Rumors and facts about bullets in your moose gun
Sometimes you just have to chat with the right person to get the facts straight. When it comes to bullets, guns and hunting, information can often get muddied through the telling and telling over again.
I suppose changing a word here and there can easily skew an event or circumstance, compounding errors if you will. After 10 cycles the original teller of the tale might not even recognize his or her own story. That’s the way it goes. That moose killed with two shots from 100yards with a 30-06 is now a 500yard one shot kill with a 30-30. A digit here or there, and now you have an impossibly tall tale. Most times such goings on are harmless campfire fodder, but sometimes not. Others might try that shot.
A few weeks ago I heard a story about some good old boys hunting in White Bay, and getting charged for having too many bullets in the magazine of their moose hunting rifles. I told the friend that related the story to me that I hadn’t heard of such a law.
“Yes”, he says, “You are only permitted to have three bullets in the magazine of your rifle,” “News to me”, says I. I promised to check into it.
I read through the hunting guide and couldn’t find a single word about limiting magazine capacity for moose hunting rifles. I figured maybe the boys were charged under federal firearms laws, maybe for having over five rounds in a semi-automatic rifle. That is illegal, nothing to do with Newfoundland and Labrador hunting regulations, but contrary to Canadian gun laws. I remember an old hunting buddy of mine using a Remington .308, with a 15-round clip that he bought in the U.S.A. That was in the early ’80s and fine back then. Nowadays possession of that outfit could land you in jail, or at least in serious trouble.
I talked to my buddy again. We both agreed that there could actually have been six or more bullets, and the charges were likely federal. Maybe it was the RCMP that caught them, maybe not our provincial enforcers of fish and wildlife laws. The hunters probably had a modified or illegal magazine in a semi-auto, like the Browning BAR, or Remington Model 750. They are popular moose irons in 30-06 and .308. We put the issue to rest, thinking the story to be inaccurate through multiple telling.
Then, just a few days ago, I heard the same issue being talked about again. A guy’s brother was checked by wildlife personnel and given a warning for having four rounds instead of three in his bolt action, or so the story went.
So much for Canadian gun
law violations; there is no magazine capacity restriction for bolt, lever, or pump action rifles, or shotguns for that matter, in Canadian firearms legislation. This would have to have been a violation of N.L. hunting rules. I had never heard of any such rules, restrictions, or regulations, and I keep my ear close to these matters.
Yesterday I had a conversation with a person who should
know this stuff. He told me that officers are telling folks that only three rounds are now permitted in moose guns. I called the Department of Fisheries and Land Resources to get to the bottom of it. It was time to find out the facts. And you know what? No hunter in Newfoundland has ever been charged with having too many bullets in a moose-hunting rifle. And nobody was warned either. There is no such law. I have no idea how these silly dumb rumors and misinformation conspiracy theories get started. I wonder does an individual just make this stuff up to see what happens? In the meantime the boys in White Bay may still be up on federal charges.
The only law about magazine capacity on the hunting books in Newfoundland is with regard to shotguns. Shotguns must be limited to a total of three shells. This is for conservation reasons. Three shots at partridge are enough. The same rule applies for duck and goose hunting all across Canada. If you only take your shotgun to the range for target shooting there is no restriction. The three-round rule is a hunting law, not a restriction under the firearms act. But if your scattergun is semiauto the law is five rounds only, same as semi-auto centre fire rifles. There is no restriction on .22-rim fire rifle capacity.
So there you go, those are the facts, as I understand them. Please correct me if you disagree. I am no expert on these matters, although I try my best to stay informed on the latest. That’s why I thought all this magazine capacity warning business very odd.
Speaking of odd, there is really one odd law on the books in Newfoundland. If you have a small game licence and you happen to see a coyote while hunting rabbits or grouse with your .22 rim fire, you are permitted to shoot it. Ok, fair enough, although a .22 long rifle isn’t much killing power against a coyote. The animal could easily run off and die a slow cruel death. A .22 rim fire magnum on the other hand would do nicely at reasonable range. That would be a better choice.
After rabbit season ends in February, you can only hunt coyotes with a .25 or smaller caliber centre fire rifle. These are much more powerful. It explains in the hunting guide how the .22 rim fire is inadequate and considered so by the majority of North American predator hunters. So why is it OK to wound coyotes with an inadequate shooting iron during rabbit season. I think we should clean this up. I’d appreciate hearing from hunters on this one.
And why is the .17 HMR legal to use for nothing here in N.L.? Have any thoughts on this one? How is it that much different than a .22 rim fire magnum, a great all-around carry for bunnies, grouse, and close coyotes? I love mine for snowshoe hunting.