Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Possible good news for Iowa deer hunters.

Pistol cartridge rifles may be in our future.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/st...-firing-pistol-ammo-deer-hunts/99412608/

Pistol cartridges are a better idea than slug only. I still prefer seeing the .38-55 and .45-70 included though.

If they use the currently allowed cartridge list in handguns it will include the 45-70, 444 and 375 Win in rifles as well as traditional straight-walled pistol cartridges.

That would be good.

357 Maximum with a long throat, and 16"+ of bbl rocks that world. I'd wager you'll not find more range/performance with less recoil/blast, based on pure efficiency.

Ohio went to straight wall cartridges a few years ago. My 444 Marlin is at my brother's cabin in SE Ohio. Use it every year.

It's funny, 45/70 good, 30/30, bad.

Nothing surprising there. Pick any field that you have a thorough knowledge and look at the laws passed regarding that area. They will usually seem idiotic. Politicians normally have no clue about the areas in which they legislate, but that doesn't stop them from thinking they know more than the experts.

I think in most states that are straight wall only they have a .35 cal minimum. But if not I wonder if the .32-40 would qualify? It's tapered pretty hard to be a straight wall I guess.

You are absolutely right. No logic to it whatsoever.

And just how do they figure they would interfere with Bowhunters any more than slug guns would?

I thought I live in a kooky libtard state.

Not trying to hijack the thread, but at least Iowa isn't calling it "Primitive". In Mississippi we have a primitive weapon season. A single shot rifle that is 35 cal or larger, and has an exposed hammer is considered primitive. So one can use a scoped 35 Whelen shooting 2800fps, but using an open sighted 30-30 during primitive weapon season can get you written up.

With that said, you can use whatever you want on private land.

I have no idea why they were worried that it would interfere with bow hunters unless they are talking about the late muzzleloader season. Bow hunting is not open during the regular gun seasons.

I don't think of Iowa as a 'kooky libtard state' with 2 Republican Senators, a Republican governor and 4 of 5 Republican Representatives. I don't agree with all of our laws but I think this is an improvement and I'm happy to see it. I would prefer we could use any centerfire cartridge and maybe this is a step in that direction.

Shotgun only laws are obsolete

Southern WIs. went rifle a few yrs ago and many thought the gun accidents would go up from stray bullets. This year , I think was the safest season yet. Accidents did not go up where the rifles were introduced , and I think they went down the last few yrs. It is a fallacy that rifles are more dangerous.

I couldn't agree more. The problem is the people making the rules/laws aren't concerned with logic most of the time.

I got into a discussion about this with a fellow Iowan who is a die-hard bowhunter and occasional late muzzleloader hunter. He firmly believes that the limitations of the shotgun are the primary reason that Iowa has such a high trophy rate. I think that the primary reason for the trophy status is deer management and having the shotgun seasons NOT during the height of the rut. I've used a .357 Maximum with either 16" or 18" barrel on my TC Encore as a legal pistol round for years. hh4whiskey is exactly right. It's a beautiful balance of manageable power in a handgun with precision accuracy and energy to be an honest 200 yard whitetail gun. When I pull the trigger, I don't wonder if the bullet will go where I tell it to go like I do with a shotgun slug - even sabots. I know that with my cast bullets, a full case of AA1680, and a good rest that putting 10 shots into a pop can at 200 yards isn't all that hard. I think this is a good move for Iowa, though I would prefer simply allowing centerfire rifles like South Dakota, where I grew up. My .357 Max is sweet, but it sure isn't my .260 Remington when it comes to long range precision! Fortunately my current .357 Max barrel is 18", so it's a perfectly legal carbine if this law passes and is signed by the governor.

I agree with you Selmer. No gun seasons during the rut, unlimited food and good deer habitat in many areas are what allows bucks in Iowa to grow large, not what tools are allowed. Especially when they allow 'shotguns' with fully rifled barrels and sabots, and inline muzzleloaders that already have an effective range of 200 yards.

Hope you guys get it approved!

In Wisconsin we went for approval on all rifle calibers as it was easier to get approved than just a few cartridge rounds.

A member of the Conservation Congress along with myself and another fellow from a different county, tag teamed this effort and introduced it in 2010. After all the hoops were jumped thru we had it legalized in 2013.

Your conservation wardens will probably help you out here as they don't want to follow up the complaints on "rifles being used" Get with them and push hard and it will happen for your state.