Originally Posted by uncle matt

Alright thanks for your input guys. Much appreciated. But things got off the .357 mag subject and was drifting into a talk of what is better, why, etc...

oldtimer & topgun 3006 really gave me the supporting experiences I was looking for.

Opening day for firearm here in IL I had a nice 10pt come right up behind me to prob within 25 feet on my doe in heat scent and a quick grunt. I couldn't risk moving. When he weirded out on the scene and trotted east I rose to my feet and couldn't get a shot on him. I waited until he came across the pathway I was sitting on to move into the thick stuff. Eventually he appeared but it was quick and I hit him low in the back right thigh breaking the leg with a shot of Brenneke 2-3/4" Heavy field Mag from my H&R USH. Worse shot I've made in alot of years.

I eventually got on his blood. It was so thick in their I decided to abandon the long gun and my pack and just go with my .357 and a knife. The track was about 3/4-1 mile. I eventually found him sitting head up in a drainage in the low end of a bean field. I almost jumped in their on him and it scared the you know what out of me. He was a really big deer and beautiful there in the bright early sunlight. I went about finishing him first with a shot to the back of the neck from about 15 feet. He barely flinched. I waited maybe 5 minutes most and shot him again thru both lungs. This time he moved around a little bit for 2 or 3 seconds like maybe a horsefly was pestering him.

I was standing there thinking WTH? Maybe 5 minutes more and I shot to the heart. This time he kind of arched his back for a few seconds and returned to his position. In a minute or 2 he dropped his head giving a couple hard breaths and then expiring a few minutes later.

I tell you he had lost a lot of blood getting to where he was at. I was not happy at all with the performance of the .357. I want quick kills on all my game. I was using 158 jacketed flat lead nose rounds.

I don't see myself using a .357 mag again nor advocating the use of one.