Pablo Luna
@tents_and_tread
So, you have decided to buy your first firearm for hunting, but, how can you choose the best one, what should you look for exactly? Well, there are a lot of different variables for you to consider, one of the most important being expected use, quality, as well as the caliber of the firearm.
Now, it’s absolutely understandable that, if this is your first time buying a gun, the span of choices can easily make you feel lost, and the fact that there is a huge amount of misinformation that circulates online really doesn’t help either. In some cases, it’s pretty clear that some guns are a tier or two above the other, but, when it comes to similar levels of quality, well, then it gets more complicated.
All of that being said, in order to make the process of choosing your first firearm for hunting easier, in this article, we are going to tell you everything that you need to know.
How do you plan to use the firearm?
The first thing that needs to be assessed is the intended purpose of use for the firearm, and this goes both for the first time buyers as well as for anyone looking to buy a new firearm. Now, as the title of the article states, we are going to talk about hunting, but, even though that has narrowed it down, you still have a lot to do in order to assess the exact hunting style.
In most cases, first-time hunters are looking for either a deer gun, a smaller version of a game hunting gun, or, if they are unsure, they go for a versatile gun. Guns like those come in the form of a dual-purpose firearm, so it can be used both as a defense and hunting gun as well.
All-purpose rifles
The main reason why people go for such guns is due to the fact that they know that they are interested in learning how to shoot, but they aren’t sure if hunting will be a long-term hobby. These rifles are easily modified to fit your needs and can be set up almost like a custom gun. And modification is pretty easy these days, with sellers offering the best AR-15 80% lower receivers for this purpose, considering that the gun that fits this category best is, generally speaking, an AR15 style rifle.
As previously mentioned, these guns can be used for some enjoyable range time, hunting purposes, as well as for home defense. While it isn’t specifically dedicated to any of these exact categories, it’s able to perform pretty well in all of them.
Compromising different aspects
It’s entirely up to you how you are going to assess your needs, but you should know that the expected use of the gun needs to be carefully considered if you want to make sure that your gun does what you want it to do, for the price that you have paid for it.
So, if you do happen to go for an all-purpose rifle, you need to understand that even though these rifles perform well in different categories, jack of all trades is a master of none. But, once you get the hang of it you’ll be able to find out what aspects you want to change – and that’s what customization is all about.
Different quality options
In the last few years, the quality of firearms has risen exponentially, even to the point where a rifle you bought for less than $400 is able to hit a coffee cup at 100 yards. That being said though, accuracy isn’t the only thing that determines the quality of a firearm, so, you should also be asking questions like is it reliable? Does that particular model have any known common problems?
If we are talking about rifles, considering the prices, they can be categorized into four different levels. These four tier levels of rifles are the budget options that run from $100–399, average tier ($400–699), then we go to high-quality tier ($700–999), and finally the luxury, high-performance rifles ($1,000+).
You should know that, in most cases, when it comes to prices and firearms – you pretty much get what you pay for. Surely, there are some overpriced brands, but generally speaking, you should expect to get just as much as you have invested.
What caliber should you go for?
You should never overlook this part, in fact, some would argue that caliber is actually one of the most important factors. Basically, what you should use the firearm you select as your first one is a versatile, low recoiling caliber that’s also quite fun.
What you want to stay away from as a beginner are larger calibers like 30/06, as well as magnums and wildcat cartridges due to their substantial recoil.
In the end, it all comes down to figuring out your exact priorities and then acting on them by taking the time to do your research so that you can make as informed a decision as possible. Now that you are aware of the most important variables, all that’s left is to narrow it down, and you’ll be able to find a perfect firearm in no time.
