Black rifles, just a gun?

[WhiteFeather]

http://www.startribune.com/outdoors/story/1569989.html


"Black rifle” is the name generally given to assault-style rifles. These semiautomatic guns are legal for deer and other hunting in Minnesota and Wisconsin, among other states. They differ very little from most typical “sporting” arms. Primary differences are the design, which originated for military use, and magazine size. Some black rifle magazines can hold as many as 30 rounds, compared to four rounds typical of many hunting rifles.

After one outdoors writer saw his career ruined when he said he saw no place for "black" rifles in hunting, this writer wanted to use such a rifle for hunting himself.

By Dennis Anderson, Star Tribune

Last update: November 25, 2007 – 12:08 AM

CUMBERLAND, WIS. — Sitting in a deer stand near this northwest Wisconsin town the other day, the sun yet only hinting of its morning arrival, I wondered whether I could fire the rifle I held in my hands twice quickly in succession, before a standing whitetail could move. It was a fair question, and the answer, I thought, was, "Probably." And, soon enough, a deer did appear, a doe, followed by her fawn.
About 40 yards from me, the doe stopped, not necessarily alert to anything. She simply stopped for no apparent reason, as deer sometimes do.

Raising the rifle, I aligned the rear sight with its forward counterpart, placing both on an imagined trajectory toward the animal's vitals, just behind its left shoulder.

And ...

Didn't squeeze the trigger. Not twice. Not even once.

"A buck will come along soon enough," I thought.

I had wanted for some time to carry what is commonly called a "black rifle" while deer hunting -- particularly since the brouhaha that arose in January over comments made about these weapons by longtime outdoors writer and broadcaster Jim Zumbo, who lives in Wyoming.

"I call them 'assault' rifles," Zumbo wrote on his Outdoor Life blog, "which may upset some people. Excuse me, maybe I'm a traditionalist, but I see no place for these weapons among our hunting fraternity. I'll go so far as to call them 'terrorist' rifles. They tell me that some companies are producing assault rifles that are 'tack drivers.' "

The reaction was swift. Outdoor Life, the National Rifle Association and others who employed him as a writer or supported his TV show headed for the exits. Many gun owners, particularly those familiar with AR-style weapons (a k a "black" rifles or "assault" rifles), were no more forgiving. They blistered Zumbo, forcing a nearly immediate apology and retraction, and quickly undoing more than 30 years of career-building.

All over a gun that mechanically is no different than any other weapon with a semiautomatic action, of which there are millions owned and used by North American hunters everywhere.

• •

So, what are "black rifles," and are they often used by hunters?

The answer to the second question is yes.

Semiautomatic assault-style (largely a media term) rifles have long been used by American hunters, particularly varmint hunters -- such as those who seek foxes, coyotes and prairie dogs.

The attraction is manifold. Outfitted with heavy barrels and high magnification scopes, black rifles can be extremely accurate. For example, a good shooter with a properly configured AR-type rifle and ammunition can pick off prairie dogs at 700 yards.

Additionally, gas-operated and configured in .223 caliber (5.56 millimeter) -- as the AR-15 was when developed in 1956 (largely) by Eugene Stoner, chief engineer for Illinois-based ArmaLite -- the gun has virtually no recoil, a big advantage while target shooting or hunting.

And most AR-style rifles can be outfitted with magazines capable of holding as many as 30 rounds, which can aid some sporting uses, such as coyote hunting.

In 1959, ArmaLite licensed the AR-15's design and trademarks to Colt, and, in Vietnam, the "little black rifle" became standard military issue beginning in about 1965, and was renamed the M-16.

The M-16 in Vietnam (updated versions are still used today in Afghanistan and Iraq) had its problems. Colt had told the Pentagon that the rifle didn't require exquisite cleaning, but in the southeast Asian environment, it did, particularly the early models. Also, some soldiers complained the stopping power of the 5.56 mm rounds, far smaller than the 7.62 mm NATO rounds previously used by the service, was insufficient. And complaints were heard that the effective range of the early M-16s, generally about 200 meters, was inferior to the M-14, the rifle it replaced.

Still, Pentagon orders soared, and by 1966, more than 400,000 AR-15s had been placed with the military.

Fast forward.

With so many former soldiers familiar with the M-16, its civilian version -- essentially the same rifle but configured only in semiautomatic action -- found increased popularity for target shooting, hunting and home defense

[Kypt]

Forgive my ignorance, but why is it we can't hunt with semi-autos in PA, other than "it's against the law"?

[brewguy]

Forgive my ignorance, but why is it we can't hunt with semi-autos in PA, other than "it's against the law"?

Because they say so..

[Slim Pickens]

Awesome article! Thanks for posting.

Slim

[knight0334]

Forgive my ignorance, but why is it we can't hunt with semi-autos in PA, other than "it's against the law"?

Tradition.

[brian]

there's too many people in the woods in PA to have everybody flinging lead as they please. i've heard it get out of hand with manual loaders, i can't imagine a bunch of hicks with semi's cutting loose....

[Zef_66]

Forgive my ignorance, but why is it we can't hunt with semi-autos in PA, other than "it's against the law"?

Because the lawmakers are just as ignorant.

[Slim Pickens]

Because we've ALL been zumboed.

[Azzy]

Is it just me... or is that article cut short?
whoops.. didnt see the link at first.

[billamj]

there's too many people in the woods in PA to have everybody flinging lead as they please. i've heard it get out of hand with manual loaders, i can't imagine a bunch of hicks with semi's cutting loose....

Are you saying that there are more hicks in Pa. then there are in WV? In WV they can use ARs but not in Pa.