couple of the local dealers. I handled a Ruger Redhawk and Super Redhawk in 44 mag. They both felt good in my hands but I bet the Super Redhawk would be alot more comfortable to shoot.

I also picked a box of Federal Premium 158 gr. JHP Hydroshocks. Thought I might give them a try at the range this weekend. Start expeirmenting with different rounds and bullet types. Not to mention practiceing with the weapon itself. Although shooting at paper isn't going to give me any feed back on bullet expansion. It will tell me what shoots good in my gun.

I don't really think I should go below 158 gr. bullet weight. But a question I have to ask is. What are the advantages of going heavier? Like 180gr. with a JHP bullet. And what are the pros and cons of using hard cast bullets? I have seen them online of weights up to 200gr. Please help educate me on proper bullet selection. Thanks

The heavier bullets generally provide better penetration. With a revolver you will not have the velocity to provide the "shock effect" of a rifle cartridge. Hard cast bullets will penetrate, but generally do not expand.

IMHO, the 35 caliber revolver is a little on the small side for a hunting weapon. I would want a bullet that provided both expansion & penetration in that caliber. Thus, the 180 jacketed might be a good one to consider, if you can get adequate velocity. I agree that I would not want to go lighter than 158. I would also want to limit my distance to such that I could expect both some expansion and good penetration from the bullet. I personally like two holes in an animal when using a revolver. The second one usually leaks better & we all will find ourselves needing to follow a bloodtrail.

Other members that are cast bullet shooters will reply and emphasize that the shape of a cast bullet is very important for a hunting handgun. They will be better able than I am to address the 357 & cast bullets.

I would also advise against using some of the "self-defense" ammo for hunting. Some of it is designed to expand violently on a man at close range. I want some expansion, but also penetration. Hunting opportunities for me generally occur at a much longer distance than 7 yds.

I have never hunted with a 357. However, I have had excellent results from the old Remington SP bullet in a 41 mag. Hope this helps.

Good luck.

Welcome Aboard

You have a couple pretty nice handguns to start out with. Since you are not reloading so far, shoot the Ruger a lot. Bulk 22 is plenty cheap to shoot. As mentioned above be careful of Personal Defense ammo in a 357. It will probably not penetrate deep enough, and a very good chance you will not get an exit hole.
Start saving for something with more punch. The Super RedHawk you mentioned is a good choice, especially in the woods, or areas where the shooting is fairly close in. A Contender in 30-30 Ackley Improved or 375 Winchester would be a very good choice. You can also buy it in 2 pieces. Action w/Grip, and Barrel. A used Contender in 7X30 Waters, 30-30, 35 Remington, or 375 Winchester would also get the job done.


Next start handloading so you can afford to shoot. I would look at a Lee Cast Iron Classic Press pretty hard. It is very good equipment for the price. You will need Dies, a Shell Holder, a set of Scales, a Powder Funnel, and Case Lube to get started. And do not forget a Reloading Manual. Some Manuals are better than others depending on what you are loading for.

You can get all the help and information you need from the helpful folks on this site. Combined we have Hundreds and Hundreds of years of experiance.

Enjoy the site.

Howdy and Welcome aboard!!

Thanks again for the helpful advice. After making my last post I found what I think I am looking for. Its still the Federal Premium line of ammo but its suppose to be designed more for handgun hunting. One is the Power Shok with a 180 gr. JHP. The other is a Vital Shok with a 180 gr. Swift A Frame bullet that sounds very intrested. Can anyone give me any info on the A Frame bullets. I will take the advice on the Hydro Shoks and use them for personal defence only. This is primarily a night stand gun any way. Thanks again for all great advice.

Oh and reloading is definatly next on the to do list. I had already made that request to the wife for Christmas. Got my eye on a RCBS Rockchucker single stage reloading kit.

Tradrick,

I haven't used the A-Frame in the .357, but that design is a good quality bullet that should serve you well on deer with your S&W. Likewise, the JHP would work as well...I have a 6 inch 686 that has taken several deer at closer ranges with handloaded Hornady 158gr XTP's. Limit yourself on range and shot angles, and that gun will get it done...

Give the 180 gr Hornady factory loads a go in your gun - I wouldn't hesitate to use those either.

Welcome to Handgunhunt.com!

you will get a lot of advice here, not all is perfect for you, so pick and choose carefully. Especially, listen to the guys that have the real experience, not "what they think should do fine."

just MHO.

Thanks for everyones great advice. I am considering the Weigand mount for the 686. I will have to have it drilled and tapped. Which did bother me but after discovering the ability to put the rear sight back on and the holes not be seen. Makes me feel better about it. I will have a competant gunsmith do the holes and I already have the UltraDot off of the 22. So I'm thinking for about $60-70 for mount and holes I will be in buisness. The rest will be just lots of practice. I already know that I can shoot alot better with a red dot since I've used it on the 22. I will call the gunsmith Monday to see about cost and time frame of getting it done for me. My intentions right now are to only handgun hunt this gun season. Just seems like it would be a nice change of pace and more challenging. Thanks again for all the guidance.