M1 Garand for deer...

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

mustanger98

Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2004
Messages
4,184
Location
GA, CSA
I got a question about that. I live in Georgia, so the M1's out of the question being an 8rd semi-auto. However, I might very well hunt in Alabama. Thing is, there regs reads:

LEGAL ARMS AND AMMUNITION FOR HUNTING FULLY AUTOMATIC FIREARMS AND/OR SILENCED FIREARMS PROHIBITED. GENERAL PROHIBITIONS: It shall be unlawful for any person to use any method or have in their possession any weapon or ammunition contrary to this regulation while hunting or attempting to hunt game birds and animals or other species provided for herein unless expressly provided for by duly enacted laws of the State of Alabama. It shall be unlawful for any person to refuse to submit firearms and ammunition or any device, instrument or accessory used in hunting to Conservation Officers for inspection. It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt with a bow or gun that has a light source attached that is capable of casting a beam of light (including a laser sight) forward of said bow or gun or to possess such a light source adapted for attachment to said bow or gun while hunting. It shall be unlawful to possess any equipment that uses electronics to increase the ability to see in the dark (night vision equipment) while hunting any species of wildlife, both protected or unprotected species. It shall be unlawful to possess fully automatic firearms or silenced firearms while hunting any species of wildlife.

DEER: WHEN AND WHERE DOG OR STALK HUNTING IS ALLOWED -Rifles using centerfire, mushrooming ammunition. Shotguns, 10 gauge or smaller using buckshot, slugs, or single round ball. Muzzle-loaders and Black Powder Handguns--.40 caliber or larger, provided further it shall be illegal to possess other firearms while hunting with muzzleloaders during the special muzzleloader season. Long bows, compound bows, or crossbows. Handguns or pistols using centerfire, mushrooming ammunition. WHEN AND WHERE STALK HUNTING ONLY IS ALLOWED – Same as above, except slugs or single round ball only may be used in shotguns.
Click to expand...

This section says nothing about magazine capacity. I'm wanting to be sure Alabama don't have some provision somewhere else I haven't seen so I'm sure I'm legally okay should I decide to hunt with my Garand.

BTW, I can shoot mushrooming bullets in my M1, no problem. They're Hornady 150's or 165's handloaded over 42-50grs of IMR4895.
 
No clue when it comes to Alabama, but personally I'm surprised you can't use an M1 in Georgia. Which part about it is illegal? The magazine capacity or the fact that it's a semi-auto? I've been hunting in northwestern Georgia a few times with a Remington 7400 .30-06 and no one mentioned anything about it being against the law there - although it never occurred to me to look at the regulations all that closely, so I may very well have been breaking some law I didn't know about.
 
I have used mine in Fl, called DNR, and they allowed it as long as I only had 5 round Enbloc clips (they are made).

FL does not allow semi-auto over 5 shot capacity. Not sure about GA. FL treats having 5 round enblocs with an M1 like havign and AR15 with 5 round mags.
 
GA prohibits any semi-auto or pump with a magazine capacity over 5rds. 7400, 742, and 740... those are legal here; my Daddy hunted with a 742 when I was a kid. 5rds and it's legal. 6rds and over and it ain't.

I've thought about getting some 5rd en blocs for the Garand, but I've gotten mixed reviews on reliability. Some guys say they work... some work real well. Others said they didn't have too good a'luck with 'em. So I don't know.
 
I have 2 of the 5 round Garand clips. I use them at the DNR-operated range where the load capacity rule is six rounds at a time.

In my experience, they work perfectly.
 
Government Blasphemy

That's downright UN-Christian to prohibit hunting with an M1 Garand. Another example of how the Government at every level has screwed up their mandate. Who the heck do they think they ARE?

I'm hunting in Texas and have shot two does with LC69 FMJs and a 1942 Garand. This is a good shooting Garand- I was second in the Texas Garand Championship with it last fall at Temple, and I'm pretty careful with bullet placement with those FMJs, but good grief....prohibiting Garands? In Georgia no less.

That's worse than banning Gideon Bibles from motel rooms.

