Been shopping for a new rifle, but are overwhelmed and confused by the seemingly endless array of choices between manufacturers, models, calibers, action types and accessories available? You’ve come to the right place. Here, you’ll find everything you need to narrow down the options and decide on the rifle that’s right for your needs.
The Basics of a Rifle
A rifle is a handheld, shoulder-mounted firearm capable of hitting targets at great distances with a single projectile. Today’s rifles, however, bear little resemblance to the early muzzle loading, notoriously inaccurate firearms that used slow-burning black powder to launch lead balls from smooth-bore barrels.
The word “rifle” comes from the spiral grooves precision-cut into the interior walls of a barrel, leaving raised areas between the grooves called “lands.” The land and groove combination, which can vary in groove depth, twist rate and spiral direction, is referred to as “rifling.” When a rifle is fired, rifling causes the bullet to spin as it leaves the muzzle, which improves its stability, range and accuracy. Modern-day handguns and some shotguns also have rifled barrels.
Rifle Types and Uses
Hunting Rifles
Because of their potential for accurate shooting and the fact that they come in models that can fire just about every caliber of ammunition made, bolt action rifles are typically the firearm of choice for hunting. Other hunting rifle action types include pumps, lever action and semi-automatics. Due largely to improvements in accuracy and the availability of larger caliber ammunition for the AR platform, more hunters are carrying AR-style semi-automatic rifles.
According to American Rifleman Magazine, Winchester makes two of the most popular hunting rifles in the United States, which are their Model 70 bolt action and Model 94 lever action. Other makers of quality hunting rifles include Browning, Savage, Ruger, Weatherby, Marlin, Remington and Henry.
Regardless of the action type, the right hunting rifle caliber depends upon the game being hunted. A small-bore .22 caliber is a great choice for rabbits, squirrels and other small game or varmints. Larger caliber cartridges and heavier projectiles are needed to deliver the stopping power that can quickly and humanely put down larger animals, such as deer or elk. Good choices are a .270 Winchester or 30-06 Springfield. A .300 Winchester Magnum or something similar is an appropriate choice when going after larger game like caribou, moose or elk. Other popular calibers used for hunting are .243 Winchester, 7mm Remington, .308 Winchester, .22-250 Remington and 300 Weatherby Magnum.
Tactical Rifles
Tactical rifles are sometimes incorrectly called assault rifles, which by definition are firearms that:
- Can be selectively fired in either semi- or fully-automatic modes
- Use intermediate size ammunition such as the 62x39mmor the 5.56x45mm NATO
- Have removable box magazines
- Are effective at ranges of 300 yards or more.
Rifles lacking even one of these features aren’t assault rifles, but rather are regarded as hunting, target shooting or defensive firearms. Semi-automatics are almost always considered to be tactical rifles, as are some bolt action rifles, such as sniper rifles and precision rifles.
Tactical rifles are used by the military and law enforcement agencies, game hunters and competition shooters. The MSR, which stands for both “Modern Sporting Rifle” or “Modular Sporting Rifle”, but more commonly known as the AR-15. The AR-15, which is the semi-automatic civilian version of the U.S. military’s fully automatic M16. Available in calibers ranging from the tiny .17 HMR to the massive .338 Lapua, the AR-15 is the most popular rifle sold in the United States today. AR-15 manufacturers include Armalite, Colt, Bushmaster and Olympic Arms, all of which whose products are among the more than 150 tactical rifles for sale online at Hinterland Outfitters.
Other tactical rifles include Bullpups, the AK-47 and M1A. Some of the more popular MSR calibers are the .223 Remington/5.56 NATO, 308 Winchester/7.62 NATO, 6.5 Creedmoor,.300 AAC Blackout, 6.8 mm SPC and AK-47- 7.62×39.
Some well-received tactical rifle brands include Knights Armament, Armalite, Accuracy International, Daniel Defense, FN Herstal, Heckler &Koch, IWI, LMT, LWRC, POF-USA, Sig Sauer and Springfield. Bolt action tactical rifle calibers include .50 BMG, .338 Lapua, .408 Cheytac, .300 Norma and 6.5 Creedmoor.
