Loyalist Dave
Member
So, the state seems to have opened up areas once restricted to shotgun and muzzle loader for deer, to allowing "straight walled" cartridge rifles to be used in the restricted areas. I write "seems", as I believe that each of the counties has a say in the matter as well.
I think the regulators are thinking of rifles using .357 Magnum, and .44 Magnum cartridges, as there is a minimum level of 1200 ftlbs. required of the cartridge as well. Of course this would also open up a rifle in something like .454 Casull and .500 Smith & Wesson as well as other cartridges.
I wonder if they considered AR's in .350 Legend or .450 Bushmaster? I mention this as the state seems to legislate based on aesthetics, not reality, and folks in Annapolis seem to be afraid of the AR and anything that looks like an AR.
They write weird laws as a result (imho). For example there have been areas where it was legal to handgun hunt deer with a .357 Magnum or a .44 Magnum (or larger) but one could not use a rifle in those cartridges. (see what I mean?)
It would not surprise me if the old .45-70 Government was excluded, as it's technically a "tapered" cartridge, not a "straight walled" one. Another quirk of my state..., you can hunt with a muzzleloader that launches a 405 grain lead bullet using 120 grains of black powder...., but in the same place you could not use a rifle that fired a .45-70 Government cartridge with 70 grains of powder and a 405 grain bullet.
OH well there seems to be a bit more "light" on the horizon for deer hunters in Maryland.
LD
I think the regulators are thinking of rifles using .357 Magnum, and .44 Magnum cartridges, as there is a minimum level of 1200 ftlbs. required of the cartridge as well. Of course this would also open up a rifle in something like .454 Casull and .500 Smith & Wesson as well as other cartridges.
I wonder if they considered AR's in .350 Legend or .450 Bushmaster? I mention this as the state seems to legislate based on aesthetics, not reality, and folks in Annapolis seem to be afraid of the AR and anything that looks like an AR.
They write weird laws as a result (imho). For example there have been areas where it was legal to handgun hunt deer with a .357 Magnum or a .44 Magnum (or larger) but one could not use a rifle in those cartridges. (see what I mean?)
It would not surprise me if the old .45-70 Government was excluded, as it's technically a "tapered" cartridge, not a "straight walled" one. Another quirk of my state..., you can hunt with a muzzleloader that launches a 405 grain lead bullet using 120 grains of black powder...., but in the same place you could not use a rifle that fired a .45-70 Government cartridge with 70 grains of powder and a 405 grain bullet.
OH well there seems to be a bit more "light" on the horizon for deer hunters in Maryland.
LD