While it could be argued that many humans have thick skulls too, I've heard that .38 special-class things (which yeah, includes even full size 9's) will bounce off a bear skull, and might as well be a bb gun for a hog, which I hear you guys have down there. By the time you've got enough barrel on a .357 to get any good out of it (4.5" at least) - you might as well have something a little better than that (I traded mine off, I'd rather have a heavier bullet and more push than sting in the recoil, but then I like my .45 ACP in a CZ97b full size pistol - if I don't have to carry it far). At handgun ranges I'd definitely want enough barrel to hit where I want, fast, with enough to produce unconsciousness pretty much instantly, if not death, in any animal big enough to hurt me. The older I become, the more fragile...I can't run faster than the bear OR the other guy, anymore. I'm not real confident in even my carbon-15 in .223 with m855 being good enough...it'll make holes fer sure.
The only accurate 9 that's seen range time here was a S&W M&P for what that's worth - while a little lighter than a .45 full size, it's not even as concealable - it's a big piece. The rest were "minute of water heater" even at self defense ranges, or were jam factories. I'm sure YMMV - we have had one, count it, good AK-47 here (Czech) and many many of them that stank terribly, the exception proving the rule that they kinda suck. Maybe we've just had terrible luck with the other 50 or so 9's that have come through.
Edit - yes, I know the difference between a 9 and an AK (or really, an SKS). It's just that due to real world experience on what comes to visit, I'm not fond of either one especially.
There has been one other 9mm that was pretty good - a Glock, but one the owner had replaced the barrel in with something aftermarket and better.
Maybe I'm spoiled by the fact that any of my handguns will reliably ring the steel at 100 yds in fairly rapid fire - despite the fact that compared to a real competitor in any of the action stuff, or any bullseye guy, I may as well just sit it out.
I kinda went with .38's for that class of thing, as with those I have extreme accuracy with my cast bullet loads. The one I carry isn't fun to shoot (stings similar to a .357) but is light, compact (it's a Ti ultralight), and I worked up a special load that gets some OK performance out of a snubby - no small thing. +P loads for that sometimes clocked as low as 350 fps! That extra slow burning powder has no place in a snubby with a light bullet - it's only burned a little before the thing is gone (if it even exits the barrel). Big bang and big flash but otherwise a joke. Chrono your gun/ammo, you might be surprised how crappy it actually is.
The good load for a .38 snubby (and my target load for the big ones) is more like a wadcutter in the 148 gr range, all the way down flush in the brass (that much extra effective barrel length), and 2.5 to 2.8 gr Bullseye - those you can get a reliable 700+ fps out of. It hurts, but in a self-defense mode, you wouldn't care. But then, there's practice...and then you have to kind of make yourself do it. The heavy bullet, with the extra "barrel" of the case length before hitting the cylinder gap (and long enough to plug that for awhile) gets the good out of the powder, unlike light bullet/slow powder +P loads. The latter I worry about jamming in the barrel! With a lead bullet the basic friction is less and there's a lot less danger of that as well. But on a bear or a hog? I kinda doubt that's effective.
Sneakers would be a better investment.
Posting as just me, not as the forum owner. Everything I say is "in my opinion" and YMMV -- which should go for everyone without saying.