Shooting a rifle
Shooting a rifleHow to shoot a Ruger rifle
The rifle that I'm going to explain how to shoot is the Ruger M7, Bolt-action .243. Shooting can be fun and relaxing, but first you need to become familiar with your firearm. Once familiar you can learn safety and finally get to the fun part of actually how to shoot.
To become familiar with your rifle is straightforward and simple. There is the stock, which is usually made out of wood, but fiberglass is now becoming more popular. The stock is what your shoulder supports when aiming and firing. Next is the barrel, which is about eighteen inches in length. The bolt is the metal cylinder with a metal grip coming out at about a 125-degree angle. The trigger is under the bolt and you should always be careful that nothing knocks against it. The most important part of the rifle is the safety. It's a small switch on the top part of the stock. Maker sure you can see the S on the safety to insure that the safety is on.
Safety is always a critical part of shooting. Always wear eye and ear protection of some sort, especially when at a shooting range. Using eye and ear protection will insure that you don't damage your ears from the extremely loud noise of shooting, and protect your eyes from ejecting shells and backblast. Eye and ear protection can be rented or bought from any shooting range or sports store like Jumbo Sports or Wal-Mart.
Never point the rifle at anybody. A firearm no matter what is always treated as if it were loaded. Every year people are shot and killed because they thought the gun was
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unloaded. Check to see if the rifle is actually loaded. Do this by pushing up the bolt lever, don't be gentle, and pull it back with just as much force. Close the bolt and open it again to double check. As always keep you finger off the trigger, keep it under the trigger guard or somewhere else when handling your rifle. Furthermore never let the rifle drop or knock against anything. It could cause the rifle to go off by accident.
Now the fun part, the actual how to shoot this rifle. Get some .243 ammunition from Wal-Mart. There's a Wal-Mart close to everybody. A box of .243 ammo will be about twelve dollars. Next lay the rifle across your lap so you have access to the bolt lever, and open the bolt as explained earlier. Place a round into the chamber till it clicks into place. Push the bolt all the way forward, chambering a round, and check again that the safety is on. Now lock the bolt down. Take the rifle and bring the butt of the stock to your shoulder. Make sure your left hand is on the hand guard under the barrel. Level the rifle at your target, an animal, a can, a president, or something of that nature. Line up your sights till the are even. Push the safety forward with your right thumb away to the off position. Take a deep breath and slowly let half of it out. Squeeze the trigger.
Now you know the basics of being able to shoot a Ruger bolt-action. The safety, familiarization, and the knowledge of how to shoot will make the experience much more enjoyable.