I have the opportunity to purchase a S&W 686 357 mag with a 6 in. barrel. I'd like to hear from those of you who have successfully hunted whitetail and any ideas on bullet choice. Thanks

I've shot 1 deer with a 357 mag, but it was with a rifle. I was useing 158gr. Hornady HP/xtp reloads that I made. I hit the deer in the front shoulder, It only went about 100 yards and piled up in a heap. She was dead when I got to her. But I would say shot placement is the key and range is the other thing. The deer I got was only about a 20 yard shot. Blow a hole in her shoulder about the Size of an egg.

I've done it with some luck. I used a ruger gp100 6" to kill a few does acouple years before I got my S&W 629 44mag light hunter. I only had so-so results with it, definately dead deer if you do your part. My problem was that I wasn't always getting a good exit wound, which made tracking very difficult. Out of the four does I killed with the 357 2 exited, and 2 didn't. One of the deer wasn't found untill it was too late, the coyotes beat me to it. That is the reason I bought a 44, hole goes clean through, and two holes bleed alot more than one. As far as ammo for the 357 buffalo bore makes the meanest I've found, I used the 158g hp's to get the only exit through a shoulder that I had.Here is the link http://www.buffalobore.com/ammunition/default.htm#357. So it canbe done if you are picky about your shots(try to avoid both shoulders), and are good at tracking(even the exits were not bleeding buckets)

No deer with a .357 but I did take two boars. Both with theFederal 180 grainhard castload. Neither went more than 20 yards.

i carry it with me on a hip holster during the gun season in case i have to shoot a wounded deer of finish one off. ive never actually killed a deer with it but ive finished off plenty of deer. its a pretty sweet gun.