How effective is the 9x19mm against game?

[Para Bellum]

Please share your personal experience withe the 9x19mm as a hunting cartridge with me. I'd be interested in:

1. species shot
2. cartridge used
3. placement
4. number of hits
5. effect
6. barrel length

Thanks and stay safe, sound an polite.

 

[LAK]

Stephen Camp has some interesting pieces on this subject:

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

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

 

[Para Bellum]

Lak

thanks! That was excellent information. Very assuring regarding the guns I carry (9x19mm).

 

[Long Path]

You might further search Stephen A Camp's posts here on TFL and over at www.TheHighRoad.org . His reports are excellent, almost always include photos, and he goes about things in a manner that is very readable. I own a couple of Steve's books, and can tell you that he is extremely knowledgable in the Browning High Power.

I strongly encourage people interested in such things to purchase one of Steve's books. Since his retirement (he was for a street cop for a quarter of a century), Steve divides all of his time between testing and developing, writing, and working for the RKBA movement. We as shooters have no better friends.

But, back to topic-- Steve's taught me in his writings that the 9mm with the proper load and proper placement of shot certainly can get the job done on deer. He makes the perfect case for "It's not the kitchen, it's the cook."

 

[the possum]

I usually use .45, on smaller varmints. But my cousin did bring his 9mm a couple times. To save myself some typing, I'll just copy and paste part of a thread from my coon hunting page.

"...So, my cousin laid flat on his belly about 2 feet from the mouth of the pipe, and got out his Ruger 9mm (loaded with hardball) while I shined my light for him. When he shot, the coon moved, so he shot again. And again. The coon kept running right toward us, and as he got closer, my cousin fired faster & faster. By the time the coon was only like 4 feet away, he was reacting with every hit, and my cousin must have pumped a half dozen rounds into him those last few feet. (in addition to the several rounds he fired while the coon was still further up the pipe) But Mr. Coon kept coming without slowing down substantially, and finally came out right in front of us. I think we both jumped up at about that time, or maybe I jumped up first. Things happened so quick I don't remember. Anyway, once the coon hit the ground, he tried running to the east, and my cousin kept putting bullets through him in rapid succession. By now, I had drawn my Kimber and joined the foray. By the time the coon had gone two feet, I shot him 8 times, and my cousin finished emptying his 15 round mag, finally stopping the coon. It took us a moment to calm down, as it was a little exciting to have an angry coon coming at us only 2 feet away, and no way to quickly get out of his way since we were on the ground. We examined the carcass, and it was riddled with holes, including plenty that had to have happened while it was still coming at us in the pipe. One 9mm bullet had caught him just beneath the left eye; another solid hit in the right cheek area, a few in his chest, one shattered front leg, etc. I was actually very surprised that the head shots didn't stop him. I thought even though they missed the brain, the shock transmitted through the bone should have been enough, but I was wrong...."

 

[444]

I have shot coyotes, and jackrabbits.
As well as a mule deer buck A four pointer (that's eight points for you back east people).

I was bird hunting one day and had a Ruger P89 on my hip (as well as a shotgun in my hands). I was walking up a valley in the desert and was approaching an area where there obviously was water since there was a lot of vegatation. I saw a coyote run down one side of the steep bank in the vegetation and he then stood sort of broadside on a little rise staring at me. The range was long, but living in the desert, we plinked at long range all the time. I slowly laid my shotgun on the ground and drew my pistol I fired a shot holding close to the top of his back. The coyote reacted as if hit and started running down this valley which kind of toward me but angled off to my left. I fired several shots at the running coyote without appearent effect. When he got pretty much even with me, he turned 90 degrees and came straight down the hill right toward me but still about 50 yards out. I fired one shot and hit him right through the spine: since he was running down the side of the hill, it was almost like I was standing above him and shot straight down through his back and down through the chest. He dropped right here. The first shot had struck him in the chest area just behind the front shoulder. I grazed his front legs with one of the running shots and the last shot was obviously fatal. I didn't do any kind of post mortem but, he ran a long way after taking that first shot right through the breadbasket. My buddy heard the shooting and walked over my way. I had him stand where I was and then I stood where the coyote was initally. He lazed me with a laser rangefinder. The first shot was just over 100 yards. The load was a handload using a Remington Golden Sabre 147 grain bullet.
The deer story was comical. I was deer hunting with a .30-06 rifle. I walked over the top of a hill and there stood three bucks and a doe eating. They looked up at me while chewing. I quickly picked the biggest buck and shot him right behind the front shoulders with a 150 grain bullet at 3000 fps. As the rifle began it's recoil it seemed to me that the buck just disappeared. He dropped like someone pulled the rug out from under him. The others stared for a couple seconds and then bolted. I sat down my rifle, took off my rucksack, removed a layer or two of coats, rolled up my sleeves, got out my knife and some papertowels and walked over to where I last saw the deer. All my gear was lying in a pile 20 yards away. When I got close to the deer, it suddenly jumped up and took off. It was running from left to right at about a 45 degree angle to me. The range was maybe 20 yards. I had the same Ruger P89 in a shoulder holster, which I drew and fired two shots. The deer dropped. Upon butchering the deer I found the two 9mm holes. They were both raking shots that hit the deer in the flank and angled forward toward the opposite shoulder. Neither shot penetrated to the vitals and I honestly think the fact that the deer dropped had nothing to do with shooting it with the 9mm. The first shot with a rifle was pretty much a textbook lung shot and the rifle bullet performed perfectly. The 9mm were bullets were again, handloads using 147 grain Remington Golden Sabres.
I have shot other small varmint type animals with various 9mm handguns and carbines but those were the two most dramatic encounters. I don't think either provides much information as to how the bullets would have performed on humans at defensive ranges.

 

[147 Grain]

While I admittedly haven't shot any game with my 9mm, my son occasionally uses it as a backup (while I carry a 357 Mag for backup).

In areas where there is no dangerous animals, the 9mm is loaded with Winchester Ranger T 147-gr. HP's product #RA9T (this is where I got my username from). For more dangerous areas, we use 147-gr. FMJ Winchester USA (white box) from Walmart.

Steve

P.S. 357 Mag usually carries Winchester Supreme 180-gr. Partitions.