Any experience with a 9mm carbine deer hunting?

[Bdassnar]

The old man has bought himself a 9mm carbine. It's a Marlin (model 9 I believe), looks identical to a Marlin model 60 .22 but with an extended magazine. Anyway, he's put all his other rifles aside and is dead set on hunting with this little rifle. I got him some 115 grain hollow point and solid ball ammo and he's out with it. Myself, I'm concerned about it's capabilities. Just seems like the power is gonna be way down. Any experiences? Good or bad?

[rc42]

Pistol caliber carbines are great little rifles, I have the Ruger M77/357
The longer barrel gives significantly higher muzzle velocity and energy compared to a short pistol barrel but the ballistics of pistol rounds are very poor for long range accuracy.

A 9mm will have enough energy for a clean kill, even on larger game with good shot placement so you'll need to be within it's accurate range, maybe 75 yards at best though. If getting that close is not likely then a rifle caliber designed for longer range accuracy would be a better choice.

Some range time will confirm how far the accuracy extends.

[bladeracer]

The old man has bought himself a 9mm carbine. It's a Marlin (model 9 I believe), looks identical to a Marlin model 60 .22 but with an extended magazine. Anyway, he's put all his other rifles aside and is dead set on hunting with this little rifle. I got him some 115 grain hollow point and solid ball ammo and he's out with it. Myself, I'm concerned about it's capabilities. Just seems like the power is gonna be way down. Any experiences? Good or bad?

What has he been hunting with until now and what animals?
I'm sure even larger deer have been taken with 9mm, but I think it's really pushing it for consistent clean kills. Even if it shoots 1MoA so you can place the bullet exactly where you need it, I think the bullet is very likely to lack penetration, especially if it hits bone.

I'm sure Paul Harrell has mentioned taking deer with 9mm handguns.
https://youtu.be/S1AHNWgrFnY

[mchughcb]

I got no experience with hunting deer so that makes me entirely qualified to talk about it. I've used a Mauser Broom handle with the stock extension and was getting 3" groups at 50 yards off hand easily with open sights so I'd say you could easily plug a whitetail deer with them out to 80 yards with the marlin and a scope.

[No1Mk3]

G'day Bdassnar,
1000's of hogs are taken in Texas with 9mm handguns, and more than a few whitetail also. Out of the carbine the 9mm can readily shoot these animals with surety out to 100 yards but energy drops of pretty quick after that, so think 30/30 and keep the shots to around 75 yards and your Dad will have great fun. I would however, recommend that you change to 147g projectiles which is what I used to use in a Marlin Camp Rifle 9mm semi-auto for pigs and fallow deer. The 9 is not really suited to elk and from what an old mate in Montana tells me only annoys the big Bruins! Cheers.

[Blr243]

9 mm is a defensive handgun calibre for ten metre gunfights ....it’s not a humane system for deer at 100

[bladeracer]

9 mm is a defensive handgun calibre for ten metre gunfights ....it’s not a humane system for deer at 100

Semi-auto makes it more viable, but still far from ideal. I would think .357Mag would be about the least you'd want.

[Oldbloke]

What a are the ballistics out of carbine.?

[Bugman]

Not my idea of a fair and clean caliber for deer hunting.

[bladeracer]

What a are the ballistics out of carbine.?

Depends on the load, but roughly 200fps more from a carbine barrel with the same ammo.

[bladeracer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dvbsxk8jmWE

Jump to 6:30.

[Oldbloke]

So, what fps
Bullet weight.

I can't find any info.

[bladeracer]

So, what fps
Bullet weight.

I can't find any info.

That specific test was UMC factory ammo with a 115gn FMJ bullet, 1050fps in the pistol, 1230fps in the carbine

[Oldbloke]

Thanks bladeracers.

Gee, piss weak. I wouldn't use that on even a small goat.

[boingk]

Yeah that's pissweak. About on par with a 22 WMR, and half the muzzle energy of even my venerable old 32-20 levergun.

Here's a quick graph.

Untitled.jpg (22.62 KiB) Viewed 26755 times

[wanneroo]

Interesting to see this thread, I was just shooting a 9mm "carbine" out to 100 yards last weekend. I was shooting my own load, 124g Speer TMJ with Power Pistol powder, just over 1300 FPS and even with that punch could barely hear it hit the gong.

Technically with the right shot placement yeah you could kill a deer, but would you want to do it that way? I'd say I would at least step up to a 357 Magnum at a minimum.

[mchughcb]

Well thats 460ftlb. Not too bad.

[Bill]

I'm getting north of 1900fps with 158 XTPs with my 357 Magnum Ruger carbine, a bit of hold over and I can smack the gongs at 400m quite easily.

Id happily use this out to 150m on game.