Legality of hunting in PA with SKS semi-auto

[knight0334]

I've never heard this, can you elaborate? Thanks.

Private game reserves like hunting clubs... You are shooting zoo critters. The animals within are actually owned by the club/reserve and you can "hunt" then any time of the year, licensed or not, and with whatever gun you want. The animals are not state property, but rather exotic farm animals.

[Emptymag]

100+! I'd make that 200+, even further if you have the rifle scoped. My Yugo Mauser produces very good accuracy out to 200 meters with open sights, if I had a scope on it I could probably hit a pie plate(with my abilities) consistently at 300 if I tried.

For less than $100 this man can buy a Mosin Nagant M44, M38, or possibly an M91/30 and get a very good deer gun. It will not have the accuracy of the Mauser, but certainly much better than an SKS, plus it would be perfectly legal to hunt with in PA.

Agreed.
If money is an issue, I would not hesitate to pick up a WWII surplus rifle to hunt deer.

There's a really nice eight point that hangs on a wall, that I brought down with a beat up, old Mauser.

Even if you could legally do it, don't butcher an SKS for the purpose of deer hunting.

[ungawa]

Private game reserves like hunting clubs... You are shooting zoo critters. The animals within are actually owned by the club/reserve and you can "hunt" then any time of the year, licensed or not, and with whatever gun you want. The animals are not state property, but rather exotic farm animals.

Thank you. I did not know. I know it's off topic, but reminds me of a friend hunting in Jersey at a place where you paid them to let a turkey (or pheasant?) loose for you. He paid $25 and they let the turkey go and my friend waited for it to run to the treeline. Before it got there a giant bird swooped down and flew off with it LOL He also hunted the game management areas after they dropped off the birds. The birds would run up to you thinking you were there to feed them LOL

[SteveWag]

I made a block of steel (rod) that replaced the entire gas system. That made the SKS into a single shot rifle. If the gas system is left at home the rifle was legal in PA. My only problem was with lacquer coated steel ammo, it sometimes made extraction hard. PM me with your address, and if I still have one I’ll mail you one. They never did sell well!!
Steve

[aschwabe]

Thanks for all the responses -- they certainly cleared up the legality of ever considering to use an SKS for hunting anything. I completely agree that $70 at a gun show for a Mosin Nagant is worthwhile if nothing else is available to hint with.

Interesting note about game preserves, btw. For now it seems the SKS is only a range toy.

[fingers80002]

There, fixed if for me. Thanks for the clarification BuckMark. .338winmag, technically your answer was right on the money, I need to pay attention. I think understand why aschwabe has gotten conflicting answers to his question. Nothing is straight forward, black and white when it comes to hunting in PA.

Now let's see if we can answer the age old question. If you're in the forest, and finish off a deer with a handgun that you brought down with a rifle, and no is one around to hear it, do you need a LTCF? hhmmmmmm.

You need a sportsmans lic. or an LTCF.

[SteveWag]

A year ago a young fellow from the neighborhood came in looking for 4 deer rifles. He works 6 days a week and makes less than 10 dollars an hour. Four of his children/step children were coming of hunting age at that time. The cheapest thing I could find were new Stevens rifles at $250 +/-. I was willing to sell them at my wholesale cost. A $1000 was way out of his range. After lending him a M-N 1938 and some ammo, and having all four shoot 10 – 15 rounds, I sold him four M-N 1938’s at my cost (plus tax). CDNN had some boxer primed 7.62x54R FMJ so I ordered 6 cases (It was late and I had had a few), and sold him 100 rounds. He reloads, so they fired the 100 and reloaded with hunting bullets. Three of the four got a deer. The girl, big for her age, has trouble with the sights. So, for less than $375 he outfitted all four with suitable rifles and ammo and three of the four got a deer. Surplus rifles were designed to kill a 150-200 pound mammals, sounds very much like a deer. Right now the M-n’s are the thing!
Steve

[1shot1kill]

So you are allowed to finish a deer off with a handgun if you have a LTCF?? Sorry if it is a dumb question this year will be my first hunting experience as well.

[Chainsaw]

So you are allowed to finish a deer off with a handgun if you have a LTCF?? Sorry if it is a dumb question this year will be my first hunting experience as well.

Certainly not with a semi-auto.

[Poonie]

A year ago a young fellow from the neighborhood came in looking for 4 deer rifles. He works 6 days a week and makes less than 10 dollars an hour. Four of his children/step children were coming of hunting age at that time. The cheapest thing I could find were new Stevens rifles at $250 +/-. I was willing to sell them at my wholesale cost. A $1000 was way out of his range. After lending him a M-N 1938 and some ammo, and having all four shoot 10 – 15 rounds, I sold him four M-N 1938’s at my cost (plus tax). CDNN had some boxer primed 7.62x54R FMJ so I ordered 6 cases (It was late and I had had a few), and sold him 100 rounds. He reloads, so they fired the 100 and reloaded with hunting bullets. Three of the four got a deer. The girl, big for her age, has trouble with the sights. So, for less than $375 he outfitted all four with suitable rifles and ammo and three of the four got a deer. Surplus rifles were designed to kill a 150-200 pound mammals, sounds very much like a deer. Right now the M-n’s are the thing!
Steve

The only negative to the MN rifles is the safety mechanism. You need the hands of an ape to maipulate the thing. I wouldn't recommend a Mosin for a child for this reason and for the recoil of an M38 or M44. Much too stout for kids. For adults as lon gas you can work the safety, then its a good choice. That or you just don't load a round into the chamber until you see a deer but
that is counter productive ....