Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Has Indiana passed legislation allowing high powered rifles?

I have been hearing rumors that Indiana has passed legislation allowing the use of high powered rifles for deer hunting. Does anyone know for sure if it passed or not? Have a link to the DNR rules as to what's allowable?

Apparently the Yankees is worried

http://fox59.com/2016/03/26/new-law...-use-high-powered-rifles-draws-concerns/


http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/mar/26/some-hunters-question-indiana-allowing-high-powere/

From what I have read, it will be limited to 243, 308, 300, or 30-06 only.
Now we will be able to snipe them from 1/2 mile away!

Governor Pence has signed the bill.

a quick search revealed:
Here's the bill: INDIANA HUNTING BILL
It's been passed by the house 90 to 0.

Some provisions:
the dept must set a rifle season
rifles can be used on private land only
rifle barrels must be 16" or longer
It limits ammo to .243 cal or larger with cases 1.16" or longer and no full metal jacketed bullets
The dept can further define rifles but can make no changes to the ammunition as defined in the bill.

There's a lot more in the bill about stuff like trespassing.

About gol' dang time! Just wish they would have set the min. bullet diameter at .224"...

I saw that as well in one version of the bill. Found it hilarious that they only listed ".300" as one of the options. Is that a 300 Savage? 300 RUM?

IIRC this is just a "study" with a sunset in 2020. The bill requires them to establish a season, but does not state that it has to be during the normal gun season. I hope it is and just not a half-baked idea of only allowing rifles during the late anterless season. I imagine DNR is getting a lot of calls...

I too found the designation .300 to be pretty non-specific, could be several different cartridges. From the sound of the bill, the DNR will define things further at a later date. The list of permissable rounds leaves out a significant number of good deer cartridges.

Cool... Maybe an Uncle Roy in 30-378 :-)

Just kidding

Good lord, what in the world is a high powered rifle ? Was low powered legal before this legislation?

Legal Firearms
Shotguns, handguns, rifles with legal cartridges, muzzleloading long guns and muzzleloading handguns are legal during the firearms and special antlerless seasons. Only muzzleloading firearms are legal during the muzzleloader season.

Hunters may carry more than one type of legal firearm when hunting during the firearms and special antlerless seasons only. Shotguns must be 10-, 12-, 16-, 20- or 28-gauge or .410 bore loaded with slugs or saboted bullets. Rifled slug barrels are permitted. Combination rifle-shotguns are allowed.

Muzzleloading firearms must be .44 caliber or larger, loaded with a single bullet of at least .357 caliber. Saboted bullets are allowed, provided the bullet is .357 caliber or larger. A muzzleloading firearm must be capable of being loaded from only the muzzle. Multiple-barrel muzzleloading long guns are allowed.

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. Full metal jacketed bullets are illegal.

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.

Muzzleloading handguns are allowed. The muzzleloading handgun must be single shot, .50 caliber or larger, loaded with bullets at least .44 caliber and have a barrel at least 12 inches long, measured from the base of the breech plug excluding tangs and other projections to the end of the barrel, including the muzzle crown.

Above quoted regulations are those in force prior to the new legislation. High powered rifle is a term applied to centerfires in the .270/.30-06 class, and yes previously only rifles chambered for pistol cartridges (low powered as you choose to call them) were legal. I think you knew this before posting though.

As per the posted regulations, rifles other than those in "pistol cartridges" are legal as well. I think you knew this before posting though...

I would love to see the reference you gleaned this information from.

Not gona get in a [bleep] slinging contest with those who choose to nitpick. High powered rifles is just a term used by lots of shooters, no reference necessary. Look again at the list of allowable rifle chamberings/cartridges, they're all pistol cartridges. Please enlighten us which cartridges other than pistol cartridges does current law allow????????

Second Regular Session of the 119th General Assembly (2016)
PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana
Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type,
additions will appear in
this style type
, and deletions will appear in this style type.
Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional
provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in
this style type
. Also, the
word
NEW
will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds
a new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution.
Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in
this style type
or
this style type
reconciles conflicts
between statutes enacted by the 2015 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
HOUSE ENROLLED ACT No. 1231
AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning natural and cultural
resources.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
SECTION 1. IC 14-22-2-8 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
AS A
NEW
SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
UPON PASSAGE]:
Sec. 8. (a) This section applies to a hunting
season beginning after June 30, 2016, and ending before January
1, 2020.
(b) A hunter may use a rifle during the firearms season to hunt
deer subject to the following:
(1) The use of a rifle is permitted only on privately owned
land.
(2) The rifle must have a barrel length of at least sixteen (16)
inches.
(3) The rifle must be chambered for one (1) of the following
cartridges:
(A) .243.
(B) .30-30.
(C) .300.
(D) .30-06.
(E) .308.
(4) A hunter may not possess more than ten (10) cartridges for
the rifle while hunting deer under this section.
(5) The rifle must meet any other requirements established by
HEA 1231 — CC 1

Wise decision all the way around not to include the .270 in that list.

No one knows which .300 they're referring to??????????

Gee thats some stupid wording.

Never mind the wording, you know perfectly well what is being asked. If you can't contribute anything more intelligent than that perhaps you should STFU.