seems a littlelight for deer but I suppose at the right yardages and in the right shooters hands a hollw point would bring em down. I would use 357 or larger personally

Ganzer

 

No way...to light. Sure it will kill one if everything was perfect....same could be said for a lot of other things. But then you have to worry about blood trails and recovery....full penetration will be doubtful.....It used to be widely accepted that 1000 ftlbs of energy was the minimum....personally I would lower that down to around 750.....Even with the hottest of rounds your going to have trouble generating that much at the muzzle....with the .1XX something BC of the 9mm projectile your going to shed energy quick.....50 yards is out of the question I think.....

JMO....there will be lots of others.....

 

I think there are better calibler choices for deer, but FWIW the Hornady TAP ammo
has the following stats.

9MM Luger, 124 gr. TAP - FPD
Velocity (fps) / Energy (ft-lbs)
Muzzle ## 50 yd ## 100 yd
1100/339 ## 1028/291 ## 967/257

Barrel Length (inches) 4

 

I agree. ..no way. It's an ethical issue more than ability. Look, you could kill a deer with a .22, depending on shot placement. That doesn't necessarily make it an ethical decision. Just my .02...:16suspect

 

This is from Federal Ammo No one thinks you should use a .410 AT 50 yards a .410 has 430 ft lbs . 9MM at 50 yards 265 to 300 ft lbs. I am sure they will both take a deer. I think a 357 would be better but that is just a opinion . I used a 9mm in combat for a short time with ball ammo it sucked . it replaced a .38 combat master which also sucked .45 acp was much better. I ended up with a .41 mag sent from home it did the job and I made it home

 

It could be done, and done easily. But, like several others I have to admit that there are better choices out there for handgun deer hunting.

Study the choices in hollow points to find one that will not blow apart on impact with any bones.

Stay away from any FMJ style profile of bullet and I am now thinking that a good quality soft point might be the only viable choice in bullet nose profile.

Limit your distances to 15 to 20 yards for two basic reasons. One is to loose as little as possible in the way of velocity lose and in bullet drop and secondly because at that distance it is easier to stay on target in a pressure situation.

Practice, practice, and practice some more. Test the exact load you will use in the field until you are sick of testing and then do it some more. Do the practice using the same clothing you will hunt in. If possible practice from the very same blind you will use and practice with the same seat or bucket or whatever you might want to sit on.

 

No way a 9mm should be used for deer, IMHO. Even a .357 is pretty marginal on deer sized critters and it is the smallest caliber pistol round that should even be considered. Get a .41 or .44 magnum and then you won't have to say to yourself " you know those guys were right, I should have used something bigger" after having wounded a deer.

 

No way...I've shot many deer with the 9mm and 40 S & W and 147 grn and 180 grn HP's respectively. These are deer that were injured from car crashes and most distances were not over 15 feet. I've never had a clean kill with either and these included head shots and multiple shots. Normally they'd thrash around for a while...it was not a quick clean death IMO. I even had one jump up and run after taking a shot in the head with the 9mm. I wouldn't consider anything less than a 357 mag, preferably a 41 or 44 for starters.

 

No way...I've shot many deer with the 9mm and 40 S & W and 147 grn and 180 grn HP's respectively. These are deer that were injured from car crashes and most distances were not over 15 feet. I've never had a clean kill with either and these included head shots and multiple shots. Normally they'd thrash around for a while...it was not a quick clean death IMO. I even had one jump up and run after taking a shot in the head with the 9mm. I wouldn't consider anything less than a 357 mag, preferably a 41 or 44 for starters.

Ditto - too light of a round

 

i agree with the others. a few years ago my brother-in law shot a spike with his 30-30, saw the deer go down. he sat and watched it for a few min. and then propped the rifle in the corner of his blind and went to tag and dress out his deer. walked up to it and the dead deer got up and ran off. he managed to pull his 9mm and get off 10 rounds at it, hitting it twice. the deer still went 200 yds and took and still took a 30-30 rd in the head to finnish it. when we cut up the deer we recovered the first 30-30 bullet and 2 9mms. all 3 bullets were perfectly mushroomed and in or through the lungs or liver.
deer can take a lot of punnishment and keep on running.

 

I would go with no as well.

 

I have considered it also, but would hold my range to 15 yards.
I would probably use a speer GoldDot SB out of my Kahr. Pretty potent load for 9mm.
As for a .357 being marginal for deer, I dropped one of my best bucks in it's tracks with a Hornady 125XTP lat 25 yards.
A friend dropped a doe at 45 yards with a .38 swc.
Bullet placement is more important than energy.

 

Bullet placement is more important than energy.

Bingo! We have a winner.

 

I have considered it also, but would hold my range to 15 yards.
I would probably use a speer GoldDot SB out of my Kahr. Pretty potent load for 9mm.
As for a .357 being marginal for deer, I dropped one of my best bucks in it's tracks with a Hornady 125XTP lat 25 yards.
A friend dropped a doe at 45 yards with a .38 swc.
Bullet placement is more important than energy.

With any round bullet placement is important but energy should not be ignored. A .357 at 25 yards will have enough energy to humanly kill a deer, although a 125 gr. bullet would not be my first choice. 158 gr. is better suited for deer sized game.

Using a .38 special on deer is unethical, IMHO. At 50 yards you only have 200 foot pounds of energy, with a 158 gr. SWC., which is way below the minimum amount required to routinely guarantee a humane kill. It's such a low percentage gamble that it is just a bad idea to use a .38 special. You can kill a deer with a .22 long rifle but it's illegal and there is a good reason that it is illegal. If a hunter was a guest at my camp and wanted to use a .38 he would very quickly be uninvited.

