GunnSmokeer
Senior Member
I see that in Georgia, for hunting deer and bear, if you're using a "modern firearm" during normal gun season, you must use
...Centerfire Only, .22-cal. or larger with expanding bullets.
Okay, so no rimfires. Since all the rimfire calibers I know of these days are small game calibers, that makes sense.
The 22/100 bore diameter requirement has been debated in many other threads. We all agree that we know what it means, even if some of us don't think it's a good idea to hunt deer with calibers normally associated with varmint hunting like the .22 Hornet or .222 Remington.
Now what about that EXPANDING BULLET requirement?
Does that mean that the bullet can't be a solid lead slug like a semi-wadcutter design?
Now for bottleneck rifle calibers like 7mm Remington Magnum or .30-06 Springfield, it's easy to understand what the law means. No military "full metal jacket" or "ball" ammo. Use soft-points made for hunting.
But what about pistol calibers? What if you want the deep penetration that comes from an all-lead flat-tipped semi-wadcutter design? Regardless of whether you actually use a handgun or a carbine or rifle, suppose your gun of choice uses the .44 Remington Magnum caliber. You want to use a handload that features a 240 grain semi-wadcutter bullet at about 1500 f.p.s. at the muzzle.
Would the law require you to work up a new load with a 240-grain jacketed soft-point, just so you can say you're using an "expanding" bullet?
Or are both of them considered expanding bullets, because all-lead bullets WILL expand somewhat ?
(depending on how pure the lead is, and what velocities you're talking, and whether it hits hard stuff like bone or soft tissues)
People who hunt with lever-action .44 mag and .45 Colt rifles, or even .357 mag carbines and revolvers, should have the option of using hard cast lead semi-wadcutter bullets.
Are those kinds of bullets legal?
I see that you could legally hunt deer with a Kel-Tec P32 and some Winchester Silvertips. Strange that such an ineffective and unsuitable kind of gun/ ammo would be OK in the eyes of the law, but a .45-70 rifle loaded with a 400-grain solid hard cast lead bullet at 1800 f.p.s. would not be?
Or does "non-expanding" ammo only mean fully jacketed ammo that's pointed or rounded on the front surface?
Even if that were the standard, how would an all-lead round-nose bullet be considered? One that's got something of a point to it, no flat tip?
In a marginal deer caliber like .357 magnum, with a 158 grain bullet, I can see why the law would say no to RNL (round-nose lead).
But that same type of bullet in a .44-40 lever action rifle (.43 caliber slug, 200 to 220 grains, at about 1200 f.p.s.) should work just fine even if the bullet didn't expand a bit.
...Centerfire Only, .22-cal. or larger with expanding bullets.
Okay, so no rimfires. Since all the rimfire calibers I know of these days are small game calibers, that makes sense.
The 22/100 bore diameter requirement has been debated in many other threads. We all agree that we know what it means, even if some of us don't think it's a good idea to hunt deer with calibers normally associated with varmint hunting like the .22 Hornet or .222 Remington.
Now what about that EXPANDING BULLET requirement?
Does that mean that the bullet can't be a solid lead slug like a semi-wadcutter design?
Now for bottleneck rifle calibers like 7mm Remington Magnum or .30-06 Springfield, it's easy to understand what the law means. No military "full metal jacket" or "ball" ammo. Use soft-points made for hunting.
But what about pistol calibers? What if you want the deep penetration that comes from an all-lead flat-tipped semi-wadcutter design? Regardless of whether you actually use a handgun or a carbine or rifle, suppose your gun of choice uses the .44 Remington Magnum caliber. You want to use a handload that features a 240 grain semi-wadcutter bullet at about 1500 f.p.s. at the muzzle.
Would the law require you to work up a new load with a 240-grain jacketed soft-point, just so you can say you're using an "expanding" bullet?
Or are both of them considered expanding bullets, because all-lead bullets WILL expand somewhat ?
(depending on how pure the lead is, and what velocities you're talking, and whether it hits hard stuff like bone or soft tissues)
People who hunt with lever-action .44 mag and .45 Colt rifles, or even .357 mag carbines and revolvers, should have the option of using hard cast lead semi-wadcutter bullets.
Are those kinds of bullets legal?
I see that you could legally hunt deer with a Kel-Tec P32 and some Winchester Silvertips. Strange that such an ineffective and unsuitable kind of gun/ ammo would be OK in the eyes of the law, but a .45-70 rifle loaded with a 400-grain solid hard cast lead bullet at 1800 f.p.s. would not be?
Or does "non-expanding" ammo only mean fully jacketed ammo that's pointed or rounded on the front surface?
Even if that were the standard, how would an all-lead round-nose bullet be considered? One that's got something of a point to it, no flat tip?
In a marginal deer caliber like .357 magnum, with a 158 grain bullet, I can see why the law would say no to RNL (round-nose lead).
But that same type of bullet in a .44-40 lever action rifle (.43 caliber slug, 200 to 220 grains, at about 1200 f.p.s.) should work just fine even if the bullet didn't expand a bit.
