I agree with soarkrebel and ths78, the .357 mag. is fine for whitetails as long as you do you part. I've taken 6 N.Y. whitetails with a handgun ( 3 of them with the .357). I use factory .158 gr. JHP's in my .357 mag. which has a 6" barrel and open sights. Keep the shots under 50 yds.