Are “Plugged” lever guns legal in your state’s straight wall season?

[Ozarkansas]

Arkansas is looking at allowing straight wall cartridges during muzzleloader season. I hate the idea, since we have zero restrictions on modern gun season, but if the rules change I don’t plan on getting left in the dust. I have a Marlin 1895 XLR in 45/70 that doesn’t get much love these days, but there’s a chance they make this season single shot only (I say “a chance” because the language of the reg change hasn’t been made public yet).

For those of y’all who hunt in states that allow straight wall cartridges during muzzleloader season, are lever guns allowed? If it’s single-shot only, are you allowed to “plug” the magazine like we do with shotguns to convert it into a single shot?

Also, have any of y’all noticed an increase in hunting pressure once straight walled cartridges are allowed?

 

[Gseith]

I don’t know about the single shot restriction, but in Ohio we are allowed 3 shots in the rifle during our gun season. There is no requirement to plug lever guns, just follow the rules.

 

[Rich M]

You'll need to check with the local GW about plugging the lever gun and how he wants to see it done.

Worst case, buy a single shot straight wall cartridge of your choice.

 

[Ozarkansas]

Are all action types allowed there? Like, you can hunt with a .350 Legend AR as long as there’s only 3 rounds in it?

And is that season part of the same season as your modern gun or is it a separate season?

 

[Rich M]

Are all action types allowed there? Like, you can hunt with a .350 Legend AR as long as there’s only 3 rounds in it?

And is that season part of the same season as your modern gun or is it a separate season?

If you are restricted to single shot, they make mags that make ARs and bolts single shots.

I'm in FL and we don't have that stuff to worry about. More hunters than opportunities, so changes aren't likely to come. I do have a bolt 350 Legend and single shot 357 mag - both are 200 yard guns. Legend is more like a 300 yard gun if you reload and use soft bullets.

I would wait for the regulations to be released and if necessary, buy a single shot 350 Legend or 400 Legend or whatever you like and put a nice BDC scope on it, learn the gun out to 250-300 yards and there ya go.

 

[Boarmaster]

I hunt in Ohio every year. Which is a straightwall state. There is no regulation for a plug to limit the firearm to 3 rounds. But you are only allowed to load 3 rounds including the chamber in your firearm. Seems like I remember in the past we did have to have a plug in your shotgun but I believe they did away with that regulation a long time ago. Regulations vary from state to state so read your states regulations.

 

[Pilarczyk85]

Are all action types allowed there? Like, you can hunt with a .350 Legend AR as long as there’s only 3 rounds in it?

And is that season part of the same season as your modern gun or is it a separate season?

yes you can use the AR platform. When the weather is crap i bring out my 450 bushmaster i have built in and AR. Just only allowed three rounds. So one chambered. 2 in the magazine.

 

[rayporter]

i live on Crowleys ridge, which is a shot gun or MZ zone. with lots of shot gun experience in ohio, i can survive if they dont add a straight wall caliber.

but if they just add it for the shot gun zones i think that it ok. adding it to a muzzle loader season is wrong.

 

[Ozarkansas]

If you are restricted to single shot, they make mags that make ARs and bolts single shots.

I'm in FL and we don't have that stuff to worry about. More hunters than opportunities, so changes aren't likely to come. I do have a bolt 350 Legend and single shot 357 mag - both are 200 yard guns. Legend is more like a 300 yard gun if you reload and use soft bullets.

I would wait for the regulations to be released and if necessary, buy a single shot 350 Legend or 400 Legend or whatever you like and put a nice BDC scope on it, learn the gun out to 250-300 yards and there ya go.

They just did the first reading of the proposed regulation, and the only stipulation on action type is that semi-autos aren’t allowed. So I guess it’s irrelevant since my 45/70 will work as-is

 

[Bluefish]

For those of y’all who hunt in states that allow straight wall cartridges during muzzleloader season, are lever guns allowed? If it’s single-shot only, are you allowed to “plug” the magazine like we do with shotguns to convert it into a single shot?

