Hunting with FMJ ammo in Ontario

Tarl

Tarl

Member
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
9   0   0
Location
Harrowsmith
A friend and I were discussing the subject of using full metal jacketed ammunition for hunting earlier today. I realise that there is an ethical component to the discussion, with a humane kill being important to any hunter, but what does Ontario and Canadian law say about the subject. Some folks say its fine for predators and varmits but not big game. I quickly checked the hunting regs and could find no mention of FMJ (I'm sure I could have missed something)....can anyone shed some light on the matter?
 
Maximum said:
Whats the difference between using an arrow and FMJ?
Click to expand...

The arrow has several razor blades attached to it, minimum legal wound channel size is around an inch most places. A field point would be more comparable and is also banned for big game hunting for obvious reasons. An FMJ bullet leaves a pretty small hole if you don't connect with some bone.
 
Now. How about the ethics of a FMJ in larger calibers in say .44 or .45? That alone is almost half an inch of wound channel, and penetration one end to the other.

Purely a question to spark conversation.
 
dahs said:
Now. How about the ethics of a FMJ in larger calibers in say .44 or .45? That alone is almost half an inch of wound channel, and penetration one end to the other.

Purely a question to spark conversation.
Click to expand...

I was going to bring up exactly the same point.

What about 7.62x39 FMJ (0.310" diameter) on something that you'd normally use a .22 for?

Downloaded .308 winchester/7.62x51?

Pistol calibre carbines (9mm, .40S&W, .45 ACP)?

I don't think FMJ is automatically unethical simply because of it's construction. Specifics about which game and which calibre would be needed for a real answer.

What is the equivalent calibre vs. deer as compared to .45 ACP vs. rabbit? .50 BMG?

Of course the legality is separate from the ethics.
 
Ah, another ethics discussion.

Personally, I would use FMJ on predators and fur bearers. I think a precision .308 loaded with FMJ's would be a great long range wolf gun, for example.

I honestly don't see why it should be legal/ethical to shoot a predator with a 45 grain .223 SP bullet, but not legal/ethical to shoot it with a 147 grain .308 FMJ bullet.
 
I remember a family friend aquired a cloth belt of FMJ .303 that a widow found in her husband's workshop years and years ago. He apparently shot a number of deer with them, I personally wouldn't use FMJ for anything bigger than a coyote though.
 
When my Grandfather was dying he gave us his guns before going into the hospital. Just a .22 and an old Enfield. Nothing special. All the ammo came home with us too. WW2 ball ammo. He had been using them for deer hunting in the '60s and '70s. They worked fine for him. Would i use them for bigger critters? Nope. Wolf/coyote? Sure. Same as i'll use .223 FMJs if thats all i can find.

What nullshine said up above really makes sense too. I'm going to be using 9mm FMJs for partridge hunting this year. Does this make me unethical? I've looked at it from every direction and i can't see how. Context is everything.
 
A FMJ does not expend the same amount of energy into a big game animal as a mushrooming bullet. Unless the FMJ strikes major bone it pretty much zips through the game. The FMJ was traditionally created as a military bullet designed to wound more than to kill. Yes a fully jacketed bullet can kill quickly but the degree of accuracy for shot placement is very difficult to achieve in field conditions. Sure you can hit a 3" circle at 100M at the range but in the field it i a totally different set of conditions. You can see a bulls eye but you can't see the deers heart. An expanding bullet provides the extra wound channel required to make a lethal shot.


FMJ's on big game? Simply put. NO
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom