Category: Rifle Shooting

Take a few deep breaths and relax your muscles. Focus your eyes. Feel the carved wood on your cheek and cold steel in your hands. Release your breath halfway. Now gently pull your index finger back slowly . . . slowly . . . slowly . . .

KAPOW!

Wasn't that fun?

Now just imagine the buzz you'll get popping off a few clips with a real rifle at a real gun range.

Let's face it. Guns are controversial and they can be straight up scary if you don't know what you're doing. But they can also be safe, ridiculously fun, and super useful. How, might you ask, are guns useful for anyone other than cops and soldiers?

For one thing, shooting sports are awesome. Seriously, how cool are those dudes in the Olympics cruising on itty-bitty skis while lighting up metal targets in spandex jumpsuits? That's right. They're very, very cool. You know who else is cool right now?

Hunters. Believe it or not, hunting is having Renaissance. From onetime hippies to plaid-jackets hipsters, a new wave of hunters are learning how to shoot so they can ethically harvest meat of their own. But plinking targets and filling your freezer aren't the only benefit of rifle shooting . . .

Thinking about personal safety is a drag. We get it. Why would anyone want to think about nightmare scenarios when you could just kick it and eat Oreos? The reason is that it could save your life. Keeping a firearm for personal safety may not be for everyone, but a gun will stop a perp more effectively than some Double Stufs. At least most of the time.

For all their bad PR, firearms have tons of upsides. There's a reason they've hung around since the 14th Century and got a nod in the U.S. Constitution. But what if you're a total newbie who wants to learn safe rifle shooting? It can be scary (and dangerous!) to even touch a rifle without the right experience. Fortunately, you can do a lot of leg work before ever heading out to the range.

So you're ready to jump in and learn a thing or two about rifle shooting. There's more to study up on than you might think. But trust us, these topics are way more fun than trigonometry:

If you're interested in rifle shooting you're probably also interested in life. And by that we mean preserving your own life and the lives of those around you. If this is the case then you ABSOLUTELY MUST go all in on firearms safety before you do anything else. Rifle shooting is a fun, rewarding sport, but people (including you) can die if you cut corners. Take these safety rules to heart, `cause they ain't no joke!

It's pretty hard to accidentally shoot someone with an unloaded gun. That's why it's important to keep your rifle completely unloaded until you're ready to shoot. Never bring a loaded firearm into a home or a vehicle and store your gun and ammo in separate locked cases. This is one of those common sense rules that should be easy to follow, but it's not the only one . . .

The A-number one best way to stay safe while rifle shooting is to simply use your head. Common sense is absolutely critical when handling guns and there's no replacement for good judgement.

There are some times in life (like punk rock and professional cycling) when breaking the rules is kinda cool. Rifle shooting is not one of those times. Lock up your gun safety habits and you'll get WAY more cred.

So we know that rifle shooting can be super fun. You know what's not super fun? Getting arrested. While it's critical that you build A+ gun safety skills, you'll also need to get familiar with the local and federal laws governing rifle use and ownership in your area.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably know that guns are a touchy subject in the U.S. Think we're kidding? Take a look at some gun laws across the country. Strict states like New York and California have minimum sentences that include jail time. Less strict states like Texas and Alaska can hit you with massive fines. Learn the rules in your state, but don't stop there.

If you're planning to take a road trip that involves rifle shooting, err on the side of caution and borrow a gun from a friend when you get there. If it's imperative that you bring your own, then carefully research the gun laws in each state on your itinerary. There may be special regulations about how and when you can travel through a state with your rifle. Don't fight the law. The law will win (again).

Safety is king when it comes to rifle shooting. But you'll probably want to know how a gun works too. Let's take a look at a few key components of a rifle:

The name "rifle" refers to a gun's long barrel. The inside of the barrel has twists called "rifling" like the threads on a screw. The rifling forces a bullet to spin as it travels through the barrel increasing stability and velocity.

The stock on a rifle is the area that comes into contact with a shooter's body. The section where the non-trigger hand rest is called the forestock and the area touching the shoulder and cheek is called the buttstock. Yep, we said butt.

The action on a rifle is the area where the bullet is loaded and fired and the spent shell casing is ejected. There are several different types of rifle actions. Keep reading to learn more.