Also, have any of y’all noticed an increase in hunting pressure once straight walled cartridges are allowed?

for Iowa, early muzzle is only muzzle loaders. Late muzzle is either muzzle loader or pistol meeting rifle criteria (35 cal or larger). Not sure I have witnessed increased pressure due to allowing pistols, but shotguns have quickly been replaced with rifles meeting the new 35 cal or larger. I use a pistol for late muzzle for two reasons, easier to clean and easier to use a silencer.

Take seems pretty stable at 1/4 of population per year based on the data I have been able to find. Roughly 100k take, population 400k.

 

[CMF]

They just did the first reading of the proposed regulation, and the only stipulation on action type is that semi-autos aren’t allowed. So I guess it’s irrelevant since my 45/70 will work as-is

It all depends on the wording...
To my knowledge our wording for MS has something to do about when the cartridge or style of gun was first manufactured, I don't really know the details, but it's single shot only 35 whelen, 444, and 45-70.

Tell them just go ahead and make it rifle season, that's where it's headed anyway. Here, all private land can shoot any rifle during the "primitive" season as long as they $pay$ for the primitive license. Public land guys keep getting the shitt end of the stick. More and more favor for private land hunters, rifle during primitive, baiting, velvet season, shoot all the does they want, shoot one spike as part of limit, it's something new every year, except for private land only. I can see some of these regs make sense for bigger parcels of land, but it's kind of bs for a little block in the middle of National Forest. Sorry, kind of got off topic there...

 

[Ozarkansas]

@CMF the wording is really weird and not well thought out- no semi autos (which is great) but also no cartridges UNDER 1.8”. So basically .444, .450 Marlin, 460 S&W, 45/70, and 360 Buckhammer are the only non-safari rounds that are legal. I’ve heard rumors that the 1.8” restriction is going to be removed after some backlash but haven’t seen anything to confirm it yet.

And I agree with you about it just turning into modern gun, a lot of guys are kind of wondering why we didn’t just tack another week onto modern gun season instead of effectively turning our short muzzleloader season- that only gets 10% of our harvest- into a second modern gun season

 

[Southernfried]

@CMF the wording is really weird and not well thought out- no semi autos (which is great) but also no cartridges UNDER 1.8”. So basically .444, .450 Marlin, 460 S&W, 45/70, and 360 Buckhammer are the only non-safari rounds that are legal. I’ve heard rumors that the 1.8” restriction is going to be removed after some backlash but haven’t seen anything to confirm it yet.

And I agree with you about it just turning into modern gun, a lot of guys are kind of wondering why we didn’t just tack another week onto modern gun season instead of effectively turning our short muzzleloader season- that only gets 10% of our harvest- into a second modern gun season
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Wow, most of the states that went to the straight wall, make you be under 1.8" so you cant use the 444, 45/70, 35 etc. but yes the wording could confuse folks. Interesting. We can use anything pretty much in TN from 223 and up, there was talk of doing a straight wall ruling during ML season along the primitive lines but I didnt see where it has passed yet. Now at some public places like Ft Campbell where I hunt, it is archery, shotgun or ML only there for deer, and coyote is rimfire or shotgun with no slugs for some reason.

 

[Ozarkansas]

@Southernfried yeah our modern gun season is pretty much unrestricted as long as it’s at least a .22 centerfire, this rule change is to allow straight wall cartridges (and big bore air guns) during our two week muzzleloader season. It is a pet project of one of the commissioners and they were a little dirty with how they went about it if you don’t mind me venting:

When we had the opportunity to comment on regs, they asked if straight wall cartridges should be allowed in the small part of the state that only allowed slug guns and muzzleloaders (a popular proposal), and also asked on a different question if a statewide straightwall season should be looked into for some time down the road. Then they later announced that they were implementing straight wall season across the state this year, with no opportunity for the public to comment on it. They said “some restrictions will apply” which led many to believe we were only allowing single shots, and they didn’t correct our state’s sports writers when they referred to it as “single shots only” in meetings with the commission. Finally when they released the regulation language ahead of a vote it was buried in like 40 pages of PDFs on a google drive, if I didn’t have way too much time on my hands I never would have caught it.

