The PA Game Commission has announced that the use of straight wall cartridges is now permitted in the special regulations areas of the state. Now you can hunt deer with your .458 Win. mag.
https://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/game-...spx?newsid=500
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The PA Game Commission has announced that the use of straight wall cartridges is now permitted in the special regulations areas of the state. Now you can hunt deer with your .458 Win. mag.
https://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/game-...spx?newsid=500
But do they consider a .38/40 and .44/40 WCF (once popular deer-rounds in a Model 92 Winchester , 1894 Marlin , or Model 14 Remington pump) , a 'bottleneck' cartridge?
Great chance for me to bust out the 600 Nitro.
THIS ISN'T TRADITION!
Well about time some good news came out of Harrisburg! although I no longer live or hunt special regs. I may have to revisit some of my old grounds, sold off my 12 gauge slug guns after multiple surgeries on my right arm/shoulder. My Henry Big Boy .41 Magnum may get some woods time this year
Does this also mean we can use a Handgun if it uses a straight walled cartridge?
That is awesome news, esp. for people who love the vintage cartridge guns designed for blackpowder era but a number of modern high performance cartridges would also make the cut just based on case shape.
I can see the logic. With rifled shotgun barrels extending range and performance as well as the fact that any straight wall case both is visually easy and imposes ballistic limits on range. So why not?
About time the PGC officers follow all the surrounding states which have already done the same thing.
I agree it would make sense that the .44/40 and .38/40 logically should be acceptable. Anyway here is a partial list of cartridges that MIGHT be included as well:
.44 mag/special, .45/70, .50/70, .41 mag., .38/55, .444 Marlin, 350 Legend (for you AR lovers), 32-40 Ballard & Marlin, 9.2x72mm, .40/65, .50-56 Spencer centerfire, .45 LC, .45 auto mag (now there's a caliber that is mostly a distant legend these days). I'm sure I've missed a number as I've done the list off the top of my head.
Not sure if the .357 mag would make the cut based on performance criteria to qualify as a deer cartridge, but pretty sure the M-1 carbine wouldn't make it any way you look at it. Still an impressive list which ought to bring out more traditional woods rifles as well as the "modern" rifle crowd once the PGC allows semiautos for hunting.
A friend who bought my DW .357 Pistol-Pac 30yrs ago has taken several decent size PA whitetails with it wearing a scope on the 8in barrel and using Federal American Eagle 158gr JSPs out close to 100yds. That rig can cut 3in groups from the bench at 100. Should be even better from a 16-20in levergun.
I tend to agree, but I'm not the game commision.
I chronographed 1600 fps with 158 gr softpoints out of my Rossi 92 carbine, more than enough power to take a deer within reasonable range. I wasn't even at the top of the loading chart for that particular powder.