How To Choose The Best Hunting Rifle?

[Nick Bowker Hunting]

You can’t call yourself a hunting enthusiast if you have not visited South Africa for hunting. This continent offers you a vast variety of animals to hunt. From free range hunting in South Africa to big game hunting, you can find and book many hunting packages online. However, it is important to choose the right rifle for successful hunting. 

Whether you are hunting for the first time or tenth time, you should choose a rifle that fits the game and your hunting style. Most of the hunting package providers provide their own guns to their clients.  However, if you want to choose a hunting rifle on your own, here are some tips for you. 

Do Research 

If you are planning to buy your own hunting gun then you need to do a lot of research. You cannot just visit the shop without deciding which rifle you want to buy. Read about different rifles used for hunting. You can visit the website of the manufacturer or you can visit an online forum. You can ask a gunsmith and there are many other sources of information. Don't buy a gun without doing proper research.

Choose The Right Cartridge 

Some people also call it bullet, the rifle cartridge plays an important role in hunting. You should keep in mind that you cannot shoot any random cartridge from your gun. No gun is designed to shoot all cartridges. So, if you are going to hunt very large game, you need to think ahead. You may not be able to find the gun in a basic hunting collection. 

If you are a beginner looking for a basic hunting setup, you should choose a gun designed to shoot a .270 Winchester, .308 Winchester or a .30-60 Springfield. Go for a .22 or .223 Remington for small game and varmints. The cartridge should be powerful enough to take down the game with a single shot. 

Determine an action plan 

The rifle action kicks out a fired cartridge and loads a new cartridge in the chamber of the rifle. Some hunting rifles fire single shots and some guns are designed to fire repeat shots. Always choose the right type of action. If you are planning to buy a single-shot rifle, keep in mind that you will have to make an accurate shot. Many experienced hunters use single shot guns. A repeating rifle is ideal for a beginner. If you want to buy a single-shot, your choices include break open, rolling-back, falling-block and trapdoor action rifles. In case you want to buy a repeating shot, your choices include bolt action, pump action, automatic and lever-action rifle. You need to try different rifles to figure out which is right for you.      

Evaluate material 

Hunting rifles come at a variety of price points. You don't want to buy just-plain-cheap rifle. However, you need to spot a good yet affordable rifle for hunting. Choose the right barrel and stock materials to invest in the right hunting gun. Most of the guns have the barrels and other parts made from carbon steel or stainless steel. Carbon steel is inexpensive but prone to rust. However, if you can take the maintenance of your rifle seriously, you can buy a gun with carbon steel. Wood and fiberglass are the two options available for the stock and both are good choices. 

Budget and rifle scopes 

Spend wisely. Make sure that you are left with enough money to buy a rifle scope. Mount the scope and get comfortable with it. 

After purchasing the right gun, it’s time to buy a free range hunting in South Africa package.