Welcome to the world of rifles! Whether you're a seasoned shooter or a complete beginner, choosing your first rifle can be a daunting task. There are so many options out there, and it can be hard to know where to start. But don't worry, we're here to help. In this blog post, we'll go over everything you need to know to choose the perfect rifle for you. From caliber and action type to budget and intended use, we'll cover it all. Let's dive in!

How To Choose Your First Rifle

When shopping for your first firearm, there are a number of factors to think about. Do not worry, we are here to guide you through the process and help you make sense of all the numerous choices that are accessible to you.

Planning and Choosing

So, first things first: explain to me why you want a rifle. Which of these three uses (hunting, target shooting, or self-defense) do you plan to put first? Depending on how you respond to this question, you'll have a lot fewer choices to consider. If you're going to use it for hunting, for instance, you need to think about the kind of game you'll be after and how far away you'll need to be to successfully shoot it. However, if you intend to use it for target shooting, you should think about the distances at which you plan to shoot and the kind of competitions in which you plan to participate.

Since TacOpShop primarily sells tactical rifles, you may think it strange that we discuss hunting.  But AR rifles are quite common in the hunting sports, not for deer or elk, mind you, but for hogs, wild pigs that occupy with increasing numbers the southern states of the U.S.

Many professional hunters recommend semi-automatic rifles to make fast follow up shots more achievable, and to allow for multiple-animal harvesting when hunting to reduce populations of hogs on farmland or near frequent vehicle strikes.

Consider the Caliber

When choosing a rifle, it's important to first think about what you'll be using it for, and then decide on a caliber that would be suitable for that purpose. In order to determine the caliber, the diameter of the bullet must be measured. The.22,.223 and.308 calibers, as well as the.30-06, are also fairly common. Since each caliber has its own advantages and disadvantages, it's crucial to find out as much as possible about them before making a final decision. A.22 caliber is ideal for target practice and hunting small animals, while a.308 is superior for taking down the larger games at long range.

Coming again to feral pigs, most experienced hunters prefer calibers above .223 Remington/5.56mm.  This is to ensure a quick and ethical kill of targeted animals.  If you already own an AR-15, consider supplementing that with a .300 AAC Blackout upper that will add a harder punch to every shot with bullet weights in excess of 3x as heavy.  The Blackout is a superb upgrade for hunting purposes, and re-uses the same magazines, lower reciver, etc.  Technically, the only part that needs to be swapped out on an AR-15 is the barrel, but swapping a barrel is a more difficult job and more things can go wrong than simply pulling 2 pins and removing/replacing the upper.

The Action Type

Next, you'll want to think about the action type once you've settled on the caliber. When talking about rifles, the term "action type" describes the mechanism that allows the weapon to function and be loaded. Bolt-action, semi-automatic, and lever-action are just a few of the available options. There are advantages and disadvantages to each possible course of action; it is up to the individual to determine which is the best fit.

For precision and weight, it’s hard to beat a bolt-action rifle.  The “charging” of each round is the responsibility of the shooter; there is no auto-loading function.  This charging of the rifle comes at a cost of speed, and deliberate movement.  Several arms manufacturers have reduced the movement required by introducing “short” versions of some cartridges, which manifest the same ballistic performances as their longer siblings, but with a shorter chamber, and thus, shorter charging stroke. In auto-loading rifles, the part that you use to load a round into the chamber is called a “charging handle”.  In bolt-action rifles, that part is unsurprisingly called a “bolt”.

Budget

After you've thought about where it will be used, how powerful it needs to be, and what kind of action it needs to take, it's time to examine how much you can spend. Guns can cost anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. Setting and maintaining a budget is crucial. It would be a bad idea to go into debt because of unnecessary spending. Keep in mind that a quality rifle need not cost an arm and a leg. For those just starting out, the market is flooded with low-cost guns that deliver all the essentials.

TacOpShop offers Credova financing if you have to have it today (you know who you are), and don’t quite have the dime.  We endeavor to keep the cost as low as possible, and choose accessory options that are excellent for most shooters and use-cases, and towards the start of sharply climbing cost/performance curve.  Our motto is “Enough Gun”.  Not too much, not too little.  If you want upgrades in any department, (optics, bipod, flashlight, sling, stock, etc), just let us know and we’ll make it happen.