Outdoor Addiction

So has anyone heard yet on whether Indiana is going to change the firearm regulation to allow .243 and others to be used? I know it was on the table for 2015.

Topgun 3006

So what are you hearing they are thinking of allowing since they just recently went to some straight walled centerfire cartridges in the last couple years? You mentioned a .243 and if they did that I would think they would almost have to open it up to anything.

jerry d

This was taken off the IN. DNR website: Rifles with cartridges that fire a bullet of .357-inch diameter or larger; have a minimum case length of 1.16 inches; and have a maximum case length of 1.8 inches are legal to use only during the deer firearms and special antlerless seasons. Some cartridges legal for deer hunting include the .357 Magnum, .38-.40 Winchester, .41 Magnum, .41 Special, .44 Magnum, .44 Special, .44-.40 Winchester, .45 Colt, .454 Casull, .458 SOCOM, .475 Linebaugh, .480 Ruger, .50 Action Express, .500 S&W, .460 Smith & Wesson, .450 Bushmaster, and .50 Beowulf.

Handguns, other than muzzleloading, must have a barrel at least 4 inches long and must fire a bullet of .243-inch diameter or larger. The handgun cartridge case, without the bullet, must be at least 1.16 inches long. Full metal-jacketed bullets are not permitted. The handgun must not be a rifle that has a barrel less than 18 inches or be designed or redesigned to be fired from the shoulder.

Handguns are not permitted on any military areas.

Some handgun cartridges that are legal for deer hunting include .357 Magnum, .41 Magnum, .44 Magnum, .44 Special, .45 Colt, .45 Long Colt, .45 Winchester Magnum, .35 Remington and .357 Herrett.

Some handgun cartridges that are illegal for deer hunting are .38 Special, .38 Smith and Wesson, .38 Colt New Police, .38/200, .38 Long Colt, .38 Super, .38 ACP, .38 Colt Auto, .45 ACP, .45 Automatic and .45 Auto Rim. All .25/.20, .32/.20 and .30 carbine ammunition is prohibited.


Ive read on another site there were some changes proposed but to be honest I didn't read the thread thru so I cant be too helpful.

According to the above I,d say the answer to your question is no. For some reason im think only straight wall rifle cartridges are allowed.

Outdoor Addiction

I think it is on the ballot to be votes on later this spring is why it isn't listed as a "usable" firearm. It was proposed to allow MOST rifles starting in 2015 during deer season

grinder67

That is the current law but they are or were considering .243 and up in a rifle for the firearms season (2015) but have not heard anything definite. A buddy said he heard(do not know his source) that they were considering making it just for people south of I 70. We will have to wait and see.

Topgun 3006

I knew what the current is and that's why I said if they made a .243 legal they might as well make it all centerfires. I grew up in IN before there was enough deer to even have seasons and the area below I-70 would be logical to allow them with the terrain down there as compared to the more open area up north where a bullet could go a long ways. We have some goofy laws up here in MI where you can't use much of anything but shotguns, MLs, and some of the stuff like IN has in their law down here in Zone 3, but it's only during the firearms deer seasons. Zones 2 & 3 to the north allow any firearm. If I want to take a 50 caliber centerfire out coyote or fox hunting down here in Zone 3, I can any time the rest of the year.

jerry d

The first 2 years I whitetail hunted was shotgun only. That was in NY. Now a lot of those shotgun only zones have switched to rifle.

Good luck to you IN guys I hope it goes thru. Im not familiar at all with the areas in IN you guys are talking about but in NY where I hunted the rifle zone was literally 1/4 mile down the road........never made a lot of sense. Only took them 30+ years to rectify the situation.

flags

I'd get a T/C Encore or one of the old Contenders with a barrel for something along the lines of the 7mm TCU, 7mm-08 or a 7x30 Waters and go forth to slay a whitetail. I've got the 7mm TCU on my Contender and a 4x Leupold pistol scope and a 1 inch group at 100 yards is easy to obtain. Load a 120 gr Nosler BT and it tips over deer really nicely!

grinder67

I used to hunt with a contender in 35 rem with 180 gr. hand loads that worked very nicely. But mostly just carry the muzzle loader anymore.
Back when they made these calibers legal in handguns I couldnt understand why they would be any different if they allowed people to hunt with them in a rifle.

jerry d

This might be what the OP is looking for: 312 IAC 9-3-3: Makes the following changes governing deer hunting equipment:
•Allows the 28-gauge shotgun to be used during the firearms seasons and the special antlerless season. Twenty-eight (28) gauge deer slug ammunition is now available and allowing these firearms will provide deer hunters another choice of firearm with which to hunt deer.
•Clarifies that handguns currently legal to use during the firearms season are legal even if originally designed and registered as a rifle. This would clarify that a rifle that can be changed to be used as a handgun can be used during deer firearms season as long as it meets requirements for legal handguns.
•Allows additional rifles to be used by reducing the bullet size required to .243 and eliminating the maximum rifle cartridge case length. This will allow high-powered rifles such as the .30-30 and .45-70 during the deer firearms seasons. Full metal jacketed bullets would be unlawful because since they do not expand when fired, and therefore, do not kill as humanely. The DNR believes this change can be made at this time for the following reasons: ◦There are currently no limits on rifles that are legal to use for species other than migratory birds, deer and wild turkey.
◦Muzzleloaders have evolved to the point that with smokeless powder (which is legal to use), they are essentially a high-powered rifle (accurate 500-yard gun).
◦They are legal in several nearby states, including Kentucky, Michigan (the northern part of the state) and Pennsylvania.
There has been no increase in hunting-related accidents as the result of the use of rifles, neither in Indiana nor in several other states where they are allowed.
◦There isn’t a need to limit the equipment that can be used to take deer in order to manage the deer herd. The deer harvest was a record in 2012, and the DNR is managing the deer herd through other means.
◦Rifle cartridges that fire a bullet at least .243 in diameter and have a minimum case length of 1.16 inches long can safely and humanely kill white-tailed deer.

•Allows firearms to be used during the deer reduction (formerly urban deer zone) season, where legal to discharge a firearm, from the first Saturday after November 11 through January 31 of the following year. Use of firearms in deer reduction zones would give communities greater flexibility to manage deer-related problems and should improve deer-harvest success rates.
•Changes the dates for placing tree or ground blinds on state and federal properties to noon on September 15 through January 10
•Allows those who place on tree stands or ground blinds on state and federal properties to identify it with their Indiana DNR-issued Customer ID number or name and address, instead of requiring only their name and address. This ID number is pretty short and would add a degree of privacy to hunters without interfering