I hunt in Louisana and Mississippi and both allow 45-70 rifles in what they call a primitive weapon season. I want to suggest to the wildlife and fisheries to allow handguns in same calibers so I can use my 45-70 contender handgun. What are some of the regulations in other states for handgun seasons? I think it is silly you can hunt with an TC encore in 45-70 with a scope but you cannot use a 45-70 handgun. I know I could put a stock on the frame but that would be a sin in my book.

Have you thought about just putting a folding but stock on your 45-70?
Folding Stock from Brownells

DeerDad, welcome to the frustration of primitive weapon season in MS. I've been writing MSDWFP, for 3 years, about changing one word in the primitive weapon definition: "rifle". I've suggested changing that one word to "firearm"; then us diehard handgun hunters could hunt with our T/C handguns. The definition of "primitive weapon" in MS is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. If you've never hunted with primitive weapons in MS or are not a resident that has been familiar with the ever changing definition and law, you can't comprehend what it's meaning....heck, I just about can't comprehend it and I know exactly what it's trying to say. Good luck trying to get handguns legal during that time. Maybe if it's voiced by more hunters; it'll get changed.

P.S. I hope someone from the MSDWFP is reading this.

I shoot my 356 win Encore handgun in MS-- it meets all the rules--at least I thought it did

IL handgun season--rules from the IL DNR literature.

centerfire revolvers or centerfire single-shot handguns of .30 caliber or larger
minimum barrel length of 4 inches
n semi-automatic handguns, muzzleloading handguns, or hand- guns altered to allow for shoulder firing
ammunition: (1) a bottleneck centerfire cartridge of .30 caliber or larger with a case length not exceeding 1.4 inches, or
(2) a straightwalled centerfire cartridge of .30 caliber or larger, with no minimum case length and,
with published ballistic tables of the manufacturer showing at least 500 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle.

Indiana's deer firearms season permits: 1: handguns with 4 inch or longer barrels. The cartridge must be at least 1.16" long with no maximum length specified. The bullet must be at least .243" in diameter with no maximum diameter specified. Any action type is permitted. One must have a pistol permit. Indiana recognizes all state permits. One is permitted to carry a defensive pistol of any description or caliber while hunting in any season including archery.
2: Rifle catridges must be between 1.6" and 1.625" in length with a minimum bullet diameter of .357". No action type restrictions.
3: Shotguns must be 10, 12, 16, 20 guage or .410 bore loaded with slugs or sabots. Rifled slug guns are permitted. No plug is required.
4: Muzzleloading firearms must be .44 caliber or larger, loaded with a single bullet of at least .357 caliber. Sabots are permitted. Multiple barrels are permitted. No action type restrictions.
Therefore my Contender 7-30 Waters pistol is legal but not a 7-30 carbine.
I asked a Conservation Officer why high power rifle catridges were permitted in pistols but not rifles. His answer was that "Since the bullet came from a pistol barrel it would only travel a short distance and then fall to the ground." Those making the rules do not understand the subject.
Interestingly, regular high power rifles are legal for varmints, small game and upland birds. Go figure.

A couple of years ago MS required a shoulder fired rifle of the appropriate caliber for primitive weapons. This year the requirement stated only a rifle. I also wrote to MS game and fish for a wording change. This year I will write to the state senators and representatives on the game commisson.

H20 Bug,
The "primitive" weapon seaon if you want to call it that anymore in MS requires that the weapon be single shot and at least .35 caliber. So, your's was good except I think if my memory is working today that it stated somewhere in there the term "shoulder fired" which would lead you to interpret it as "rifle" only. I talked with the local wardens in the areas that I hunted when I lived there and they had no problem with me using the handgun as long as it was 35 or above but others may have not interpreted it the same. As the law reads, I think handguns are pretty much excluded.

Edited....I see the post above now and it seems that its been changed again since I moved away a few years ago. I will be looking up the correct senators and such also and write them as well. I still hunt there every year and usually plan around primitive weapon season where I can use my handguns. Would be nice if they would just update it and be done with it. My brother uses a 416 Rigby Encore with LPS Leupold, surely my handgun is more primitive than that

Interesting. First time I've heard of "primitive weapon" season being anything other than black powder.

Don't know if it has changed, but PA "primitive season" means (meant?) flint lock only. No cap and ball, no in-line modern BP rifles with shotgun primers or electronic ignition. They said "primitive" and they meant it! At least until they change it anyhoo.

In Pa. any centerfire handgun will do as long as it shoots a expanding type bullet. No min. bl. length and no autoloading handguns. It must be a manually operated handgun and this includes all single shot handguns.

Nope....definition says "rifle" and the law also says no sidearms during primitive season.

Here's the definition of "primitive weapon" for hunting in MS; straight from the book....

PRIMITIVE WEAPONS
"Primitive firearms" for the purpose of hunting deer, are defined as single or double barreled muzzle-loading rifles of at least .38 caliber; single shot, breech loading, cartridge rifles (.35 caliber or larger) and replicas, reproductions or reintroductions of those type rifles; and single or double-barreled muzzle-loading, shotguns with single ball or slug. All muzzle-loading Primitive Firearms must use black powder or a black powder substitute with either percussion caps or #209 shotgun primers or flintlock ignition. Breech loading single shot rifles must have exposed hammers and use metallic cartridges.  Cartridges may be loaded either with black powder or modern smokeless powder. Scopes of any magnification are allowed on primitive weapons.

