36 Caliber deer rifle?

[galamb]

Can't believe this thread is still running.

But have decided that maybe a 36 is a little "light" for deer.

I hunt deer with a 40 right now but next season I'm going to hang that up, at least for deer....

Because by then I will have my 38 cal finished and that will be my new DEER rifle :stir:

(Ontario has NO caliber restriction for hunting deer with black powder - and if Bambi survives my early bow season, which I hunt with a recurve, I will get out my "high powered" 38 and use that from my bow stand at the same max range of 35 yards)

 

[Bill M.]

I live in Tennessee. I am not going to hunt deer with a .36 muzzleloader. But I am not going to get up in arms about the change in the law. I suspect there will be a very, very few people who try it, that they will be in the company of experts, and that there will be a lot more wounded and lost deer each year from .50 caliber than from the .36. At least Tennessee legislatures have a history of being supportive of hunting and gun rights.

 

[robert reed]

Leave it up to the hunter to decide...

Here in NC we have no mention of minimum caliber...We simply leave it to the individual... :thumbsup:

Yup!
A deer head is a lot bigger than a squirrel's. Most deer I shoot are inside 25. That said, I just finished up my .58 Renegade for next year! Off to the range! :thumbsup:

 

[palonghunter]

There aren't too many .36 caliber rifles available on the mass produced side of things, and the average bubba that wants to hunt an extra few days isn't going to plunk down $1200 and wait 6 months to have a custom gun built.

My guess is that allowing .36 caliber rifles for deer will make very little difference. .50 cal will remain the most popular, because that's what's most available.

 

[davescott]

The reason you could us a 36 is in the statement you made,,about hunting with a bow,,40 yards is max and then some,,so getting close enough to us a 36 should be no problem,,I hunt with a Hoyt ProVantage Hunter!!!!When your close enough to see them blink,,, your hunting not just shooting!!!!

bows with training wheels are like inlines....shouldnt be mentioned here lol

 

[varsity07840]

I live in Tennessee. I am not going to hunt deer with a .36 muzzleloader. But I am not going to get up in arms about the change in the law. I suspect there will be a very, very few people who try it, that they will be in the company of experts, and that there will be a lot more wounded and lost deer each year from .50 caliber than from the .36. At least Tennessee legislatures have a history of being supportive of hunting and gun rights.

Most people that are not familiar with black powder guns equate smokeless calibers with muzzleloading bore sizes. Hence, if a .30-30 Winchester kills deer, why not a .36 muzzleloader? The bullet's even bigger! Supporting gun rights does not translate into ethical BP hunting practices.

Duane

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Duane, dude the .30-30 bullet has a lot of other factors that allow it to do what it needs to do at 200 yards that a .350 patched round ball does not at 100 yards... :haha:

The problem is...(imho) ...with the Yahoos out there who are poor shots. (There is a thread on a modern hunting forum I read the other day about using a 9mm Luger round for deer.) Luckily, for most folks who shoot traditional rifles using patched round ball, we all know about accuracy and shot placement, and we have been target shooting and know what our rifles will do, and more importantly, what they won't.

So I think if the laws allow it in a traditional rifle, then it should be OK.

I shudder at the thought of a novice getting ahold of grandad's .36 Seneca, and flubbing a shot with a .36 maxiball. Now they are 128 grains, which is right about the same weight as a .440 round ball...so CAN do the job when well shot. A .350 patched round ball can do so as well.

'Course there's just as much of a chance of a Yahoo flubbing a shot with any other caliber, right? There's no way to prevent the occasional Yahoo from going out there and wounding a deer. There's always one guy (if the crowd is large enough) who will take that 150 yard shot, just 'cause he feels like it, or that shot at that buck running full tilt at 50 yards, though he's never tried hitting a swinging target at a range... or that 50 yard bow shot in the fading light... you know who I'm talking about 'cause he's the guy who calls you to help him "track" his deer......:shake:

Perhaps we might introduce into the hunting community the idea that if a "hunter" (note the quotes) wounded a deer, and the caliber or cartridge is what many would characterize as too weak, when folks start blaming the projectile, we correct them and point out, "poor shot".

Probably Utopian in approach, but the truth is if the vast majority of those that hunt were better marksmen... there would fewer discussion such as these (imho).

LD

 

[palonghunter]

You hit the nail on the head. In the hands of a competent marksman who understands his rifle and its capabilities, a .36 cal or even a .32 cal can take deer just fine. In the hands of a dummy who can't shoot, even a .58 won't get the job done. Unfortunately the law often assumes that we're all dummies.

 

[nhmoose]

In my great state of tennessee this year they made legal to kill deer with a.36 rifle or pistol. They use the excuse that some people are very recoil sensitve. Bravo Siera! Wondering what others think of this folly.

A maxi-ball or heavier bullet makes a whole new meaning to a 36 caliber muzzleloader IMHO of course F&G commissions are not in any real world.

 

[robinsroost]

If you really want to get your panties in a wad, re-read the Tennessee regulations. It is also legal to hunt black bears with a .36 caliber round ball.......Robin :stir:

 

[Rifleman1776]

That is an oversimplification. Ideal shots do not always present themselves. And animals can move between the time the brain says "shoot" to when the bullet hits. A gun big enough to do enough damage to humanely kill the game is requisite to ethical hunting, IMHO.
Regulations can be illogical. In Arkansas, any center fire rifle over .22 cal is legal for deer or bear. Meaning an ancient .25-20 is legal even though it is certainly not as much gun as a .45" round ball with adequate charge.

 

[nhmoose]

That is an oversimplification. Ideal shots do not always present themselves. And animals can move between the time the brain says "shoot" to when the bullet hits. A gun big enough to do enough damage to humanely kill the game is requisite to ethical hunting, IMHO.
Regulations can be illogical. In Arkansas, any center fire rifle over .22 cal is legal for deer or bear. Meaning an ancient .25-20 is legal even though it is certainly not as much gun as a .45" round ball with adequate charge.

Another reason why .gov should not make laws regarding calibers IMHO. there answer is"But the hunter associations asked for it themselves." Kind of like your name on an arrow, we got rid of it in NH but the Bow asso. had it put back.

 

[satx78247]

IMHO, the main reason for "caliber restrictions" (or the lack thereof) is that generally the majority of state law-MAKERS know nothing about hunting/firearms and/or (sadly) about much of anything else.
(That arrogant ignorance is why we Americans are burdened with so many SILLY/NEEDLESS restrictions on our freedom.)

For example: What sense does it make to drop the speed limit in school zones from 30MPH to 25MPH?
(I asked a VA legislator, "WHY?" & believe it or not she said that "We thought we ought to do something about school zones".)

yours, satx