Long Range Precision Rifles
The definition of long range is subject to some disagreement within the shooting community, but it’s generally accepted that targets shot at distances between 400 and 1,200 yards are deemed to be long range. Shooting distances of more than 1,200 yards are considered extra-long range.
Long range precision rifles are single shot, bolt action or semi-automatic AR-style firearms that typically use .30 to .50 caliber centerfire ammunition. LRPRs are used for hunting, sport and competition shooting and by military and civilian law enforcement SWAT teams. Bolt action long range precision rifles are the firearm of choice for military and law enforcement snipers, primarily due to their ability to accurately hit targets at great distances. Examples include the United States Marine Corps’ M40 bolt action sniper rifle.
A Canadian sniper serving in Iraq in June 2017 holds the record for the longest documented direct hit in a combat situation. Using a .50 caliber McMillan Tac-50, the sharpshooter hit his target at 3,540 meters, or 2.2 miles, which surpassed the previous record by more than a kilometer.
Here are some characteristics of long-range precision rifles:
- Because of their accuracy potential and capacity for firing larger caliber ammunition, long-range precision rifle actions are typically bolt action or semi-automatic AR-style firearms, which continue to gain in popularity. An example of a single shot LRPR is the Barrett Rifle’ bolt action MRAD.
Some popular long range precision rifle calibers include the .300 Win Mag, 6.5 Creedmoor, .300 Norma, .50 BMG, and .338 Lapua. Accuracy International, Surgeon Rifles, Christensen Arms, Desert Tech, Falkor Defense, Nemo Arms and GA Precision are among the many manufacturers whose long-range precision rifles are available online at Hinterland Outfitters.
- The physical interface between the shooter and a long range precision rifle is the stock or chassis system. Stocks and chassis used on LRPRs help the shooter maintain correct body position and head/eye alignment with the rifle’s scope. Significant advancements have been made in LRPR design and manufacturing over the last few years.
- Top quality precision rifle stocks are usually one piece made from Kevlar, carbon fiber or fiberglass. Lower quality injection molded stocks come standard on some factory rifles, but they’re usually replaced by the gun owner shortly after purchase. Rifle stocks and chassis allow the attachment of bipods, night vision optics and other accessories. The McMillan A5 is a good example of a long-range precision rifle stock.
- The long-range precision rifle’s barrel is its most important component. Made of stainless or carbon steel, LRPR barrels are generally 22” to 30”, weigh 6 to 8 pounds, and are often chrome lined, stainless steel or carbon fiber. LRPRs usually are heavier and longer than tactical rifle barrels, which typically measure 18” to 20”, making them easier to carry and more maneuverable in close-quarter situations. Examples of long-range precision rifle barrels are the Accuracy International AXMC series, which come in barrel lengths from 20” to 27” and calibers from .308 Winchester to .50 BMG
- Long range precision rifle sights are almost always telescopic with variable magnifications of up to 12x or more, mil-dot, MRAD or BDC reticles and 50mm to 56mm objective lenses for brighter and clearer target images. A good example is the Nightforce ATACR 5-25x56mm rifle scope.
Target and Sport Shooting Rifles
Target and sport shooting rifles are precision long guns used by the more than 19 million Americans who regularly participate in competitive shooting matches. The three most common shooting competitions are bench rest, silhouette and position.
Bench rest competition consists of shooters seated at benches firing a fixed number of rounds at a stationary target from a rifle resting on supports within a given period of time. The objective is to put all rounds through a single hole in a group no larger than the bullet’s diameter. Groups are measured in thousandths of an inch, and the shooter with the smallest, or “tightest,” group wins the competition.
Silhouette shooting involves firing at five differently shaped metallic targets at distances of up to 500 meters. The shooter has 2 ½ minutes to fire one shot at each of the five targets from left to right.
In position shooting matches, competitors fire from different positions at targets 1,000 yards or more away. The three firing positions are prone (lying down), kneeling and offhand (standing). NRA-sanctioned matches also include shooting from the sitting position. As with bench rest and silhouette competitions, all shots must be fired within a specified time period.
