I'd have to agree with the multitude here and go with the 41. I have a Taurus Tracker 4" 357 and was planning to hunt with it a little, but haven't taken it out yet. I too plan to keep shots within the 30 yard maximum range. I do on the other hand have to disagree with a few of you. Some have recommended hollow points for taking deer. While they may be effective, everything I have read says that a heavy for caliber, flat-nosed, hard cast bullet is the way to go when hunting big game. For example, in the 357 I plan to use a Federal 180gr cast core. I also plan to look into the Barnes expander 140 gr load. All I can say is "practice, practice, practice, then practice some more." That would be the reason why I haven't taken mine out.