How to Choose the Right Rifle
Choosing the right rifle is about more than simple statistics like accuracy or staying within budget. Those are important, but a shooter must also consider exactly what he wants to do with the rifle, the kind of ammunition he wants to use, and his level of comfort with the complexity of a particular action. There is a lot to think about when shopping for a reliable rifle that will give a shooter good service.
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Instructions
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Choosing the rifle
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Set your budget and try to stick to it. For example, trying to stay within a budget might mean dropping attractive features, like mother-of-pearl inlay on a wooden rifle stock. On the other hand, don't let your budget be the final arbiter of making your choice. If the rifle you absolutely need costs more than your budget, that is a good sign you need to rethink that budget.
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Keep in mind your size and the state of your shoulders. For example, most women and anyone with chronic shoulder trouble should avoid rifles that use very large cartridges and therefore have a vicious kick. Being one of these people would make shooting an elephant gun, with a monster cartridge like a .416 Weatherby Magnum, difficult at the least and perhaps impossible.
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Decide if you will ever go hunting, and if so for what. Almost all rifle owners will take the rifle down to the range for target practice, but hunting demands matching caliber to game. The .308 (also known as the 7.62 mm) round is a popular all-around cartridge for hunting, but is totally unsuitable for small game. A bullet that big will destroy a pheasant, rabbit or squirrel.
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Think about how your want to shoot and the kind of action you want. Bolt-action rifles enjoy a reputation for being the most accurate action, but they are also among the slowest. If all you want to do is plink bullets at old bottles and cans, a .22 LR semiautomatic rifle is probably the best choice.
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Consider where and at what range at which you will do your shooting. The reason why the .30-30 lever action rifle is so popular with deer hunters is because of range. Most deer hunting takes place in a forest, where there is little reason to put one very accurate shot at 400 yards. In the woods, the target is usually at a range of 100 yards or less, partially covered, and prone to move. A .30-30 lever action isn't as accurate as a .308 bolt action, but it is accurate enough and still packs a .30 caliber wallop.
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Decide if you want a telescopic scope. If so, at a minimum you will absolutely want a scope that is already fitted with rings. There will therefore be no need to have them fitted later, or to use an inferior clamp scope.
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Keep how much work it will take to clean the gun in mind. The more complicated an action, the more trouble a gun is to disassemble. Also, some types of ammunition and actions combine to become dirtier than others. Older AR-15s and Marlin .30-30s have a reputation for attracting dirt and scorched powder.
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References
Resources
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