.40 S&W for Deer

[kahrguy]

When you find you can not shoot a 6" 50 yard group in field conditions with your 40 cal leave it at home when hunting season comes around. Only make quality shots with your 308 and learning when to let a your game walk on and needing a backup will not happen. Not in 43 years have I needed a finishing shot.

Then save up for a long barrel 357, 44 mag or 45 for real handgun hunting . Then you can find that 3 or 4" 100 yard groups are possible.

Keep the 40cal for per-season scouting trips or post season rack hunts.

[Gmony.308]

Wow!!!

Wow. It's amazing all of the great responses to this thread. From what I have learned here and elsewhere, I will be sighting in the .40 for 50yd and hopefully will not be shooting it beyond 30 yds. That said, it will strictly be a secondary carry piece behind my .308. It will not be used unless I stumble upon the rare circumstance where I am within pistol range.

From reading most of this thread (excellent advice given), being professionally trained in the capabilities of the .40S&W and 30 years of deer hunting experience (Bow, Shotgun, Rifle and Handgun), I gotta say; Please get with an experienced hunter and learn as much as possible about weapons ballistics and safe hunting practices.

[EMH]

Why wouldn't you just use a .357 Mag or a .44 Mag instead?

[Brian Pfleuger]

Originally Posted by EMH

Why wouldn't you just use a .357 Mag or a .44 Mag instead?

Are they giving those away now? That'd be a great choice if somebody had one.

I amused by folks who thinks the 40SW is inadequate for deer. It's supposed to be the end-all, be-all defensive cartridge but it suddenly can't deal effectively with an animal that's on average smaller, lighter boned and narrower than a person.

The limiting factor is accuracy, not power.

Even if someone had no intention of using one for the primary shot, it'd be silly to "leave it home". Anyone who's hunted more than a couple years has walked up on a wounded animal. Do we want to shoot it point-blank with a rifle/shotgun or with the 40?

[hoffbill]

For dispatching large animals at close range ie in a trap or down with an injury or illness I usually use my 22 mag revolver. The small diameter of the bullet makes it much more reliable for penetrating, especially the skull. That is about 1500 fps and 325 energy at the muzzle. 40 S&W at 50 yds is approx 1000 fps and 380 energy.

[Dashunde]

I agree with those who are ok with he 40 at close range... bow hunting ranges perhaps.
A decent 40 hit at bow range is probably a quicker kill than a broadhead bleed-out.

But beyond that, a ordinary duty-style pistol isn't really the right tool despite the .40 itself being capable of more.

[Old Grump]

Local police department uses Glock 22 and Remington 165 gr ammo. I have shot the chiefs gun at a 5 gallon bucket at 200 yards and after a couple of shots to get the right hold over (wasn't very much really) I was hitting the bucket 6 out of 10 shots so accuracy was not a problem with his gun. The OP's gun I have no idea but I wouldn't be bothered much by anybody keeping their shots under 60 yards on a deer if he was capable of keeping his rounds in the kill zone at that range.

Personally I would prefer a .357 or bigger revolver or a 10MM in a pistol but a lot of people cannot handle full load magnums or 10MM ammo so until you know the shooter I would not make that kind of recommendation.

[Tactical Jackalope]

I saw a video a while back with a young girl and her father hunting deer with a .40 pistol I think it was a Taurus or something. He was teaching her. Shot the darn thing a couple times before it went down. I'll try to find it. It was on YouTube.




edit: So..that deer? I'm sorry it was a hog. Here is the video.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Originally Posted by hoffbill

For dispatching large animals at close range ie in a trap or down with an injury or illness I usually use my 22 mag revolver. The small diameter of the bullet makes it much more reliable for penetrating, especially the skull. That is about 1500 fps and 325 energy at the muzzle. 40 S&W at 50 yds is approx 1000 fps and 380 energy.

If you had to defend yourself against a human, would you choose a 22mag or a 40SW, given equal capacity?

Few folks would honestly say 22Mag. If not, why would one argue that the 22Mag would be better at dispatching animals?

I've never shot deer in the head as a finishing shot. Center of vitals. 5 seconds or less, they're done.

I've seen, many times, what it takes to cleanly kill deer. The answer is "not much".

[BoogieMan]

@Brian---I think the question is less about the caliber than the pistol itself. There are very few guys that can shoot a short barrel pistol accurately at 50-100yds. I have seen deer run 200yds with a shot clean through the heart, gutshot they can go for days. How many times you see 3 legged deer after hunting season, or a jaw blown off. I dont think the OP is a risky hunter, he asked the question. I would much rather that than have him talking about how he found fur and blood after shooting his 40.

[arizona98tj]

I amused by folks who thinks the 40SW is inadequate for deer. It's supposed to be the end-all, be-all defensive cartridge but it suddenly can't deal effectively with an animal that's on average smaller, lighter boned and narrower than a person.

Brian....maybe some of us also don't believe that the .40S&W is the end-all, be-all defensive cartridge either.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Originally Posted by arizona98tj

Brian....maybe some of us also don't believe that the .40S&W is the end-all, be-all defensive cartridge either.

Me among them. I have no use for it. But it is used by untold numbers of LE agencies and millions of individuals to protect themselves. Suddenly though, when the target isn't dangerous at all and is small, lighter and thinner than almost any human attacker would be, it's entirely inadequate. It's... incongruous.

[Dragline45]

Suddenly though, when the target isn't dangerous at all and is small, lighter and thinner than almost any human attacker would be, it's entirely inadequate. It's... incongruous

Yes, but most people aren't using their .40 for self defense at 40-100 yards either.

[Brian Pfleuger]

I think the maximum practical range has been pretty well agreed to be around 30 yards.

[Dashunde]

Originally Posted by Constantine

edit: So..that deer? I'm sorry it was a hog. Here is the video.

That video is a clear example of where the 40's ethical hunting capabilities end...same for that kid and her father.
A truly reprehensible example of how not to hunt hogs.

[treg]

Whatever range you can consistently hit a pie plate up to 50 yards, standing broadside shots only, and no hollow points, LSWC only!

[OkieCruffler]

With a pistol cartridge I go a little tighter than a pie plate. If I can't drop it into a 4 inch circle, time after time, that's too far for me. Most handgun cartridges don't give you that margin of error that you get out of a rifle round. Give me a 40cal on a platform that I can do that with and I'll take that 50yrd broadside shot every time. And there in lies the problem. I'm no Hi Point basher but I have yet to see one that could shoot 4 inch groups past about 25yrds and most less than that.

[R1145]

I've euthanized several mule deer using .40, and have always had clean kills. However, the range has always been point-blank, and I was able to take my time on an immobilized animal. That's very different from sport hunting.

In a survival situation, if you were disciplined, it would not be a problem, but I think there are better tools otherwise.

[rodfac]

Check your state regulations as to barrel length, if applicable. Some have a minimum length requirement. Rod