People who are interested in taking up deer hunting for the first time always want to know how to select a rifle.
If you’re in the market for a new rifle, now is a good time to be looking. Until mid-September, you can often find exceptional deals on both new and used rifles at local retailers. You can also find exceptional deals at gun shows and on the Internet. Buying a rifle now will also give you time to sight it in and get proficient with it at a local shooting range.
Before you start shopping, you should research various calibers to find the right one for you. That also will help you decide what sort of rifle you need. For example, if you mainly hunt in the woods, a lever-action rifle chambered for. 30-30 Winchester or. 35 Remington will be a good choice. If you’ll have the opportunity to shoot 200 yards or more, a bolt-action rifle in. 308 Winchester,. 30-06 Springfield or. 270 Winchester will be a better choice.
There are basically five standard types of rifles: the bolt action, lever action, semiautomatic, slideaction and single shot. A bolt action rifle is the most versatile and most accurate. Between the major gun makers, bolt-action rifles are chambered for every modern caliber. Cartridges are stored either in an internal or detachable magazine, and you cycle and eject cartridges by operating a rotating bolt by hand.
Bolt actions are either controlled feed or push feed. With a controlled-feed action, the bolt picks up the cartridge from the magazine and encases it in a rim. It locks onto the bolt from the moment of contact until ejection. That means you can cycle cartridges even if the gun is upside down.
With a push feed, the cartridge can fall against the chamber wall or fall completely out of the chamber if the gun is tilted to either side. The former will result in a jam, and the latter will result in a lost bullet and probably a lost opportunity. If you’re hunting dangerous game, such as cape buffalo, either situation could be fatal to the shooter, which is why experienced safari hunters don’t use push-feed rifles for hunting dangerous game.
The Winchester Model 70 Classic and the Ruger Model 77 are the most popular and most widely available controlled feed selections, but there are big differences. The Ruger Model 77 emulates some Model 70 features, but it doesn’t duplicate them. For example, a Model 70 Classic has a coned breech. No matter what angle a cartridge enters the breech, it will always feed smoothly and reliably in a Model 70 without marring the bullet. It is virtually jamproof, making it the gun of choice for dangerous game hunters.
A Ruger, on the other hand, has a flat chamber, as does every other commercial bolt action. Though it rarely happens, a number of factors could cause a cartridge to engage the bolt at an odd angle, causing the bullet to jam against the breech face.
Also, the Model 70 safety actually blocks the firing pin. The Ruger M 77 emulates the appearance of the Winchester “swinging gate” safety, but it only blocks the trigger. Both allow you to cycle the action with the safety on, something you can’t do with a Remington.
Fit and finish are also quite different. The action on a Model 70 is as smooth and slick as warm butter. The bolt and rails are finely machined and polished. The M 77 is rough, but it gets smoother with use.
The undisputed king of the push-feed bolt actions is the Remington Model 700. Like the Winchester, a Remington action is very smooth and crisp. It is also very strong, although not as strong as the bombproof Weatherby Mark V, which is not to be confused with the Weatherby Vanguard action. The Vanguard uses the Howa 1500 action. There are other variations on this theme, like the Browning A-Bolt, Sako (also used in Tikka ) and the unique floating bolt of the Savage.
Lever action Lever-action rifles are most closely associated with low-pressure, short-range calibers such as the. 30-30 Winchester,. 35 Remington and. 32 Winchester Special. The most popular models are the Model 1894 Winchester and the Marlin 336. The modern Browning BLR can handle high-pressure, high-velocity rounds, all the way up to. 300 Winchester Magnum and. 338 Winchester Magnum. Because they have tubular magazines in which the point of one bullet rests against the primer of another, the Model 94 and the Marlin 336 must be used either with flat-nosed bullets or with the new soft polymer-tip bullets (Lever Evolution ) made by Hornady. The Model 94 ejects spent cases from the top of the receiver, while the Model 336 ejects them from the side. The Browning BLR stores cartridges vertically in a detachable magazine, allowing a shooter to use any kind of bullet he desires. It also ejects spent cases from the side of the receiver, and it is very accurate.
Semiautomatic This type of action cycles rounds simply by pulling the trigger. It works by diverting a small amount of gas from the powder detonation into a piston that works the action. The two most popular examples are the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR ), including the new Short-Trac and Long-Trac, and a long line of Remingtons, including Models 742, 7400 and the new 750. Winchester recently came out with a model called the SXR, but it’s simply a restyled Browning.
Two big disadvantages to semiautos are that they are difficult to clean, and they are not as accurate as bolt-action guns, although the BAR comes pretty close. However, most hunters use semiautos in thick cover, where short ranges don’t demand the pinpoint accuracy necessary for long ranges. Slide action With these guns, you cycle rounds by working a slide, or pump. The most notable example is the Remington 7600, which is basically a restyled version of the semi-auto 7400. Since it doesn’t rely on gas bleed-off, the slide action is compatible with a much wider range of calibers than the semiauto.
Single shot Although they come in a wide range of styles, most single-shot rifles are of two basic designs, rolling block (break-barrel ) and falling block. A rolling block swings on a hinge, exposing the chamber. It detonates a cartridge by dropping an exposed hammer on the firing pin. It is similar in that regard to a lever gun. The most popular models are those made by New England Firearms and Harrington & Richardson. For handgunners, there’s the Thompson Center Encore and Contender.
On a falling block rifle, the breech is exposed by using a lever mounted on the trigger guard to drop a heavy steel block that contains the firing pin. When you chamber a round, you lever the block back in place. The most popular model is the Ruger No. 1, a classic example of grace and beauty, as is the Winchester Model 1885. On the Ruger No. 1, the hammer is concealed.
Single-shot rifles are notorious for inconsistent accuracy and for being temperamental about the ammo they shoot well. The biggest disadvantage is that they prohibit a quick follow-up shot when one is necessary. They are generally not suitable guns for beginning or inexperienced hunters.
Once you decide which type of rifle you want, look for a model that provides the handling qualities you desire. Compare the balance between models and notice how some come to the shoulder easier than others. Some designs also align your eye to the scope quicker than others. When you find your perfect match, you’ll know it instantly.
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