 

[Southernfried]

Ozark, yea I wonder sometimes where and how they come up with some of the regs that they do. For example, this year in TN we are allowed to hunt coyote at night, yay! BUT, shotgun only and no slugs, why? Their reasoning was, most guys will be using thermal or lights, and they are afraid we cant distinguish between a cow or coyote or a house while using thermal ? Or a spotlight? Yet we can use a 300 WM during gun season but then we can see a cow or a house? Makes no sense lol But I understand that is how change comes about, small steps......like a few years ago we couldnt use anything below a .24 caliber and now it has dropped to .223, we can use crossbows without being handicap etc. and my shoulders love that lol so I get it, but then .......lol thanks.

 

[SloppyJ]

Curious on why you're so set against the straightwall stuff? With the advancement of inline muzzloaders compared to the typical shot distances that we get up here in the northern part of the state, there isn't much difference between that and my rifles.

Muzzleloader season continues to offer me some of my best opportunities at mature bucks and it's been that way for the past 5yrs. Maybe I'm short sighted but I don't have an issue with it.

I know nothing about how it came to be on the survey though so that part was interesting.

 

[Weldor]

I don't get it at times. Muzzleloader, straight wall. If muzzleloader season is for muzzleloaders ok by me. Make a season for straight wall cart. I know high populated areas need some restrictions, but we old guys survived with shotgun shooting slugs only . If you notice out west they are starting to regulate muzzleloaders, no optics etc. No electronic sights archery or rifle. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy.JMHO.

 

[Ozarkansas]

Curious on why you're so set against the straightwall stuff? With the advancement of inline muzzloaders compared to the typical shot distances that we get up here in the northern part of the state, there isn't much difference between that and my rifles.

Muzzleloader season continues to offer me some of my best opportunities at mature bucks and it's been that way for the past 5yrs. Maybe I'm short sighted but I don't have an issue with it.

I know nothing about how it came to be on the survey though so that part was interesting.

I’d say I’m not against straight wall cartridges, I plan on switching to my 1895 once the new regs go into effect, but I am generally for keeping restricted seasons more restricted. To me, “Modern muzzleloaders aren’t much different than a rifle” is an argument for restricting some of the technology on modern muzzleloaders, not opening muzzleloader season up to modern guns.

The best part of muzzleloader season here was that you could hunt public land with a good chance of success and without the crowds, IF you were willing to learn a new skill set. It rewarded guys who were willing to commit more time, just like archery season does. And I think that’s how restricted weapons seasons should be.

But even though I was vocally against it, now that there is no longer a muzzleloader season here (it’s going to be called “alternative weapons season” now), I’m not going to limit myself to a muzzleloader.

 

[SloppyJ]

I’d say I’m not against straight wall cartridges, I plan on switching to my 1895 once the new regs go into effect, but I am generally for keeping restricted seasons more restricted. To me, “Modern muzzleloaders aren’t much different than a rifle” is an argument for restricting some of the technology on modern muzzleloaders, not opening muzzleloader season up to modern guns.

The best part of muzzleloader season here was that you could hunt public land with a good chance of success and without the crowds, IF you were willing to learn a new skill set. It rewarded guys who were willing to commit more time, just like archery season does. And I think that’s how restricted weapons seasons should be.

But even though I was vocally against it, now that there is no longer a muzzleloader season here (it’s going to be called “alternative weapons season” now), I’m not going to limit myself to a muzzleloader.

If that's truly going to pass, I'm going to have to start looking up straightwall cartridges that I want to use. If a 45-70 is in, I might go that route. Gives me an excuse to buy another suppressor.

I don't disagree with what you're saying. In my experience though, muzzleloader is like first gun season in AR. Everyone dusts off their camo, some might even check to make sure their gun isn't still loaded, and then head out to their favorite stand. I've never really met many hardcore guys out there muzzleloading but I will say that there are less people in the woods for sure.

I've been bit many times using muzzleloaders and until I bought a fancy new one and started using BH209, magnum primers, and top shelf bullets, I would strongly agree that my hunts were restricted. On the flip side, the deer have no idea what's going on and I've shot one, reloaded, and tagged another to fill the freezer more than once too. By the time rifle rolls around, if you move your eyes too fast, they're running away where I hunt.