The Hunting Rifle
By Randy Augsburger
The hunting rifle… its a basic essential. Deciding to buy a hunting rifle is a big step. It is a step up in responsibility since you will become a gun owner with all of the responsibilities that come with it. It is also a step forward in preparedness, since you will now be able to supply yourself and your family with high quality wild protein in the form of game animals.
Gone are the days of picking up a cheap mil-surplus rifle for your first big game gun. A quick trip around a recent gun show told the tale of even Mosin Nagants in the $300+ range.
When shopping for your first big game rifle, there are a couple questions you will need to answer that will help you choose the right rifle.
The Hunting Rifle – How to Choose the Best One For You
What are you planning to hunt?
The first big question is “What are you planning to hunt?” The hunting rifle you choose should be appropriate for the type of game you are going to go after.
Every area of the country has big game; you will need to determine which animals are available for hunting in your area. The easiest way to do this is to look at your state hunting regulations. They can usually be found online with a quick search of “your state hunting season”. There you should find season dates and bag limits for the game animals in your state.
What Caliber / Cartridge?
While you are on the website researching the animals you can hunt, take a look at the regulations regarding legal calibers in your state. This should be under equipment somewhere in the regulations.
Some states will go as far as listing specific cartridges that are legal. Some give you a formula for figuring it out similar to this: .24 caliber minimum, creating a minimum of 550 ft-lb of energy at 50 yards. Confusing, right?
This is where we put all of that aside and stick to the basics. No super duper magnums and no varmint rifles getting too big for their britches. For your first hunting rifle, you will want to stick to a tried and true cartridge that is legal everywhere and is common enough to buy (or barter for) ammo just about anywhere.
The Big Four
Several years ago, a prepper friend in an online forum challenged a group of us to see what the most common ammo that was stocked in our local area was. With only a slight variation, four cartridges rose to the top of the list. You will be best off if the hunting rifle you choose uses one of these cartridges.
These four cartridges are: .270 Winchester, 30-06, .308 Winchester and 30-30 Winchester. All four are capable of taking big game anywhere on our continent. The only hesitation I would have is hunting big bears or possibly moose, but they are still capable.
These four should be legal in all states except shotgun-only states and states like Ohio that list only a few specific cartridges that are legal.
Type of Action
The great American tradition was to get a 30-30 lever action for your first deer rifle. This is still a good combination in a few places but we have come a long way in hunting technology since those days.
I always suggest a good bolt action rifle for a first big game gun. You might be tempted for a semi-auto, or pump action for a quick follow up shot if you miss, but with practice a bolt action is nearly as fast and you shouldn’t be worrying about missing in the first place.
A real bare bones action would be a single shot rifle. These rifles are a pretty good way to get a big game rifle without spending a lot of money.
The hunting rifle you choose should use the latest technology and be dependable.
Sights
I suggest having a scope on your rifle even in brush country. I personally like a fixed-power wide-angle scope, but by far the most common will be a 3x9 variable power scope.
If you are just learning how to shoot, you may want to use just the sights that come with the hunting rifle at the start so that you don't develop bad shooting habits. Sighting in using the sights to begin with will help ensure you develop proper form.
Once you are proficient, it is much easier to sight in on a moving target using a scope, especially if your eyes aren't the very best!
New versus Used
For a first rifle, I would suggest only looking at new firearms. Of course there are exceptions, such as a family heirloom you want to put back in the field, but on the whole as a new gun owner you will want to start with something new and not something that may be worn out and possibly dangerous.
Brand Names
I took a trip to my local gun store since it has been quite sometime since I bought a brand new hunting rifle and I knew there are a few companies who offer package deals for the new hunter.
The store owner and I talked about which rifles shoot well and have few safety problems and a couple that just aren’t up to par.
We narrowed the field to a couple companies that are putting out quality affordable bolt-action rifle packages. They are Ruger and Savage.
If you are looking at a lever or single shot, Rossi has many affordable choices.
Bring a Friend
After all this, when you go to your local gun store to shop, bring a friend who knows something about guns. This is in case you run into a pushy know-it-all salesman. The friend can help deflect some of the gibberish. But if all else fails, walk out before you are pressured into buying something you might not want or need.
Once you know what you want, you can the hunting rifle of your choice online and avoid the high pressure sales tactics. However, you will need to work with your local dealer to make sure you get the rifle and scope fitted to your body correctly.
If you find several local gun stores suggesting the same cartridge/action/brand, it is a good bet that it will fit your local conditions.
Key Takeaways
After you find the right gun for you, don’t skimp on practice. You will need to sight in the gun to make sure you and it shoot straight, and then you need to put a lot of holes in paper before you go into the woods. It is your responsibility to be able to shoot well and make a clean kill.
The hunting rifle you choose will influence your shooting future, do what you can to make sure it is a good one.