What guns are legal to hunt deer in the UK? Are muzzleloaders legal? What about smoothbore shotguns with rifled slugs? How about rifled slug guns and sabot slugs? Thanks guys.

According to Alcock's Stalking Deer in Great Britain, in Scotland you may take roe with a .222 or larger. Other species require no less than a .243. In England (and I suppose Wales) a .243 would be the minimum for all species. This information is current as of 1993 but I haven't heard of any changes. As you can see, the regulations require modern rifles for deer stalking unless your smokepole can be heated up to the required ballistics . . . and that isn't impossible. Forget shotgun on deer, I think, though it may be legal on roe should one show up on a general game drive, and assuming that you have a couple of charges of buckshot at hand.

The basic info given by Old Sarge from Ian Alcock is correct, but it is not quite the full picture. The law defines what is legal using minimum calibre in conjunction with a minimum velocities, bullet construction, and bullet weights. The law and the formula used vary some what between Scotland and the rest of the UK and also in the circumstances it is applied. Night shooting deer under licence in Scotland requires a heavier calibre than normal stalking. Allowances are made for special circumstances i.e. shot guns can be used for crop protection and the humane destruction of injured deer but the size of shot etc is specified. I am loath to start quoting all these figures off the cuff as I will get them wrong but I will look for the info on line. I don't think hunting with a muzzleloader is illegal as such as long as its meet the appropriate ballistic criteria. Hunting with handguns and bows/crowbows is illegal however.
For visiting hunters, the .243 with loaded to typical factory velocitieswith 100grn SP or HP ammo can be considered as the minimum calibre which is legal through out the UK for all species of deer.

[ 05-22-2003, 12:36: Message edited by: Pete E ]

Pete - well put! Ian

"In England and Wales rifles must be at least .240 inches in calibre. The bullet must be expanding/hollow nosed with a muzzle energy of at least 1,700 ft/lbs.

In Scotland, for Roe deer rifles must be at least .222 inches in calibre. The bullet must be expanding/hollow nosed with a muzzle energy of at least 1,000 ft/lbs and a muzzle velocity of at least 2,450 ft/sec. For other species of deer the rifle must be at least .243 inches in calibre. The bullet must be expanding/hollow nosed with a muzzle energy of at least 1,750 ft/lbs and a muzzle velocity of at least 2,450 ft/sec."

Lifted from the Metropolitan Police web site

HTH

[ 05-23-2003, 13:14: Message edited by: British ]