Govt has gotten COMPLETELY out of control. They must be trying to provoke an insurrection by decent law-abiding folks!
 
Best source

Mustanger 98--I don't read anything in the section you posted that would prohibit the use of a Garand--It isn't automatic firing, and it doesn't have a mounted light source. (You didn't put one on, right?) But I am not a lawyer, nor an Alabaman, and there may be other relevant sections of the law.

IMX, the very most reliable source for info on what will get you arrested, and what won't, is the person who has to go do the arrests. Suggest you pose this question to an Alabama game warden.

Not a lawyer--he'll make a Federal case out of it (not to coin a cliche or anything,) charge you $$, and you still may not get a clear answer (well, unless the lawyer in question is also a hunter, and hunts in Alabama!) Not a city policeman nor a state trooper, mind you--They specialize in other areas of law enforcement--and IMX, some police will tell you that anything they personally are not sure of, is illegal, I guess in a CYA move.

But the game warden specializes in checking hunters' weapons--it's part of his stock in trade. He will KNOW THE ANSWER. His job depends on it.
 
It isn't automatic firing, and it doesn't have a mounted light source. (You didn't put one on, right?) But I am not a lawyer, nor an Alabaman, and there may be other relevant sections of the law.
Click to expand...

I didn't mount a light. The part about other relevant sections is what worries me. This is coming down to asking a Alabama game warden as mentioned.

Or, the deal about getting some 5rd clips... I'd still hafta ask a game warden and be sure whether they look at the M1 w/5rd'ers the way Florida does as was mentioned back up the thread. I'd also hafta be sure GA's the same way if I chose to go that route.
 
Here in Maryland, it would be legal to hunt with a Garand. The regulations state: "Firearms used for deer hunting may not have an ammunition clip loaded with more than 8 cartridges or bullets. If a clip has the capacity to hold more than 8 round, the clip does not have to be physically blocked, but no more than 8 cartridges or bullets may be loaded."

So it's legal to have a clip that could hold 15 bullets as long as there's only eight or less in the clip.

Maybe the same is true in Georgia??
 
So it's legal to have a clip that could hold 15 bullets as long as there's only eight or less in the clip.

Maybe the same is true in Georgia??
Click to expand...

I'm afraid not. In GA, if we have a pump or semi-auto rifle that holds more than 5rds, we hafta put in a one piece dowel or commercial plug so it can't readily hold the extra rounds. You got lucky with Maryland law.

Editted to add: I just remembered that for bird hunting, our shotguns cannot hold more than 3rds, but to deer hunt, we can have 5rds of the appropriate stuff in that same shotgun. The gun has to be plugged to hold 3rds instead of 5rds. When I took the hunter safety course, the game wardens said a semi-auto or pump gun was limited to 5rds total capacity.
 
It's fairly easy to modify an 8 round clip to make a 5 round clip. I made two and they both work perfectly. Someone posted the instructions with pictures on the Garand section of the Battlerifles forum. You should be able to find it if you do a search.
 
perpster,

I don't think so. I'm pretty sure that you have to have a magazine incapable of being loaded over max.
 
If it's legal in your state go ahead and hunt with your M-1. You may need to get that five shot clip.

However, don't load that baby up with high powered modern 30-06 loads. It's not made for them.

I'd suggest loading good 150 grainers, or maybe 165 grainers in front of 4895 loaded to 2,800 fps. That's about what the military round shoots and you should be fine using that load.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

ironworkerwill
  • Locked
Auto pistol in .45 acp for Alabama Turkey?
Replies
16
Views
2K
redneck2
redneck2
Johnm1
  • Locked
Arizona Game and Fish
Replies
7
Views
475
murf
murf
R
  • Locked
Confused on this regulation
Replies
13
Views
890
REB
R
B
  • Locked
Colorado Prairie Dog hunting ban proposed
Replies
5
Views
986
BackCountry
B
A
  • Locked
Hoosier Youth Deer Hunt Season Sept 23-24
Replies
1
Views
1K
Lon371
L
Back
Top