PA Game Commission Passes Semi-auto Rifle Law!

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At least PA pays attention to what the hunters want. Down here in Fla. the game commission makes the rules and after the decision is already made, they have an open meeting to hear comments. The original decision is really not open to change even though they go through the motions of listening to input. :neener:
 
As long as I can remember we have been able to hunt with semi auto rifle . In certain counties we can not hunt deer with a rifle and it must be larger than .22 caliber . There use to be a magazine limit for shotguns , I don't know about rifles because I do not use one . For deer there is no longer a magazine limit , but there is for migratory birds .

They passed Sunday hunting a couple years ago . We rent land from three different people , and two of them do not allow us to hunt on Sunday , so the club has a rule , no Sunday hunting .
 
Well, at least this is a start.

I think the big arguments against were 1) any body using a semiauto will dump the magazine as soon as they see something brown, and 2) .223 is not adequate for big game. #1 is total ignorance and #2 is an ongoing debate. No need to carry it on here, please!

I wish they would have compromised and OK'd semiauto's with a caliber restriction, say .243 and up. As the law reads now I can hunt deer with a .22 Hornet, just so its manually operated.
 
From what I've read, PA residents can only hunt small game and dispatch fur bearers with semi autos, but it is limited to rifles of .22 or less (not sure if it stipulates only rimfires or not). Therefore, not even .223 ARs would be legal. This is what multiple news articles are reporting. Can anyone confirm the caliber specifics from concrete sources such as minutes from the recent meeting?
 
BUT.....BUT....BUT......there'll be blood in the woods, it'll be a free fire zone, the deer and other hunters will be stacked like cordwood, there'll be rivers of blood........;)

Congrats, PA hunters. Enjoy it, it's been a long time coming. :thumbup:
 
My read if this rule change (not a law; the law gave the PA Game Commission to change the rules) is that semi-automatic RIFLES will be allowed for small game hunting and furbearers. My understanding is that hunting groundhogs and other varmints will be legal with a semi-auto rifle. Personally, this is the change that I think is significant. The PGC surveyed hunters and found that the majority favored allowing semi-auto rifles for hunting small game, but not large game like deer or black bear.

Hunting with semi-auto handguns for small game appears to remain illegal. I wish that wasn't the case.
 
not to mention and( SEMI) automatic assault rifle. fixed it for you. eastbank.
 
After spending my first 50 years in Western PA, I have a hard time believing that but I'm not doubting you. I'm glad they finally lightened up. In North Carolina black powder seasons mean as long as you have black powder in you ammo cases your legal. In PA it meant primitive sights, round ball, and flintlock. I'm driving up to Clarion tomorrow and going to Sportsman's Outfitters between Clarion and Lucinda to visit with my buds. I got to ask them about that.
Semi-auto is hard to imagine in PA. Like I said above, things must be changing.
 
Check out the link in post #27 to see what is really legal now. The results aren't that exciting to me. Still can't hunt big game :(
 
Alot of my buddies weren't thrilled with the idea of "Bubba's" running into the woods with their AR15's that aren't sighted in and only used to bump fire at the range. If you went to the public ranges in some areas of PA, you'd know exactly the type. I even heard people saying that they were going to go hunting when they normally don't just so they can use an AR.

I really think they should have made the requirements .243 minimum and/or 18inch barrel just to eliminate the stock AR15 Bubbas. I was really hoping to use my SKS this year... oh well.

On a side note, if under .22 is allowed, can I use my AK74 in 5.45mm?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
 
I know a guy who said he killed a deer with a .17 Remington here. He said it was legal because Florida has no caliber restrictions. (I didn't bother to look it up.)
 
