Hunting rifle mag

[slickguy]

As I was preparing my rifle for the upcoming hunting season, I was curious what the standard mag capacity is for field use. For those experienced hunters out there, what do you think is the best approach that also keeps things simple?

 

[Fodderwing]

5 or 10 round, depending on mag choices available and state hunting regulations.

A rifle is toted more than it is shot when hunting wild game, so weight of said rifle is important.

I have no need to lug around the weight of 20 or 30 round mags when hopefully I only need one shot.

A five round mag in the rifle and a full mag in my pocket is sufficient for me.

In my bolt guns without detachable mags, I carry a reload in a pocket, 3 to 5 rounds, depending on rifle and caliber.

 

[Keith.303]

As I was preparing my rifle for the upcoming hunting season, I was curious what the standard mag capacity is for field use. For those experienced hunters out there, what do you think is the best approach that also keeps things simple.

Welcome to the forum!

Regulations are different for manually operated or semi-autos.

Which do you have?

 

[Fodderwing]

Welcome to the forum!

Regulations are different for manually operated or semi-autos.

Which do you have?

Some states do not limit magazine capacity on semiautomatic rifles used for hunting.

It has been a while since I dug up FL's rule, but 5 rounds comes to mind from past research.

 

[Keith.303]

Some states do not limit magazine capacity on semiautomatic rifles used for hunting.

It has been a while since I dug up FL's rule, but 5 rounds comes to mind from past research.

Yes, Florida says five rounds in the mag for semi automatics.

This is from the FL e-regulations website.

 

[slickguy]

Welcome to the forum!

Regulations are different for manually operated or semi-autos.

Which do you have?

I’m going with a bolt-action and I’m trying to keep things simple by sticking to what’s considered normal or practical for field use. I know the regs are a bit more relaxed for manually operated rifles but I don’t want to show up with something that feels out of place or is overkill for a typical whitetail hunt.

Is there a sensible capacity that most hunters prefer for bolt guns here or does it really just depend on what the rifle naturally holds?

 

[Keith.303]

I’m going with a bolt-action and I’m trying to keep things simple by sticking to what’s considered normal or practical for field use. I know the regs are a bit more relaxed for manually operated rifles but I don’t want to show up with something that feels out of place or is overkill for a typical whitetail hunt.

Is there a sensible capacity that most hunters prefer for bolt guns here or does it really just depend on what the rifle naturally holds?

The average bolt action sporting rifle holds 5 rounds in the magazine. You should never need any more than that for hunting, and if you do, there’s a problem.

Don’t sweat about the exact number, the capacity of different rifle will vary.

I’ve hunted with a single shot Sharps 1874, and a ‘66 Winchester copy that has 12 rounds ready to go.

If you fall somewhere in the middle of those, you’ll be in good shape.

Cheers!

 

[Shooter308]

I’m going with a bolt-action and I’m trying to keep things simple by sticking to what’s considered normal or practical for field use. I know the regs are a bit more relaxed for manually operated rifles but I don’t want to show up with something that feels out of place or is overkill for a typical whitetail hunt.

Is there a sensible capacity that most hunters prefer for bolt guns here or does it really just depend on what the rifle naturally holds?

Depends on the regulations. Maryland where I still belong to a hunt club even though I live in Florida is 5 Round Magazine maximum. and 100 Grain Minimum. I use an Savage Axis with Scope that comes with a 4 round Magazine and Barney Load the 5th Round.

 

[Lee7588]

Depends on what I'm hunting, anything other than pigs 5 rounds. That helps to keep the balance of the rifle. If I'm hunting pigs I use 2- 30 rds banded mags.