I wouldn' t use it for elk hunting, but i' m sure that under the right(perfect) conditions it would work.

As far as deer hunting goes.....
you have a long barrel, so you' ll have more velocity that standard ballistics advertise. I' ve used a 357 before for deer, and you should be fine out to 100 yds on broadside shots. 158 gr. bullets work well on deer, but don' t always exit. I prefer 180 gr. CorBon offers a really hot 180 gr. SP that is outstanding on deer. It kills them very quickly out to that range (despite low energy). With this load, I try to avoid shoulders, but in a pinch, it will blast right through a shoulder and into the heart/lungs. Federal offers a 180 gr. Cast, and CorBon a 200 gr Cast that penetrate very well, but I prefer an expanding bullet on deer.

You would also be able to use your 357 on hogs and black bear inside of about 75 yds. For this, use the 200 gr. Corbon load that I mentioned above, and put a broadside shot into the lungs. It' ll ususally won' t exit on larger animals (400 lb+ bear), but will take out both lungs/heart, depending on where you hit, for a fairly quick and humand kill.


Often the 357 is frowned upon by hunters because of it' s relatively low energy. The key is to practice a lot. If you can put your shots where you aim, the 357 is a very capable hunting cartridge. A 35+ caliber hole leaves good blood trails, especially when there are exit wounds. And for larger game where it doesn' t exit, they will still die quickly if the lungs and heart are devistated.

http://www.corbon.com