Most target rifles and sporting rifles are bolt action and have much heavier barrels than standard firearms for stability and increased accuracy. Semi-automatic sporting rifles on AR-15 platforms are also used in competition shooting, including the .308 Winchester JP LRP-07 long range precision rifle.
Competition target rifle calibers ranging from .22LR to bore sizes of .50 caliber or larger. A .22LR bolt action rifle makes an excellent beginning firearm for target shooters since they are affordable, have little or no noticeable recoil and use inexpensive rimfire ammunition. A good example is the bolt action Browning T Bolt with a 22” barrel and synthetic stock, which is available in .17 HMR,.22 long rifle, and .22 Winchester Magnum calibers.
Sights on target rifles can be either adjustable iron sights similar to the Lyman 57 SMET peep sight, or precision telescopic sights, like the 6-24x BSA Platinum Target Rifle Scope with a dot reticle. As with the rifle, the sighting system depends upon the match type and shooting distance.
Rifle Action Types
Called “actions,” the four major types of rifle loading & firing mechanisms are bolt action, pump action, lever action and semi-automatic.
Although there are some single shot bolt action rifles on the market, most have box or tubular magazines that hold multiple rounds. Both types are cycled through a four-step procedure consisting of:
- Lifting the bolt handle upward.
- Pulling the bolt back to either load a round into an empty rifle or eject a spent cartridge. Pulling the bolt back also cocks the firing mechanism.
- Sliding the bolt forward to chamber a live round that has been positioned in the breach either manually (single shot) or extracted from a magazine (repeater).
- Pushing the bolt down returns it to its original locked position, and the rifle is ready to fire after the safety mechanism is disengaged.
A single shot rifle, as the name implies, must be manually reloaded each time it is fired using the above process, except the next round needs to be manually inserted into the breach before pushing the bolt forward to lock it in place. Bolt action repeating rifles store ammunition in either tubular or box magazines that spring-feed the next available round into the breach during the extraction & re-chambering steps.
Single shot rifles, arguably the simplest and safest of all rifle types, make excellent beginners’ firearms and are often used for basic marksmanship training. Highly accurate, single shot long-range bolt-action tactical weapons with precision optics are used for long-range competition target shooting.
Reloading a single shot rifle can be a slow and somewhat cumbersome procedure. Unlike other types of actions, a shooter must take his or her eyes off the target to chamber a new round before taking the next shot.
Pump Action Rifles
Pump action rifles, also called slide actions, hold multiple rounds in a tubular magazine which are typically located below the barrel.
After firing a shot from a rifle, sliding the moveable forearm to the rear extracts and ejects the spent cartridge, strips a new round from the magazine, aligns it with the chamber and cocks the firing mechanism. Pushing the forearm forward to its original position seats the cartridge in the chamber, making the rifle ready to fire. The procedure is the same for a rifle with a tube magazine, except the next round is spring-fed into the breech from the tube.
Pump action rifles are reliable and simple to operate and have been popular among shooters since their introduction in the 19th century. They can, however, be difficult to clean, since some disassembly is required. Slide action rifles are primarily used for hunting small and big game, varmint shooting and recreational plinking.
Lever Action Rifles
Lever action rifles are rugged, reliable and easy to operate. Direct descendants of the Henry Repeating Rifle and the Winchester Model 1873, which was dubbed “The Gun that Won the West,” they’re nostalgically reminiscent of the American West. Often found on farms and ranches, lever action rifles are used for hunting, target shooting and Cowboy shooting competitions.
Lightweight and easy to carry, lever action rifles are frequently also used for game hunting and varmint control. Most lever actions are loaded by feeding ammunition through a port on the receiver’s side into a tube magazine either built into the stock or attached below the barrel. Pulling the lever down moves the bolt back, cocks the hammer, and extracts and ejects the empty casing. A live round that has been spring-fed from the magazine into the breach is chambered when the lever is lifted upward and returned to its original position.
