9mm pistol and hunting

[dombra]

Dear Gents
Just was wondering if anyone has any hunting experience w this round- w cast and w/o
Thanx in advance

[NickSS]

The only hunting I have done with a 9mm was shooting rats in a dump with cast round nosed bullets. I was unimpressed with their stopping power so quite using that gun for hunting rats. I have also shot a rabbit more recently with my Glock and it worked better with the 120 gr TC led bullets from a lee mold I was using. Anyway it killed the rabbit. I prefer using a revolver for small game hunting as they are generally more accurate for small targets.

[Lloyd Smale]

killed a few rabbis and grouse with it but thats about it

[ron brooks]

Lloyd,

I think you made atypo and neabt to write rabbits. :-)

Ron

[MT Gianni]

356402 will take the head off a grouse and kill a cotton tail but I have never used it on anything else. If that was all I had I would not be hesitant to shoot a whitetail with it providing I had a 25 yd shot and was confidant of putting one in the earhole but that is a situation I can't envision right now. Gianni.

[danski26]

I used to use my 9mm for chipmunk control around the cottage but moved on to 22lr. Less expensive fodder.

[lastmanout]

I have a 9mm and enjoy shooting it (mostly plinking). I am not impressed with round nose bullets-cast or FMJ. I think a 22 LR FIRED FROM A RIFLE is more effective. Flat pointed 125 grain cast Boolits are a little better. Fancy, premium J-bullets have the edge in this middle bore. I think the 9mm is OK on game up to 40 lbs.-under 50 yds- with a proper bullet and as much velocity you can safely achieve- if the pistol is up to the accuracy needed. YMMV.:castmine:

[Phil]

HE SHOT A RABBI?! AND TALKED ABOUT IT ON THE INTERNET?!

Nasty business fellows, nasty business.

Cheers,

Phil:-D

[9.3X62AL]

Well, Phil--I hate to antagonize you further, but I've had my share of jackrabbits fall to the bark of 9mm pistols for about 25 years or so. Tularemia concerns cause me to give cottontails a "pass".

The RN design I've used for 4-5 years now is Lyman #358121 (the larger 122 grain version), which has a small full-caliber shoulder. It seems to do the job on jacks, as do the various TC designs of 120-125 grains. The standard RN is at its best in older 9mm's not tuned for feeding HP bullets, cast hard and used on paper targets.

JHP's have seen some use afield, too. The 88-95 grainers adapted for the 380 ACP can get some velocity to them in the 9 x 19, and can scatter jacks pretty comprehensively. Same story with 115-125 grain JHPs, minus the technicolor special effects--the critters are anchored in place, though. The much-maligned 115 Silvertip does fine work on jacks.

The first real update to my old agency's autopistol regimen (started in 1987) came in 1991, when the 40 S&W caliber and Glock pistols were authorized--and the FBI-recommended 147 grain JHP Sub-Sonic load was instituted in place of the 115 S-tip in the 9mm. I had a little "concept resistance" with that whole post-Miami-debacle-analysis bit anyway, but was willing to do a little field testing with the new rounds to see what took place. After whacking about 30 jacks over 2 days with the subsonic rounds, I concluded that the 147 JHP's were--if anything--less effective than the standard RN castings. Most shots needed follow-ups, regardless of initial hit locations. I can already hear the Facklerites ramping up, but they can save their efforts. I stopped using the subsonics on small varmints, and lost confidence in their ability to stop larger ones, too. The 45 ACP became my primary duty sidearm (again) from that day forward, and the 9mm subsonic rounds got emptied out and refilled with something useful--125 grain TC castings. The 9mm became a small game/varmint pistol until retirement, when ammo regs were relaxed to those that apply to citizen CCW holders for us cops turned out to pasture. 125 JHP +P, in other words.

[Phil]

Hi Deputy Al,

Not rabbit, Rabbi. "killed a few rabbis and grouse with it but thats about it". Shame on you Lloyd. Oh, the humanity! :-D :-D Besides, you can't make hasenpfeffer with a Rabbi, you need a RABBIT.

Cheers,

Phil

[KCSO]

I have used the 9 on wood chucks and called coyotes and as long as you put the bullet in a vital spot they drop. A 9 Plus P Hydroshock drops deer just fine out to 25 yards or so but for small game hunting a 38 wadcutter really works better. The largest critters I have dropped with the 9 and cast are hogs, but this was at butchering time and when you are shooting them like that a 22 will do, you just make the x and dot it.

[MT Gianni]

Al, those 147 gr JHP's work great. Just shoot them out of a 357 and forget they only measure .356. I remain unconvinved that they belong in the 9mm. 115 or 124 pushed fast work and my cz is accurate with 125 gr rn so thats what it sees most. Gianni