22 ARC or 6ARC

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Dec 30, 2014
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9,843
I am also curious to see what @mtwarden thinks on the subject. How often it's "considered" "asked about" etc.

I've been backcountry hunting since I could legally hunt growing up in the Sierras in the mid 90's. Never once did any fish and game or rangers ask us what cartridge we were hunting with. I've hunted and killed in nearly all of the western states since then as well, again, never once has "caliber" been asked about when we've been stopped to show licenses, tags, etc.

Is it something that just isn't asked or "checked"? What would happen if somebody killed an animal, had it in their pack or vehicle, and for some crazy reason a warden found out it was shot with a .224 instead of a .243?

If we're struggling to anoint the 22 ARC as notably superior to 6 ARC, why not just follow the law?

I've been been treated shitty by wardens when I had done nothing wrong and also when i had made dumb decisions in my younger years. It feels much better to have interactions knowing all your shit is in order. Its so easy to avoid knowingly breaking cartridge laws, I see no reason to even consider it.
 

mxgsfmdpx

WKR
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Oct 22, 2019
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If we're struggling to anoint the 22 ARC as notably superior to 6 ARC, why not just follow the law?

I've been been treated shitty by wardens when I had done nothing wrong and also when i had made dumb decisions in my younger years. It feels much better to have interactions knowing all your shit is in order. Its so easy to avoid knowingly breaking cartridge laws, I see no reason to even consider it.
My advice to anyone would be to follow the law.
 

mtwarden

Super Moderator
Staff member
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Oct 18, 2016
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I can only weigh in on Montana, who currently does not have any minimum caliber for big hunting—that was easy :D

I could speculate that the states that do have a minimum caliber, that not many violations are written for it. But I always advocate to follow the law.

With the advances in bullet design (and cartridge advancements) it probably needs looked at with the states that do have a caliber restriction.
 
Joined
Nov 12, 2024
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Don't expect the actual velocity that is stated by Hornady. Its definitely less. Not drastically though.
 

Ralphie

WKR
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Feb 18, 2019
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Sorry I didn’t have the sarcasm font on. Some on the forum are advocating for breaking the wilderness non resident rule in Wyoming because the fines are rarely given, small when they are, and they don’t take your animal.
 

onlybrody

FNG
Joined
Nov 16, 2024
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I am not really sold on the 22 ARC. I would have the 22 Creed on my list before the arc…. Atleast in a bolt gun.
 
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Nov 17, 2024
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I’ve been on the same quest with my wife over the years. 223, 243, the Creedmoor’s….etc. This year, now that I have suppressor’s, decided to give the 6 arc a try in a Ruger gen 2 ranch. Figured it would make a great farm rifle in the SxS if it didn’t work out on a deer. She hammered a white tail buck yesterday morning at about 100 yards with the 103 grain ELD-X, give or take a few feet. He dropped where he stood, back end first, and was dead before his head hit the ground, granted she made a perfect heart shot. I really attribute shooting suppressed to making her less jerky on the trigger and stopping her flinching, but none the less, the 6 arc impressed the hell out of me. Actually hearing the bullet smack the deer was pretty cool as well. With the suppressor it sounds about like a 22 or 22 mag going off and no recoil. I bought myself a 22 arc in the 20” gen 2, but haven’t had an opportunity on a coyote yet. Only thing it’s killed was a moth that landed on the target when I just finished dialing it in 😂 IMG_7765.jpeg
 

MtnManTy

FNG
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Dec 31, 2023
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Colorado
I could speculate that the states that do have a minimum caliber, that not many violations are written for it. But I always advocate to follow the law.
I can speak with a high degree of certainty that in another western state with a minimum caliber requirement, it's not asked about very often, and rarely seen in the field... But if caught in violation, a fella could have bought two legal rifles for less than the fine associated with his .224 caliber ego... Fwiw...
 
Joined
Nov 12, 2020
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It is now legal in TN to use a .223, and it had been illegal for years.....and as far as a fine? I dont know about out there, but you legitimately break a game law here, harvesting big game in an illegal manner, they can pretty much take anything you have at the moment. Years back they caught a guy killing a deer in the Cumberland River in his boat, on purpose, watched him do it from the landing area. They took him, his truck, boat, everything.......and I really dont have a problem with that. If your going to be dumb ya got to be tough.
How was he killing deer. You can shoot from a boat in Tn
 

Southernfried

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Aug 31, 2021
Messages
106
Location
Portland, TN
How was he killing deer. You can shoot from a boat in Tn
Yes you can, but the boat has to be stationary, not under power.......Rumor was, he was hunting one of the islands in the Cumberland River, left the island to go to the boat ramp, saw this buck swimming across the lake and ran over with this boat, shot it, drug it onto the boat, and they arrested him at the ramp, the game folks were watching from the road that ran parallel to the river, the local paper covered it.......they just left out a lot of the details, story line was, and I paraphrase, "local hunter lost truck, boat and all belongings for illegally harvesting deer crossing the Cumberland River...." there was also some other questions but I cant remember what they were, it was almost 30 years ago lol. Point was, he still lost his truck and boat.
 
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Yes you can, but the boat has to be stationary, not under power.......Rumor was, he was hunting one of the islands in the Cumberland River, left the island to go to the boat ramp, saw this buck swimming across the lake and ran over with this boat, shot it, drug it onto the boat, and they arrested him at the ramp, the game folks were watching from the road that ran parallel to the river, the local paper covered it.......they just left out a lot of the details, story line was, and I paraphrase, "local hunter lost truck, boat and all belongings for illegally harvesting deer crossing the Cumberland River...." there was also some other questions but I cant remember what they were, it was almost 30 years ago lol. Point was, he still lost his truck and boat.
If it was that long ago there were quite a few restrictions before you could shoot from a boat. It’s not near as strict now, but being under power now is a no go. Just wondered the circumstances.
 
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