Semi-Automatic Rifles
Semi-automatic rifles fire a round, eject the spent cartridge and rechamber a new bullet with each pull of the trigger. The energy released when a semi-automatic rifle is fired pushes the bolt back, removes the spent cartridge, extracts a fresh round from the magazine and inserts it into the chamber. Semi-automatics, although slightly less accurate than bolt action rifles, have less recoil, since part of the energy released when a round is fired is used to operate the firing mechanism.
Semi-automatic rifles, in addition to SWAT teams and military applications, are typically used for hunting, competitive tactical target shooting and home defense. A potential drawback of semi-automatics is their susceptibility to jamming if not thoroughly cleaned after each use.
Rifle Stock Types
Rifle stocks are made from wood, composite synthetics or laminates, and can be fixed, foldable, adjustable or collapsible.
Wooden Stocks
Wooden stocks are traditional, functional and look great. Most wooden stocks are walnut, although other hardwoods, including maple, myrtle, birch, and mesquite are also used. Regardless of the type of wood, the stock blank needs to be slowly dried for months or even years to prevent splitting and preserve its natural color. Wooden blanks range in price from around $20 for a no-frills, utilitarian stock to $2,000 or more for an exhibition grade custom stock.
Synthetic Stocks
Synthetic stocks can be produced through injection molding at costs less than wooden stocks. Every synthetic stock is uniform and requires no further finishing. Laminated stocks, however, lack rigidity and thermal stability. Composite stocks made from materials such as fiberglass and Kevlar are stronger, more stable and weigh significantly less than injection-molded stocks, making them the better choice for tactical rifles.
One of the reasons synthetic stocks are sometimes preferred is that changes in weather can cause wooden stocks to twist, which can affect a rifle’s accuracy. This is especially true for stocks that are improperly sealed beneath the action and barrel. Composite stocks are unaffected by heat, cold or humidity. Hinterland Outfitters carries an extensive inventory of composite stocks and synthetic stocks for sale online.
Rifle Finishes
Bluing is a chemical process used to help protect a firearm’s barrel and other exposed metallic parts from corrosion. There are several bluing procedures, all of which chemically produce black rust, or magnetite, which leaves a shiny, blue-black finish when treated with a water-displacing oil coating. Most of today’s gun manufacturers use bluing furnaces to chemically induce the black oxide by carefully monitoring and controlling the temperature during the bluing process. Blued finishes look great and generally tend to be durable.
Some firearm barrels are made of stainless steel, which is technically not a finish, but rather is a steel/chromium alloy that offers more protection against the elements than bluing. Another advantage of stainless steel is that minor scratches can be more easily buffed out than on blued barrels.
Hard chrome barrel finishes are arguably the best all-around choice. Their lubricity makes them wear-resistant, and they won’t peel or chip when applied to correctly prepared steel or stainless steel barrels. A chrome barrel’s appearance won’t change unless it’s directly exposed to strong acids or base chemicals.
Another type of rifle finish is nickel plating, which has been used to coat rifle barrels for almost a century. Although less durable than a chrome finish, nickel plating is recommended for refinishing older or collectible firearms. Unless there is a specific reason for choosing a nickel plate finish, chrome is probably the better choice.
Parkerizing is another means of protecting a steel barrel from corrosion and field wear, including increased protection against scratches and nicks. The process involves immersing the barrel in a phosphoric acid solution containing zinc or manganese. Parkerizing is considered to be a better and more effective barrel coating than bluing, particularly in damp or wet climates.
As with choosing a rifle, the best type of rifle barrel finish depends largely upon how and where it will be used.
Barrel Types
A rifle barrel is a thick-walled, steel tube that’s usually 16 to 30 inches in length with a bore diameter that matches the cartridge size it will chamber. Barrels on most hunting rifles are made from alloyed chrome molybdenum steel, as are the barrels on military firearms. The outside dimensions of barrels are usually tapered to lessen their weight, being slightly larger at the chamber where the pressure is greatest when a cartridge is fired.
From a practicality standpoint, there are some advantages to shorter-barreled rifles, including being lighter to carry in the field and more maneuverable in terrain with heavy brush or stands of trees.
