When introduced in 1935, the 357 Magnum was touted as the most powerful handgun cartridge in the world, a title it has since relinquished to other cartridges such as the .44 Magnum, 10mm Auto, and .41 Magnum. The 357 Magnum is occasionally promoted as a deer cartridge. In the hands of an experienced hunter who calmly places the right bullet in the right place at close range, it will just barely get the job done most of the time, but when used by the average hunter, the .357 Magnum leaves a great deal to be desired in that role. As a hunting cartridge, the .357 is seen at its best when used on varmints or for close range shooting of the smaller game animals such as javelina. For use on varmints, the .357 Magnum is quite effective when loaded with various jacketed hollowpoint bullets weighing 110 to 125 grains. For larger game such as javelina and cats up to the size of mountain lion, a good 158 grain softpoint seated atop H4227 or H110 is very effective medicine. 

This text is based on information from “Cartridges of the World”, Hodgdon reloading manual, the cartridge designer and/or own resources.