Would you use a 9mm to hunt hogs?

The 35 remington is a tad over 9mm (9.0932 to be exact) but I think it'd be fine;) Couldn't resist.

doesn't longer barrel generally=higher velocity and better accuracy?
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Higher velocity, yes. Better accuracy, depends. You'll have a longer sight radius for open sights but a lengthy bbl can actually be detrimental to accuracy because it'll tend to be more "whippy".
 
"...a lengthy bbl can actually be detrimental to accuracy because it'll tend to be more "whippy".

In the context of Gale McMillan benchrest competition, I might--maybe--not respond. Trouble is, I've been getting sub-MOA accuracy out of 24" and 26" barrels for some sixty years, come July. And that includes shooting on my 500-yard range.

There's no way on God's green earth that a 9mm will see any degradation in group size in going from a pistol-length barrel to a carbine-length barrel.

And I was having a pretty good morning, before reading that...
 
I would NOT use a 9mm to hunt hogs. I carried a 9mm semi auto pistol 20+ years ago as a backup gun when I went hunting pigs and used a 12 gauge with 0-0-0 buckshot as my primary hunting weapon. I remember hitting a boar with the buckshot at about 30 yards and it ROYALLY teed him off. The thing shivered with the impact and started to bleed profusely from its wounds. It then charged me at full speed and forced me up a tree. I dropped my shotgun to climb and it took several shots from that 9mm to finally kill that beast.

Now I haven't hunted hogs in years now but I would use my 30-06 or 300 magnum if I were to want to do that again today (I stopped because field dressing and transporting deer is much less stinky and messy than messing with feral pigs).

Deer are one thing but a boar? You can go from hunter to quarry in an instant as I did 20 years back and I was lucky that tree with big low branches was close by. A boar will tear you up! Shot placement is king but I would NOT want a 9mm to be my sole means of dispatching one of those things.

No way!!
 
But bubba, That limits a 7 round rifle to a 2 shot...
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How so? I have a box of Nosler Partition .30 cal 170 gr. round nosed bullets (part #16333). Those would work just fine in a lever gun.
 
I know I have posted this somewhere before but for those who have not seen, this is what the shield looks like on 300 lb. plus boars. It has the consistency of heavy tire rubber.
One slab of this shield, (from the neck back to the last rib, top of spine to the elbow weighed 75 lbs.)
So the shield cut away from both sides of the hog would weigh 150 lbs!

My wife killed this hog over dogs with a knife (not the one pictured).

The knife pictured has a blade 3 1/4"s long.

For giggles I layed this shield down flat on the ground and shot it point blank with a 2" .38 loaded with 110 gr. jacketed hollows and 130 gr. fmj.

110 gr. only went 1 1/2"'s into one slab. The fmj. went through all 3"s of the first slab and about 1/2" of the second. Tough Stuff.

If you are going to use a pistol you had better choose a caliber with enough energy to penetrate, (at range), and a good bullet up to the task of plowing through this ARMOR.

Minimum I would choose at handgun velocities would be a .357 loaded with hardcast 180's.

Under 100 lbs. 9mm would not be a problem out to 50 yds. or so if you do your part.
 

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In the context of Gale McMillan benchrest competition, I might--maybe--not respond. Trouble is, I've been getting sub-MOA accuracy out of 24" and 26" barrels for some sixty years, come July. And that includes shooting on my 500-yard range.

There's no way on God's green earth that a 9mm will see any degradation in group size in going from a pistol-length barrel to a carbine-length barrel.

And I was having a pretty good morning, before reading that...
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Notice in the question I answered he asked
doesn't longer barrel generally=higher velocity and better accuracy?
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I think you are taking my statement out of context because I was responding to a generalized assumption (longer bbl=better accuracy) or I didn't make myself clear. At least one study has shown that... All else bieng equal, a shorter (more stiff) bbl will tend to have a smaller resonation pattern (if I'm wording that correctly) resulting in tighter groups. That doesn't take into account the two distinct advantages of a longer bbl, 1: longer sight radius and 2: higher velocity, both contribute to reducing shooter aim point error on shots taken from field positions at estimated ranges. I did not suggest that a longish bbl can not be accurate. My 26" bbl .338 RUM is plenty accurate. It has a fairly thin bbl, it may gain some consistency if I were to lop off a few inches; sight radius isn't a factor because the rifle is scoped but the loss in velocity wouldn't be worth it to me.
 
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I know this has been answered to death, but I've shot a 300 lbs sow with a 300 winmag at 100 yards, using a Hornady 165gn BTSP, and it barely penetrated. She ran about 30 yards before giving up, and once I got a look at it, there was hardly any blood, so I'm pretty much just lucky that the bullet penetrated and hit a vital organ. There was no exit. A few inches in any direction and she would have run off. This was in a pack of about 20 hogs, so if they had seen me and charged, that could have been bad. Do I carry a .45 when I look for hogs? Yes. But if I ever end up having to use it, I might just be dead.
 
