What Really Matters When Picking a Hunting Rifle or Cartridge

There are many things to consider when shopping for hunting gear — particularly a hunting rifle or cartridge. Gun writers like me often complicate the matter by going into molecular-level detail on them. Though it’s our job to conduct thorough testing and provide valid data and information, it can sometimes have a paralyzing effect on a detail-oriented hunter who’s shopping for their next gun or considering a new cartridge. That hunter generally has the desire to be as well equipped as he or she can be, but sometimes takes it too far. Many hunters direct a large percentage of their focus on situations that they are very unlikely to encounter, rather than concentrate on the basics that will truly help them be prepared.

Look at any hunting forum or online group and you’ll see a never-ending stream of angst-gripped hunters seeking advice on the most specific rifle, cartridge, and ammo details, which are often irrelevant to their application. It’s common, for example, to pick a cartridge based on its ability to perform at distances beyond 600 yards or the ability to punch through an elk at any angle “just in case.” Hunters will concoct any number of imaginary scenarios that they’re unlikely to encounter rather than focusing on the basics. 

Realistically, most hunters won’t and shouldn’t be taking long-distance pokes or forcing marginal shot angles. To gain the theoretical advantage they think their rifle or cartridge offers them, they’ve often added cost, lots of recoil, and actually sacrificed some of their effectiveness.

We should always strive to know our equipment and make well-informed decisions, but that must be balanced with a realistic perspective on what really matters and what doesn’t. It can even help us to list what we want versus what is most important for our application. Ideally, we can strike a balance between maximum capability and practicality. It’s good to consider every variable, but only as much as they truly matter.

What Doesn’t Matter So Much When Picking A Hunting Rifle

Cartridge/Caliber

The hunting rifle market has been heavily cartridge-focused for well over 100 years. New cartridges are introduced nearly every year, and many of them have excellent performance characteristics. There are many details that gun and ballistics nerds like myself indulge in without reservation, and there are numerous reasons why some newer cartridges are just better than older ones. However, all the charts and data can become a quagmire to a hunter who thinks that it matters more than it does.

Of course caliber and cartridge selection matters a bit, but only when considered in context. Someone who hunts elk in wide open country should focus on the class of cartridge that delivers the trajectory and on-impact velocity they need. But many of those cartridges are simply unnecessary for the big woods deer or black bear hunter. It’s important to consider the broad characteristics of your cartridge selection based on how you hunt. Beyond that, it simply doesn’t matter that much.

Many Cartridges Will Do The Same Job

The differences between cartridges like the 6.5 PRC and 6.8 Western or the 7mm Rem. Mag. and 7mm PRC are real. But the nuanced differences between those cartridges likely won’t make any difference for most hunters when it comes to killing an animal. For many hunters, a 6.5 Creedmoor or .308 Win. will work just as well as magnums, without as many drawbacks. It’s fun to debate the merits of different cartridges, but most people shouldn’t place too much weight on that small performance differential or feel compelled to change if they’ve already got something that works well for them.

The boring truth is that the average hunter who is shooting at responsible distances can just pick a reasonable cartridge they like and it will work well for most big-game animals.

Sub-MOA Accuracy

One of the most boldly proclaimed characteristics of any “good” hunting rifle is sub-MOA accuracy — and it’s also one of the most misleading. Many rifle makers tout sub-MOA performance, but these guarantees are usually empty. Both manufacturers and media have contributed to this arbitrary standard, but in a way that isn’t practical or meaningful to the hunter. Chasing the rabbit of sub-MOA accuracy can unnecessarily cost you a lot of time, money, and stress. It doesn’t have to though.

We all should pay attention to rifle accuracy, but usually it isn’t what we think it is. We value a rifle that shoots tight groups and will reliably place a bullet where we need it to go. Defining a rifle’s level of precision is a way for us to gain confidence and, ideally, make an informed decision on every shot we take. The problem is that rifle accuracy or precision typically isn’t quantified in a way that gives the hunter valid expectations for their guns. 

What is A Real Sub-MOA Rifle?

What does that mean? It means that the way accuracy is often defined is based on inadequate information and data. Just because a rifle can usually or always shoot three- or five-shot groups that measure under an inch, that does not mean that you can expect any given shot to fall within a one-inch circle. To see the true cone of fire or group size that a rifle will produce requires more than just three or five shots. Since the OL gun team began compiling larger sample sizes for our accuracy data, we have seen a clear pattern: three- and five-shot groups vary in size and location. But with a given rifle, a 20- or 30-shot sample will almost always be the same — whether the sample was a composite of one-, three, or five-shot groups. More deflating, most hunting rifles are not sub-MOA accurate when using a meaningful sample size.

