Novice or Pro

Whether you are a first-time hunter or seasoned pro it is important to remember certain things when you go to buy a rifle that best fits your style of hunting and the game that you plan to pursue. Here are some of the things you should consider when shopping for a new hunting rifle.

Important Considerations for Buying Your First Hunting Rifle

For practical reasons, starting with an entry-level piece of gear before moving on to higher quality hunting rifles makes sense so new rifle buyers should purposefully buy a lesser quality, lower-cost rifle and plan on moving up and buying another one in the near future. If you follow this advice, you will not be disappointed with your first hunting rifle and you can anticipate buying another one soon after you get measurements and caliber just right so you feel comfortable enough when you pull the trigger on your first hunting rifle. Once your skill level improves you can consider buying a higher quality and more expensive hunting rifle but realize that sometimes it takes hunters years to find a great rifle that fits and shoots exactly how it is supposed to and it can sometimes take decades to find the perfect rifle.

Do A Lot of Online and In-Person Research Before Purchase.

Buying a rifle requires you to spend hours doing lots of online research and reading the best hunting rifle reviews from trusted online sources before you head out to your local gun shop or trade show. Whittle down what most excites you and decide which models you would like to take a look at then read up on them at your local library or buy magazines at your local newsstand or book store before consulting with manufacturer websites and online hunting forums while avoiding sponsored forums that provide biased reviews. Consult with experienced friends who hunt and own rifles and ask for their opinions and don’t be afraid to ask a knowledgeable gunsmith for his or her opinion on a particular hunting rifle you may be interested in, you may be surprised to find that they can be a wealth of information for you in making your final decision on which rifle to ultimately purchase.

What Should I Look for In a Good Hunting Rifle?

A good hunting rifle should feel like a natural extension of your body in much the same way a tennis racquet or golf club feels to anyone who plays those games. A good rifle should also be tailored to meet the specific needs of the situation in the same way golfers have different clubs for different scenarios on the golf course, experienced hunters need to make sure they have the right rifle for the particular type of hunt they plan to do and the game they plan to hunt. If you’re new to hunting or are looking for a basic hunting rifle consider a gun that’s designed to shoot a .30-06 Springfield, .308 Winchester, or .270 Winchester.

Choosing the Right Rifle Cartridge for Your Target Species.

It is important to understand the minute details of each factor influencing your rifle cartridge selection because bullets come in all kinds of different sizes that will affect your choice but the two most common measurements are inches and millimeters. When choosing, consider penetration, which refers to the bullet’s ability to probe deep into the animal’s vitals, preferably going all the way through and exiting on the other side. By far the most important factor in ethically killing an animal is the placement of the cartridge because a poorly placed shot with high power will most likely result in a severely wounded and lost animal which is why you also need to consider the wound channel, which is the damage that is caused as the bullet passes through the body cavity, not making a clean hole but rather making a ragged expanded channel through its path, so the larger the bullet the larger the wound channel, therefore another necessary factor to consider in buying a hunting rifle is the size of game you will be hunting because if you are going to hunt a large animal you may need to purchase a hunting rifle that you will not find in any basic hunting collection.

Single or Two-stage Trigger and Wood or Synthetic Stock

You can either go with a single-stage heavy trigger or the two-stage trigger that gives the hunter the option of switching between the heavy and light triggers as circumstances demand. The synthetic stock can’t compete with a walnut stock from an aesthetic standpoint but synthetic stock lasts longer, they are lighter than wooden stocks and they are cheaper for manufacturers to make, which reduces the cost of the rifle.

In Conclusion Consider Weight, Barrel Length and Recoil Pad

In closing here are a few practical considerations to keep in mind when buying a hunting rifle. First, a lot of hunters are now opting for lightweight rifles because they won’t weigh them down over the course of the hunt. Second of all, shorter barrels are now more popular even though longer barrels provide greater accuracy and result in a more powerful shot shorter barrels are easier to carry in and out of vehicles, and last but not least a recoil pad is a simple device that slips over the end of the stock to provide a welcome bit of padding to absorb some recoil on your shoulder and is well worth it to avoid sore shoulders after hunting.

When deciding what hunting rifle is best for you keep in mind the task you have laid out for yourself and remember that every hunter is different and has different needs. There are a number of basic factors you should carefully consider including weight, durability, caliber, fit, action, bullet availability, and finish. Realize that choosing the right hunting rifle is ultimately important not just to preserve the integrity of the hunt but to increase your odds of success in the end.