Just talked with a Captain at ODWC in OKC and his answer was an emphatic "NO," FMJ are NOT legal for deer in Oklahoma. He said, 'It's been that way for forty years, as far as I know.' They even discourage the use of FMJ for varmints or anything else, for that matter, because of the ricochet potential.
I hate to turn over this can of worms.. I was on the phone for 10 minutes to the Wildlife department and 2 guys are searching as I type for the answer
To the Full Metal jacket HOLLOW POINT as to if it is legal or not.
You need to specify Hollow Point..If it is a closed tip it is not legal..
But if the law is written they should know .
I was told they would call me back with the answer to this question.
So far all they could find on the subject is what is written in the general regs that you get for free at wal-mart etc. And being a Hollow point makes it legal as of what I know ..until they call me back on the subject.
Not wanting to prove any person wrong or right ,, I just want to know for fact where it is written and excluded.
To the Full Metal jacket HOLLOW POINT as to if it is legal or not.
You need to specify Hollow Point..If it is a closed tip it is not legal..
But if the law is written they should know .
I was told they would call me back with the answer to this question.
So far all they could find on the subject is what is written in the general regs that you get for free at wal-mart etc. And being a Hollow point makes it legal as of what I know ..until they call me back on the subject.
Not wanting to prove any person wrong or right ,, I just want to know for fact where it is written and excluded.
On this
ricochet potential.
We shoot at a 25foot tall backstop,, it is a watershed dam.
We have targets at 50 yards and the dam is at 100 yards from where we shoot.
The only bullet to wizz over the dam in many years of shooting was a lead 295gr powerbelt hollowpoint Not the copper jacketed one. This was shot at the 50 yard target and hit dirt and took a jump and wizzed across the dam.
We now move up and the 50 yard is the dam.
Not 50 yards from it.
I have shot at
close targets in dirt and seen my soft lead 45acp skip across the soil many times..
That may not be ricochet but skipping..still not something that needs to happen in an uncontrolled environment.
ricochet potential.
We shoot at a 25foot tall backstop,, it is a watershed dam.
We have targets at 50 yards and the dam is at 100 yards from where we shoot.
The only bullet to wizz over the dam in many years of shooting was a lead 295gr powerbelt hollowpoint Not the copper jacketed one. This was shot at the 50 yard target and hit dirt and took a jump and wizzed across the dam.
We now move up and the 50 yard is the dam.
Not 50 yards from it.
I have shot at
close targets in dirt and seen my soft lead 45acp skip across the soil many times..
That may not be ricochet but skipping..still not something that needs to happen in an uncontrolled environment.
Back to the 100grain bullets for my 7/57 I really appreciate the information. I am sort of like Gus I am inclined to heavier bullets so at least for now I am going to stick with the 140s. When I have more time to try the 100s I'll give you a report. Thanks, Joe
I think you just answered your own question. Many hollow points are 'FMJ' but they are legal by definition. I think the good Captain, who is the Operations Manager in the LE division, knows of which he speaks. I've discussed the use of FMJ with more than just him within the department, and all have basically the same response. They do not want to say specifically that FMJ is, or is not, legal for furbearers; but they 'discourage' their use at all in any hunting application. For deer, the Captain said, "soft-nosed or hollow-point bullet," just like the regs say. I won't even get into the ricochet potential because we all know that you can make just about any projectile 'ricochet.' If that's the argument they want to make, that's their business. Nobody can decipher the commission's reasoning with certainty.
I would think they would perform fine for you at those velocities, but like the others, I like my 140 and 160 grain Ballistic Tips and Accubonds out of my .280 and .280AI.
How can a FMJ be a hollow point also..........how can there be such a thing as a FMJ HP? Is there such a bullet advertised as a FMJ HP?
The HP part makes Barnes and Bergers legal.
No HP makes a Barnes solid illegal.
The HP part makes Barnes and Bergers legal.
No HP makes a Barnes solid illegal.
And, to your original question, I just this year worked up some loads for my Ruger M77 in 7x57. I intentionally wanted to try the lighter bullets. I found a load for a 100-grain HP and one for a 120-grain Spitzer that shot extremely well from my rifle. When I go out for the special holiday antlerless season, I will be carrying that 120-grain ProHunter load. I also may very well have some of the 100-grainers along with me for any coyotes I might see. As of now, I have not shot any critters of any kind with either load ...only paper. And, I did not mean to highjack your thread. Sorry!
No exposed lead. Now, what about homogenous bullets? That's a whole 'nother can of worms!
