Can you use standard military rifles for hunting deer?

12 Comments

1. 1SHOT1KILL says:

   November 8, 2009 at 4:38 am

   I believe the question was can he use them for deer. Yes you can. The m40 and m21 the military use are both usually in .30 caliber. The military doesn’t use a smaller caliber rifle except for the m4, m16 etc. The state laws depend on the caliber. In Kansas you can’t hunt with anything smaller than a .24.

   They made the law so that the hunter will drop the deer usually with the first shot and wouldn’t leave a wounded animal to suffer.

   Other states you can use any caliber including rim fire .22. I just found this out last year. Missouri is one of the states.
2. wujoosay says:

   November 8, 2009 at 4:38 am

   I wouldn’t answer with a blanket statement on that, but in Georgia you can hunt with several military rifles as long as they meet size (I think .30 or greater), have magazines limited to 5 rounds, and do NOT use FMJ.

   I plan to use a bayoneted Mosin for hogs next season.
3. JARED M says:

   November 8, 2009 at 4:38 am

   you can use them just as long as their not fully auto and it depends on what ur hunting for, then you have to check the gaming regulations.
4. Jonah W says:

   November 8, 2009 at 4:38 am

   the m21 im pretty sure is a remington 700 if it is it is the 3rd most popular hunting rifel in the u.s and if its in the military .308 u can kill a deer but i think a few are in .223 which u cant
5. brad says:

   November 8, 2009 at 4:38 am

   Depends where you’re hunting…. Each state has different laws concerning what types of firearms may be used for hunting the different game allowed in that state, probably want to check with your Department of Natural Resources, Department of Game and Fish or your Local Game Warden… An M21 would make a suitable hunting rifle, although you don’t need to spend that kind of money, the M21 is a highly customized Remington 700 which are probably better suited for hunting… Many, many hunters have taken everything from deer to bear to elephants with the Remington 700.

   And you can kill a deer with a .223, its been done many times, once again another person stating something as a fact when they’re ignorant as to what they’re talking about. It’s all about shot placement… It’s too light in my opinion tho, a .270 would be better suited.
6. Kalashnikova says:

   November 8, 2009 at 4:38 am

   depends on where you live. you cant use FMJ remember that one, thas national i believe. in my state you can use any semiautomatic firearm so long as there are no more than 6 rounds (1 in the chamber 5 in the mag) you can buy a 5 round mag for hunting like i did my AKM or you can put a stopper so it cant hold more than 5 and remove it for when ur at the range
7. Bob C says:

   November 8, 2009 at 4:38 am

   All I ever use is an SKS or AK47. I hope that answers your question. It’s funny how I get thumb’s down when I give a truthful answer to your question. I guess these folk’s don’t consider the rifles I use military models or maybe they think that I’m lying and don’t really use them to hunt whitetail deer in my backyard. But I do, exclusively! 7.62×39 mm is the best whitetail round that I have ever used. It’s almost like it was made just for killing deer. I hunt in the woods and hardly ever have a shot over 100 yards. I don’t even use a scope, just the iron battle sights. Believe it or not I was the best shot in my company in the army so, give me some more thumb’s down. I know who the f**ck I am and now y’all do too.
8. gentlewolfspaws says:

   November 8, 2009 at 4:38 am

   "Can you use standard military rifles for hunting deer?"

   The M40 and M21 aren’t exactly "standard" military rifles.
   Yes, they could harvest deer.

   A lot of other military rifles could harvest deer too. Some of them are legal to use, some are not, depending upon the location of the hunt. As others have mentioned, local laws will specify which type of firearms (and ammunition) are legal to use on the game in question.
9. W W D says:

   November 8, 2009 at 4:38 am

   Actually, you have things a bit backwards. The M40 is based on the Remington 40 target action, which is a variant of the very popular M700 hunting rifle action. The difference is not in the basic parts of the rifle but in peripherals, and you’ll find the 700 is more suitable, but the differences are small.
10. H says:

    November 8, 2009 at 4:38 am

    Military needs and hunting needs are diametrically opposed. The military intends to inflict maximum loses on the enemy. It does not care about hunting deer. The military uses shoulder weapons intended to disable, rather than kill, since a disabled enemy soldier must be cared for by the enemy and effectively removes one or more enemy soldier from the battle field.

    A hunter wishes to bring home the venison. A disabled deer does no one any good. And before anyone starts ranting and raving about shot placement being everything: Shot placement is required each and every time you hunt. Hunter’s responsibility is also necessary. Use enough gun. If your military rifle isn’t at least a 7.62×51 NATO with hunting ammo then get a proper deer rifle. Also, check with the rules and regulations in your State concerning ammo capacity for deer rifles. Many States have ammo capacity restriction on auto-loaders and hold that the .243 Winchester is the minimum deer caliber so a .223 wouldn’t even be legal there.

    H
11. curtism1234 says:

    November 8, 2009 at 4:38 am

    I can’t stand all the trashy people that "hunt" with sks’s or US assult weapons. That just spoils the tradition of hunting and makes everyone look bad.

    The Mosins, British 303, or the varouis 6mm, 7mm, or 8mm Mausers would do a good job on deer provided you use factory soft points from a reputable company. The equivilant to all of these rounds are in the 308-3006 ballpark.
    Something to think of is the iron sights — they can be hard to draw a fine bead on, especially in low light. But they can definately get the job done.

    Something else to consider if you haven’t bought the surplus gun — Stevens (savage) has a bolt action you can get for a little over 200. I think you can get a scoped package for around 300. Be plenty good for deer.
12. Jim M says:

    November 8, 2009 at 4:38 am

    sure..but does the hunting laws allow you to use military weapons..remember the M-4 uses .223rem and the AK-47 uses 7.62×39mm and sniper rifles use .308NATO..those are hunting rounds…