357mag vs. 44mag

[typhoon]

i have a marlin lever action 357 and a h&r 44mag single shot.. both are great shooting guns. . which one should i deer hunt with first??
i am leaning toward the marlin357 because of the fast reloading.. any suggestions good or bad??

 

[singlesix]

Which gun are you most comfort with and shoot the best? I would use that gun. Also what distance will your shots be? Both are capable of taking deer. I use a 357 Pistol for Deer but my shots are 25 yd or less due to the heavily wooded area I hunt in.

 

[Mgderf]

Which gun are you most comfort with and shoot the best? I would use that gun. Also what distance will your shots be? Both are capable of taking deer. I use a 357 Pistol for Deer but my shots are 25 yd or less due to the heavily wooded area I hunt in.

Very much so.

You are correct about the faster follow-up, but I'd go with the one that is most comfortable to carry and shoot.

 

[finity]

To me the idea of a "faster follow up shot" is an unnecessary concern. I have yet to see any scenario in which a fast follow up will help you HUMANELY take a deer. I guess you could just start blasting away at the deer as he's running away after you missed your first shot. I see nothing sportsman like about that though. Also, how can you be sure of what's beyond your target (other hunters?) if you're blasting away at a quickly moving target.

A couple of years ago I had a guy who hunts on an adjacent property try to hit a deer who was running full speed with a semi-auto shotgun at 80 or so yards because "he was a really big buck". His dad came over after the hunt to tell me that his son "thinks" he hit him but they couldn't find the deer after several hours of looking.

If you hit it on the first shot you should wait at least a little while before you try to track down the deer for it to expire, anyway, or you risk sending it running off (up to several miles) & you end up losing the deer. Again a quick follow up isn't necessary.

I have no problem using a lever action rifle for deer but the faster follow up shouldn't be a primary (or even secondary) reason to use it.

 

[Whosyer]

Hunt with the rifle you are most comfortable, accurate with. A clean, one shot kill, being the ultimate goal. That being said....Several Years ago I had a nice size doe come crashing out of the woods ,stopping momentarily right under my stand. I dropped her like a bad habit , with my .41 mag Blackhawk, dead right there. Within seconds of her hitting the ground, a nice size 8 point came out from the same spot , stopped, and gave her a sniff. He met the same end as his girlfriend. Sometimes it's nice to have a "fast follow up". If there's a second deer.

 

[finity]

Hunt with the rifle you are most comfortable, accurate with. A clean, one shot kill, being the ultimate goal. That being said....Several Years ago I had a nice size doe come crashing out of the woods ,stopping momentarily right under my stand. I dropped her like a bad habit , with my .41 mag Blackhawk, dead right there. Within seconds of her hitting the ground, a nice size 8 point came out from the same spot , stopped, and gave her a sniff. He met the same end as his girlfriend. Sometimes it's nice to have a "fast follow up". If there's a second deer.

Ok, finally a good reason for the fast follow-up shot.

 

[redneckmedic]

WOW, 6 posts and nothing but good advice... Way to go INGO! I agree with all of the above, and just to add a little bit. I don't know how the ballistics compare: number wise, ft lbs, velocity, ext. However I would lean more towards the 44 mag. Only because I witnesses a 357 round defect off of a quartering doe's shoulder bone (indygunworks first deer). I'm not saying its a lesser round, I'm not even saying the 44 would have had a different out come. That is my only experience with either. I use a 295gr .50cal hollow point, one shot at a time.

 

[Leadeye]

A fast follow up shot was a great help for me with the nice ten point on my wall from 02. Dusk in the woods and a nice ten at 88 yards. Took the shot and watched a sapling branch shatter between me and the buck. Extra shots can come in handy although that was the first time I have needed one.

 

[x10]

I am a fan of the big hole theory, Bigger hole more blood loss, I don't know about you guys but when I'm pumped up from taking that shot I can work the action on anything pretty fast. I don't think there would be a significant advantage with 357 on second shot and all things being equal the 44 is going to make a bigger hole. I know blood trails have been a significant factor many times in my hunting life, Sometimes a perfect hit still gives an animal time to run 50 yds. I hunt the thick stuff and alot of times withing a few yards I loose sight of a hit deer. I've done alot of tracking with my friends, family, and my deer. Bow, Shotgun, Muzzleloader, in dry fields, woods, wet conditions, snowy conditions. A bigger hole bleeds more and that has been a factor before.

I give my nod to the 44

 

[dak109]

+1 above. I workede a motorccycle wreck a long time ag where a deer hit a bike, tore open its stomach on the handlebars, spilled its innards, and still ran 30 yards from the gut pile. Total yardage from impact, 50, ten point in velvet... priceless.

The biker lived with a broken arm and leg, and one heck of a story.

 

[Bill B]

+1 above. I workede a motorccycle wreck a long time ag where a deer hit a bike, tore open its stomach on the handlebars, spilled its innards, and still ran 30 yards from the gut pile. Total yardage from impact, 50, ten point in velvet... priceless.

The biker lived with a broken arm and leg, and one heck of a story.

But did he keep the deer?

 

[dak109]

Wrecker driver took it

 

[Jack Ryan]

i have a marlin lever action 357 and a h&r 44mag single shot.. both are great shooting guns. . which one should i deer hunt with first??
i am leaning toward the marlin357 because of the fast reloading.. any suggestions good or bad??

If you need fast reloading you are picking the wrong gun or need more practice shooting.

Use the one you can put the first shot through a snuff can from the furthest distance. The rest is just noise anouncing you missed or wounded one to the rest of the woods and every one should keep their head down.