9MM rifle for deer/hogs

[Brl]

I have a Beretta CX4 Storm in 9MM, 16" barrel. It was left to me in my brothers will several years ago. I hadn't been able to part with it but don't really have much use for it. It's a great carbine and fun to shoot. But, these days, I don't get to the range much and (when I do go) I usually focus on practice with the guns I use for hunting or carry and not just plinking. So...has anyone ever used a 9MM for small deer/hogs out to maybe 50 yards or so? I assume I might get another 200 + feet per second with the longer barrel?

Any thoughts?

Thanks!!

[dk17hmr]

I havent shot anything that bleeds with a 9mm. But if you look at 147gr you can load them to around 1000fps out of a handgun, figuring an extra 200 fps out of the longer barrel you are right around 1200fps. That is pretty close to a 357 handgun with the same weight bullet.

Will a 357 work on deer and hogs?

[superior]

I wouldn't trust the 9mm on hogs. Seems too dangerous as I don't think the ballistics are quite there to stop a charge. I would use it for deer though as long as the distance is under 50 yards and a perfect shot is presented. Just my opinion.

[Boz330]

Anything will kill with a perfect shot. Sometimes you don't make a perfect shot, not necessarily your fault so it is up to you. Personaly I would not hunt with a 9MM except under survival conditions. JMHO.

Bob

[Tn_River_Ratt]

In my opinion, anything weighing less that 250gr and moving less that 1000fps is just asking for trouble with a hog. A deer at less that 75 yards with the right bullet in 9mm would probably work with the right shot.

Ratt

[JeffinNZ]

I was about to agree with the general concensus then I thought about a .45cal round ball from a ML. Same weight projectile albiet a bit 'fatter' and at a range of 60-70 yards will likely have the same impact velocity.

[superior]

I wouldn't trust the ML on hogs either. Deer, no problem.

[Four Fingers of Death]

What about with those good quality 147Gn J word bullets? It would be kinda fun for brassing up rabbits, etc with milsup ammo.

[northmn]

Deer have been taken by lesser calibers. The 32-20 was supposed to be a deer and small game number. Some deer are smaller than others, depending upon geography. Some Southern deer go pretty small compared to the midwestern and northern deer. Talking about whitetails, mule deer are larger. When all is said and done and based on something like 40 years of deer hunting experience with deer weighing in at 150 lbs and over 200, I would not purposely take a 9mm deer hunting. As stated, with a perfect shot about anything will work, but I have had them take a step forward about the time I cannot back off on the trigger and hit them a little further back than intended. Sometimes what you think is a good angle is not quite what you thought. I really prefer a bigger bore in a ML than a 45 also.

Northmn

[zxcvbob]

I havent shot anything that bleeds with a 9mm. But if you look at 147gr you can load them to around 1000fps out of a handgun, figuring an extra 200 fps out of the longer barrel you are right around 1200fps. That is pretty close to a 357 handgun with the same weight bullet.

You don't get that extra 200 fps. 9mm runs out of steam really quick. The long barrel probably costs you a few feet per second (due to friction) rather than gain anything. I assume you mean 9mm Luger, and not one of the longer cartridges like 9mm Largo, .38 Super, or 9x23 Winchester.

[Suo Gan]

Your gun is the perfect deer rifle. Just make sure that you shoot them in the head at under 20 yards. They will drop like they were pole axed. Small calibers will take game. For some reason the 22 wmr is a real popular rifle in the Alaskan bush (Cheap ammo?). I have personally seen Eskimo's shoot Walrus, Seals, and Cariboo with them, and kill them dead.

BTW, if you keep it sub-sonic it would be a neat fairly powerful plinker, without a lot of noise.

[EMC45]

Here in Ga you can hunt with the 22 Hornet. Not something I agree with, but they say it's ok. Now would your set up kill a deer/hog. Put 'em where the count and you're in business. 147gr. +P hollowpoint or a 158gr. hardcast with a slow burning powder out of that longer barrel and it is a killer. I have made up some 158gr. rnfp Lee bullet dummy rounds and they functioned (by hand) in my Browning HI Power. Sorry to hear about your brother.

[acemedic13]

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[Throwback]

I have used the nine a lot recreationally but it is well below my minimum for deer. (.45 for short range, .357 for short to medium distances) I would consider using it on anything up to coyote but not with standard cast bullets. This is one of the few cartidges where you really need a hollowpoint to get the most out of it. I have finished three deer with it (using cast TC profile bullets) and results were not impressive. Also, do not expect better velocity in the longer tube. The .45 ACP sometimes benefits from a carbine barrel but not the nine. I would never use the nine on pigs. Having said all this, it is brilliant on small game.

[Brl]

EMC45, thank you for the condolences.

I have already been bitten by the hog bug. I've shot many, but all with rifle cartridges...usually .30-06. I wouldn't take that 9 carbine with the intent on only using it but would bring it along into my stand or to the friend's tomato farm. When in stand, if the right shot presented itself...than I might pick it up. At the farm, shots are no longer than 20 yards and the pigs are too busy killing tomato plants. They typically don't see or hear you until it's too late. Pretty fun...and hogs feeding on tomatoes all day are really good eating.

Thanks for all the great input!

[longuner]

I have shot many pigs with a 9mm with no problems, even seen a doe shot with one. Most were shot with my glock 17L, and recently one pig with a glock 26. its all about shot placement!!!

[trickyasafox]

Stephen Camp of highpowersandhandguns.com used the +p+ 127 gr Winchester loadings to harvest a few deer.

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/FieldReportDeer.htm

if he did that out of a hipower, I think with your carbine and some load development you could make a very effective short range deer getter.

Never hunted hogs, but I would think that the smaller ones wouldn't be unreasonable.

[Doc1]

Lemme tell ya, gentlemen. I'm an old wild pig hunter. In my younger and stupider days I thought it was great fun to hunt tuskers with a .45 acp. I've shot them with a lot of different calibers.

Then I got older and got smarter. I also met a couple of guys who were horribly scarred up from encounters in our marshes with tuskers where the encounter went in the tusker's favor.

These days, when I take my canoe into the marshes by myself, my minimum pig medicine is a full house 7.92x57 Mauser (or equivalent). No, you don't need that much power for shoats and the smaller sows. You might when you get charged by a big tusker and there's no tree to jump into! It'll change your perspective...real quick.

Who was it who said, "Use enough gun"?

9mm? On the right days, with the right animals - which'll be most of them - it might do OK. On the wrong day with the wrong animal, you'll count your stitches by the score when they sew ya up and if you're in deep marsh by yourself with the tuskers and gators, they may never find you.

Best regards
Doc

[Brl]

Great comments. Thanks for the posts and info gentlemen!

[Four Fingers of Death]

Who was it who said, "Use enough gun"? ............Robert Ruark.

I tend to agree, but thousands of big pigs are shot here every year using 22s, not for me though. I'd want something with a bit more whoopum if I was hunting in an overgrown swamp with no side stepping room.

Use the 9mm insult rifle and strap a 44mag on your hip just in case.