As a "woods gun", I think the Beretta 92 is a very good choice for a semi-auto......for a 9mm.
I do not think the 9mm is a great choice in any pistol for general woods walking. The main advantage of the 9mm....to me....is that it can be had in a smaller pistol that a "real" gun. That is not a consideration in a woods gun. What IS a consideration (at least where I walk) is the possibility of encountering a 200+ pound hog (or deer in season) that needs shooting. The 9mm is a very poor choice for such work.
That said....I sometimes carry a .32-20 or .357 when I go wandering in the woods and the 9mm is certainly in that class. It CAN beused on larger game with proper bullets and placement.....but the main reason and use for a woods gun is small game anyway.
As to proper ammo.....I'd probably go with the classic hardball. It is totally reliable, accurate and penetrates better than a softer bullet. In a weak cartridge such as the 9mm (or 32-20, or 357) penetration on large game is at a premium. Any exspantion of the bullet reduces penetration.....and that's not a good thing on a pissed-off 250 pound hog. I also carry hardball when I use a .45 ACP for the same reason.....it's low speed makes exspantion unreliable and reduces an already weak penetration.
Another advantage to hardball (or hard cast) bullets is the performance on small edible game. We'd all like to take nothing but head shots on a rabbit for the pot....but sometimes it doesn't work out that way. A body hit on a rabbit with hardball will normally leave enough for supper......while a quick exspanding hollow-point may leave ears and tail and little else.
As far as "personal defense" ammo and such.......why?? Everyone seems to like to dream that each trip outside the house will result in meeting someone from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie. In more than 40 years of walking the woods I've never met those folks.....maybe I'm just lucky. For most I'd guess the number of times a handgun was needed while walking the woods to defend against human preditors was.....NEVER!!
If you REALLY feel the need for "personal defense", then I'd suggest that you change where you are walking.......and buy a .375 H&H to carry when you go to the mailbox, just in case a tiger has escaped from the local zoo.
The Berretta 92 is a full size handgun that will be easy to shoot and accurate enough for woods use. The first shot double-action stuff is a pain-in-the-ass, but it CAN work if you practice enough.
I'd still like a bigger gun than the 9mm.....but if you like it that's reason enough to carry it. Hell, that's why my SAA in .32-20 spends so much time in the woods......not because it is the "best" chopice, but because it CAN work and I LIKE it.
