40 S&W for deer

tullisfireball

Senior Member
I have a Glock 27 as my carry gun. I have thought about carrying it this season for tracking wounded deer but thought about trying to take one with it if one gets close enough. What do you think about the 40 for trying to take a deer with? I have seen Police officers have to shoot a deer with a 9mm and put it down fairly quickly.

Just a thought, what do yall think?:huh:
 

ATLRoach

Senior Member
As long as you can hit a small target like an apple consistently and keep the range short with a good bullet like a XTP and +P rounds. Remember you have a very short sight radius and it will not help with longer shots. Do NOT use a personal defense bullet like a Gold Dot as it will not penetrate.

These would work well up close:
http://www.doubletapammo.com/php/ca...ucts_id=210&osCsid=jvpaa7fun76rqb8deq3hc3qtc5
http://www.doubletapammo.com/php/ca...ucts_id=144&osCsid=jvpaa7fun76rqb8deq3hc3qtc5
 

HandgunHTR

Steelringin' Mod
As long as you can hit a small target like an apple consistently and keep the range short with a good bullet like a XTP and +P rounds. Remember you have a very short sight radius and it will not help with longer shots. Do NOT use a personal defense bullet like a Gold Dot as it will not penetrate.

These would work well up close:
http://www.doubletapammo.com/php/ca...ucts_id=210&osCsid=jvpaa7fun76rqb8deq3hc3qtc5
http://www.doubletapammo.com/php/ca...ucts_id=144&osCsid=jvpaa7fun76rqb8deq3hc3qtc5

What he said. ^^^^

Also, remember that a deer's nervous system doesn't work like a human's. When people feel tons of pain and are leaking red stuff their brains tend to start shutting stuff down. When a deer feels pain and starts leaking red stuff, it's brain tells it to run. And run they do.

The .40 S&W will put a deer down, but there are much better choices out there.
 

tullisfireball

Senior Member
Thanks for the input, like I said I will probably carry it in case I have to track a deer, but may take one with it if it is close enough.
 

Rich Kaminski

Senior Member
I do not believe that the barrel is long enough to be legal for the taking of deer. I could be wrong, but check the regulations.
 
Two or three years ago I took a deer with my Glock 23 and a 155 grain (I think) Winchester Silvertip. I was climbing down from my stand and this deer runs up and stops 35 or so yards away. It was a twin for the one I had just shot and I thought that one was running off. One shot through both lungs. The deer only ran a short distance before going down. It was then I found out I had two deer down. It was as I have heard "the fun ends when you pull the trigger". Good Luck!
 

Bowana

Senior Member
I'm a LE officer and carry a full size Glock .40 on duty. I have a 27 as my back up/off duty weapon. I've shot several injured deer/dogs while working. All were shot with 180 grain gold dots and they worked great. The range was usually close though. I wouldn't want it for my main hunting gun but it should be ok for finishing one off. Just my thoughts...
 

Eroc33

Senior Member
I do not believe that the barrel is long enough to be legal for the taking of deer. I could be wrong, but check the regulations.[/QUOTE


I think you can use anything as long as it 22 cal or larger centerfire and has expanding bullets a 25 auto can be your main deer gun legally
 

bowbuck

Senior Member
I plan to shoot a deer with my glock 22 .40 this year. I have a box of federal 180 gr jacketed hollow points. Would that do the job??
 

deerslayer357

Senior Member
I would be very careful of using JHP bullets. I shot a doe with a 357magnum 5 times with 158grain JHP's. Not a single bullet made a pass through. It killed her pretty quickly, but if she had run I probably wouldn't have found her because she wasn't bleeding (no exit hole).
 

Ambull

Member
I have taken deer with my .40 it was short distance though one at 5 yards the other at 20. Dropped both of them in their tracks.

Good Luck
 

Hunley

Senior Member
Don't know about deer, but 180gr. Gold Dots from Double Tapp to the head of a hog won't drop it. Found out the hard way.

I would look at the Corbon DPX line or some custom manufacturer like Buffalo Bore to see if they offer the solid copper Barnes HP. Otherwise, get a Lone Wolf replacement barrel and shoot the heaviest lead round you can find. REMEMBER, Glock (and most gun manufacturers who use polygonal rifling) warn against using lead rounds in the stock barrel as it can supposedly cause an unsafe increase in pressure, amongst other things.
 

jleepeters

Senior Member
I do not believe that the barrel is long enough to be legal for the taking of deer. I could be wrong, but check the regulations.[/QUOTE


I think you can use anything as long as it 22 cal or larger centerfire and has expanding bullets a 25 auto can be your main deer gun legally

This is not true, if you are handgun hutning for big game in Ga the bullet has to have 500 ft/pnds of energy at 100 yards for it to be a "leagal to hunt with handgun"

With that being said I dont know if a .40 does or not, you would have to check the ballistics on it to find out
 

SuburbanShooter

Senior Member
I would not even try to hunt one that is close with a .40 S&W. I shot the deer in my profile picture with a 1911 I built. 45 acp with +P round at 15-18ft at ground level. The little buck never saw me posted up on a fallen tree stump. He walked straight to me and I shot him right in the kill zone. I shot through both lungs but the bullet never exited. He ran over 175yds and took a nap.
I say don't even try it because I made a great shot on him but didn't find much blood if any. I got lucky when I topped the next ridge I could barely see the white of his belly. I suggest getting the proper pistol to hunt one, .357 or bigger...... IMO
 

hikerbum

Member
I would not even try to hunt one that is close with a .40 S&W. I shot the deer in my profile picture with a 1911 I built. 45 acp with +P round at 15-18ft at ground level. The little buck never saw me posted up on a fallen tree stump. He walked straight to me and I shot him right in the kill zone. I shot through both lungs but the bullet never exited. He ran over 175yds and took a nap.
I say don't even try it because I made a great shot on him but didn't find much blood if any. I got lucky when I topped the next ridge I could barely see the white of his belly. I suggest getting the proper pistol to hunt one, .357 or bigger...... IMO

You dont say what bullet you used in your 45. round ball, or lead? if you used a good expanding bullet and you hit where you said you did, it would have left a blood trail. the 40 S&W will do the job also, if shot within reasonable handgun range.
 

Randy

Senior Member
You coudl kill a deer wiht a knife too but that does not make it the right weapon. The 40 S&W is not a deer hunting weapon. You may kill it, you may not, you may find it, you may not. Why even chance it?
 

Parker Phoenix

Senior Member
Both .40 and .45 are personal defense rounds. Sure you can shoot a deer with it, but both, in most cases would be highly ineffective and more self serving than sporting. Just because it's legal don't make it right.
 

hikerbum

Member
http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=430980

see this post.... so a 44 mag is better?

People shoot and lose deer with a 300 wm or 45-70 also, but shot placement is king, and knowing ones own limitations are just as important along with making sure you have the right bullet (not round, etc, but projectile). That was more of what I was trying to say.
 

Randy

Senior Member
Never mind, I changed my mind........this stupid legislature feels a 25 auto is acceptable so shoot away. This is what happens when you leave hunting regulations up to a group of people who could, for the most part, care less about hunting and fishing. All they care about is getting votes. Shoot them with a 40 if you want to. After all there are plenty of yotes who need to eat too!

We are loosing our sport guys!
 
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