Rifle barrels are described as heavy, medium or light, which refers to the thickness of the steel. Generally speaking, the longer the barrel, the more accurate the rifle, although there are exceptions, since rather than length, accuracy ultimately comes down to a firearm’s overall quality and the shooter’s proficiency.
Heavy barrels are typically found on long range precision rifles, target rifles and SWAT and military sniper rifles. Weighing 6 pounds or more, heavy barreled rifles are normally not found on hunting rifles, with the exception of long-range hunters shooting from stationary positions. Heavy barrels absorb recoil and heat up more slowly during periods of extended rapid-fire shooting, both of which help maintain their accuracy.
Bull barrels are a type of heavy barrel designed to deliver extremely accurate shooting. Bull barrels are untapered and are often found on target rifles. Bull barrels can weigh 9 pounds or more.
Medium barrels are a compromise between performance and portability. Standard hunting rifles typically have medium weight barrels 24” to 26” in length. A medium weight barrel weighs between 4 and 6 pounds.
Light barrels weigh less than 4 pounds. Light-barrels are found on some hunting rifles. The Remington Model 700 bolt action Mountain Rifle is an example of a light barreled rifle. Lightweight barrels are also popular on AR-15 rifles.
The standard government profile is a light barrel, but unlike other tapered barrels, standard government profile barrels are thicker at the muzzle than the receiver. Standard government barrels are frequently found on M16 assault rifles or AR-15 tactical rifles.
Match grade barrels are barrels designed for competitive shooting. Match grade barrels are often after-market additions that have relatively narrow manufacturing tolerances and are highly accurate. Most match grade rifle barrels are made from stainless steel. Rifles with match grade barrels are used for competitive shooting, military and civilian law enforcement agency sharpshooters.
Rifle Ammunition
Rifle ammunition comes in two basic types, which are rimfire and centerfire.
A rimfire cartridge’s primer consists of a small explosive charge embedded within the rim of its metal base. When struck by the firing pin, the primer ignites the gunpowder, which releases the energy that launches the bullet. Because the casing is deformed when struck by the firing pin, spent rimfire cartridge casings can’t be reloaded. Rimfire ammunition is available only for very small caliber firearms, such as .22LR and .22 Magnum.
Centerfire cartridges come in calibers as small as .177 used for varmint hunting up to SSK Industries’ massive .950 caliber cartridge with an eight-ounce bullet. The rifles that fire .950 calibers weigh 80 pounds, and can only be fired using a rest or bipod.
Primer caps in centerfire ammunition contain a compound such as fulminate of mercury or lead styphnate embedded in the center of the cartridge’s metal base that ignites upon impact. Centerfire cartridge casings can be reloaded and reused after firing since the primer cap can be removed and replaced. Using a reloading tool, a pre-measured amount of gunpowder is poured into the brass casing, and after affixing a new projectile with the reloading tool, an as-new cartridge is good to go.
Because of their thick metal cartridge cases, centerfire rounds can endure rough handling, making them more reliable for military and tactical uses. Having stronger bases than rimfire ammunition, centerfire cartridges can withstand the higher pressures needed to give the bullet greater velocity.
Ammunition comes in almost limitless combinations of powder loads, casing lengths and projectile weights, shapes and sizes. Just as selecting the right caliber rifle depends upon how it will be used, ammunition also needs to match the shooting situation. Chances are, regardless of the brand, caliber, bullet weight and shape you’re looking for, you’ll find it at Hinterland Outfitters.
Purchasing a Rifle
Hinterland Outfitters take the hassle out of buying rifles and other firearms. Our huge inventory includes rifles, gunstocks, barrels and accessories to fit virtually any budget. Contact us and we’ll be happy to help you decide which rifle type, action, and caliber are best for your intended use. Start the process by reviewing our How to Buy Guns Online information page, emailing us at sales@blog.hinterlandoutfitters.com or calling us toll free at 877-446-8370 to speak with one of our knowledgeable firearms specialists.
Related Blogs:
Beginner’s Guide to Building an AR-15
10 AR-15 Accessories You Must Have
Red Dot Scopes and Sights Buyer’s Guide