Wadcutter vs WFN for 45 hunting?

[Jedman]

I wonder what we can do about getting that amended in the regs. It's idiotic.

I once shot a antelope in Wyoming with a H&R handi rifle I built in 45 ACP and was checked by a game warden who was watching the whole thing from about a 1/2 mile away. I was hunting on Walk In land and was legal but when he checked my rifle I had a box of factory 45 Super ammo that I was using and on the ammo box it stated the ballistics but from a pistol length barrel.
Wyoming has a 500 ft. Lbs. minimum energy level for a legal hunting round and the ammo box showed 470 ft. Lbs + or - and he said it was not legal ammo I was using. I argued that out of a 18" barrel the round would have much higher muzzle energy but he didn't buy it. Lucky for me the landowner drove up while we were talking and he was able to calm game warden down and since the antelope dropped DRT he did not try to write me a ticket.
He asked me , do you have another rifle with you ? I said I did, I actually had 4 and he said do you have more tags and I said yea! 3 more and he said use another rifle please and drove away.
On another trip I shot a antelope with a handi rifle I built in 357 Mag. and was using Barnes XPB bullets and at approximately 100 yards it was the fastest I have ever seen a big animal hit the ground dead, not even a twitch. The 2 guys that seen me do it were really impressed as one of them had a Win. 270 WSM and the other was hunting with a 300 Weatherby Mag. and never seen a antelope drop dead so quick.
I also was checked by a game warden in WY after shooting a antelope and I was using a handi rifle again I built in a wildcat round and it was a .311 bullet cartridge and there laws require the OAL of the cartridge for that caliber to be 2.00" minimum. My wildcat was about .030 short but he let it go and asked to have one of my rounds for his cartridge collection so I gave him one. Later near sundown the intersection of the county road we were on and the main highway the same warden and several others were stopping all hunters and we were checked again.

Jed

[robinsroost]

A valid point has been made, a .45acp is not legal to hunt with in every state. In my home state of Indiana it is not. Contact your local wildlife officer or DNA. Keep yer powder dry...……..robin

[dk17hmr]

They changed the law recently to an OAL of 1.5" with no foot pound requirement. A 38 special with 158gr is legal for elk now but my 10mm isn't legal for antelope. I have a 45 super load that clocked at 1928fps with a 165gr Hydra shock from my 45acp rifle that isn't legal for hunting big game. I can hunt with a 45lc but equivalent velocity/bullet combos aren't legal out of my 45acp rifle.

I get it you have to set the bar somewhere...... But still.

10mm kills antelope just fine also.

[megasupermagnum]

There are a lot of good people in the DNR/game and fish departments, yet every state is screwed. They have more power than law enforcement. They are not the ones that should be setting the minimum's.

In a rare twist, Minnesota has got this one right. All big game, legal cartridge is a center fire, 22 caliber and larger. That applies to any handgun or rifle. It's up to you to do the right thing, the way it should be.

While our hunting regulations have taken leap and bounds the last 10 years, our fishing has gone out the window, and off to the moon. If you can manage to figure out all the bogus AIS laws to legally launch your boat, you have to be twice as careful coming off the lake. We have effectively outlawed live bait fishing, except for worms/nightcrawlers. Even leaches are now strictly controlled.

Point being, those making the laws have their head up where the sun don't shine. Fighting the DNR is even tougher than fighting the normal legislators. Those of you out west have a lot going for you that we don't have here.

I think it should be in the US constitution that every person has the right to hunt and fish, then we would at least have some leverage. Treating it like a simple privilege is wrong.