On the Use of a Rifle...

[The Old Saxon]

As of now, I have yet to obtain a rifle; however, I have a question regarding its use in-game. Should I use the rifle when hunting animals such as deer, or would it be best to save its ammunition for more dangerous game, such as wolves or bears? Also, is it particularly effective at killing deer, if I were to use it, or might they run off when wounded?

Thank you!
Good hunting to all!

[alek]

Use the rifle sparingly- its rounds are scarce when you first obtain a rifle. I use it only against deer in an emergency for food, mostly just fire 1 shot at a bear/ wolf and follow it from afar as it bleeds to death, and then gut it. It can be lengthy (But extremely rewarding in the case of a bear) but I don't know how despawns work in the game so I don't risk wasting a good round.

[Lt. Heinz Becker]

Kinda depends on the difficulty because I believe the harder game modes on sandbox make the rifle and ammo rarer.

If it was me, I would use the rifle for bears and wolves as defense, use the survival bow to hunt deer cause the arrows are reusable and you can make more. You can't make more ammo.

Also, rock is your friend. :)

On Interloper, there is no rifle.

[DonJuanDoja]

Wow, guess I'm not playing interloper... I can handle harder and rarer, but cutting out one of the only weapons and skills in the game is just a disappointing way to make the game more difficult.

Maybe I'll be more open to it once I've played some more, but that just sounds like a cheap easy way to add difficulty.

Kind of like pretending lighters and tents don't exist for the sake of making it easy to make a survival game.

[Lt. Heinz Becker]

Originally posted by DonJuanDoja:

Wow, guess I'm not playing interloper... I can handle harder and rarer, but cutting out one of the only weapons and skills in the game is just a disappointing way to make the game more difficult.

Maybe I'll be more open to it once I've played some more, but that just sounds like a cheap easy way to add difficulty.

Kind of like pretending lighters and tents don't exist for the sake of making it easy to make a survival game.

There is still the flare pistol, but it only spawns in two specific locations and both are a pain in the anus to get to, one being almost impossible to get to after day 20 on Interloper. You don't play games with wolves on Interloper, they can kill you with one struggle.

[PowerOn]

You should use rifle for obtain food - if has no other option, not as defensive weapon, as bullets are limited and rifle precision and range limited.

In some places are a chance that during a wolf or bear attack if you have the riffle in the hands , e.g. shoot and miss, during the attack he end falling under the snow and goodbye.

[McZ]

Use rifle huntting for food and defense before you get a bow and arrows. Once you obtain a bow and arrows, try to hunt with them. It's gonna be hard in the begining since you can't crouch and shoot (unless you are lv5 in archry). You can crouch and get very closs to a deer and stand up and shoot (try to approch the deer head on). Bow is a very good defense weapon when combin with lure (like 0.1 Kg of raw meat or fresh gut). When stalked by wolf, drop the lure, back out some distance, and shoot the wolf as it try to get to the lure. This way can save you a lot of ammo.

[ernestww]

The rifle is a mixed blessing - powerful, but heavy... In mid-game, once I have acquired the bow, I usually leave it behind. Food and wolves are less of a problem than weight, except on interloper, but no rifle there..:)

[elandry13]

It depends on your skill. I never use the rifle as self-defense from wolves because they charge the moment you start aiming it. I personally can't hit a charging wolf, but I have seen people who can do it.
Rilfes are good for trying to drop a bear in one hit and gettting deer since you can shoot from a crouch.

[The Old Saxon]

Thanks for all the feedback, everyone! I believe I have a better understanding of the use of the rifle now.

[Shelt]

I use the rifle to sneak and shoot deer and get a lot of meat. Rarely I will shoot a bear with it. Aim for the head on a bear.

Hardly ever shoot a wolf with it.

Keep in mind all animals bleed out when wounded, so you only really need to fire once if it's a hit.

I save up my arrows for wolfs. I kill lots of wolfs by baiting them with a decoy and then shooting them with the bow.

You gain experience with the rifle only when you hit something with it. Keep that in mind. So each shell you find is precious because they are rare. But if u have a lot of ammo, you can bait and shoot wolfs with the gun to level up the skill pretty fast.

[SBlack]

Originally posted by DonJuanDoja:

Wow, guess I'm not playing interloper... I can handle harder and rarer, but cutting out one of the only weapons and skills in the game is just a disappointing way to make the game more difficult.

The game works just fine without a rifle. I wouldn't want to carry it a lot because of its weight alone

[The Old Saxon]

Originally posted by SteveS:

Originally posted by DonJuanDoja:

Wow, guess I'm not playing interloper... I can handle harder and rarer, but cutting out one of the only weapons and skills in the game is just a disappointing way to make the game more difficult.

The game works just fine without a rifle. I wouldn't want to carry it a lot because of its weight alone

Sounds like I'll just leave it at the Hunter's Lodge as soon as I find it then. Plenty of deer around there, and I may as well not take it elsewhere.

[Malak]

Best use of a bullet is for a bear which provides tons of meat. Shoot it once anywhere in the body and look for the carcass the next day or at least 1-2 hours later.

I do use the rifle on a deer if desperate for food or a hide.

I also will use it for self-defense if at a critical juncture like trekking between major map areas where time is of the essence.