Rifles and shotguns
In Swedish law¹, reindeer may be stunned by shooting them with a rifle or shotgun. In this case, the following are applicable:
Rifle
Shotgun
Direction
Ammunition
Distance
Ammunition
Distance
The shot must be aimed at the brain.
Min. class 2 when expanding bullet (equivalent to E100 of min. 800 J, bullet weight min. 3.2 g)
Max. 5 metres. For stray reindeer
max. 50 metres.
Calibre 20 or above with min. 28 g shot of size min. 2.75 mm (US 6).
5-25 cm from the animal’s head.
¹The Swedish Board of Agriculture’s regulations and guidelines (SJVFS 2012:27) on slaughter or killing of animals, ref. no. L22.
To be allowed to stun/kill animals using a hunting weapon, the user must hold a licence such as a hunting licence for weapons which can be applied for from the police. Anyone who has a previous hunting licence for weapons can also use these for slaughter. If the weapon is only to be used for slaughter, this must be specified in the application.
The use of rifles and shotguns presents obvious safety risks for personnel. Perhaps the main risk is that any shot that misses or bullets that penetrate the animal’s skull may ricochet off hard materials such as concrete walls/floors. Shots from rifles are dependent on the capacity of the weapon, the choice of ammunition and the precision of the shot. Well aimed free projectiles which penetrate the brain with sufficient force cause injuries which result in the shot animal immediately losing consciousness and, in many cases, dying. Non-lethal shots may be fired, however, as well as shots which do not cause unconsciousness. This may, for example, result from insufficiently effective ammunition which fails to penetrate the frontal bone or incorrectly aimed shots which do not damage the vital parts of the brain. Weapons with free projectiles must damage the brain stem in order to cause unconsciousness and, where applicable, death.