Hunting question?

[InTheVault]

Hi everybody. I don't usually visit this site since I don't hunt, but while reading an article on cnn.com, I happened upon a hunting accident article that didn't make sense to me and I was hoping of getting some answers. In the article, it mentioned that a 14 year old boy died from being shot by an AK-47 that his grandfather was lugging around with him while they were hunting. Apparently, the gun went off when the trigger snagged on a tree while they were out hiking I would assume. My question is this. Do most people go hunting with AK-47 guns? It seems such an odd thing to me as a non-hunter to use an assault rifle to hunt with. Is it just a Texas thing or do a lot of people use assault rifles to go hunting? I'm not trying to bring up an controversies and really just want an answer to my question

[sprigkiller09]

Ak-47 normal for hunting no. Actually that would be the first time i have ever heard of it. It can be used for non-game animals like nutria. But for big game hunting or game birds its illegal.

[Incredible_Bulk]

Hi Chow,

The 7.62x39 round fired by the Ak-47 actually makes a good deer round. Diameterwise its equivalent to a .311 caliber, which is just a shade bigger than the .308 which is common in the .30-06, .308, and .30-30 rounds which are arguably the most popular caliber for North American Deer.

As for the Ak-47, they're perfect firearms for the outdoors, they operate in the worst of conditions, and rarely jam. They are a shade less accurate than your typical hunting rifle due to the shorter stock, and often canted sights... but with enough practice it can shoot quite nicely. This article (I read it as well) was incorrect in its terminology... the Ak-47 refers to the fully automatic version of the rifle, while the AKM is the semiautomatic "civilian" version. I can almost guarantee he wasn't using the fully automatic version. There are actually a lot of folks across the country that use their AKM's for hunting. They're easy to get your hands on and are pretty cheap to own and shoot. They're actually legal to hunt with in Oregon provided you use a 5 round magazine with it.

With that said... while it has appreciably similar stopping power as a .30-30 round, the safety and accuracy is not ideal on the AKM and its variants. It's a selector switch on the right side of the rifle, and can easily be tripped downward putting the rifle into fire, and resulting in the really unfortunate accident in the article, but if you're comfortable with the rifle, and extremely careful, then its not a safety and accuracy is not a major problem.

Biggest issue with this situation was muzzle control. I don't want to armchair quarterback this one, but if his muzzle had been controlled, the accidental discharge would not have hit anyone.

Hope that helps!
Bulk

[Rank Amateur]

I would have to question why it would be illegal for biggame??? I have an AR-15 (16) which is the NATO counter of the AK-47 and it is legal for biggame, not that I will use it for that other than a predator called in bear or cougar.

Yes, most people do not hunt biggame with an AR or AK, but with a 5 round magazine they are no different than other accepted auto-loaders. Most hunters use a bigger caliber and more specialized weapons for biggame hunting.

[YoteHunter]

i think the AKM would be a good hunting rifle as long as you were comfortable with it, used a 5 shot magazine and didn't keep it loaded (chambered) while walking around or hiking. i myself do predator hunting with a AR style rifle i was not aware you could hunt big game with a AR style rifle i thought you had to use bigger then .22 caliber for hunting big game.

[Incredible_Bulk]

Technically the AR-15 is larger than .22 as its a .223 caliber or 5.56 Nato depending on the chambering, which is like a .224. So I think its legal on a technicality.

That's the trick with these types of rifles. If you're comfortable with them and use appropriate safety measures, you're going to be fine.

Aside from someone losing their life, what's sad is, it's only going to add fuel to the fire of those working on ridding the U.S. of these evil semi-automatic weapons...

[baltz526]

auto accidents happen from the improper use of a vehical, gun accidents happen from the improper use of a weapon, the only difference between them is that there are thousands of auto accidents every day

[tikkahunter]

deer and smaller you can hunt with a .22 cal centerfire round in oregon which eliminates the .22 long rifle but all .22 cal are ok as long as they are centerfire