.357 as deer cartridge
Does anyone have personal experience hunting deer (whitetail) with a rifle chambered for .357 Mag? I really like the new Winchester Model 94 Trails End with octagon barrel, but it only comes chambered for pistol cartridges...I assume to appeal to the cowboy action shooter crowd. My concern is that the gun won't be as useful as a hunting gun in .357 or .44 Mag as it would in 30-30. Where I hunt in Texas it is fairly common to have shots out to 200 yards, and regular shots from 100 to 150 yards.
Thanks in advance for the input.
Thanks in advance for the input.
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Your concern is quite valid... a .357 Mag is not what you want to hunt deer with if you are making most of your shots in the 100 - 200 yard range. In my personal opinion, a .357 Mag is a questionable deer cartridge at anything beyond 50 yards. The 44 Mag is a better choice out to 100 yards, but due to its ballistic trajectory, it is not a good choice for shots much beyond 100 yards. If you really intend to make most of your shots in the 100 - 150 yard range, and you are set on using a lever action, stick with the venerable 30-30.
Bert H.
Real Men use a SINGLE-SHOT!0 -
If you are real good. I mean honest to god good, 80 to 100 yds with a .357 is pushing it. I am good but not real good. For me, 55-65 yds tops . Why make the animal suffer? 0 -
That's what I was afraid of. Now my goal is to find a model 94 with an octagon barrel in 30-30. Has winchester made any models in this configuration in recent years? I don't want to have to pay big bucks for the original models made in the early 1900s. However, I would like it to be the traditional top eject, not the angled...and the good milled parts instead of the cheapo stamped stuff immediately post-64. Is this a pipe-dream? 0 -
Caliber not suited to the type of hunting described. Go with 30-30 or even 35Rem., but IMHO your pushing the envelope for that style rifle at 150 yards and beyond. 
If you only have time to do two things so-so, or one thing well ... do the one thing!0 -
I never liked a big action adapted to a small cartridge and never liked the 94s guts dropping out of the bottom as you work the lever.
The Marlin action is properly scaled to pistol cartridges as is the Winchester 92.
Why not look at the 44 Mag?0 -
I pretty wellagree with everything I've read here...if you're gonna' do it in a pistol cartridge, go for 44 mag and then not past about 125 yds. I also agree that the Marlin is a better action for this kind of cartridge.
To the best of my knowledge, no one is making an octagon barreled 30-30 at this time, but you could try checking online with both manufacturers.
"When I cease learning...I'm dead"(Me)
"Power corrupts...Absolute power corrupts absolutely"(Descartes?)
"History is written by winners"(Patton)
"You get a lot farther with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone!"(Al Capone)
"There is nothing lower than the human race...except the French" (Samuel Clemens)0 -
quote:Originally posted by ktbunger
That's what I was afraid of. Now my goal is to find a model 94 with an octagon barrel in 30-30. Has winchester made any models in this configuration in recent years? I don't want to have to pay big bucks for the original models made in the early 1900s. However, I would like it to be the traditional top eject, not the angled...and the good milled parts instead of the cheapo stamped stuff immediately post-64. Is this a pipe-dream?
If you are dead set on getting a Winchester that meets all the specifications you listed above, you are limiting yourself to finding & buying a Model 1894 Rifle that was made sometime in the 1895 - 1925 timeframe.
Bert H.
Real Men use a SINGLE-SHOT!0 -
I have hunted deer a lot with .44 Magnum, .45 Colt and .44-40 carbines. They are great fast action deer hunters out to 50 yards and I've taken fair bucks at 80 - 90 yards from a set/braced shot stance using a long barreled .44-40. But none of these rounds is a patch on the .30-30. They are highly over-rated and the .30-30 is consistently underrated by many in the media. For the range situations of which you speak the .30-30 is a vastly superior choice. 0 -
Try looking for a 94 Classic. They were made 1967-1970 with either 20" or 26" octagon barrels. I have a 20" with a saddle ring that is a real "blast" to shoot.
Lance
10's RULE
[:D]0 -
if you are not dead set on a pistol cartridge how about a Marlin 336 Cowboy in 38-55 ? here's a link to the Marlin site
http://www.marlinfirearms.com/firearms/leverActionCB_rifles/336Cowboy.htm0 -
You might also want to look at the Winchester chambered for 45-70. That one will reach out touch them.
John
A friend will post your bail. A good friend will be sitting next to you in the cell saying, "man that was fun!"0 -
amen on the 45-70, great brush cartridge. drop em on the spot if you hit them right, out to 150 or so. though I might go marlin rather then winchester 0 -
As long as the 45-70 got thrown into the mix, I'll put my vote in for the Marlin 1895 Classic, or CB. A friend bought an octagon barrel 2 years ag with the long tube and straight grip and it is one heck of a neat gun! The extra barrel length and weight really help with the recoil too, and it very accurate! Out to 150 yds this combo will do very nicely, and I much prefer the Marlin 1895 to the Winchester 1894 as the action on the Marlin does not open up its' belly everytime you rack the lever, and it is a side eject which I prefer. Have fun choosing!
"When I cease learning...I'm dead"(Me)
"Power corrupts...Absolute power corrupts absolutely"(Descartes?)
"History is written by winners"(Patton)
"You get a lot farther with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone!"(Al Capone)
"There is nothing lower than the human race...except the French" (Samuel Clemens)0 -
winchester made the 94 classic awhile back,I dont know what years they were made but they are not that hard to find,top eject with an octagun barrel and nicer than normal wood,I gave less than $150 for mine a few years back with the 26" heavy octagun barrel and they come in 30-30.I can hit quarters at 100yrs with mine 0 -
94 Classics are getting harder to find and if you find them for $150 buy all you can, they are now $350 plus.
Lance
10's RULE
[:D]0
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