We're guessing the one thing you desperately need in your life is an excuse to burn countless hours scrolling the Internet. Well HIGH FIVE. That's exactly what you'll want to do before picking out the right gun for your first rifle shooting adventure. No, you can't learn how to shoot safely on the Internet alone. But you can benefit from a whole world of experienced shooters who have shared their wisdom about what you'll want to look for in a gun.

The first thing you'll need to decide is what you want to shoot at. Are you planning to eventually hunt? Well, what's the biggest game you'll pursue? Maybe range shooting is more your bag. Are long range competitions in your future or are you happy to just plink some targets. All of these questions should inform your choice.

One of the biggest mistakes many new hunters make is choosing a gun that's too powerful for them. Trust us on this one. Start with the smallest gun that will meet your needs and step up from there. Nobody will be impressed with your bazooka if you can't hold onto it. But there are a bazillion options out there, what's the best brand?

Reach out to your friends, family, and social media network to help pick through the many brand and model options. Rifle shooters tend to be brand loyalists, so don't take their recommendations on blind faith. Each brand has its own signatures, so keep shopping around until you find one that feels like "your gun." Next, you'll need to put something on it . . .

Finding the perfect rifle is great, but it's not worth much if you can hit anything. This, my friend, is why scopes were invented. Hunters and sport shooters use many different kinds of optics to make sure their projectiles stay on course. Let's learn more:

Getting to know your gun is only half the battle when you're starting out rifle shooting. Here's a shocker: You won't be able to shoot without any ammunition in your gun! Choosing a bullet in the right caliber can be the difference between feeling like a sniper and leaving the range with a sore shoulder. But, um, what's a caliber?

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When it comes to rifle shooting, caliber refers to the internal diameter of a rifle barrel. At the risk of sounding obvious again, you MUST put the right size bullet in your gun or things will end poorly. Think exploded gun barrels . . . Not good. But what's the right caliber for you? And what's with all the confusing decimal points? Let's dig in.

Alright, enough of this book learnin'. It's time to get out on the range and make stuff go boom. Right? Right?!

It's critical that you double check all your safety precautions in those final few moments before your start lobbing lead. Have you looked over your gun to make sure it's in working order and loaded properly? Do you have eye and ear protection? Is the range safe and clear of all people and obstructions? Sweeeeeet. Let's set up a shot.

Finding a stable resting position, or set, is one key to a successful shot at the rifle range. Make sure you're in a comfortable position and your gun is stable on a sandbag, pad, or firing bench. Even slight shakes and jitters in your body and send a round wildly off course. And we mean slight . . .

Even the movement of your breath and heartbeat can cause a bad shot. Take your time and relax to help lower your heart rate. Breath slowly and deeply. Take one large breath and release half the air from your lungs. Now hold your breath to eliminate motion in your chest before the big moment.

You did everything right. You followed all the safety protocols. You're shooting a quality gun with solid optics. You even made a silky smooth trigger pull. So why was your shot four inches down and to the left of the bullseye?

If your technique is sound and you're still spraying the target then you probably need to zero in your gun.

You need to what now?

The zero point is the point at which the crosshairs on your scope and the muzzle of your rifle barrel hit the same thing. This means that when you put your scope on a target the bullet goes where you actually tell it to go. To find your zero point, start but refer back to your scope's instruction manual.

Every scope is a little bit different, so seriously, read the directions. Open the turrets on the top and sides of the scope and determine which controls lateral deviation (know as windage) and which controls vertical deviation (elevation). Make incremental adjustments to each turret between shots. Your shots should not only get closer to the bullseye but also get closer together.

Once you're hitting consistent bullseyes (or close to it) you're zeroed in and ready to take your game to the next level.

We've got bad news and good news. The bad news is that you can't become an elite shoot over night. The good news is that you really can do it with practice. Really! Keep a healthy respect for gun safety, take the time to learn your rifle inside and out, put in your time at the range, and we promise you'll see the results on your targets.

There's a lot to remember about rifle shooting, but don't get overwhelmed. If you only take three things from this article it should be the following:

It's normal to have bad days at the shooting range. Don't get frustrated if you're all over the target. Tomorrow's another day.

Enough talk, let's get out there and shoot! Rifles are tools to be respected, but they don't need to be feared. So find yourself a mentor, do your homework, and get poppin' at the range. With a little bit of experience and a lot of diligence, rifle shooting is a sport that can provide a lifetime of fun and confidence.