Curious as to what you are using for deer hunting ?? Not so much which brand of handgun but more curious about caliber, bullet weight, and bullet type. Thanks !! Tim
Some suggest a bullet more than a .357 or .44, but I believe a shot well placed with this round would be more than adequate. I've also found that people will not respond to this question favorably due to some hunters believe the handgun is ineffective to hunt deer with. Unless it's a hand cannon like the .454 or better.
I've used 357- 170 gr gold dot flat pt 357- 140 gr hollow point 44 mag- 200 gr XTP 44 mag- 240 gr XTP 44 mag- 270 gr gold dot flat point The 240 XTP has been my go to load, as I find it to have the best of both worlds with expansion & penetration. In my limited use of "heavy for thier caliber" bullets, thier penetraion is great, but its the same hole out as in, and blood trails can be sparse. Fortunately with any of these bullets, the deer have never gone far. Hand gun hunting is VERY similar to bow hunting in that you need to be disciplined with your shot selection and realistic with your shooting abilities.
I shot a doe with a 180 gr hollow point out of my .44, she dropped in her tracks. I am using 230 grain now.
I use a .44 Mag with a 240 grain SWC bullet. I'm pushing it about 1150 feet per second! Dropped a small buck at about 100 yards a few years back! Bullet passed clear through!
