This article isn’t aimed at the crazed gun nut. They don’t really need much of an excuse to run out and buy a new rifle, although the following arguments might help justify the purchase.

This article is directed more towards the guys and gals that have been using the same old rifle for the last couple of decades. Yes, I’m sure it is a nice rifle, shoots well and has sentimental value because your dad bought it for you when you turned 12, blah, blah, blah.

The truth is that it has been made obsolete with modern advances in technology. New manufacturing techniques have allowed us to build things to incredibly tight tolerances that craftsmen of yesteryear could only dream of. For example, barrels these days can be held to 1/10,000 of an inch in variance. That translates into better accuracy in general.

Advances have allowed makers to develop smoother, more reliable systems that are more stable in all kinds of weather.

Another reason is that you just aren’t as young as you used to be. That good old Remington Model 700 is tipping the scales at over 8 pounds. It’s pretty easy to find much lighter rifles these days that are easier on the old joints. Rifles weighing less than 5 pounds are out there, but that might be taking it to the extreme.

While you are at it, you might as well buy your rifle in one of the newer cartridges. Rifles chambered for old reliable rounds like the 30-06 or 7mm Remington Magnum have to be chambered to looser tolerances by the major manufacturers simply because when they were designed, chamber dimensions varied quite a bit, and so did the ammunition.

To make sure most ammo will chamber, they have to give them a little play. The new whiz-bang calibers won’t do anything the old guys don’t do ballistically, but because they are new, they have much tighter tolerances that translate into better accuracy.

You might as well get a new scope while you have your credit card out. Scope technology has really made some leaps and bounds in recent years. Back when there were only two or three scope makers, you just had to take what you could get. Nowadays, the competition is so tight, and people are so willing to complain, that manufacturers can’t afford to turn out garbage.

You don’t need to get a fancy one with target turrets and a Christmas tree reticle if you don’t want to. They still make plenty of plain Jane scopes. You need one because the glass, even in the less expensive scopes, is so much clearer than it used to be. And, as hard as it is to believe, newer scopes are more durable.

By the way, these arguments hold true for bows and fishing poles, too, so get out there and enjoy your new purchase(s).

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