Not that i don't like shooting bolt guns for accuracy, However i have a scar 17 waiting to help me speed up the sausage making.
All in all I've been back n forth with debating people on which is:
#1 more humane
#2 more efficient
#3 more accurate
And hands down it is SEMI- AUTO BY FAR AND ID LOVE TO SETTLE THIS DEBATE AND HOPEFULLY CHANGE YOUR VIEWS ON SEMI AUTO.
SO HEAR ME OUT FIRST BEFORE YOU DIG IN WITH A SHOVEL.
OK Lets talk humane first. In hunting we all strive to take our game in the most humane way possible, or atleast we should be. So that means we try to get the kill as quickly as possible without wounding our desired prey.so to achieve that we strive on taking game with our first shot. My grandpa took me out hunting years begore i could legally get a liscense just to sit and watch and take it all in. He also taught me to practice/think like you have only one round left so use it wisely.And i learned from him a valuble way of achieving success but only from patience to achieve humane kills. Which is something that sticks with me to this day. Ive passed up many shots on deer because of my paps philosophy. If we all went hunting and only chose to shoot when we actually were nearly 100% sure of when we pull the trigger we would achieve a ONE SHOT ONE KILL then the bolt gunn would be just fine and we wouldnt need semi auto. However we dont live in that type of utopia and in the real world we have to many variables that affect the chance to have that perfect utopian hunting world. Factors like adrenaline,Buck fever,branches,or even the game moving right as you pull the trigger. I think thats fair to at least add those variables into the equation in all fairness to as close to reality situations as possible, right or wrong? So because of these real world variables, Let's now factor in a Bolt action rifle. So at this point we have good humane intentions but we are all human and do make mistakes like the ones i pointed out. So the deer we just tried to take (humanely), now was missed because of one of the following factors and is now ready to bolt if not already running for its life. So by the time i recover from 1st shot and reload, lets use an example of distance covered by the running deer and then factor in the time it takes me to open then bolt eject a round then reload a round close bolt home and then try to find the deer in my sights and finally get a second shot off. The deer could of traveled 30 more yards and is now a moving target as opposed to one that is calm and steady. So now were shooting at a running deer. So lets go back to the % factor of a humane kill now at this point. It is not my opinion but a fact that it is easier to hit something standing nearly still versus a running or moving target.
So humane is still an option but the odds just went up a steep hill. It can still be done but with even more skill/ difficulty.im not here to listen to hunting stories about the great shot you luckily made im talking about 100 % positive repitition of humane shots that are the fundamental values that everybody should be striving for. Would it be easier to split a playing card by holding the barrell of the gun upto the card and pulling the trigger or trying it at 50 yards? Not to say it cant be done its just that now were takingnbad odds of humane kills by not having a Semi auto in our hands. Now lets talk semi auto in your hands and the same deer approaches and you have buck fever/ adrenaline rush/ hit a bracnch ect.. and you miss your first shot. At this point i now have a semi auto and already have a round in the chamber and can easily re adjust to getting on target for a quicker follow up shot which in return gives better odds at a higher % chance of a Humane kill because the deer #1 didnt get to run as far because i didnt have a bolt gun which takes to long to reload and then try to re aquire my target which also #2 ran farther away because of the time it took me to reload the slow bolt gun. The factors that i have shared with you are mathematical FACTS Not opinions.which in return gives me ways better odds at taking that deer in a humane way, which in return should be more accurate because he has less time run farther away from me, WHICH IN RETURN TAKES ME TO MY FINAL PART OF THE EQUATION. ... ..... EFFICIENCY. ...EFFICIENCY,
Heres where everything goes down hill. Semi auto is definitely the best choice for all three key points I've made but just like a said we all dont live in the same utopia. Some people are in their own utopia, while the rest of us our in another. What i mean is you'll always have a group of people that ruin it for everyone else. For instance have you ever heard the phrase IF ITS BROWN ITS DOWN? These are the type of people that do not care about humane kills and just fire repititiously at any deer at any distance at any running speed. It's these people that make the woods unsafe and inhumane things start to compile on one another because now they teach there kids, friends ect.. ect... to hunt and shoot this way and round n round we go with this type of behavoir. This is why when i talk to alot of people in forums and at commission meetings that argue against semi auto use because of these stereotypes,which i can see their point. If we stick to just whats more efficient in getting the job done in the safest manner with humane kills. I would say this and be bold saying it. I hope you all dont think this is reckless because technically it's actually not. Due to the fact that theres always going to be IDIOTS hunting along side us true hunters in the woods, And these idiots are taking way more dangerous shots with bolt guns alone, I WOULD RATHER SHARE THE WOODS WITH THESE IDIOTS USING A SEMI-AUTO BECAUSE I ALREADY SHOWED HOW MUCH MORE EFGICENT THEY ARE WHICH IN TURN MEANS CLOSER FOLLOW UP SHOTS WITH DEERV,ACTUALLY CLOSER TO THEM ON FOLLOW UP SHOTS WHICH MEANS IF THEY USED A BOLT GUN THESE CRAZY IDIOTS WOULD BE TAKING EVEN HARDER SHOTS BECAUSE THE DEER HAVE TIME TO RUN EVEN FURTHER WHILE THERE RELOADING THIER SLOW BOLT GUN WHICH IN TURN MAKES THEM SHOOT EVEN MORE DANGEROUSLY AND POSSIBLY SHOOT ME OR SOMEONE ELSE BECAUSE THE DISTANCE OF THE DEER NOW RAN IS NOW EVEN FURTHER. So to sum it up even an idiot has a more efficient chance to take a quicker humane second shot that an idiot with a bolt gun. AND THAT'S A FACT.LOL.....still LOL....
 
