I want to use my AR for hog hunting here in Florida. If i were to get 20rd Pmags and use the 5rd limiters, would that be legal here in Florida?? Does it have to be a 5rd magazine?Is there a 5rd magazine the length close to a 20rd mag??

http://www.44mag.com/product/5_round_limiter/42

Hogs are pests in Florida.  No limit on rounds, suppressors, NV, etc.

This is correct on private property.  Rules vary on Wildlife Management Areas.

Even if hunting in a WMA?? I believe you are only allowed to have a 5rd limit. Just don't know if that has to be a "permanent" type of 5rd magazine. Probably one of those gray areas. I gotta read the rules again, but that would be great. No need to spend more money.

I was wondering the samething.  Now that I know I can use my full mags, I just need to find a place to go hunt them

sorry, double post

Yes, 5 rd limit still applies when at a WMA. The Magpul limiting followers will be fine since you have to disassemble the mag to insert or remove it.

That is good news. Much cheaper buying those limiters and using the mags I have. Thanks guys. Now I just have to find a good WMA for hog hunting in south florida!

www.myfwc.com is definitely your friend. It will tell you there that there is a limit on semi auto rifles of 5 rounds!!! I myself bought a couple of 5 round mags which i will be using next saturday for the first time. I rather have designated equipment for hunting than having to take apart the mags every time twice!!

They are a fickle friend and contradict themselves. 5rd doesn't apply to private land.

Prohibited methods and equipment for taking game

This document doesn’t address or advise persons as to local ordinances prohibiting the discharge of firearms or as to the validity of such ordinances.
Taking migratory game birds with a shotgun capable of holding more than three rounds (plugged)
Centerfire semi-automatic rifles having magazine capacities of more than five rounds when hunting deer
Nonexpanding full metal case (military ball) ammunition for taking deer
Firearms using rimfire cartridges for taking deer
Rifles or pistols for taking migratory game birds
Fully automatic or silencer-equipped firearms
Explosive or drug-injecting arrows
Taking or attempting to take game with live decoys, recorded game calls or sounds, set guns, artificial lights, nets, traps, snares, drugs or poisons
Shooting from vehicles, powerboats or sailboats moving under power. Motors must be shut off or sails furled, and the vessel’s progress must cease from such motor or sail before hunters may take wildlife.
Herding or driving wildlife with vehicles, boats or aircraft
Hunting turkeys with dogs
Taking turkeys while they are on the roost
Taking migratory game birds over baited areas
Taking turkeys over baited areas
Taking turkeys when the hunter is within 100 yards of a game-feeding station when feed is present
Taking spotted fawn deer or swimming deer
Hunting with bows equipped with sights or aiming devices with electronic computational capabilities or light projection (laser) features during archery season
Hunting resident game using bows and crossbows with draw weights less than 35 pounds
Using dogs without collars that identify the owners name and address
Using dogs on private lands without written landowner permission
Taking game with modern firearms while hunting during archery, crossbow and muzzleloading gun season
Placing, exposing or distributing soporific, anesthetic, tranquilizer, hypnotic or similar drugs or chemicals; preparation by baits; or by other means where game birds or game animals may be affected, unless authorized by permit from the FWC executive director

You can always email an FWC officer regarding whatever question and they will email you back with an answer. Ive done it before..

If i am not mistaken that law states a magazine of 5 rnds and no more, otherwise it would say plugged or something else just like it does for shotgun. Magazines are not that expensive and with 2 is enough, i got mines at midwayusa for like 36 total so its better to be safe than sorry and spend more money on a ticket than the actual mags.

Of course knowing FWC they have changed their mind since.

I will just buy the 5rd mags and be safe. Do they sit inside the magwell??
I guess I can just get 2 or 3 of these. They are 30rd pmags cut down and permanently modified to only accept 5rds.
http://midwestpx.com/product_info.php?cPath=15_69&products_id=455

You could but like i said, they most likely want to see a mag that holds 5 rounds instead of inspecting a mag that holds 30 but has been customized to hold 5. I would play it safe, well i actually did LOL. Anyways there is about 2" of magazine sticking out, definitely not as much as the 30 round but there is some.

Just curious as to why do you ask? Because of a visual kind of thing or you use the mag to hold the rifle?

Some of you are reading too much into this. My factory 5rd Colt mags are 20s blocked to hold 5 rds. They don't care how big the mag is as long as you can't put more than 5 rds in it when they check in the woods or at the check station.

I've seen conflicting opinions as to whether the 5rd limit applies to hog hunting on private land.

