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How To Choose The Right Rifle Ammunition

by Amanda Phillips

If you're a licensed firearm owner, you need the right ammunition for your rifle to work effectively. Also, using the right ammunition prevents gun damage and injury to the shooter. If you're shopping for rifle ammo, here's a guide to help you.

Choose the Ammunition Based on the Use

Rifle owners usually use rifles for three primary purposes:

  • Hunting

When hunting, use rifle ammo that kills quickly while causing less suffering to the animals. In this regard, avoid FMJ bullets and use hollow point ammo that expands when it hits the target to create bigger wounds. Also, use powerful cartridges that deliver sufficient force to put down the intended animals immediately.

However, if you're hunting birds or small animals using a shotgun, choose birdshot cartridges, as they have small pellets that dissipate around the targeted game, increasing the chances of hitting the targeted animals.

  • Target Shooting

Target shooting is usually for fun or for sharpening your shooting skills. Therefore, you don't require powerful and costly ammo. Note that powerful ammo produces higher recoil, which may require more effort to operate the rifle. This can make target shooting less fun, as your arm may tire fast. Therefore, avoid magnum rounds.

Also, target shooting requires shooting many times, and you need affordable ammo such as full metal jacket (FMJ) bullets. These bullets consist of lead with a copper covering, which makes them inexpensive and easy to manufacture.

  • Self-Defense

Rifle ammo for self-defense should be able to neutralize a threat as fast as possible. Hence, the ammo should produce reliable and great force, such as that of hollow-point bullets. This ammo has an empty cavity at the bullet's tip, which expands when it comes into contact with the target and creates a large hole. Additionally, the hollow bullet tip cavity helps keep the bullet in the target, preventing injuries to other people.

Consider the Bullet Caliber or Size

A gun's caliber refers to the barrel's diameter and ultimately the bullet's diameter that fits into the barrel. There are various bullet sizes for multiple rifles, and you need to choose the correct size that matches your gun. However, some rifles can accommodate multiple calibers. If you want to determine your firearm's caliber accurately, check for caliber engraving on the weapon, particularly on the headstamp at the cartridge's bottom.

Also, you have to match your rifle's caliber with the ammunition. Hence, check the ammunition box for caliber descriptions, as manufacturers usually provide these details.

Choosing the right rifle ammo requires selecting the correct caliber or bullet size and selecting the ammo according to the intended purpose. Consider this guide to find the correct rifle ammunition.

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