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P.a law gave permission granted to P.A Game Commission to make rules for semi auto. At first they Approved Big Game Hunting with Semi auto, Then i believe it was late march 2017 they overturned the semi auto big law and banned it. Only to allow it for small game and i think ground hogs ect... For those of you who think its less efficient, go fly a kite. Your opinions are ignorant. Mine are based on mathematical/statistical facts. A semi auto in the hands of a TRUE HUNTING SPORTSMAN, IS IDEAL AND I ALREDAY MADE THE CASE in my previous post. Now an idiot that just sprays the woods without reguard for humane and safe shooting is another story and if caught should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. But aslo consider that they approved it then changed it back shortly after? That , in my opinion leads me to believe its not about efficiency, or humane kills , but Anti Gun Controllers that don't want more people buying them if they were going to be legal to use, which is the oppossite mindset of what anti gunners would ever want. I mean could you possibly imagine how many more AR's there would be in every ones closet? Our anti gun political Leaders couldn't possibly allow that to happen. They would poop a brick!!! With sells going through the roof. No, They'd be much happier with us all using Bolt guns. Please dont use tunnel vision on there agendas. Broaden you scope of looking at things more in depth and youll see this semi auto issue is more about Gun Control than Semi Auto "Hunting". I already addressed above the case for them .... so Hunting with them is very sensible ...... WITH THE ADDED BENEFIT , WHICH IS A HUGE DOUBLE PLUS of Anti Tyranny Control. AND THATS WHY it will take a long while for Semi Auto to catch on here on P.A. We have alot of hunters in our state compared to other states and that would mean alot of well armed American Citizens as well if they passed such a law. Moving forward .Think outdside the box from time to time and we all might catch on quicker or at least keep potential alternative reasons of why are elected officials make the decisions they make. Because i bet our represenatives love it when a anti semi auto hunters perspectives are slammed down on us and we actually never take the time to look at it, then take a step back and look at it again and see the potential for other agendas they might have reasons for changing/enacting laws. You really think if i was actaully right the lawmakers would come out and actually tell the truth as of why they do what they do ? For example anounce that we cant allow semi auto hunting. Not because we think its less safe ect... ect... ect... but because you Pennsylvanians would be too well armed if we ever tried to enact Tyranny on you all. Thats laughable...... Hidden agendas ...not to say that thats the reason but keep in your pocket as a possibility. They would rather you peasants squable about bolt gun hunting supporters ( which you can hunt with if you choose but leave the rest of us alone), vs. Semi auto supporters so they never have to tell you the REAL REASON They enact some of our laws....and can CONVENIENTLY HIDE Behind Anti Semi Auto Supporters as a Cover for their REAL AGENDA which they can now hide from so easy now. Or else why pass a law to allow it , then the P.a Game Commission approves Big Game Semi Auto in Jan 2017 then two months later overturn just the big game portion of semi auto? ABSOLUTELY PREPOSTEROUS! ! It shows you the pressure that was on our game commission to overturn the rules/laws.
In this world we have had so many countless coverups of political crap that i feel there should be a law that every tax paying american voted in politician should be wired so that we can hear everything they say even off duty..24/7... or else dont run for office. We pay for these people to run us all and make our laws on all topics making closed door deals we never know the truth even if they speak to us on it. The only way to really know is 24 hour surveillance that any american can just tune in and listen rewind/replay if needed to any conversation they make and keep them all true and accountable. You can laugh but if we enact a law that lets us listen in on them all we'll know what the heck is going on all the time and vote them out or impeach the crooked ones. Lets put this on the ballot in every town nation wide and let the American Peolle vote to keep our politicians in line. These laws i propose would insure that only those willing to be surveilled would run for office because they would have nothing to hide.. Slam dunk baby...........,lets see how many current politicians approve of my ideas..I BET NOT ONE .......... CAUSE THERE MOSTLY ALL CROOKS..........................?............................................................... Only Honest Politicians Would Apply!! Beacuse we the people could keep them inline with making sure the truth is always at the forefront. ..and people like me wouldnt have to question why they do what they do because it would self evident....but as of now its so political most americans dont know what is true and b.s. The real story should not be on semi autos, It should be on where are the free local tax payed shooting ranges for all americans. We have a right to bear arms to Hunt/ Defense/Tyranny.. but no free, close place to shoot them. Thats Absurd... 2nd amendment grants rights to own guns to a bunch of ill trained ill efficient marksman that if ever needed in a jiffy, couldnt hit the broad side of a barn for a lack of a better analogy.. That like the real problem is not semi auto laws which should already be enacted/approved but aren't. It's potentially crooked agendas that are spilled to us in words that arent really the true reason the laws that are passed and enacted....but have convinced the public of it anyways with a potentially different reason for enacting a law which could seem to be a good reason but not the true reason which in return we were lied to and an agenda was pushed.
BELIEVE THAT......AND THE WORLD WOULD BE A BETTER PLACE........
 
