MD deer hunting rifle regulations

DDShooter · Jun 5, 2020

Hi everyone,

First time to post here. I am considering buying a bolt-action Tikkia T3x for deer hunting in Maryland. Regulations say rifles need to be "loaded from the breech of the barrel and use cartridges". I am new to firearm terminology and wonder if a bolt-action rifle like Tikkia T3x is a breech loading rifle.

BTW, what caliber would be good for deer hunting? Would .308 be sufficient?

JohnC · Jun 5, 2020

DDShooter said:
Hi everyone,

First time to post here. I am considering buying a bolt-action Tikkia T3x for deer hunting in Maryland. Regulations say rifles need to be "loaded from the breech of the barrel and use cartridges". I am new to firearm terminology and wonder if a bolt-action rifle like Tikkia T3x is a breech loading rifle.

BTW, what caliber would be good for deer hunting? Would .308 be sufficient?

Yah that will work. "Loaded from the breach of the barrel and use cartridges" is politician speak for non-muzzle loaders. I could be forgetting something, but any firearm that uses cartridges (bolt or semi) would be fine, assuming they meet the minimum requirement of muzzle energy (1200 ft lbs). Your .308 should be at least double that. Happy hunting!

Edit: .308 is good. I know quite a few of my friends hunt with .308 and do just fine. Whatever caliber you pick, make sure you practice a lot! Also, check out this post for some other tidbits about regulations in MD. https://mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=11587

biermkr · Jun 5, 2020

OP, taking the MD Hunter Safety course will teach you the terminology and answer a lot of your questions. But yeah, that .308 will work up to some large game like elk, mule deer, and moose.

Good luck, happy hunting and stay safe!

danb · Jun 5, 2020

Before you buy something... wait to see whether they authorize straight walled cartridges. It will be useful in areas that are currently shotgun only (most of Central MD), and you can put a "straight walled cartridge" upper on your AR.

gwchem · Jun 5, 2020

danb said:
Before you buy something... wait to see whether they authorize straight walled cartridges. It will be useful in areas that are currently shotgun only (most of Central MD), and you can put a "straight walled cartridge" upper on your AR.

Yep, this. New regulations are due to come out in early July. My guess is that straight wall cartridges will be allowed based on the feedback they got.

Pale Ryder · Jun 5, 2020

danb said:
Before you buy something... wait to see whether they authorize straight walled cartridges. It will be useful in areas that are currently shotgun only (most of Central MD), and you can put a "straight walled cartridge" upper on your AR.

This!
Anyone know when we will know? I foresee a run on certain rifles if ok’d, but devil is in the details. Will they follow midwestern states or more along Delaware’s route?

DDShooter · Jun 5, 2020

DDShooter said:
Hi everyone,

First time to post here. I am considering buying a bolt-action Tikkia T3x for deer hunting in Maryland. Regulations say rifles need to be "loaded from the breech of the barrel and use cartridges". I am new to firearm terminology and wonder if a bolt-action rifle like Tikkia T3x is a breech loading rifle.

BTW, what caliber would be good for deer hunting? Would .308 be sufficient?

Thanks to all! You guys are awesome!

In addition to .308, some of my friends suggested 270 and 30-06. I would like to hear your thoughts on these calibers in terms of shooting distance, accuracy, knockdown power, availability, and price. Are 270 and 30-06 overkill for deer hunting?

Doco Overboard · Jun 5, 2020

DDShooter said:
Thanks to all! You guys are awesome!

In addition to .308, some of my friends suggested 270 and 30-06. I would like to hear your thoughts on these calibers in terms of shooting distance, accuracy, knockdown power, availability, and price. Are 270 and 30-06 overkill for deer hunting?

No, 3006 has a wide variety of bullet selection for different tasks/objectives and the 270 has a little less trajectory difference at shorter range than some common magnum cartridges.
The drawback is the bullet selection is not as great for hand-loading purposes but felt recoil is generally less for the same killing effect on game.
My favorite hunting rifle is 270 caliber for deer hunting locally where its flat.

Alphabrew · Jun 5, 2020

danb said:
Before you buy something... wait to see whether they authorize straight walled cartridges. It will be useful in areas that are currently shotgun only (most of Central MD), and you can put a "straight walled cartridge" upper on your AR.

Dang, thanks for this. I’m looking into .350 Legend uppers now...

308Scout · Jun 5, 2020

DDShooter said:
Thanks to all! You guys are awesome!

In addition to .308, some of my friends suggested 270 and 30-06. I would like to hear your thoughts on these calibers in terms of shooting distance, accuracy, knockdown power, availability, and price. Are 270 and 30-06 overkill for deer hunting?

