If you have experience with heavily recoiling guns, go for it. If you don't, you may find the .44 a little vigorous with full power loads.

With powerful guns, reloading becomes even more important, not just to reduce costs, but to reduce the pounding of full power loads. Begin with mild loads. Practice, Practice, Practice. As you get better and better with a light load, build up the power level so that you eventually get good with the full power loads without the side effect of bad habbits like flinching due to recoil.

The .357 is a great all around gun. I do most of mycenterfire practice with one, but I do even more with .22s. I have .22s that match weight, balance, grip and trigger action of my centerfires. With the cost and availability of ammo now, I do most of my practice with the .22 and just a little with the centerfire after I have gotten things going well with the .22.

"Dear hunting?". The FBI Will be all over your case duders.

Not sure what you mean about the FBI? The only trouble that I have been in is 3 or 4 speeding tickets in 17 year of driving and have had hunting licenses for most of the past 20 years. Why would they care?

FYI:
Dear is the two leg variety.
Deer is what most of us use guns to hunt.

OK I get it now I'm the slow one. They don't call me Specialed for nothing!

I have a 686+ 6" (7 shot) S&W revolver I use for target practice and enjoy it for that reason. I also have a
329NG which is a snubnose 44 revolver. This is a scandium frame for reduced weight and carry this with me when I go camping and kayaking through the wilderness areas. I also take it to the range to keep in good practice with it (no sense in carrying it if I can't hit anything with it). The 44 has a specific purpose for me and while I do enjoy shooting it at the range it is primarily for carrying in the wild.

Hope this helps,
Jeff

I bought the 686+. Thanks for the input!

Congrats! I think you'll like the Smith alot.357's a good all around round.

I'd go 357 for one reason. Ammo

Ammo prices are only going to go up. And the 357 gives you an option on ammo to shoot.

38Special or 357.
Thats it.

Have a good day and welcome to the forum

Are there two of thee threads? Maybe I'm just seeing double

Anyway...A 357 is a pretty good round. But if it's deer I'm after then I'll want a 44 mag. Ammo cost is higher but I'm going t o be much more confident that when I hit it it's going to fall over quicker.

Congratulations on your new handgun. Is it a 4" or a 6" revolver?

Jeff

SIX Their is a pic posted

depends on how often you shoot. if your going to be targert shooting alot, go with 357. but for hunting and pure power in your hands, there is nothing funner to shoot than a .44 revolver! i have 6 guns. and the only one i will never part with is my colt anaconda 7" revolver

Get a Smith model 29 or 629 and start reloading!

S&W makes some of the finest revolvers made.

Check out this survey Which Revolver do you prefer?

That said - I've owned and shot both the .357 and the 44 mag.

I got tired of the .44 mag real quickly.

Around here .357 ammo is easier to find and is cheaper - unless your gonna reload (I did).

It is nice to have both .44s and .357s, but I shoot the .357s a lot more than the .44s.

A 357 should do the job. A 44 will do the job.