Can’t find anything on Fish & Game website saying yes or no.  

Thanks

Ian

Only chiming in with something I know instead of guessing--->rare for me.  

NH really doesn't define SBRs.

Stuff with barrels less than 16"s are pistols.

https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/XII/159/159-1.htm

159:1 Definition. – Pistol or revolver, as used herein, means any firearm with barrel less than 16 inches in length. It does not include antique pistols, gun canes, or revolvers. An antique pistol, gun cane, or revolver, for the purposes of this chapter, means any pistol, gun cane, or revolver utilizing an early type of ignition, including, but not limited to, flintlocks, wheel locks, matchlocks, percussions and pin-fire, but no pistol, gun cane, or revolver which utilizes readily available center fire or rim-fire cartridges which are in common, current use shall be deemed to be an antique pistol, gun cane, or revolver. Nothing in this section shall prevent antique pistols, gun canes, or revolvers from being owned or transferred by museums, antique or arms collectors, or licensed gun dealers at auctions, gun shows, or private premises provided such ownership or transfer does not conflict with federal statutes.

Compare that with what the fish cops say in chapters 206 to 215.

Yes, both are legal. The ban on hunting with silencers was repealed in 2016. There was a multi page thread here following its progress .
https://americansuppressorassociation.com/new-hampshire-hb-500-signed-into-law-suppressor-hunting-now-legal/

I have it in writing from NH Fish and Game somewhere that short barrel rifles are indeed rifles and not handguns for hunting purposes. Years ago I planned to SBR a Marlin 1894 to 15.99" and hunt with it in Zone M (no rifles but handguns ok) because of the definition in 159.1. It still would have been a rifle though so I didn't. Now lever actions in certain calibers are allowed there. That wasn't the case then.

@Ian02
@FDC
@eric496

Adding on to this. Carbines are permitted in "shotgun only" towns as long as they're lever action rifles in .357mag, .44mag and .45colt specifically. Handguns in the listed calibers can also be used in "shotgun only" towns listed.

per writing in their digest:
" Deer hunting is allowed only by shotgun, muzzleloading rifle, and lever-action carbine chambered in .357, .44 Magnum, or .45 Colt. Handguns in the following calibers can also be used: .357 Magnum, 10mm Automatic, .41 Remington, .44 Magnum, .45 Long Colt, .480 Ruger, .50 Magnum, .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol), .460 Rowland, .45 Super, .50 AE (Action Express), .357 SIG Sauer, .327 Federal Magnum, and .400 Corbon, provided that a pistol used for taking deer under this section shall be loaded with no more than 6 rounds of ammunition at any time."

Just verify what sources you get your information from and try and keep it to their actual publications and NH RSA's. Over the years I've seen a number of online sources stating incorrect information to include NHSP having incorrect information of NH laws on their website. I've also heard incorrect information about magazine capacity vs how many rounds are physically in the magazine restrictions as well as loaded firearms in vehicles or concealed (the latter one being before constitutional carry was enacted).

Basically go by what NH Fun&Games actually puts in writing and the RSA's and you should be good.

This is as close as I can get to a direct RSA link for the silencer question. The prohibition of hunting with silencers was 207:4. No mention of what it was.
https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/XVIII/207/207-4.htm
As for the SBR question, you won't find a direct link to it being legal in the RSAs either. Just the lack of a law against it. Honestly doesn't matter if I'm correct and, as Fish and Game told me, it's a rifle or if they actually are defined as handguns under 159:1. There's no law against hunting with them.

They did a lousy job legalizing "lever action carbines" for the shotgun only areas. They should have just gone with straight wall cartridges. Could you get busted for hunting with a lever action rifle or "short rifle"? Hopefully no buy probably yes. The difference between a short rifle and carbine seems to be just wood and a barrel band vs end cap. I'd be pretty irritated if I had one in .41 mag that I wanted to hunt with.

*some selective snipping.

Bolded is basically how most NH gun laws work.  If it is not prohibited it is legal.

There was a back story to the lever action carbine and the caliber specifications for that and handguns, but I honestly forgot what it was.  Almost sure it was about incremental change to get things opened up a bit.

I agree it should be simple straight wall with minimum caliber per species.  If I hunted those areas, I would be harassing my Sen and Reps along with every Sen and Rep on the appropriate committees(House:  Fish and Game and Marine Resources, Senate:  Usually-Energy and Natural Resources) .

Back when pistol braces were a thing, a short 10mm AR made a heck of a choice for the shotgun-only areas.