Magazine Limits

[Silent-Snail]

Does Wiscinsin have any limit on the number of rounds a magazine can hold
while hunting? In particular I speak of the Yugo SKS and No4 Mk1 Enfield with thier ten round factory mags, and maybe something with thirty rounds in the future.

 

[Art Eatman]

Dunno about Wisconsin, but there is a reason for mag limits. It's a mix of tradition and view of hunting.

Before semi-autos, most rifles only held somewhere around five rounds. So, "Well, that's how it oughta be." Then, there is the view of hunting as a sport, requiring a certain amount of skill--but not a necessity for survival. This led to an attitude in the regulations that, "If five isn't enough, take up a new line of work."

I've always been a bolt-action guy, and very few of my kills have required more than one shot. A second shot, but for two rare exceptions, was merely a coup de grace. Getting away from "The Law", having more than five rounds just adds weight. Why bother?

, Art

 

[30 cal slob]

If you're bang on the deer with the first shot, you're done for the day, right? These days I just put one round in the chamber and leave the magazine empty. I'm not quick or skilled enough to pull off a follow-up shot.

After what happened in WI last Fall, I will be sure to carry my pistol with me (for those scary two-legged bandits).

 

[rbernie]

These days I just put one round in the chamber and leave the magazine empty. I'm not quick or skilled enough to pull off a follow-up shot.

In most jurisdictions with magazine limits, simply having an empty mag isn't enough - you actually have the have the excess capacity blocked off and unusable in some fashion.

Specific to the SKS and Enfield - I have both of these rifles and 5-round magazines are available for both if needed. Five round magazines are also available for AK's, AR's, FAL's and most any other semi-auto currently available.

 

[Matt G]

I've had a times times where I blew my first shot and dropped the game with a follow-up shot. All but three of these occasions, I was using a bolt gun. On the other three occasions, I used, respectively, a single shot rifle, a .38 revolver, and a Kimber .45.

While I'm against hosing bullets at game, I strongly encourage having a follow-up shot available. It's a damn shame to have an animal that you've just shot at begin to run away before you can put it down with a follow up. That revolver follow-up shot I made was on a javelina that I had hit well but which was still standing and showed signs of getting ready to run. A second shot with the .38 put it down.

I've carried a SMLE in the field hunting with its 10-rd magazine full, and felt a little silly (never having fired even 5 shots on one occasion at game) but it was nice not having to carry spare ammo in my pack. I've offered my SKS as a spare rifle to a man who was offered an impromptu deer hunt but had no rifle with him. He seemed shocked. I explained that I had softpoint ammo for it, and that the area we were in, with fairly dense brush, would keep the shots close enough. If he only fired the number of shots necessary to put the game down, than it didn't matter how many more were below it in the magazine, did it? He declined, and chose another offered Sears brand .30-30 that our host offered. [shrug] I didn't see much difference.

 

[Silent-Snail]

My main reason for asking is my desire to not play the part game . In particular with the SKS. And as for how much I need while hunting having never done it before, but I feel that it is better to have a full ten rnd mag as opposed to a full five rounder and five more stuck somewhere else.

 

[rbernie]

My main reason for asking is my desire to not play the part game

Then don't - just block off five rounds worth of magazine. You can make a block yourself or pay $8 to DC Engineering to buy theirs.

 

[Art Eatman]

Silent-Snail, I can pretty much guarantee you that five is more than enough.

With little critters, if you miss the first shot, they're gone into the brush or weeds and you don't see them anymore.

Coyotes or deer, if you miss the first shot, they're in fifth-gear overdrive at wide-open throttle. You have about two seconds to get back on target and figure out three feet or more of lead in order to get a shot off before there's brush and/or trees in between you and Wily or Bambi.

In over 40 years of hunting, I've only seen one guy who killed a running Bambi after three missed shots; #4 was the charm. Fastest I've ever seen a guy work a bolt action!

, Art

 

[Matt G]

[kicks the ground with red face]
I did it once.
[/red face]

 

[Silent-Snail]

Thanks for the help guys. I still would like to have all spares in the mag, but it seems it is not to be. Oh well .

 

[Dave R]

I've always been a bolt-action guy, and very few of my kills have required more than one shot. A second shot, but for two rare exceptions, was merely a coup de grace.

I heard an ol' saying about deer hunting. If you're in the woods, hunting, and you hear shooting, it goes like this.

1 shot=dead deer
2 shots=maybe a dead deer.
3 shots=that one got away.

 

[Sunray]

Not according to this. However, the hunting regs may be different. Go to the Fish and Game Dept's web page or whatever it's called there and find out.
http://www.nraila.org/GunLaws/StateLaws.aspx?ST=WI
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/

 

[mpthole]

I went deer hunting last season in WI and IIRC, there is no magazine capacity limit. I was in the field with my one 5-round mag and a back up 10-round mag for my AR-10.

If I would have know how close I was going to be to that pyscho I would have stuffed a 20-rounder in my pack and carried my 1911.

 

[deciple-of-keith]

I. am probarly going to get hailed down here.So I wish to stess that I mean no offense to sporting Hunters & I hope none is taken.

I feel that after 30yrs as a Pro hunter .That high cap magizines are really only sutible for culling perposes where large numbers of a perticular animal is to be destroyed as quicly as possible .This I stress is not sport ,rather a commercial venture.Whereas the sporting hunter is looing at quality rather than quantity and will only fire a few shoot in a day as opposed to.40+.Ithink it comes down to sporting ethics versus commercial value.I do stress that Pro shooters are not shot happy.The equation works like this Dead animal =money in the bank. Each shot fired if a miss or more than one shot fired = expenditure that cannot be recouped

 

[tuna]

Quote:
1 shot=dead deer
2 shots=maybe a dead deer.
3 shots=that one got away.

I've lived by the same rule of thumb. It follows also in upland hunting, which is the REAL reason that I like double barrels and single shots, no one will know if I screwed up, and I've NEVER been able to shoot fast enough to make up for the first miss, but I have wasted the rest of my magazine trying.