New Ohio Rifle Season

[Drm50]

Here in Ohio we had our 1st. rifle deer season. The rifles were restricted to a min. 38cal
and larger. Straight cased only. This limits velocities to about 2200 fps. This is in practical limits. I know some yahoo is going to post he gets 3500 fps out of his brush
gun but that's not point of this post. Laws are designed to keep hunters from shooting
HV rifles into populated areas. What they fail to factor in is the ricochet factor of these
big, slow slugs. The laws for next season will be worked out soon. I would like to see
some practical cals. legalized. With out going crazy they could make common cals. like
30/30, 32sp., 35rem. ect. These are proven deer cals. They are only a little faster than
the legal cals. They could restrict ammo to hollow points and would be safer than 300
Grain 45 cal. bullets at 2200fps. I'm going to post on several forums to gain support
of Ohio hunters to let DNR aware of this idea. Then we won't have to drag around a
Buffalo gun to shoot a white tail deer.

[Mobuck]

Unfortunately, most DNR types aren't gun savvy. No amount of logic and ballistics will overcome their self motivated regulations. All sorts of "niche" cartridges have shown up to push the limits of some states' regulations. Some of these regs are a compromise: making the look of allowing the use of "rifles" while in fact, the regs limit the effective range to no more than a good slug gun or muzzle loader.
At the other end of the spectrum are states like Missouri where they just gave up and say "any centerfire". If you're dumb enough to use an under powered cartridge, it's your loss(actually it's the game's loss since that's what suffers to death after being wounded).

[TimSr]

DRM50, Whether you try to mobilize lobbying efforts or not, they are planning to progress in that direction anyways. They don't like to make drastic overnight changes. Just as in handgun hunting, as long as they have a history of no issues to justify it, they will continue to add calibers, probably to the point of most rifles with few exceptions. They just aren't going to make that leap in one season.

They could restrict ammo to hollow points and would be safer than 300 Grain 45 cal. bullets at 2200fps.

I know what you are saying here, but you have to be very careful about these kinds of arguments, as it will get spun around on you, and those who oppose rifle hunting will take it to mean that 300gr bullets at 2200fps are more dangerous than a catridge that is not legal, and should therefore, also not be legal.

I also would not support the use of hollow point rifle ammo on deer, as most hollow point rifle bullets are not designed to be hunting ammo. Most are either for varmint rounds or target match shooting, and their performance on deer is controversial at best.

I do support you position adding to the list of legal calibers, and the ones you mentioned are a good start, based on the safety of this past year. I'd also support adding rifle caliber calibers for handguns such as TC Center. ODNR has an annual open, which I just learned about, every March where they listen to input from hunters. Adding your thoughts and the thoughts of others to one of those sessions will accomplish more than internet postings.

[TimSr]

Mobuck, I don't know about other states, but as it relates to Ohio, I would give our OH Dept of Nat Resouces very high marks for being knowledgeable of both arms and wildlife, and willing to listed and consider input from hunters. We've been a shotgun only state for decades, so the legal calibers debate is about what calibers to add, and not what to restrict. They started with handguns in the 80's and have evolved to pistol caliber rifles this year, and even then they added some straightwall rifle cartridges. I expect "center fire cartridges" witha low end limit to be the ultimate goal over time.

[buck460XVR]

The reason for restricting to straight-walled handgun cartridges has just as much to do with enforcement in the field as it does for the safety of hunting in areas of close proximity of human habitation. Most handgun calibers are self restrictive when it come to overall distance the bullet will travel and risk of ricochet. Whether the firearm is legal or not comes down to it chambering a straight-walled handgun cartridge....a no-brainer.

[Tinbucket]

Bet they will sell a few Sharps .45-120s up there with scopes.
I haven't looked at loads for it but a gas checked .365 or maybe the 325 grain, bullet should be able, with smokeless powder, to reach 2400 and possibly 2600 fps. maybe more?
Those thousand yard wide fields in Southern Michigan and Ohio and Indiana and restricting firearms to shotguns and handgun rounds has to be frustrating to Hunters.

[Drm50]

Buck, where have you been? The law already has rifle cartridges from 38/55
to the big Sharps 50 cal. Buffalo gun series. I'm not after longer range or more
power. I'm actually looking for less power, white tails do not require a cannon
to put them down. I had a 45/70 when this law came out. Why I kept It I don't
know. I never used it to hunt deer. I did get a kick out of shooting groundhogs
with it. I can push it way up with 300 gr. bullets, past the 30/30 class guns. The
old straight wall stuff was black powder. With smokeless you have extra room in
case. With modern rifle you can crank it up to 458 Win class power. Some guys are always pushing the envelope. Not my intention. 30/30 class rifles are 150yd
guns. Most hunters will just buy factory ammo anyway so there is no reason to
worry about the few that are going overboard. I don't want to hurt anyone's
feelings but a lot of Ohio deer hunters don't know to much about rifles. Unless
they travel out of state to hunt big game, their experiences are with HVel. rifles
Of small cal. for varments. They don't know enough about the different cals. to
argue.

[Tinbucket]

Pardon me. I'm perhaps butting in.
The reason I proposed or just tossed out there the .45-120 was range.
It and the .45-70 are overkill especially close up and recoil somewhat stout.
I haven't looked but have wondered if sabots are available and load data for 30 or .35 caliber bullets in the big .45s. They are available for the .22 bullets in the .30 calibers.
One hundred fifty yards is a lot around here in the woods but up there it seems slingshot distance except to farm boys who have to plow it.
I've seen a lot of deer in the soybeans etc but not corn of course.
They may not feed much on it anymore with all the pesticides they use.
So tak whaterver I say as just discussion not any authority.

[TimSr]

The law specifies specific cartridges at this time, as they originally did with handguns. Handguns now are .357 or better, straight wall cartridges.

Rifles are:

Straight-walled cartridge rifles in the following calibers:
.357 Magnum, .357 Maximum, .38 Special, .375 Super Magnum,
.375 Winchester, .38-55, .41 Long Colt, .41 Magnum, .44 Special,
.44 Magnum, .444 Marlin, .45 ACP, .45 Colt, .45 Long Colt,
.45 Winchester Magnum, .45 Smith & Wesson, .454 Casull,
.460 Smith & Wesson, .45-70, .45-90, .45-110, .475 Linebaugh, .50-70,
.50-90, .50-100, .50-110, and .500 Smith & Wesson.