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I know a guy who said he killed a deer with a .17 Remington here. He said it was legal because Florida has no caliber restrictions. (I didn't bother to look it up.)

In Florida just has to be center fire, no rim fire on deer. Free to harvest bacon with rim fire though.
 
I write to my congressman as well and get limited free speech capped at 500 words when i write 3500 words and then a follow up letter to complain about my limited free speech from my first letter and went over at 607 words lol. Im a one ina a billion with my ideas not to many people think me and i try to stand up for all americans on lots of topics . If you took the time to read my posts . I do thank you..
 
If you ever get a chance check out my topics on free shooting ranges for all americans at a local level. And semi auto dispute. They have been uploaded to countless news agencies and congressmen abroad. I have stirred up alot of talk on ideas that spark debate and wake up the sheeple to think for themselves... lol....there great reads and i promise im not arrogantly saying this. Im pro everyone. And stand for things for all americans
 


Our hunters aren't used to this?? No wonder!! Because the Commonwealth, not "State" has never allowed the use of semi auto rifles for big game, that I ever knew of!! This is a crock of bologna!! I know a LOT of Veterans, including myself that own M-1 Garand rifles, myself included. Do we "need" 8 shots to kill a deer, no. Is it desirable? Yes. Many times over, M-1 "clips", and yes, it is a clip in this case, can be modified for 5 shots, or 2 shots. I own 2 and 3 shot clips for my M-1 Garand as well as a 5 shot clip.

Why couldn't we use an AR-15, with a 5 round magazine, either a factory made 5 shot mag, or a 20 shot mag pinned to only hold 5 shots? I've lived in P.A. for almost 30 years, I always said that this Commonwealth was backward for almost a century. My father is a Native of P.A., a WWII 90 year old Army MSGT, P.O.W. for 28 months too. He never could figure out the "gun laws" we have here either. The "leaders" of this Commonwealth still think we have a .75 caliber musket to hunt deer and kill Britons with?? Backward minded "leaders". :/
 
I think the Game Commission may be trying to wean the hunters into it. This year, small game. Next year, other limitations. Eventually in 5 years, PA may be like other states.

Again, I think semi auto should be legal to be used, but I'm also weary of quick change to certain laws because it only takes a hand full of Yahoo's to ruin it. As I said before, you'll get people using poor guns for the sake of using them.

Remember, the intelligence of the average citizen is somewhat sad. I hate to regulate for dummies, but I think not rushing things will allow for "homeostasis", if you will.
 
Most of the people here in P.A. seem to have rationale and smarts, but the thing of it is, I still see many people that don't have enough turn signal fluid either, and stripped muffler bearings. It is a common sense thing, PLACE your shot in the proper spot!! I know a lot of hunters that were raised "old school", by Veterans or are Veterans, like myself and my father. Then again, you got some "individuals" that shouldn't be allowed to take a walk in the woods alone too.

I remember the whole cross bow controversy a little over 11 years ago here in P.A. . First, it was only for handicapped persons, then not too long afterward it was allowed for everyone. Do we have to raise petitions? What do WE The People need to do?
 
Arizona quite sensibly changed our laws, (not rules, laws), to remove the magazine limit for semi-auto hunting rifles about 3 years ago. I do not hear horror stories about .223 leaving wounded game all over the place - most don't use .223 for deer down here, but our deer tend to be smaller, too. We removed the magazine restriction for everything except the federally mandated shotgun restriction for migratory waterfowl...because hunters in the southern parts of the state have run into the two legged coyotes who shoot first. So I can and will quite legally go out for coyote, (four legged), with my BREN 805 with a full standard capacity magazine. I wouldn't feel undergunned hunting deer with an AR-10 in .308. :) Biggest restriction I can remember is no military ammo, soft point/hollow point hunting ammo only.
 
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan, last I knew, allowed Military Ball ammo for deer hunting. By that I mean F.M.J. . That may have changed since I last knew. I don't agree with that law / rule, but I do know people here in P.A. that use bolt action .222 caliber to legally harvest deer, do I agree with that or .223. Yes. They are mostly older or semi older hunters and they know the limitations of their rifles / carbines.
 
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