....is that not stupid and confusing?

Ok ,here in NY Dutchess cty I can hunt predators with a centerfire rifle till the first deer season opens. Cannot hunt deer with a rifle in Dutchess, but a pistol is allowed as long as the barrel is less than 16 inchs long. So my 6.5 x 47 lapua pistol is legal for deer and predators during any open seasons, but I can't use my 22-250 rifle for yotes during deer season.
Makes sense to me > <
^.

In reply to the OP, in NH, you can use a muzzleloading handgun during muzzleloading season (10 days) and a center-fire handgun during the "regular firearms season" which follows it (25 days this year).

During the "regular firearms season", several towns only allow shotguns, muzzleloaders, and limit the center-fire handguns to .357 mag., 10 mm auto,.41 Rem.,.44 Rem. Mag.,.45 LC,.480 Ruger or .50 mag. The remaining counties have no handgun restriction other than no .22 rimfire.

Good luck to the OP in getting a change in your state. It will continue to be an uphill battle I'm sure.

My senator is on the Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks committee. I will call and write him about this issue. The law has changed so in recent years, it's hard to keep up with and to tell you the truth I really hadn't read it thoroughly. I thought my 375 JDJ Contender now qualified, but I guess not. I believe in keeping in touch with my senator and representative and have done so just in the last couple of weeks on various issues. I'll see if my senator is willing to help with this issue.

I finally took the time to write to my Senator, I will see what kind of response it generates. I hope my suggestions will help us handgunners. Note when I copied and pasted to this forum the word "firearms" that I had in bold text and also underlined did not transfer. So I'll just put it in quotation marks.

Here's the letter:

January 31, 2011



Senator Sidney Albritton
P.O. Box 1018
Jackson, MS 39215

Dear Senator Albritton:

I live in your district in Walthall County and I am writing to see if you could help the handgun hunters in Mississippi. Since you are on the Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Committee, I am hoping you could introduce a bill to change the current firearms that are considered acceptable during the primitive weapons season in Mississippi.

The current regulations for primitive weapons are as follows:

PRIMITIVE WEAPONS
"Primitive firearms" for the purpose of hunting deer, are defined as single or double barreled muzzle-loading rifles of at least .38 caliber; single shot, breech loading, cartridge rifles (.35 caliber or larger) and replicas, reproductions or reintroductions of those type rifles; and single or double-barreled muzzle-loading, shotguns with single ball or slug. All muzzle-loading Primitive Firearms must use black powder or a black powder substitute with either percussion caps or #209 shotgun primers or flintlock ignition. Breech loading single shot rifles must have exposed hammers and use metallic cartridges. Cartridges may be loaded either with black powder or modern smokeless powder. Scopes of any magnification are allowed on primitive weapons.

Those of us that enjoy hunting with handguns have been left-out under the current law. If we could change just one word in the law, more hunters would be able to participate in Mississippi’s primitive weapons season. I believe this can be accomplished by changing the term “rifles” to “firearms”. Note the bold/underlined words below.

PRIMITIVE WEAPONS
"Primitive firearms" for the purpose of hunting deer, are defined as single or double barreled muzzle-loading "firearms" of at least .38 caliber; single shot, breech loading, cartridge "firearms" (.35 caliber or larger) and replicas, reproductions or reintroductions of those type "firearms"; and single or double-barreled muzzle-loading, shotguns with single ball or slug. All muzzle-loading Primitive Firearms must use black powder or a black powder substitute with either percussion caps or #209 shotgun primers or flintlock ignition. Breech loading single shot "firearms" must have exposed hammers and use metallic cartridges. Cartridges may be loaded either with black powder or modern smokeless powder. Scopes of any magnification are allowed on primitive weapons.

I hunt the entire deer season with a handgun that meets all of the criteria, except it is not a rifle. The gun I use is a Thompson/Center Contender, I know for a fact that there are other hunters in the state that enjoy hunting with handguns that meet all of the requirements, yet they are not legal because the law states “rifles”. There are also hunters from surrounding states that hunt here in Mississippi, which would also benefit from a change in the wording. These hunters would be able to extend their hunting season here in Mississippi, therefore spending more money here in Mississippi while hunting.

I appreciate any help you can provide in achieving this change in the primitive weapons definition.

Sincerely,

_

That regulation is really confusing. This definition considers a single shot center fire smokeless cartridge rifle to be primitive if it has an exposed hammer!

I don't think most states allow centerfire cartridges during a "Primitive" season.

However, since they do in MS, they should definitely change "rifle" to "firearm" and get on with it.

Good luck and let us know if you get a response.

Back in 1985 and 1986 when I lobbied (successfully) to legalize handguns for all of Colorado's Big Game, it was a mattter of presenting the facts plainly, and logically, including firearms ballistics charts, that got the job done.

Good luck, jimbo. If you need me to donate one of my handgun hunting videos to your cause, pm me.

Thanks for the offer Gregg. If I need to I will let you know, that will be a good illustration for sure. I actually wish I had sent a couple of pics of my Contender for the Senator to view. That way he could see that it meets all of the criteria other than the barrel being a bit short and missing a stock.