ORIGINAL: OHdeerguts
My friend actually needs it for farm buisness. he said he needs a good gun to finish of his hogs and cows with a single shot
he has used a 22 before ,but just wanted something a little stronger that was not to much.
With the additional information, I would step up to a 38/357 pistol and would still look into a S&W or Ruger. I have a Ruger Blackhawk 357/38 stainless with a 4 5/8" barrel, (2) S&W snubbies in 38, and an older S&W 67 in 38 with a 4" barrel. My daily carry weapon is a S&W M38 "bodyguard" in 38 spl. For dispatching downed cows, I have used my Ruger 357 and my Glock 23 in 40 cal., and both did the trick with no second shot required.
I am just afraid that a 22 magnum might cause a little more suffering for the animal if the shot wasn't absolutely perfect.