Whitetail Hunting with my .40 Glock

[WinkingTiger]

It is legal, but is it ethical?

I am not talking about a long distance shot. Will a lung shot put a deer down from under 25 yards?

Do I need a head shot to put the deer down?

If the .40 has sufficient stopping power what type of bullet should I use?
Hollow points or FMJ?
Thanks

 

[countertop]

As our esteemed moderator Tam has been known to say:

Bear in mind that the following is coming from someone who has owned five .40 cal Glocks: I think that every Glock .40 should have “I am a total n00b gun nerd who reads too many message boards” etched on the slide.

That said, I would never take a head shot on a deer - much to small of a target and they are always moving. However, if you can get within 25 yards, I don't see why you couldn't take one down with a well placed shot out of a Glock in .40 S&W

Wouldn't recommend it (heck, I doubt you'd get that close to a deer) but its certainly able to take one down.

 

[dakotasin]

It is legal, but is it ethical?

just because you can do something does not mean you should do it.

you have to decide for yourself if it is ethical. where i hunt, it is not a legal chambering (but 10mm is), so my argument is against using it.

agree about the headshots comment. a head shot, to me, is a stunt and not a way to hunt/kill deer.

 

[MCgunner]

Get a G20 and go huntin'. Keep the forty for social occasions.

 

[GunNut]

I believe that our own Stephen Camp has taken deer with a 9mm, so i would not see why your Glock .40S&W would not work.

 

[Regolith]

Its possible. Hell, you can take a deer with a .22LR if you really know what you're doing. But for the most part, its not ethical. Unless you are REALLY good anyway.

And you should probably check your state hunting regs. Some states have minimum cartridge length restrictions. I know for instance that .40 S&W is legal to hunt with in Oregon, but not in Nevada. Smallest handgun cartridge that is legal in Nevada for hunting big game is a .357 out of a 4" barrel. Could be because shots are usually taken at a bit longer range there.

 

[frogomatic]

I've been head shooting deer for years. Of course, my longest shot wasn't more than 30 yards. The steep hills, and heavy brush prevents even moderate ranged shot opportunity. That terrain makes tracking extremely difficult at best, so an instant kill is prefered, and I've found no better way to get that instant kill. An accurate rifle in a large caliber, loaded with a heavy bullet at modest speed has proven utterly devastating when employed in this method. Last year I took one using a 45-70 loaded with barnes 300grn triple shock bullets. Let's just say there wasn't much head left to worry about. I've also found that if I tap my foot lightly on the tree, about 75% of the time the deer will stop and look right at me. At which point they catch a bullet dead between the eyes. Crude, I know, but highly effective, and I never have to deal with torn up meat. The key to this method is self-restraint, and having the patience to wait for the right shot. If you're a trophy hunter then this really isn't for you. I hunt only for meat so this is my prefered method. Another thing I like about this method is either I miss completely(and that's only happend once), or drop em dead instantly. I've never just wounded a deer going for a headshot, and I've never had to track one.

 

[R.W.Dale]

A full house 40S&W load firing either a Hornady XTP or a good hardcast FP bullet should put deer in the freezer. Forty caliber holes produced from lead bullets or balls at 40S&W velocities have been killing deer deader than dead for almost 2 century's now.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=787020&t=11082005

 

[22-rimfire]

Choose a caliber that is larger. It may be legal in your state, but it certainly is not an ethical choice. There is a difference between shooting for self defense and hunting. You are more likely to wound the deer than kill it within any reasonable amount of time.

 

[Moon]

Sorry; not ethical.

 

[hossdaniels]

.40 isn't enough gun for a clean kill, I have quit using a 6" 357 with very hot buffalo bore ammo. It just wan't enough gun to leave a reliable exit wound with anything but a perfect broadside shot. Moving up to a 44 this year and hoping for better results. IF you want to try it please take only perfect broadside shots making sure you miss the shoulder bone.

 

[eliphalet]

Whitetail Hunting with my .40 Glock

Not a wise decision.

 

[mbt2001]

If it was a carbine, like the Ruger PC .40 carbine, then it would do OK. Coming from a Glock, it would reckon it is more of a self defense gun than a hunting gun. Feel free to carry it with you, and if you take a deer, what the heck, fire a round into it and see what happens. I wouldn't want to use it... To easy to buy a decent rifle and the difference in ME is about 5 times that of a 40.

I am big on hunting with a sidearm ever since I ran into that possesed Hog... 3 shots from my .257 and he kept a coming. Goods shots too. That guy just didn't want to give up the ghost before he shed some of my blood. The .357 did him in...

As a rule of thumb, a 6" .357 mag is the min for handgun hunting. Anything else should be a sidearm backing up a 30-30 or something.

If you were like this guy (http://youtube.com/watch?v=Wbg2s2bfjhw), and were within like 15 yards... that would be real interesting. Double tap a deer... hahahaha

P.S. if you are hellbent on doing it, use one corbon hollowpoint or soft point and then a fmj round. Two shots, like a double tap... Maybe if you stick with neck shots you can disrupt blood flow and put it down hard, but you need to go to the range, get at a realistic distance, and see if you can put one (neck) or two (chest) on target in short order.

 

[Kimber1911_06238]

In my opinion, not a good thing to do, but yes it is definitely possible. Just be prepared for a long blood trailing session.

 

[MCgunner]

Forty caliber holes produced from lead bullets or balls at 40S&W velocities have been killing deer deader than dead for almost 2 century's now.

Most muzzle loader hunters I know shun anything smaller than .50. I have a .50, myself. Now, I load sabot 240 grain .44s in it and it's real accurate and at 1900 fps, I have no doubt it'd be effective, but a .40? Nah, I'll pass. It's pushing a 200 grainer at 950 typically. I know you can load it a little hotter, but it needs to be a LOT hotter, like a 10mm, before I'd mess with it for deer. I don't hunt with my .45ACP either. I know people that have taken deer with it at 30 yards max, but not me. I have a .45 Colt, why would I wanna do it with an ACP. I'm not a JMB worshipper and I don't see any other reason to do it. Besides, even JMB designed better guns for hunting, the M94 for instance. The .45, like the .40 has other intended purposes that have nothing to do with deer hunting.

On the .357, with the right bullet, it'll shoot through the shoulders of a 200 lb hog, let alone a deer. It's a good caliber and I've killed three deer with it. I have irons on it and limit my shooting to 50 yards, 100 yards if I'm shooting the carbine. I shot two of those deer with the revolver pushing a Lee cast gas checked SWC at up over 1500 fps out of a 6.5" Blackhawk. It don't mess around. With a 180, you can expect even more penetration. That 158 is screamin' out of a 20" barrel at 1900 fps.

 

[wolf_from_wv]

No FMJ...

 

[jeepmor]

It is unethical and blatantly irresponsible IMO. If you are going to kill a deer, you owe it to the animal to kill it quickly and cleanly as possible.

No animal should have to suffer for the sake of one's ego, which is really what the decision to use this caliber boils down to, legal or not. If you are that interested in using a 40 caliber bullet to take a deer, please use a 10mm, the extra 300fps or so will be much more effective.

 

[R.W.Dale]

Most muzzle loader hunters I know shun anything smaller than .50.

Most muzzle loader users also shun wood stocks, exposed hammers, blackpowder, iron sights, precussion caps and patched round ball. After all modern day deer are much harder to kill that the deer our forefathers killed PFFFT they had it easy back then.

please use a 10mm, the extra 300fps or so will be much more effective.

In NON premium loadings Rem, Win and Federal the diffrence between 10mm and 40 more like 100 FPS there ain't a deer alive that'll be able to tell the diffrence.

 

[HankB]

Deer are not armor plated!

If you pick your shots and place them correctly, a .40 with proper loads will down a deer with no problem.

Human beings have been successfully hunting deer for thousands of years with bows and arrows - if what basically amounts to a pointy stick is OK, than a modern handgun in a serious caliber will work well, too.

Just keep repeating . . . "shot placement, shot placement, shot placement."

Good luck!

 

[rantingredneck]

Deer are not armor plated!

Amen.

