38 special +p from lever action for hunting?

[loadedp3at]

As it says, how effective could a 38 special +p on deer under 70 yards? It is over 1200 fps.

[Quavodus]

i don't know what velocity you would get out of a rifle.  Have you chronographed it? It would probably be about 300 - 400 fps over what it would be out of a revolver. I would think it would work ok. Magnum ammo would be better though.

[221 Fireball]

The two ways we kill deer are by blood loss or hydrostatic shock, or both.

Big slow bullets tend to kill by hemorrhaging while fast bullets, regardless of size, tend to drop game animals even faster by hydrostatic shock which pretty much snuffs out the nervous system, which is why many times when you pull that trigger on a high power caliber, the animal drops in its tracks.

Using a slow, small pistol round to take a deer is minimal in my opinion. A .38 at 1200 FPS, even if it's a 158 gr., is still twice as slow as a 150 gr. out of a 30-30, which to most riflemen, is at the bottom of the power scale. It can be done, but there are better choices. I have and like taking deer with handguns myself, but I've always stuck to .44 magnum. Seems to work for me.

I'm no ballistic expert, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once. 

Edited December 28, 2020 by 221 Fireball

[Smith]

I would think a .38spl rifle could take. 357 mag. If that's the case there are a few .357 loads that are nearly identical to 30-30. Buffalo Bore makes one and Hornady leverlution is another IIRC.

[leroy]

For what it's worth, i would'nt recommend the 38 spl +p self defense ammo for hunting.  Im thinkin the hollow points are constructed too light and might mushroom too quick for a decent kill.  That bein said, i use an old 38-44 handload with a 173 grain SWC that chronographs an honest 1200 fps out of my 3 3/4 inch ruger sheriff usin 2400.  That will kill em clean.

leroy

[gregintenn]

I think Leroy nailed it. I could load a hard cast bullet that would work, but I wouldn’t have much faith in most factory offerimgs. Somebody like Buffalo Bore could make a suitable load. I don’t know.

I’m unaware of a rifle chambered for 38 Special. I’d think it would be a 357 mag. That would be a better choice.

[DaveTN]

.38 Special has been killing people for a long time. 

I don’t know how humane of a kill it would be, but I see no reason it wouldn't take down a deer.

[KahrMan]

4 minutes ago, DaveTN said:

.38 Special has been killing people for a long time. 

I don’t know how humane of a kill it would be, but I see no reason it wouldn't take down a deer.

That's the issue.  Will it kill a deer, yes.  Will it do it humanely, probably not.  I am talking factory loads.  Like Gregintenn mentioned you could hand load something that could work well but .38 special would not be high on my list to hunt deer with.  

[Quavodus]

You'd be way better off with a .357 magnum load. Lots of people talk about energy needed to reliably kill. As long as you got penetration and at least a little expansion, they will kill fairly quickly. With a hard cast, you need a wide flat nose. It will work better if there's no expansion.

Edited December 29, 2020 by Quavodus

[PoofNoEyeBrows]

And use a round with a wide meplat, preferably a hard cast. Even. 357 can be a little on the small side if your not right in the wheel house. As said earlier. Deer are a lot tougher then people when it comes to getting shot and your number one concern should be a humane harvest. Plus chasing after a deer that runs off two hundred yards just sucks.