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I don't have nearly the hog hunting experience that Brent brings to the table, but I've been charged by a couple boars...

The most memorable was when I was 16, hunting with a buddy. I figured it would be a good idea to bring along my old man's Glock 17 for "just in case"... Shoulda grabbed something bigger.

We were tracking a boar and we suddenly became the hunted. I was standing in the middle of a trail with nowhere to go when that dang thing charged. I drew, took aim, and started lettin loose. Shortly after that bas***d split my leg into three pieces, my buddy finally got around to putting a 12ga slug into it.

9mm is not enough.

When there is the distinct possibility of being injured, why limit yourself.

I carried a 10mm from then on out. I still carry a 10mm today in fact....
 
Sorta back to the ancient deal of killing vs. stopping. :) Most anything will kill any critter--eventually. What's more important is the Gitter Done before the problem gets up close and personal.

I don't know about y'all, but hitting a walking or running target with a rifle seems a bunch easier than it is with a handgun...
 
My son tried to coup a 130 pound hog with a 9mm... As soon as he shot it, It jumped to its feet. I was laughing too hard to use my .357 mag on it....
 
2rugers
Senior Member

Join Date: August 21, 2005
Location: texas
Posts: 668

I know I have posted this somewhere before but for those who have not seen, this is what the shield looks like on 300 lb. plus boars. It has the consistency of heavy tire rubber.
One slab of this shield, (from the neck back to the last rib, top of spine to the elbow weighed 75 lbs.)
So the shield cut away from both sides of the hog would weigh 150 lbs!
.......
For giggles I layed this shield down flat on the ground and shot it point blank with a 2" .38 loaded with 110 gr. jacketed hollows and 130 gr. fmj.

110 gr. only went 1 1/2"'s into one slab. The fmj. went through all 3"s of the first slab and about 1/2" of the second. Tough Stuf
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I agree that the 9 mm is not the best caliber for hog hunting, but in all fairness a 9mm nato fmj will out penetrate most other pistol calibers in yellow pine such as the .38 spl., .45 ACP fmj and 44 mag mid range loads. So comparing a 9mm luger round to a .38 spl is not a good comparison. If the 9 was fire straight on so it did not glance off there is a very good chance it would penetrate to do some damage. It is just that the hole is very small and compared to a center fire rifle the energy is very low.
 
I am curious Barnet.
How much further does the 9mm 115 gr. fmj. penetrate ballistic gell when compared to the .38 130 gr. fmj?

My test was done at point blank range with a 2" Taurus snubbie.
By point blank I mean I held the muzzle less than a foot from the shield.

Once you get into the field and stretch the range 25 to 30 yds. that 9mm will act just like the .38 did point blank.

Add in some dried and caked mud and the 9mm will fail too often to make it a viable hog hunting round.

Yes, you can use it behind dogs with a good degree of success, and yes you can easily use it for dispatching hogs in traps, but to tote it as a viable round for hunting is way off the mark.

As further evidence of this whole 9mm vs. hogs http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=185104&highlight=the+great+tfl+pistol+hog
 
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2rugers
Senior Member I am curious Barnet.
How much further does the 9mm 115 gr. fmj. penetrate ballistic gell when compared to the .38 130 gr. fm
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I agree that 9 mm is not the choice for hunting hogs on foot alone. I do think that a 9mm if fired perpendicular to a hog's body will penetrate past the cape, but I am not sure how far. I also admit I have not done it or want to do it.
To be honest I have no idea how far a 9mm will penetrate ballistic gel, but your shoulder cape is not ballistic gell and is much tougher. I suspect that your ammo for .38 spl would get at best 800 fps from a 4-6 inch barrel. A standard 9mm luger with the 115 from a pistol will be closer to 1100 fps. It is simply a difference in velocity that counts here combined with a strongly constructed bullet. Not all 9mm fmj bullets are equal and a penetration test with winchester white box showed the slug deforming. The only way to settle the question is to get another thick hog cape and shoot it again with a 38, 9 mm, 40, 45, .357, and 44.
At 25-30 yards the 9 mm will lose velocity and I am not sure how much. But my experiment was done with a handgun and if one uses a carbine you should still have pistol muzzle velocities at 30 yards range. Even buckshot is still deadly at 30 yards.
 
I know the skin on a 200 lbs hog is 40 lbs of that weight, so take that into consideration when you're trying to shoot a 400 lbs charging boar with a pistol.
 
a charging sow
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When I was in my teens I worked at the Pig Palace here in Omaha. Stock yards. Had many a boar run at us with evil in their eyes. One day I swung a sledgehammer at ones head killing it. Boss made me pay for it tho. Hit em right they die fast. I dont recommend hunting with a sledgehammer, but a gun that hits like one will do the trick.
 
no ive got a saiga for hogs why would i want to use a 9mm? If it was all i had and i lived in hog country hell yeah i'd shoot them in the face with the 9. They'd be dead.
 
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