270, 308 and 30-06 are all fine cartridges for taking whitetail deer. The 308 and 30-06 cartridges actually use the same diameter bullets (.308"). The 30-06 has a slight edge in velocity over the 308 owing to its large case size and it has a wider variety of bullet weights available. The trade off is that this equates to slightly more recoil for the 30-06. Hunting is all about shot placement. All three of these cartridges are more than capable of consistent performance at medium to long range. The more important variable is the shooter and knowing the maximum range that you can consistently achieve accurate shot placement. Whichever caliber you pick, practice is the critical factor.

Pale Ryder · Jun 5, 2020

One advantage the 270 and 30-06 have over the 308 is anywhere that sells ammo you can find it. Few years ago during the ammo drought 270 and 30-06 were easy to find, 308 not.

I’m waiting for final word from DNR on straight walled cartridges depending on that to decide on 350 Legend, 450 BM, or 44 Mag. Will they allow semi’s, strict PCC, what?

gwchem · Jun 5, 2020

DDShooter said:
Thanks to all! You guys are awesome!

In addition to .308, some of my friends suggested 270 and 30-06. I would like to hear your thoughts on these calibers in terms of shooting distance, accuracy, knockdown power, availability, and price. Are 270 and 30-06 overkill for deer hunting?

All those are fine choices. If you want to debate caliber merits then we have about 20 more to add to your list.

Best advice folks have given me is to pick one, find ammo your rifle shoots well, and practice at various distances.

remrug · Jun 6, 2020

Since you are just getting started,the recoil of a 270/308 30-06 might be a little much....maybe not.It could start you off on a flinching problem.Before you choose a caliber,is there a way you could shoot some other rifles in different cals? A 243 could be a great starting caliber BTW.I started with a 270 as a kid,but shoot a 243 most of the time now.It has never let me down on deer.

PS....wear hearing protection every time you practice.

jr355 · Jun 7, 2020

Remember much of Central Md. is Shot Gun only for modern bambi season. Outside of those area's .308 is a fine cartridge to use. Ammo is plenty full. And you can get mil. spec. ball ammo for cheap target practice.

DDShooter · Jun 7, 2020

Thanks to jr355 and remrug. That was really helpful.

damifinowfish · Jun 7, 2020

Try to shoot some rifles in different calibers to see what feels good to you. On the smaller side of the caliber scale is something called the 6.5x55 Swed. A caliber that has taken many a Moose in Europe but will get you laughed out of hunting camp in the USA. The key to a good Hunter is shot placement. When I was able to replace my hunting rifle (Guns vs a Roof overhead type of thing) I built a 20 gauge slug gun. I did this because I can shoot it very well and there is NO place where it can not be used. It is a Savage 220 stainless with a Leopold Scope. Yes, I have not needed to shoot past 150 yards yet. My hunting shots all have been within 50 yards so far. Find a caliber you can shoot well and practice.

timbo76 · Jun 7, 2020

I have the Tikka T3x in 30.06 and have to say it shoots very accurate for me. I'm shooting Hornady Precision Hunter 178 Grain ELD-X with mine.
Let me know if you have any other questions about it.

remrug · Jun 7, 2020

jr355 said:
Remember much of Central Md. is Shot Gun only for modern bambi season. Outside of those area's .308 is a fine cartridge to use. Ammo is plenty full. And you can get mil. spec. ball ammo for cheap target practice.

Since I hunt Carroll Co,I forgot about shotgun counties.Now thinking back,I am thinking a little different.A black powder rifle might be a great way to get into deer hunting.They are legal in all counties.There is an early season in Oct,where there is an excellent chance of bagging a deer.You can use one during the firearms season and there is a two week late season.

There are affordable and very accurate ones around these days.CVA Wolf is a good example.
If you have any questions,the guys here are happy to help.PM me if needed.Good luck , have fun,but most of all....BE SAFE

DDShooter · Jun 8, 2020

remrug said:
Since I hunt Carroll Co,I forgot about shotgun counties.Now thinking back,I am thinking a little different.A black powder rifle might be a great way to get into deer hunting.They are legal in all counties.There is an early season in Oct,where there is an excellent chance of bagging a deer.You can use one during the firearms season and there is a two week late season.

There are affordable and very accurate ones around these days.CVA Wolf is a good example.
If you have any questions,the guys here are happy to help.PM me if needed.Good luck , have fun,but most of all....BE SAFE

Thanks for your information on shotguns.

I assume deer hunting with a bolt action shotgun is legal in Maryland. Any thoughts on bolt action shotguns?

Would it be a good idea to mount my rifle scope (say leupold VX-3i 3.5-10x40mm) on shotguns?

hobiecat590 · Jun 8, 2020

Any SG w/ a rifled barrel (870, 1300, Mossy 5xx) etc. in pump action or any of the preceding in semi-autos will do the job.

A fixed 4x scope is bullet proof and is all you need but 3x9 or red dot etc is also OK.

A SBII w/ rifled barrel is my favorite but the Win 1300 also works.

Good luck.

MD deer hunting rifle regulations

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