Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 9mm for Hunting.....tell me what you've taken with them

I know a variety of game has fallen to them.

Share your stories/results - gun and ammo used, distance and shot placement, etc.

A lot of small game and varmints, mostly with the Lyman 147 grain cast bullet.
A couple years ago while checking my feeders, spotted this little buck and killed him with one shot through the lungs with my Hi-Power and 135 gr. Federal Hydra-shoks.

Nice deer and Hi-Power. Yes, seems Bob Milek back in his day as a gun writer wrote about various handgun hunting and the HP was one of them for small game and varmints, no doubt proper ammo and shot placement they can do bigger jobs when properly executed, no pun

Bluejays, 15-20 of them. The damn things were so thick where we lived that Bluebirds, Cardinals couldn't get near the feeders. Damn Jays would run them off. I had an upset young wife, an Argentine HiPower and a pile of 115 grain Silvertips. Amazingly, the Argie shot them exactly to the sights at 25-30 yards.

I am not a big 9mm fan but I am here to testify that the 115 Silvertip is one hell of a Bluejay load.

Did they penetrate or over expand. Lol

After an evening of feasting on venison steaks at my neighbor's house one evening, I found myself walking in a clearing leading to my tipi on a particularly dark night. As I am wont to do, I do not use a flashlight at night in the woods - prefering to be a part of the woods instead of an alien invader.

I noticed movement on the ground not more than 5 feet in front of me and immediately felt alarmed because I thought it was a bear cub. While unholstering, I was wondering if a mommy bear was nearby. I noticed that it was moving very clumsily and slowly though, not very agile. I squinted to get more focus and realized it was a fairly large porcupine.

The dogs seem to habitually get snouts full of quills by me so there are standing orders to dispatch the things. I pretty much hit it with 2 or 3 shots (don't remember exactly how many) at handshaking distance.

The gun is S&W 547 with (iirc) 124gr JHP's over 3.8gr of Unique doing 830fps.



I pretty much just usually toss them in some thorny bush and this one was no different. A couple of months ago however, I finally ate one and it was danged good! The limbs and liver were indistinguishable from beef in my little curry stew and with onions

Both, usually with blue feathers wafting down like maple leaves.

a cat is the only thing I have killed with a 9MM. Took only one Federal HydraShock.

Sagerats, jackrabbits, HiPower or Kahr k9, 115gr HP. Haven't tried on anything bigger. Usually packing something more potent in the wild.

My 9 is a Glock.. I have shot a couple jacks with Blackhills 115 gr. hollow points.. Not bad..

Just one critter; a small whitetail buck 5 years ago last month. After "incapacitating" him with my 12 ga. 870 slug gun, he needed a close range finisher. So I used the 9mm German Luger my late uncle Marty brought home from Germany in 1945. It was in tribute to his memory as he thought his old Luger would be neat for something like dispatching wounded deer. He passed in 2001, I got it in 2002 and it was 2011 before I was standing over a deer that wasn't dead yet. One of my most memorable hunting memories will always be standing over that deer with his Luger, looking up at the cold, grey, sky and saying; "Thanks Marty, I know you'd get a kick out of this". Then putting a couple rounds of 124 gr. NATO spec 9mm FMJ into the back of the head/neck area from almost powder burn range. In NY state you could legally actually deer hunt with a 9mm handgun but I'm usually not within what I consider 9mm range but for finshing things up at close range it's great. I only wish my uncle were still around to see the pictures I took with the 870 and the Luger on the deceased deer. The gun's not exactly mint but it functions well. He used to shoot rats with it in old dump in the early 1950's and now it finally got put into service as a deer dispatcher. He woulda' loved it!

Shot several 'coons with 124gr fmj and 147 hp's and had miserable results. Had to shoot one FIVE times with 2-3 hits being in the chest. The damage/effect was less than impressive with either bullet.

Finally tried some 102gr Gold Dots with a fairly stiff load of Blue Dot (per someone here on the "fire). Killed the Hell outa' stuff.

Good stuff, that "Pine" probably tasted better being taken with a handgun

I shot a P-08 a guy had inherited from his father, when I was back in college. Seems he had it refinished and it looked like new. I was enamored with those old Lugers, it seemed to shoot very well as I recall. The HP's always fit my hand like a glove.

Thinking an HP or a say Springfield EMP4 would both make solid small game and varmint takers with good loads. I would pop a deer at close range with the best loads, thinking one that will penetrate and expand, put thru lungs up close, but as above there are no doubt better rounds to use when after larger than say coyote sized game.

No doubt a 9 will never be a 10, or even 40 for that matter, but on stats on 2-legged vermin, the 9 seems to make a decent showing with the best loads. One member here I know took a Mountain Lion with his, a Smith 39 or similar IIRC.

I shot a whitetail doe at about 25' from a tree stand with Winchester/Olin Black Talon ammo. The bullet went through/through on a downward angle through both lungs and out through the belly. It worked fine, acting about like an arrow, drilling a thumb-size hole through the lungs and the offside belly, leaving a heavy blood trail. I never did it again.

How far did he travel? Neck or spine would have been great on that shot, but they move their heads quick and the locktime, etc. is not likely as fast as a bolt rifle. And I hate losing backstrap. That load would correlate with a PDX1 which is rated well. What handgun were you using?

The problem with anecdotes is they are just that, a small number of unique experiences. Everything I ever shot with a 9 was initially less than impressed with my choice of armament. Groundhogs and armadillos running off doesn't inspire confidence, especially when armed with the super load of the day, the for-Bon 115 gr jhp. In contrast, everything I ever shot with a .45 was lights out. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean the 9 sucks and the .45 is great. With such a small sample size, minute differences in placement can mean a great deal. That being said, I still like the .45 better.

Coons will challenge any handgun just about. I've shot deer, javalina, and coyotes with a 9mm. All with XTPs 124s or 147s or GD124s. Nothing terribly eventful, nothing ran over 75 yards. I have absolutely no problem hunting a whitetail with a 9mm. I've kept my shots off the shoulder. Not a very powerful cartridge, I get the impression it's not even close my 3" 357 regardless of the ballistics.

K1500, since they ran off I don't suppose you know where they were hit? I would think an HST or Gold Dot would do a decent job on critters up to small deer.

Smallfry, yes the little 9 is less than a 357 Mag, but it seems it's capable when placed well. Any comparisons you have seen in those 3 bullets you mention? Penetration and/or expansion, and effectiveness? Handloads or factory? I've wondered about the XTP in the 9.

Seems the GD, HST and maybe the PDX1 are often preferred for SD carry, but the target may vary in what needs to be done for a good outcome.

rabbits

That's just it, there is no way to know. I've shot the same critters with a .22 that was lights out so clearly the 9 is up to the task, I've just had poor luck (or poor skill) with it.