Courses / Manual rifle / Lesson 2
Know your rifle
Its parts and how it works. Lesson 2 of 8 · about 8 minutes to watch.
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Step through the slides. The trainer's words are under each one.
Know your rifle
Manual rifle, lesson 2 of 8: its parts and how it works
Marike knows how to shoot her rifle, but the unit standard asks her to know how it works and what each part does. In this lesson you learn the parts of a manually operated rifle and follow one cycle of a bolt action.
Three kinds of manually operated action
| Action | How you load the next round | Where to check it is empty |
|---|---|---|
| Bolt action | Lift, draw back, push forward and turn down the bolt handle | Chamber and magazine, with the bolt open |
| Lever action | Swing the lever down and back up | Chamber and the tube or box magazine, with the lever open |
| Single shot | Open the action and load one round by hand | The chamber, with the action open |
A manually operated rifle is one where you, not the rifle, load the next round. There are three common kinds. A bolt action, like Marike's, is cycled by working the bolt handle. A lever action is cycled by swinging a lever under the grip. A single shot holds one round and you reload by hand each time. This course mostly uses the bolt action, because it is the most common hunting rifle in South Africa, but the rules are the same for all three.
The main parts of a bolt-action rifle
Here are the parts the unit standard expects you to know. The barrel, which the bullet travels through. The action or receiver, which holds the bolt and joins the barrel to the stock. The bolt, which pushes a cartridge into the chamber, locks it, and pulls the empty case out afterwards. The trigger, inside its trigger guard. The safety catch. The magazine, which holds the rounds; some are built into the rifle and some clip out. The stock, which goes into your shoulder. And the sights or the scope, which you aim with.
One cycle of the bolt
- 1Lift the handleUnlocks the bolt
- 2Draw it backPulls the fired case out and throws it clear
- 3Push it forwardStrips a new round from the magazine into the chamber
- 4Turn it downLocks the bolt: the rifle is ready to fire
This is the heart of a bolt action. Lift the handle to unlock the bolt. Draw it back: the extractor pulls the fired case out of the chamber and the ejector throws it clear. Push it forward: the bolt strips the next round from the magazine and pushes it into the chamber. Turn the handle down to lock it. Now the rifle can fire. Notice step three: every time you close the bolt over a loaded magazine, you load the chamber. Lesson 3 builds on that.
Know your own rifle's safety catch
- Two- or three-position catches; designs differ between makers
- Some lock the bolt closed, some let you open it
- Read the manual and practise with the rifle empty
Safety catches differ between makes. Some have two positions, some three, and some lock the bolt closed while the safety is on, so you cannot open it to unload. Marike's rifle has a three-position catch: fire, safe with the bolt free, and safe with the bolt locked. Read your own rifle's manual and practise with it empty under supervision until you work it without looking. And remember, it is a back-up, never a replacement for the rules.
The calibre is stamped on the barrel
| Where to look | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Stamp on the barrel | The calibre the rifle is made for, e.g. .308 Win |
| Headstamp on the cartridge base | The calibre of that cartridge |
| The box | A guide only: always check the headstamp |
Your rifle's calibre is stamped on the barrel, usually near the action. Every cartridge has its calibre stamped on its base; that is called the headstamp. The two must match exactly. A cartridge of the wrong calibre can jam, damage the rifle or make it burst. Marike checks her rifle: it says .308 Win, and her cartridges' headstamps say .308 Win. In lesson 6 we come back to this before every shot.
Leave room between your eye and the scope
- Eye relief: the distance from the eyepiece to your eye
- Too close and recoil drives the scope into your face
- Your scope's manual gives the right distance
Many hunting rifles carry a telescopic sight, a scope. Every scope has an eye relief: the distance your eye should be from the eyepiece to see the full picture. Get too close and, when the rifle recoils, the scope can cut your eyebrow, which shooters call scope bite. The scope's manual gives the right distance, often a few centimetres. Marike's scope is mounted a little far back for her, and Anel helps her see it before she fires.
Some parts count as firearms in law
- The barrel and the receiver count as firearms themselves
- The bolt is a firearm part
- You may only have a bolt for a rifle you are licensed for
One legal point from the Firearms Act course. The Act's definition of a firearm includes the barrel, frame or receiver, so those parts need a licence like a whole rifle. A slide, bolt or breech-block is a firearm part under section 94, and you may only possess one if you hold a licence for a firearm that can take it. So a spare bolt is not a spare part you can keep in a drawer.
Your turn
Before lesson 3
- Do the exercise: Name the part
- Answer four quick questions on this lesson
- Find each part in your rifle's manual
Before you move on, do the exercise, Name the part, and answer the four questions on screen. Then, in your own time: find each part in your rifle's manual. Next lesson: loading and unloading safely, every time.
Do: Name the part
Anel describes what each part does. Name the part.
Check
Four quick questions. The reason shows as soon as you answer.
Apply
Where this shows up in your own life.
Find the barrel, action, bolt, trigger, safety catch, magazine and sights in your rifle's manual
Ridgeview Firearms Academy and its people are fictional. This is study material written from the Firearms Control Act and the SAQA unit standards. It isn't an accredited course or legal advice; your accredited training provider runs the official tests.