As far as the original question about using a 9mm, the heaviest 9mm (.355)speer gold dot bullet that I can find in their catalog is a 147 gr. hollow point (hp). This would not perform as well on deer as the 170 gr. sp gold dot that is available in .38/.357 caliber. Skip the 9mm for deer and stick with .357 magnum or larger. It's a no brainer.

 

Bingo! We have a winner.

While placement is key and IMO the most important thing in taking any game animal we still must use enough gun. It does no good if it doesn't have the power to make a quick clean kill. I can attest to that with dozens of deer I've shot in the heads with 9mm and 40 S & W. You can't get any better placement than that. A 9mm and deer is a great example of not enough gun for a particular game animal.

 

I shoot a 9mm 1911 for competition so I know what I can do with it. What are your thoughts on using it for Deer. I am thinking at probably 50 yards or less.

Completely unethical. Poor idea at best.

 

Shot placement has to come first.

Way to often I come across people who will replace their sighting in and practice session with "bigger is better" and/or the "more rounds downrange is better" theories. Having the current wonder cartridge of the year with a bazzillion foot pounds of energy will not make up for a missed shot or, even worse, a wounding shot.

The reason I would not use any of my 9mm pistols is because I cannot get them to hold to one shot groups at 25 yards. And, most other handgun shooters cannot do it with their 9mm pistols. We need very accurate handguns in order to use them for hunting and I do not think that the 9mm is capable of any long range accurate shot placement no matter what handgun.

The cartridge might not have the energy of a 357 or 44 Mag but if placed right it will do the job. The really hard part is putting it in the right spot. But, if someone wants to use it and it is legal then I see no point in stopping them. Recommend against it but do not force them to follow someone else's methods.

 

While placement is key and IMO the most important thing in taking any game animal we still must use enough gun. It does no good if it doesn't have the power to make a quick clean kill. I can attest to that with dozens of deer I've shot in the heads with 9mm and 40 S & W. You can't get any better placement than that. A 9mm and deer is a great example of not enough gun for a particular game animal.

A grand prize winner (and absolutely correct).

 

No way...I've shot many deer with the 9mm and 40 S & W and 147 grn and 180 grn HP's respectively. These are deer that were injured from car crashes and most distances were not over 15 feet. I've never had a clean kill with either and these included head shots and multiple shots. Normally they'd thrash around for a while...it was not a quick clean death IMO. I even had one jump up and run after taking a shot in the head with the 9mm. I wouldn't consider anything less than a 357 mag, preferably a 41 or 44 for starters.

kinda makes me wonder how effective that round is on your job m1g?


kinda takes the joy out of hunting, watching one flop around with an ineffictive shot or caliber choice.:sad:

 

I did not know how far the person was that shot one a few years back where I hunt, But my son shot and killed the buck that came from over 400 yd from where some one shot it with a 9mm. we took 6 rounds out from under the skin from that deer. Not a one round got deeper than that. Two rounds were in the side and hit ribs, the others were in the hind end.

 

Some additional thougts to consider...

1. The 9mm is the only round that achives its potential velocity in as short as 3".
2. Many deer are about the same weight as man.
3. 9mm is used by many police departments for officer defense.
4. Therefore, one might conclude, that a 9mm round could be used on deer sized game.

Counter thoughts...

1. Handgun rounds used for defense are typically at extremely short ranges (3-10 yards).
2. Handgun hunting ranges are typically 25-75 yards.
3. Animals are not equivalent to man, as their "conditioning" is typically superior. Thus their fight or flight reflex is stronger, requiring greater knockdown power.
4. 9mm rounds are marginal for stopping human assailants. Even the CorBon 115gr +P+ round which closely approximates a 125 gr .357 in ballistics (94% one shot stops per Evan Marshall - assuming a center torso shot placement) is marginal when the assailant is wearing winter clothing.
5. Therefore, the 9mm round is unacceptable for deer sized game.

 

Just a thought, why did so many departments drop the 9mm and go to a larger cal.

 

Im a firm believer in using enough gun, which often means too much by other peoples standards. Being an avid archer i understand the importance of shot placement, but Im also expereinced enough to know that there are a lot of variables in hunting and you cant controll them all so you might as well compensate with the ones you can. A more powerful round can make the difference when other things go wrong. Some purists may call me a slob hunter for that attitude, but few things weigh more heavily on a sportsmans concious then an unrecovered animal. A sore wrist is a small price to pay for a deer on the pole and a good nights sleep as opposed to lying awake and wondering if well find that deer in the morning.

Hot load 45ACP. 45long, 10mm, 41mag or 44 mag the last on being my personel choice and thats only because I dont own a .454casull or a .50

 

Seveal years back I read an article by a handgun combat expert Massad Ayoob(sp) In the article he adressed the psycological and emotional impact of being shot on a person. The long and short of it is that when a person is shot they have a cognitive understanding of what has happened to them and (except in extreme caes) react on an emotional level. The resulting fear and panic can make a wound more dramatic then the psyological damage it has caused. This was sited as one of the reasons people who were derranged or under the effect of certain narcotics where so hard to bring down. (Im sure a lot of veterans of the Pacific could back up this point)

Animals dont have this emotional baggage to deal with and just run like hell. Sometimes it easy to forget that they dont process fear and pain the way we do no matter what PETA tells us. We have to rely purely on the physical damage a wound causes to insure a quick kill.

 

Seveal years back I read an article by a handgun combat expert Massad Ayoob(sp) In the article he adressed the psycological and emotional impact of being shot on a person.

Your spelling is correct. I had a chance to attend LFI (Lethal Force Institute) many years ago and qualified with my Browning Hp. I aced the written exam and scored a 196/200 on the range. Massad Ayoob had great influence on my choices over the years. I consider myself fortunate to have had a grounding in the teachings of Massad, Evan Marshall, and many others of that era.