9mm (9x19) GOOD ENOUGH FOR HUNTING DEER????

Is 9mm auto a reasonable choice for deer hunting for <50 yard shots

  • yes

    Votes: 24 12.8%

  • no

    Votes: 163 87.2%
  • Total voters
    187
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T

The_woodsman

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Jan 30, 2008
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Do you think a 9mm pistol is powerful enough to use on the average white tailed deer if the shot is kept within 50 yards?

Keep in mind:

Approximately 14" penetration in gel.
250-300 ft/lbs. energy up to 50 yards.
 
Nope...

What it can do and what it will do are two separate issues. Ballistic gel doesn't incoporate ribs, hide, and odd angles. And 14" (ideal) generally won't get you an exit wound.

I suppose you could, if local laws allow; but you'd better be in good shape. I would think you would have a lengthy tracking job with a minimal blood trail.
 
Do you think a 9mm pistol is powerful enough to use on the average white tailed deer if the shot is kept within 50 yards?
Click to expand...
I don't think the 9mm is even powerful enough to use on a medium sized dog at 50 yards!
 
With proper bullets, shot placement, and +p loads it will work well. easyg a normal pressure hollowpoint 9mm will drop a large pit bull in its tracks at 50 yards trust me I know.
 
I know more than a few people who made clean kills on mid-sized deer with .22's back when they were kids. That doesn't make it an adequate or acceptable hunting cartridge.
 
Would a 9mm kill a deer?

Yeah, probably if the round went in somewhere through the torso or through some other vital area.

However would the deer in question end up getting so far away (because the deer didn't get stopped soon enough as there wasn't enough energy or velocity there ballistically before it covered alot of distance in between the time when it was hit and the time it ended up finally expiring) that you'd never end up retrieving the body/venison unless you had the tracking abilities of an Apache Indian Scout or had access to a bunch of bloodhounds?

Probably not.

You might retrieve the antlers & skull a day or five later if you watched the buzzards closely in your hunting area, but I doubt that the meat would be any good by that point. I sure wouldn't want to eat it by then, it would be pretty ripe.
 
Possible? Of course.
Reasonable? Not in my opinion.

Not sure about other states, but in Indiana, it's not legal to hunt deer w/ one. Course you can't use a .45 ACP either.
 
Well, I look at it this way. If 9mm will kill a man, it'll kill a deer.
Click to expand...
Excessive cholesterol will kill a man too. Hardly a good reason to try to use it for deer hunting.
 
Nope. We have a responsibility, primarily out of respect for our quarry, but also so as not to further inflame the antis to use theright tool for the job.
 
It will obviously kill a deer, but its not a humane way to kill as its wounding vs killing potential is huge. In a pistol caliber, .357 mag is the bare minimum for dear.
 
I voted yes. Only because I do think it would be enough stopping power, but getting the right shot placement is a whole nother deal.
 
Within 25 yards I wouldn't hestitate to use a properly loaded 9mm. Out to 50, I don't think I'd trust it. I'm sure it could be done, but you would have to be absolutely sure of your shot to make it happen.
 
I have to agree with most here. It is enough to kill a deer..certainly. But it is not good enough for hunting deer.

To those that say since it will kill a man it is good enough for killing deer it should be noted that those that "hunt men" i.e. military etc. don't use handguns by choice at all, preferring long guns. They do that for a reason. It should also be noted that in my experience most animals are stronger pound for pound than a man and more able to continue to move when wounded/injured.

I'd say if you are going to handgun hunt first be sure you are extremely competent with your handgun of choice out to the range you intend to shoot and use a proven hunting round. I'd think a minimum of .357 in a specialized hunting load.

I wouldn't judge it moral or ethical to hunt with a 9mm.
 
"Lethal" and "good enough" (i.e., adequately powerful) are not the same thing. If you possess the necessary hunting/stalking skills to get within 25 yards or so (if you hunt with a bow you already do, as the ranges are about the same), the marksmanship skills to place the bullet exactly where needed on demand, and the deer is not very large (let's say sub-150-lbs.), it should do the job.

One other thing to consider is legality. Some states do not allow cartridges of under X amount of muzzle "smash" to be used. Others may not allow handgun hunting with autoloaders. Still others may not permit handgun hunting of deer - or anything - at all. Check first.
 
is a 22 hornet good for cape buffalo? will 45acp kill a grizzlly?would hemingway take a 223 on lion safari?

remember the saturday night live skit where they asked "What if Spartacus had a piper cub?"
 
Having had to put down numerous deer (struck and injured by traffic) with 9mm over the course of my career as well as observing several deer being put down by neighboring Police Departments who issued/used both .45 ACP and .40 S&W has demonstrated that while these service calibers from 4" to 5" barreled duty weapons are quite capable of putting the animals (deer) down, they are lacking in the ability to do so very quickly and efficiently. Our Departmental policy specifies the use of "headshots" on these animals and I am an excellent marksman and never missed the "mark" in these humane actions.

In most of the situations that I have either been the one dispatching the animals or been present when one was dispatched in such a manner, the animal (deer) usually required more than one shot and sometimes as many as four, before it finally died. This was the norm regardless of the caliber employed for the task (9mm,.40 or .45). Considering that the animal had, in all cases been injured seriously enough by the vehicular impact to be incapacitated (and immobilized) to warrant such action with the attendant damage from such a accident is testimony to how tough they are and that when possible a shotgun (using slugs of course) or centerfire rifle should be used in preference to any handgun round.

I also hunt quite a bit (besides Deer and Elk, I have also hunted Black Bear extensively in the U.S. and been on Safari in Tanzania for Cape Buffalo) and while I am reasonably certain that I could kill a deer out to about 35 yards with my 9mm, I, out of respect for the animal, use a centerfire rifle (.30-06) for the task because it is the correct 'tool' for the task. Were I to use a 9mm for the task of deer hunting, I would be quite concerned that the ensuing tracking job that would most likely follow would probably be a very, very lengthy one if the deer were recovered at all.

I agree with those above (phoglund, ftierson, Charles S, hokkmike, Wineoceros and Mac45 and anyone else that thinks that it is a less than adequate cartridge for the job) who do not believe it to be either an ethical or effective selection for hunting any big game species and implore those considering such a questionable "stunt" to please refrain from doing so and give the respect these beautiful and noble creatures are due and use the appropriate caliber for the job. They deserve it.
 
I've seen it done---and NO --it wasn't me. Lucky spine shot dropped it in its tracks--but not something I would suggest others do.

Get yourself a proper rifle---.243 or larger---and don't try these stunts with a pistol---the deer deserves better than that.
 
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