The 10mm and .357 Magnum for Hunting
Not every handgun hunt calls for a magnum revolver. The 10mm and the .357 are lighter, easier-shooting cartridges with genuine but clearly limited big-game ability.
The big magnums get the attention, but plenty of game is taken every year with lighter cartridges. The .357 Magnum and the 10mm Auto are easier to shoot, easier to carry, and, within honest limits, genuinely capable. They reward the hunter who respects their ceiling and place every shot with care.
The case for less
A lighter cartridge has real advantages. It recoils less, which means most people shoot it more accurately and practice with it more willingly, and accuracy is what kills cleanly. For a hunter who hunts deer-sized game at close range and is honest about distance, a .357 or a 10mm can be a better practical choice than a magnum they flinch behind. The trade is a smaller margin, which you must respect.
The .357 Magnum
The .357 Magnum is widely regarded as the practical minimum for deer-sized game, and only with the right bullets at close range. It is pleasant to shoot, available everywhere, and effective inside its limits, perhaps 50 to 75 yards for most hunters, with heavy, well-constructed bullets. It is not a hog-shoulder or bear cartridge. Used within its envelope, with good shot placement, it takes deer cleanly; pushed beyond it, it wounds.
The 10mm Auto
The 10mm Auto brings real power to a semi-automatic pistol, and it has earned a following among hunters and as a backcountry sidearm. With heavy hard-cast or bonded loads it is capable on deer and hogs at moderate range, and it offers fast follow-up shots and lighter carry than a magnum revolver. Like the .357, it is a close-range cartridge that depends on good bullets and good placement, not a big-game magnum.
Bullets and range
Both cartridges live and die by two things: a tough hunting bullet and a short, honest range. Keep shots close, wait for the broadside or quartering-away angle, and put the bullet in the vitals. Your effective range with these cartridges is shorter than with a magnum, so discipline matters even more.
An honest limit
The .357 and 10mm are not do-everything cartridges, and pretending otherwise leads to wounded animals. They are fine close-range deer and hog cartridges for the disciplined hunter, and poor choices for large or dangerous game. Know the ceiling, hunt inside it, and they will serve you well. For larger game, step up to the .44 Magnum or a big bore.