Sub-MOA Hunting Rifles Aren’t Common

Of the many thousands of rounds I’ve fired and recorded over the past couple years, I have only seen a handful of hunting rifles achieve true sub-MOA accuracy. Many rifles can shoot some sub-MOA groups, but that’s not solid enough to give real meaning to a hunter. Unless your hunting rifle is wildly inaccurate, you don’t need to sweat it. When shooting groups, we often excuse “flyers” or, worse, are confused by them. Don’t be. They are almost always within the normal range of dispersion for that rifle and ammunition combo. If it’s not acceptable to you, try something else. Generally, a hunting rifle that will keep all shots within a 2-MOA cone of dispersion is perfectly adequate for any normal hunting application.

Bullet Energy

Bullet energy is a metric that is regularly cited in attempt to quantify the killing power or effectiveness of a cartridge. Though the kinetic energy a projectile carries certainly influences its effectiveness, an energy value alone isn’t useful. Kinetic energy simply does not directly translate to tissue damage. Even when considering a particular bullet, the energy value doesn’t allow us to articulate the damage the bullet will do. Velocity is useful, kinetic energy isn’t.

You will regularly hear kinetic energy figures used as guidelines for hunting game, such as 1,500 foot-pounds being minimum for elk, but these are meaningless. Why? Because actual tissue damage can vary greatly depending on bullet design. In some cases, projectiles with less kinetic energy can cause much greater damage than projectiles with more energy. Bottom line? Don’t waste your brain cells thinking about how much kinetic energy a bullet has — there are more valid things to consider.

What Does Matter When You’re Picking a Rifle or Cartridge

We’ve talked about some of the things that don’t matter so much. Now this is where you should focus your thought and effort:

Ergonomics, Handling, and Shootability

Whether picking a rifle, cartridge, or both, your ability to shoot well trumps nearly every other factor. If you pick a reasonable cartridge that you’re deadly accurate with, you’re set up for success. If you don’t shoot it well, it doesn’t matter how large or powerful the cartridge is, you’re asking for disappointment. The rifle itself plays a role too. There are endless styles and options to choose from in a hunting rifle, but the most important part is that the gun is a good fit for you — that it’s one you can carry and operate easily and intuitively.

Read Next: Best Rifles, Tested and Reviewed

You may come to prefer one style of action or stock over another and, sometimes a premium rifle is the best choice. Remember though, that it’s not the feature set, style, or price tag that matters, rather how well it suits you and how well you can shoot it.

Understanding Bullet Construction and Impact Velocity

There are many effective hunting bullets to choose from and, if they’re accurate enough, it usually doesn’t matter that much which one you choose. They’ll all work well when used within the appropriate operating parameters. Understanding different styles of bullet construction and the implications of impact velocity will be much more valuable than rattling off kinetic energy numbers. Each bullet is designed to function a certain way, within a certain velocity window. Knowing how your bullet of choice functions, what velocities it functions properly at, and at what ranges you can maintain those velocities matters a lot more than which specific bullet you choose. This can help you make a more informed cartridge, rifle, and bullet choice based on how and where you are hunting.

Properly Zeroing and Practicing with Your Hunting Rifle

Most shots that result in missed or wounded game aren’t due to an inadequate cartridge or an inaccurate rifle. It’s sometimes due to mechanical error or a bad zero, but the shooter is most often to blame. Taking the time and ammo to establish a rock-solid zero with this 20-shot method will give you both a reliable picture of your rifle’s precision or group size, and the confidence of knowing you have an accurate zero. 

Unsatisfyingly, fixing our greatest source of shooting error, us, requires more effort than the obligatory pre-opener paper-plate range session. You need to spend time behind your gun in the same way you’ll hunt with it. For a hardwoods deer hunter, that might mean practicing shooting offhand from a seated position, or supporting your rifle as if shooting out of a box blind. An open country hunter might want to practice multi-positional shooting while clipped into his or her tripod. For a recent trip to west Texas, I practiced shooting from standing and seated positions using a tac table on a tripod for support — which paid off when I had to make a quick standing 225-yard shot on a hog. 

Repetition

A valuable part of your shooting practice is rhythm and gear familiarization. If you go shoot an NRL Hunter match on the clock, you’ll find out exactly what I mean. Drilling on setting up and shooting may seem mundane, but it develops familiarity with your equipment and support system and will help keep you from fumbling when the chips are on the table. You don’t even need to burn a lot of big-game ammo. Use a .22 or even dry firing for practice, focusing intently on each shot. It will improve your skills and give you confidence.

Don’t Sweat What Doesn’t Matter

Diving deep into gear, rifles, and cartridges is fun, and understanding their many facets can sometimes make us more effective hunters, just don’t let it cripple you with indecision. Our human inclination is to solve the uncertainty of hunting with tools and gear. We are always looking for an edge, however slight. Many hunters try to gain that edge by choosing a magnum caliber or the most expensive custom rifle. We focus on the gear more than the knowledge or skilled application of that gear. It’s easier to place the mental weight of our success or failure on a bullet or cartridge rather than our own discipline and skill. If you’re a new hunter, or just shopping for a new rifle or cartridge, don’t sweat the small stuff. Pick something you think will work well for you and use the hell out of it. That’s what matters more than anything.