Which 9mm ammo for woods?

[bg226]

These woods are known to have the occational black bear and various critters. I've got the shotty, but a 9mm sidearm will complement it.

I need to know which brand makes high quality 9mm FMJ ammo. I obviously don't want to use Wolf ammo when SHTF.

No NATO ammo please (they have hard primers). Nothing hard to find, I want something I can pickup at any local ammo store.

Thanks.

Edit: I don't reload.

 

[TomFromTheShade]

Well it depends on what you are looking for. I would probably go with something by Federal. They have the most reliable primers in my opinion. That means that your FTF will be lower or non existent. I had really bad luck with the Remington UMCs.

 

[azredhawk44]

Can't think of anything other than a handload. 9mm just ain't meant to do that type of work.

Berry's mfg offers a bullet that might work well though. You don't want a round nose, and you don't want a hollowpoint. You want something with some punch but won't deflect. A wadcutter or flat point.

Take a .356 diameter 135gr FP and seat it on a healthy charge of 231 or similar suitable 9mm powder. That bullet isn't offered in the 9mm selections, it's in the 38 super selections. Same diameter though. Load data exists, look at the Lee manual.

If you don't reload, I think you're SOL. Just get the most reliable FMJ on the shelf and stay away from hollowpoints with bears.

 

[Rob1035]

just curious, why FMJ? If you've got the shotgun for bears (I presume...), what do you envision using the pistol for?

 

[TomFromTheShade]

The pistol is always a nice option to have. It can be used effectively in close quarters whereas the shotgun would be worthless if the bear were on top of you. The pistol can also be fired with on hand. There are better pistol choices, but a 9mm is better than no pistol in my book.

 

[robertbank]

If you want something similar in a pistol go with a 1911 in .45acp and get 200 gr LSWC loaded for you. A commander size would be just about perfect for what you are talking about. If the range is to short for a shotgun you want a pistol you can shoot quickly, and accurately with some punch. Doesn't take all that much to kill a Black Bear but you want a round that will do some damge quickly. 9MM would not be my first choice.

Take Care

Bob

 

[roscoe]

10mm or .357 minimum.

 

[goon]

I agree with you guys that a gun bigger than a 9mm would be better.
However, the cost of a box of ammo is way less than the cost of a new gun.
Sometimes you have to make do with what you got.

 

[BsChoy]

Get some good sabot slugs and put a good HP in the 9mm...127 +P+ ranger is what I use in my glock. Save the 9 for anything under 150 lbs and slugs on anything bigger. Just my 2 cents

 

[shooter429]

Buffalo Bore

I am thinking you want a heavy bullet moving as fast as possible for penetration.

www.buffalobore.com

See Item 24C/20+P+) 147gr. Speer Uni Core @ 1175 fps 451 ft. lbs

Ya gotta realize though that 9mms are not "woods" material no matter how hot they are loaded.

Good luck

Shooter429

 

[PO2Hammer]

Yup, the heavy load from Buff. Bore.
Either that or Speer Lawman 124 fmj.
Speer loads them a little hotter than most it seems. CCI primers are exelent IMO.
You're stilll in deep doo-doo if you end up needing your 9mm against a bear.
A Glock 20-10mm or a magnum revolver have to be mentioned.
I use a Glock 17L or a Sig P226 9mm as a woods walker, but I don't worry about bear here. Mostly to keep the dogs and the skunks/woodchucks separated (without drawing blood if possible).

 

[DoctorWho]

9 mm

I have had People hammer Me for thinking My
Ruger Redhawk w/ a 7 1/2 inch barrel in .44 Magnum is enough for Bear.

I would not like to chance a 9 mm in the woods.

What is a shotty by the way ?

 

[270Win]

"Shotty": Shotgun.

 

[kumma]

Just got back from a back country fishing and deer scouting trip in Michigans UP. I have seen black bears and wolves in previous trips. I took a 9mm with me along with an extra magazine (34 rounds total of S&B 124g FMJ) I didnt feel unsafe or undergunned and I also didnt have to worry about lugging around excess equipment.

Besides the guns main purpose was for protection against 2 legged predators one encounters in the woods, the wolves and bears are secondary to me.

 

[OldSchooler]

I gotta go into the 'bigger is more comforting' argument for bears. A 9mm would not be my choice for bruins. If I actually felt that bears were a problem, and I had a gun budget, I'd get a .44 mag, 4" Taurus or S&W.

However, if you are determined to go with the 9mm anyway, forgoing the shotgun/slug combination, find the heaviest bullets available from Federal (147 gr?) and buy 2 extra mags and belt pouches for them.

Then, practice like this:

First, attach a piece of 1/4 inch steel plate to the front of your truck. Then get a helper to get into the truck and drive it towards you at high speed.

Train yourself to dump an entire mag full of those Federal rounds into that milk jug. Strive to do this within five seconds and reload in 1 second. Repeat until all three mags are empty or until the truck is upon you, whichever comes first.

Then, holding your 9mm in one hand and your shotty in the other hand, practice rapid turns and running away from that same truck without being run over.

Tons of Saturday fun.