Selecting a Rifle: An Organized Approach

Introduction

This article is an introduction to a series on how to select a rifle. This will be a fairly extensive series, with topics ranging from ballistics issues to scope selection. I wouldn’t be surprised if most readers already own more than one rifle, but I do think it will be a useful exercise to study this approach.

My approach will be based on an understanding of the application (hunting, target shooting, home defense, etc.) and working back to the weapon system that is best suited for that particular application. Example: You will be hunting mid-size game at ranges up to 1,000 meters, but not much over that. Or: You want to hunt small game with minimal damage to the animal pelt. Or: You are interested in long-range marksmanship at ranges in excess of 1,200 meters.

Each of those applications will require a different bullet, a different cartridge, a different barrel, a different twist rate, and – necessarily – a different rifle.

Scopes are a specialized topic and I will cover those separately. I won’t spend much time on semi-automatic rifles. I will talk about 5.56mm and .223 a bit, but mainly in passing. I might spend some time on the AR-10, which I think could be a useful .308 semi-automatic. Also, it may well use the same ammo as your bolt-action hunting rifle.

I’m a fan of standardization. If I can find one solution that’s perfect for my main application, but “good enough” for another as well, that’s the one I’ll pick. You’ll find that there are reams of numbers associated with all the different bullets and cartridges we talk about. I tend to look for a combination for which experience and data is abundant. Also, the more you practice with one platform, the more you internalize its characteristics.

Let’s talk about the approach.