I caught some of this very same flack for suggesting that I plan to hunt with my Ruger P90 in .45ACP this year. Don't know if that'll happen now due to my treestand accident while bowhunting (for those who don't know the story search the hunt forum for it, I won't bore you with the details here). Using an appropriately constructed bullet there is no reason a .40 or .45 in factory standard or +P loadings won't kill a deer within bow range. I bought some heavy 260 gr bullets and have been playing around at the loading bench with them, but I'm seriously considering just going back to the 230 grainers and taking the extra velocity I get from the switch. If I had to go with a factory loading in .45 I'd go with Hornady +P 230 XTP's. Not sure what's available from them in .40, but from experience that is a stout .45ACP load. (kicks like a mule). May be an option for you in a 180 grainer or so if available.

Either way, good luck and good shooting to you my friend. Be safe about your treestand too. .

 

[WinkingTiger]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I'm going to be using my remington 870 for hunting.

 

[frogomatic]

No FMJ...

+1

FMJ's are not legal for hunting

they don't have expansion properties nessecary to transfer energy from the bullet to the deer

the wound channel will be a little hole straight through with little tissue damage

do NOT use FMJ's when hunting

 

[mbt2001]

It is unethical and blatantly irresponsible IMO. If you are going to kill a deer, you owe it to the animal to kill it quickly and cleanly as possible.

No animal should have to suffer for the sake of one's ego, which is really what the decision to use this caliber boils down to, legal or not. If you are that interested in using a 40 caliber bullet to take a deer, please use a 10mm, the extra 300fps or so will be much more effective.

A .40 S&W, while I don't propone it, should work. I stick with the advice of a minimum 6" .357, but the point is that people have been hunting with .32-20's, .44-40's, .36 for a long time from both long guns and handguns and they put game in the skillet.

Unless you are a careful shot and have good woods / stalking skills, I would go and buy a .30-30 at a local gun shop for about $280.00 and then carry the .40 as a backup. If you are a good shot and really want to challenge yourself and have an accurate enough gun, get the right loads and work within the limits of the gun, shouldn't be a huge problem to put it on the table, but you should really be capable of putting the rounds on target.

A Whitetail is analogous to a human. We are about the same size and with clothing, about the same skin thickness. .40S&W has a good one shot stop performance on a person, should do OK on deer, provided you put the rounds on target and work within the range of the gun (max 50 or so yards).

+1

FMJ's are not legal for hunting

they don't have expansion properties nessecary to transfer energy from the bullet to the deer

the wound channel will be a little hole straight through with little tissue damage

do NOT use FMJ's when hunting

I haven't heard that.... I agree, they are not perfect, but the idea of staggering a clip, as I suggested is for both performance and penetration. If one doesn't quite do it the other will. I have used this method plenty of times when hunting hogs. For that matter, HARD CAST bullets don't "mushroom", they are harder and disrupt less than FMJ's do. From my experience anyway.

 

[birddog]

It may be legal in your state, but it certainly is not an ethical choice. There is a difference between shooting for self defense and hunting. You are more likely to wound the deer than kill it within any reasonable amount of time.

I have to disagree. Given a good deal of proficiency with the weapon, a good clean broadside shot at a reasonable range for your skills, the .40 will kill that deer. I think it's okay to undergun for the challenge of it, as long as you keep the ethics of a clean kill forefront in your mind. I regularly hunt with a bow, or a revolver, when I could be hunting with a slug gun or a rifle. The choice is yours.

One caveat (that some will disagree with) is that I would avoid a head shot. The unintentional wounding caused by a jaw-hit or a skull grazing falls outside my definition of an ethical shot. That said, I regularly go for neck shots with handgun, rifle and shotgun. Much bigger target, and any hit is almost always obvious and devastating. I would, however, go for the much easier boiler-room shot. Lots of margin for error, and anywhere in the vicinity of the heart/lungs will take that deer down as well as a bow, if not better.

I'd give it a try -- IF you're confident in your shooting abilities.

 

[Supertac45]

A lot of state have a max number of rounds simi's can hold for hunting. I wouldn't use a 40 cal. handgun for deer.