NZGAC Hunter Education. Enabling better education and safer hunting practices.
NZ Hunter Education Course:
Module 3: FIREARMS
(Part 2) The difference between rifles and shotguns.
RIFLES
The three features of a rifle (see image 1) are as follows:
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Long barrel – from 16 inches to 28 inches or more
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A rifled bore
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Butt of the stock which fits into the shoulder of the shooter.
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Rifling - while the bore is essentially a long metal tube, a rifle has grooves cut or forced into the tube which impart a spin to the projectile, thus making it shoot more accurately.
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Calibre - this is the distance from land to land measured in inches or millimetres. The groove diameter is the distance across the grooves, whereas the land diameter is the distance before the grooves were cut. Also used to describe specific cartridge types. Cartridges are thus designated .30 cal or .270 calibre etc (see image 2)
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Barrel stamp - Most rifles (and shotguns) are stamped by the manufacturer with the cartridge the rifle is chambered for eg. .270 Winchester, 7mm Remington Magnum. (see images 3 - 6)
Only ever use ammunition that the firearm is designed for.
Using an incorrect cartridge could cause injury or death.
Always check to see that you are using the correct ammunition.
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Sights - the sight is used to aim the rifle. Telescopic sights are the most popular today, but hunters also use laser sights, iron ‘v’ sights or aperture sights. (see image 6)
Image 3 Barrel Stamp (click to enlarge)
Image 4 Barrel Stamp (click to enlarge)
Image 5 Barrel Stamp (click to enlarge)
Read the story:
“While in the UK this New Zealand hunter was invited to shoot a deer by a contact, David, a professional hunter he had met at a game fair. The initial excitement turned to tragedy when his first shot exploded in his face. He was rushed to Basingstoke hospital by David on his quad bike, a 15 min journey, in an effort to save his right eye, which was really badly damaged.
He then went by ambulance, at speed, to the eye specialists at Guildford hospital. His eye was penetrated with 2 pieces of metal from the exploding rifle which resulted in an enormous amount of trauma and the very slimmest of chances that he will regain any sight in that eye. The accident happened as a result of human error on David's part who gave him the incorrect cartridge for the rifle.”