How to Use Pump Action Rifles for Target Shooting

The pump action rifle is an increasingly rare but dependable firearm model. Like its more popular shotgun equivalent, the pump action rifle operates by manually moving the fore grip to discard spend rounds and chamber new ones. However, a few important differences must be noted if you're to employ the pump action rifle when you next go target shooting.

Instructions

1. Load the rifle by placing the butt on the ground with the barrel tilted away from your face and disengaging the tube magazine gate underneath the barrel. Unlike a pump shotgun, a pump action rifle features a tube magazine that runs parallel to the barrel.

2. Close the magazine tube once it's fully loaded and find the pump release, usually located somewhere near the trigger guard. Remember that some pump action rifles have releases on other parts of the firearm.

3. Depress the pump release and bring the foregrip all the way to the rear and then move it crisply forward. You'll see a single round feed into the chamber during this action. At this point, the weapon is fully loaded.

4. Take aim at your predetermined target, switching the safety to off only once you are assured it's safe to fire. Some pump action rifles do not feature a safety of any kind and you should remember in these cases to exercise special caution.

5. Fire once you have sighted your target. Once the shot is complete you can work the pump action a single time in order to eject the spent round and seat the next.

6. Place the weapon on a flat surface and manually extract a shell casing if a weapon malfunction occurs. In the case of a pump action rifle, these jams are usually cleared without much difficulty.