It is more of a visual thing for me. I dont hold the mag at all.

I know on private land, it does not matter at all. I just want to be safe. I am going to find a FWC Officer and find out exactly what will work without getting in trouble. I am going to buy a 5rd mag and see how they look on the rifle. As long as they stick out a bit, then i am good.

Colt 5 round mags are 20 round mags that have a blocking "bar" riveted

in place. I have two of them that came with my first AR15. I would go that

route if you want to hunt with your AR.


 

Here's what it looks like:

What i do is put a pop rivet in the back of a 20 round mag to make it only hold 5 rounds.  If i'm ever done with it and not going to hunt with it anymore i can just drill out the pop rivet.  I've never had any problems with this method and have been checked by FWC officers numerous times at different public management areas.

In Florida, if are hunting in a WMA or other public lands, you have to adhere to the 5 round limit. On private land, well it is your call. You can get 20 round mags which have a limiter to make them hunting legal.

On the topic of using an AR-15 for feral hogs, honestly I would step up in caliber. A 5.56 is a ligh round which could wind up only wounding the animal and having it disappear into the woods only do die later. If you are going to use 5,56 I would try to do head shots on each shot to ensure a humane kill. A ,270 is a good round for hogs, which will not do a lot of damage to the meat. Personally I use either my .30-06 Remington 700 or my M-1 Garand with the 5 round Embloc clip from Aggressive Engineering.

I just took some wood shims and cut them to length to block the follower at 5 rounds. There is no  legal case that the state can argue that makes it any different that the wooden dow used to block a shotgun tube at 3 rounds.

Centerfire semi-automatic rifles having magazine capacities of more than five rounds when hunting deer

I was license checked this weekend and asked the game warden about this. His take- admittedly personal- was "how can you prove you were NOT hunting JUST hogs during the open deer season? He suggested that a hunter would be safer, reg-wise, to use a 5 round mag during the regular deer season and use whatever mag he wanted during off-season or when hunting hogs at night (allowed on private property now).

I couldn't argue with that recommendation; it made the most sense to me so far.

I bought 3 olive 20rd pmags and one pacakge of three of their 5rnd blockers

I haven't hunter in Florida in 15 years, but when I do I will be ready.

Just out of curiosity, what's the fine?  If it's $50, why bother?  Just being somewhat pragmatic about it...like speeding, the fine is really a tax.  If you get caught, you get caught...pay up and move on

ha, you've apparently never dealt with FWC before. It's not the fine, its that he will confiscate everything you have including your vehicle if he so desires.

Seriously?  Did not expect that.  And no, I don't hunt really so yeah I'm not too familiar with FWC.

Game Wardens are no joke.

Wardens are no joke, they will and can strip you if they want.

I much prefer a dedicated 5 rounder, as it is smaller, simpler and no b.s.

So how do we get this stupid archaic FWC reg changed?

I have a friend who works with FWC. He has informed me that you may use whatever mag you posess for hunting as long as it has been limited to the legal capacity. The modification does not have to be permanent, but it can not be undone without disassembling the mag or using a tool. Hunting hogs on private property has no magazine or weapon restrictions, and you may use a beta mag, spot light, flir, night vision, supressor, whatever, if you were inclined to do so.

ETA:


In addition to a fine and possible arrest, FWC has the power to confiscate the vehicle you were using in commision of the crime, any weapons in your immediate possion, ammunition, and hunting equipment. You can also have your hunting privledges revoked. You will likely never see your property again if it is taken away.

Many states have the same policy. It makes most folks think twice about shooting something not in season if they are gonna lose everything involved in crime.

When I was a USMC game warden, many times the civilians we arrested would skate in court with small fines and loss of privilege for a year. When we discovered we could confiscate equipment, we started doing it and the recidivism rate plummeted because no one wanted to lose their gear (and we had 1 case- 1 ONLY- where the poacher got his equipment back and that was after a long and expensive battle.

I was talking about the mag limit.

Although I don't agree with taking peoples stuff either..

I emailed FWC a couple of years ago on this question, technically a 5 rd mag in a AR has the possibility of holding 6rds in the rifle (one in the rifle). The response I got was pretty much "the rifle can only hold 5rds" so tread with caution

I brought this up before and believe that is why most manufactures send a

4 round magazine with their rifles. The statute states that it is 5 rounds

max in the magazine, but I feel the term magazine can be gray to some folks.

I don't believe a charge would stick in court, but would be a pain in the wallet

to get it sorted out.



In any case I think that a 5 round mag is not that expensive and I do not see

why people do not just buy a couple of them to avoid issues.