I apologize if someone else has already asked or answered this. But what is the fascination with having a straight walled cartridge instead of the ML? Is it safety? Cost? Does a Commissioners brother in law own stock in it? I'm not degrading the potential benefits. Straight walled cartridges have very clear benefits over a ML that's for sure. Second or third rapid repeat shots, no cloud of smoke to obscure your view of the running wounded deer, easier loading, faster loading, no loss of a shot to unload, cheaper per shot cost, less prone to moisture or weather related shot failure, etc. Straight walled cartridges by definition make harvesting an animal easier.
But...
We already have a modern gun season. Do we need a second one? And make no mistake, cartridges like the .350 Legend, .360 Buckhammer .400 Legend, .450 Bushmaster are modern cartridges. We've had the option of a doe during ML or the opening weekend of MG for quite a while. Will we continue this? Or will they drop the time allowed during this new season to a weekend as well? You can easily foresee hunters who do not ML hunt, especially those on public land taking advantage of easier to use rifles. This may drive harvest numbers way up in some places and I honestly expect opening morning of this new season to be very very loud.
I've hunted ML since I was a kid. We weren't rich. So I hunted with the family muzzleloader while Dad got the "real" rifle during MG. I'm kind of nostalgic about it. But I also like having my best legal chance at filling a tag. I can definitely see the interest of most hunters moving to the straight walled rifles. Muzzleloaders will probably become to the rifle world what the full recurve is to the archery world. But having seen the slight of hand the AGFC has pulled before? I will need to see the new regulations (private, Zone, WMA) as well as restrictions (in writing in the guidebook) before I start window shopping for a new straight walled rifle.
Miketyson26


But...
We already have a modern gun season. Do we need a second one? And make no mistake, cartridges like the .350 Legend, .360 Buckhammer .400 Legend, .450 Bushmaster are modern cartridges. We've had the option of a doe during ML or the opening weekend of MG for quite a while. Will we continue this? Or will they drop the time allowed during this new season to a weekend as well? You can easily foresee hunters who do not ML hunt, especially those on public land taking advantage of easier to use rifles. This may drive harvest numbers way up in some places and I honestly expect opening morning of this new season to be very very loud.
I've hunted ML since I was a kid. We weren't rich. So I hunted with the family muzzleloader while Dad got the "real" rifle during MG. I'm kind of nostalgic about it. But I also like having my best legal chance at filling a tag. I can definitely see the interest of most hunters moving to the straight walled rifles. Muzzleloaders will probably become to the rifle world what the full recurve is to the archery world. But having seen the slight of hand the AGFC has pulled before? I will need to see the new regulations (private, Zone, WMA) as well as restrictions (in writing in the guidebook) before I start window shopping for a new straight walled rifle.
Miketyson26