Five Rifles Every Canadian Should Own

There's a familiar saying that claims one should “beware the man with one rifle, because he probably knows how to use it.”  And despite the fact that is without a doubt evident, the reality remains: what fun is it to have only one rifle, when there are truly thousands to consider? Furthermore, when we Canadians can browse extraordinarily moderate single-shot .22s as far as possible up to bullpup self loading rifles discharging larger rounds, to state we're spoiled for decision would be an epic modest representation of the truth. Yet, amidst all these different alternatives at a firearm owners disposal lie five rifles that we figure each Canadian should make a point of testing out. Here they are.

#1 Lee-Enfield

What: The Lee-Enfield rifle; any which one will do… albeit one made at the Canadian Long Branch Arsenal is likely the most quintessentially Canadian of the lot.

Why: Just in light of the fact that it might be the absolute best battle rifle at any point handled, and will have been given to troops for 118 continuous years when it is at long last retired. Having become out of the formation of the smokeless .303 British round it fires, the Lee-Enfield served the English Empire at its height when it first appeared in 1895, and has along these lines seen action in some capacity in pretty much every outfitted clash since.

At first, the Lee-Enfield stood separated from its counterparts in two fields: the speed with which the activity could be controlled, and its then-monstrous 10-round magazine limit. The previous could be credited to a couple of engineering innovations of the James Paris Lee action, the most clear of which was the actions cock-on-closing design. Contrasted with the cock-on-opening structure of the Mauser and Mosin, the Lee-Enfield isolated the task of cocking the pin spring from the action of extracting the round, which thusly permitted the shooter to gather forward bolt momentum before experiencing the resistance of the firing pin spring. This, joined with the Lee's rear locking lug format that permitted the bolt handle to be put simply above and toward the back of the trigger (instead of in front of and far above as on the Mausers of the day), made for a rifle that could be controlled in a substantially more fast and liquid way, requiring less effort, and taking into account better exactness from shot to shot. 

#2 Winchester 1894

What: Any Winchester lever-action; Models 1866 to Model 1894, but we especially like the 1894.

Why: Colloquially known as "The Gun that Won the West," it is a rifle that earned the majority of its significant notoriety on this landmass. While Lee-Enfields were abroad battling for King and nation, the Winchester repeating rifle was here, doing what the frontiersmen asked of it. So it should not shock anyone then that the historical backdrop of the Winchester repeater is so completely and inseparably connected to that of nearly the whole American firearm industry.

Starting life as the patent drawing of one Walter Hunt of New York in 1848, the lever-action rifle's creation was a long ways from effective; using two levers and discharging totally feeble "Rocket Ball" ammo (in which the powder was contained inside an hole in the base of the shot), the weapon was a dreary disappointment. But only until two colleagues by the name of Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson got their hands on it.

Adjusting the patent to rearrange the mechanism and adjusting the action for use in a pistol arrangement, Smith and Wesson amassed a heap of investors and framed the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company so as to produce their new lever action rifle. In any case, while the changed and improved action did some amazing things for the rifle's dependability, it stayed a crappy performer due in enormous part to the marginally altered .25-and .32-caliber "Rocket Ball" ammo it  discharged. Horace Smith's endeavors to address this would prompt his inevitable making of the world's first rimfire cartridge, just as he and Daniel Wesson's resulting takeoff from the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company so as to create the famous Model 1 Smith and Wesson revolver loaded in that first rimfire cartridge; the .22 Short.

#3 Cooey .22

What: Cooey made a plenty of various .22 bolt action rifles during their residency, yet the single-shot Model 39, and tube-fed Models 60 and 600 are the most well-known.

Why: Because no other weapon in the nation has acquainted the same number of individuals with the great universal of game shooting as the godlike Cooey rimfire. Possibly you have one, perhaps your father had one, or possibly you've shot a friend's… however chances are high that on the off chance that you've invested any energy around guns in this nation, you've put two or three rounds down a Cooey barrel.

Known as the H. W. Cooey Machine and Gear Company at its commencement, the organization began as the brainchild of a 23-year old by the name of Hebert William Cooey. Charging himself as a "mechanical master and rehearsing engineer;" a title not completely merited given Herbert had never completed an apprenticeship with the Grand Trunk Railroad and quit a place of employment on a assembly line in Cleveland, Herbert regardless made the announcement in November of 1903 and opened the door of a little machine shop on the southeast corner of Queen Street and Spadina Avenue in Toronto a month later. In any case, demonstrating that the best training isn't generally scholarly in nature, Herbert immediately set about trying to earn a living; building his first vehicle in 1907, which consolidated a few Cooey's own creative progressions, for example, pre-warmed fuel and double exhaust valves. By 1907, he'd already grown out of the little curbside spot, and moved his machining plant across town to a bigger office at Bridgman and Howland Avenue so as to fulfill customer demand.

No doubt the move happened in the nick of time. Called energetically to make weapons and firearm parts during the First World War, Cooey's firm grew significantly in their new office, acquiring a notoriety for a noteworthy degree of quality that was coordinated uniquely by their amazing profitability. Also, Herbert wasn't going to let that energy end with the war. Flush with assets because of the rewarding government contracts, Herbert accepted the open door to put resources into his firm and his image, putting pen to paper and propelling his very own rifle plan in 1919: the single shot, bolt action Cooey Canuck. An immediate sensation, the cheap but precise Canuck sold like hotcakes, and even ventured to such an extreme as to win the Certificate of Honor in 1924 at the Wembley Exhibition in London, England… that year Herbert himself brought home a silver award at the Olympics for trapshooting.

#4 SKS

What: The infamous SKS, we don't care where it's made, Russia, China, Yugoslavia, Poland, Romania, Albania, East Germany, North Korea, Vietnam, Timbuktu...

Why: The SKS is a 70 year old (out of date) semi-automatic rifle a far behind in the advancement of the cutting edge deer chasing rifles of today. In Canada it shoots up to five rounds. It's looked for by new gun owners since it's basic and modest to purchase. Devotees and authorities like it for its authentic historical significance. And also, it's the grand-pappy of the AK-47!

The SKS was an amazingly solid, simple weapon with two exceptional distinctive attributes: a permanent folding blade, and a pivoted non-separable magazine. Notwithstanding, it was unequipped for full-auto fire and restricted by its ten round magazine limit, and was rendered out of date by the presentation of the AK-47 during the 1950s. The SKS was only quickly a standard infantry weapon in forefront units of the Soviet Armed Forces before being supplanted by the AK-47.

The SKS was made at Tula Arsenal from 1945 to 1958, and at the Izhevsk Arsenal from 1953 to 1954, bringing about an all out Soviet creation of about 2.7 million carbines. All through the Cold War, a great many SKS carbines were likewise produced under permit in China, Yugoslavia, and various nations cordial to the Soviet coalition. The SKS stays well known on the regular citizen showcase as a hunting and sporting firearm in numerous nations, including the United States and Canada.

#5 WK 180-C

What: The Canadian born and bred WK180-C

Why: Because the Kodiak Defence built semi-auto rifle is lightweight, reliable, non-restricted, and sexy to look at!

While this is far and away the newest designed and released rifle on our list, we believe that it will have a long and successful tenure in the Canadian firearms community. Non restricted access to AR platforms are very rare and even more difficult to find at the $1200 price point in Canada. This rifle is durable, with its aluminum construction and is suitable for both hunting and three-gun. Many of its competitors are no longer available due to recent firearm regulation changes and overall this is a great platform at an unbelievable price. It's easy to see why they sold out country wide upon its initial release.