Hunting - Firearm Capacity in Maine

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Picher

Picher

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Maine Hunting Firearms Law
It is Unlawful to Hunt with, or Possess for Hunting, Any:

  • Automatic firearm (a firearm that continues to fire as long as the trigger is held back.)
  • Auto-loading firearm (a firearm that reloads itself after each shot and requires a separate trigger pull for each shot) with a magazine capacity of more than 5 cartridges (plus 1 in the chamber for a total of 6), unless the magazine has been permanently altered to contain not more than 5 cartridges.
I wonder if people coming into the state to hunt are aware of this requirement, especially when planning to use ARs for hunting?

(Any other states that have the same requirement, or states that DON'T have that requirement?)
 
if i was looking to hunt i a different state that is one of the first things to check. the 5 round thing is pretty normal. the no semi auto is not either, i am surprised here in ny we can still use them.
 
When I lived out West, the regs were the pretty much the same which was why folks I knew who hunted with ARs always had 5 round mags with them. This did not apply to folks varmint/predator hunting, only for regulated big game.
 
Five round magazines for AR's aren't hard to find. And a 5 round limit for hunting is fairly common with detachable magazines and semi-autos. It would be kinda hard to enforce a mag limit on typical 30-30 lever actions. And many bolt rifles now hold 10+ rounds in detachable magazines. I'd assume those would be legal in most places.

GA law used to be a bit confusing, but it appears they have corrected the regulations.. There used to be a 3, then 5 round limit on shotguns. There was no mention of rifles one way or the other and lots of guys "assumed" it was the same for rifles. It was not, and in recent years the regulations have specifically stated that there is no limit for rifles.

For years the law on shotguns mirrored federal waterfowl regulations and limited all shotguns to 3 rounds total. Regardless of what you were hunting. Big game shotgun hunters complained that they were technically limited to only 3 rounds. (I never knew of that being enforced for people big game hunting, but it was on the books). In an attempt to correct that for several years the law was changed to say 5 rounds for big game hunting. Which was still confusing since there was no limit for rifles and Mossbergs hold 6 with no plug. Not sure when the regs changed, but looking at this years book it now simply says shotguns must be plugged to 3 rounds total only for waterfowl hunting. No mention of mag capacity for any other form of shotgun hunting.
 
Sounds like that 5 round thing on semi's is pretty standard in a lot of places. That's the way it is in the NY state hunting regs.
Jim Watson said:
You can even get M1 Garand clips bent to hold only five
Click to expand...
...... Only semi-auto centerfire I ever hunted with was an M-1. Got a pix of that clip right here on the computer. IMG_2984.JPG
 
troy fairweather said:
if i was looking to hunt i a different state that is one of the first things to check. the 5 round thing is pretty normal. the no semi auto is not either, i am surprised here in ny we can still use them.
Click to expand...
Pennsylvania banned semi-autos for hunting, that's why Remington made/sold so many 760 pump rifles. Most of them went to PA.
 
cheaper them 5 round ar mags.
index.php
 
There's no capacity restriction in Idaho on big game rifles but practically speaking I don't know why you'd want more than 4 or 5 rounds in a hunting rifle. At some point you're just carrying around extra weight, and if you can't get the job done with that many rounds you probably shouldn't be taking the shot (or shots).
 
We once had an M-1 carbine, passed down from my aunt, a nurse, who got it from a woman she tended about 65 years ago. Her son was in the army, but died in the war.

Anyway, we had a couple of magazines cut and brazed, modified for 5 shots, and took the rifle out hunting a couple of times. It was quite handy in the woods.
 
I have used an SKS while hunting in maine, back when money was tight. I took the gas piston out and shut the gas off. It was a bolt action at that point. Game warden checked out and did not say anything. I also have used 1/2 round rods in mags with a pop rivet in the base plate.
 
Robbins290 said:
I have used an SKS while hunting in maine, back when money was tight. I took the gas piston out and shut the gas off. It was a bolt action at that point. Game warden checked out and did not say anything. I also have used 1/2 round rods in mags with a pop rivet in the base plate.
Click to expand...
When i lived in NY I sent an email to the DEC, asking if a wood block inside an SKS magazine limiting it to 5 rounds, sort of like the wooden plug in a shotgun, would be legal. Official reply was yes.
 
Maybe for ny, but in maine it can not be “modified in field” which is a grey area. But opening the mag and taking out the block would be modified in the field. I thought about welding a small tack in the hinges part of the mag where the hinge was on the follower. But wanted reverse it after deer season. Figured i cant modify it if there is no gas piston in the gas tube
 
I don't know why you'd want more than 4 or 5 rounds in a hunting rifle. At some point you're just carrying around extra weight,
Click to expand...

For the most part I agree. I have needed 3-4 on a few occasions. I was trying to finish off a wounded, running bear that had initially been hit by another hunter. My 1st 3 missed, but #4 connected. He disappeared over a small rise into some thick mountain laurel. My rifle was empty, but I had more ammo in my jacket. He was dead just over the rise, but I'd not have gone into the brush with an empty rifle. I tend to carry 10 when I go hunting, but usually not more than 4-5 in the rifle for that very reason.

The issue is with mag capacity. On occasion I hunt with an AR. I have 10 and 20 round mags, but no 5,s. If no more than 5 were legal I'd have to go to the trouble and expense of buying more mags. As it is I just use one of the 10 or 20 rounders. And since they are pre-loaded in a cabinet I just use them with 10 or 20 rounds. Not that much weight with 223 and I don't carry spares in my pocket.
 
Robbins290 said:
Maybe for ny, but in maine it can not be “modified in field” which is a grey area. But opening the mag and taking out the block would be modified in the field. I thought about welding a small tack in the hinges part of the mag where the hinge was on the follower. But wanted reverse it after deer season. Figured i cant modify it if there is no gas piston in the gas tube
Click to expand...
Tapco sells a 5 round magazine for the SKS. If it works as well as their 20 round mag for the SKS, it should be fine.

https://gunmagwarehouse.com/tapco-sks-7-62x39mm-russian-5-round-polymer-magazine.html
 
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