Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 9mm for deer hunting?

I've no 9mm Luger deer hunting experience, but can share a bit of history.

The European Royals are very inbred, and this sometimes throws a physical cripple in addition to the all to common mental ones. The Kaiser to be at the time of the Luger's design and adoption was one of these.

His mind seemed intact since he loved hunting, but could neither properly hold nor shoot standard rifles. A very long barreled Luger with an attachable shoulder stock and heavy loads was made for him with which to hunt Euro deer driven to him by beaters.

A 9mm Luger with a long barrel, heavy load, at point blank range, and backed up by an expert Jaeger with a good Mauser rifle to anchor the wounded ones was proven to work more than a hundred years ago.

I'm just none to keen on having such a long list of qualifying conditions, and haven't the need to accept them.

I would NOT recommend it....however I have an uncle that lived in the Idaho panhandle that did use a 9mm one time for a deer...it was only about 25 yards, standing on a frozen stream
behind his property....but that is an exception.

I have killed 3 deer with 9mm. Two of them were "finishing shots" on animals knocked down by rifles. The third was a doe that literally walked under my stand so close I couldn't use my rifle. I pulled my Kahr 9mm and fired a 115 gr CorBon bullet into her neck at a range of about 5 feet. Killed her dead, shattered her cervical spine all to hell.

Point-blank is the 9mm's forte, that's where it can get the job done. I'd use a good 9mm pistol with heavier bullets (147 gr) on deer-sized game out to 25 yards or so, if that was all I had, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

Otherwise, I wouldn't use a 9mm on deer or other medium game. There's better autopistol cartridges out there that will finish an animal quickly and humanely, starting with the 45 ACP and moving up to the 460 Rowland as my preferred autopistol hunting round.

About 32 yards according to the rangefinder, 135 gr. Hornaday, Browning Hi-Power from a tree stand. Complete penetration through the lungs, took about ten steps.

Congradulations.
Did bullet exit and if so what kind of exit?
Bullet hit a rib or slip between them ?

Bet you have a chunk of change in that Hi-Power
One fine looking Handgun and nice buck as well
Thanks
Craig

In my younger (more stupid) days I used several calibers that were.....inappropriate......to take deer. I got away with it because the area I hunted was very thickety and shots were seldom more than 20 yards distance. Combined with the fact that a deer is just not that hard to kill with any kind of well placed shot.

Too many deer have been cleanly killed with the .22 LR to think that almost any centerfire round from a rifle or pistol can't do the same. Is it wise.....no. There are too many ways for this kind of stunt to go wrong......but it can be done and has been.

I have killed deer and hogs with such rounds as the .25-20 (rifle), .32-20, .38 Special and .357 in revolvers as well as the .30 Mauser, .380 ACP, 9mm Parabellum, .45 ACP, and 10mm in semi-autos.

In truth they all "worked", but only the 10mm would be what I'd term a "proper" deer round. The 9mm, at close range and with very careful placement will do the job. The hardest part about using the 9mm for deer is finding a proper bullet.

Most 9mm bullets are either too light and fast expanding hollowpoints or some form of hardball. The "best" (and I only have a sample size of 4 kills.....so that's to be taken with a dash of salt) seemed to be the 147 grain flatpoints. They don't expand, but seem to hit hard and do enough damge.

I'd actually place the 9mm, .32-20 and .38 Special in the same killing class......and if forced would pick the .32-20 as the best (probably because of better bullet selection). I've actually never been a big fan of the .357 either and place it in the same class......although others seem to like it a lot.

I have killed more deer and hogs with the .32-20 than any of the smaller calibers mentioned simply because I carry it a lot more often when walking the woods, but not specifically hunting.

I'd not choose any of these rounds for a dedicated deer caliber (with the exception of the 10mm). The .30 Mauser and .380 are really getting into the "stunt" class. The .45ACP works pretty well, but there are much better choices.

Even though I'd not deliberately choose a .32-20, .38 Special or 9mm for a dedicated deer round......I'd certainly not feel unarmed if I was presented with a close shot when that was what was on my hip. With any of those (and a careful shot) I'd exspect to be dining on backstrap that evening.

I've shot Browning hipowers that were extremely accurate and recently watched a buddy knock the heck out of a head-sized paint can at 200 yards shot after shot - with a Glock. YOUR 9 might suck but to say that any 9 sucks is pure bull.

Thanks for your experience here.

I think you got this one mixed up somehow,I did not say that !

I see where you got this one mixed up.
You read where I was quoting what bfrshooter said!

BCraig, my apologies. I read that as your reply to his statement.

bfrshooter is incorrect. Many 9's are very accurate, and a skilled shot with a 9 can take a deer cleanly with a good bullet at appropriate ranges. That's my experience, not a guess.

No problem.
I do appreciate you sharing your experience about this subject.

Broke a rib going in, exited so I can't show the bullet. Decent exit wound. The 9mm is at least as good as an arrow from a tree stand IMHO.

While I prefer 250 gr. or heavier .44 or .45 caliber bullets at a minimum of 1000fps, the real issue is bullet placement. Put a bullet into one or both lungs of a deer and blood pressure will drop until the beast loses consciousness. This usually occurs within 100 yards or less. If a critter runs farther than that, it was not hit in the right place.

Another shout-out from Bizzaro World.

Can you not help yourself?

Doesn't seem to be able to control himself.

Agreed, BTST, alcohol combined with adrenalin can be a helluva pain killer in itself.

Gunner

Hunting deer or shooting deer can be quite different. Although I wouldn't necessarily hunt deer with a 9mm, I have shot deer with a 380 and had a friend shoot an antelope with a 9mm.

As with any other chosen cartridge, the shot needs to be good, so the work is getting to where that shot can be made...

And that is it, in a nutshell.

I'll leave it to those who have done it to discuss the details of that. I think that is all that the OP asked.

bfrshooter and others who chimed in similarly - I suggest you do the same.

I would use it. I would not make it my primary deer gun but I would use it if I wanted and it was legal.

The only handguns I have used on deer are 41 mag, 44 mag 454 casull and 9MM. The 9mm was a one shot double lung pass through with a 147 black talon at 20 yards. The deer ran 30 yards and fell dead. Exact thing happened when a hunting buddy also shot a deer at 20 yards with a 9mm and 147 Remington Golden Saber, double lung pass through, the deer ran about 15 feet and fell over.

If your buying a new pistol though the 9mm would be my last choice after the 45 and 40. The 40's wont be less of a good thing.

It is not the expert shot or caliber, IT IS YOU. A friend missed 7 deer last season. Not a single gun to a .460 would have helped him. 90% of hunters will go to pieces when a deer is there. You want to use a toy to hunt with, you are a fool.
so many tout little guns but I shot a deer last season and found it with a fully expanded .22 on the neck.

stupid ass shot the deer with a .22. The spot scared me and when I cut it, a fully expanded .22 was found.
Anyone that hunts with little stuff should be banned.