Bolt Action - Any Advantages??

F

frjeff

New member
I have only one rifle, a recently acquired used Marlin 60.
I love it so far and she will be wearing a new Simmons 22MAG 3-9, 32 AO scope by Friday.

However, I catch the bug easily and today saw a Savage Mark II (I believe) bolt action at the range.

What advantages does a bolt action have over a semi auto, if any. I can see that it might make the shooter more deliberate (slower). But, in a 22 rimfire, what plusses are there???
 
Accuracy, nothing beats a bolt, while others can be made accurate the bolt will in most cases be more accurate out of the box.
 
If you are comparing a bolt action(almost any bolt action) against that Marlin 60, the advantage is the freedom from jams. A bolt action will cycle pretty near anything you feed it - even CB caps. Autoloaders can be very picky (and the Marlin 60 is known for being especially picky).

Additionally, you can generally count on better accuracy (you don't see many autoloaders competing in shooting matches) and longevity.
 
Advantages of bolt actions:
The only two things moving during firing is the firing pin and the bullet.
All the gases are used for one purpose: Driving the bullet
The action can be bedded and the barrel free floated
Less tendency to jam feeding, no chance of doubling
Disadvantage:
Sucks when attacked by 20 zombies at once
 
If you re-load the brass does not go everywhere.
Click to expand...

true but it seems the focus in the OP is more towards rimfires.

yeah, pretty much accuracy and reliability. I bought a savage MKII TR and if I miss my target, it's my fault. though the TR is a bit spendy for a .22
 
With the custom 10/22's being pretty darn accurate it is getting close.

Then again I like the feel of a bolt, with practice you can make that sucker glide.

I had a CZ 452 (sold because I shoot lefty and it was righty), great shooter, just I found mounting a scope to be more of a challenge due to the bolt handle.
 
I'd put my Mk II up against any 10/22. How the shooter does is a different story, but I know any failure would be on my end vs. the firearm.
 


What happens when you're out hunting squirrels and forget to bring ammo. Out in the styx, the little store only has one type of 22lr.... and your auto-loader doesn't cycle with it?



-tINY

 
Biggest advantage is the Mental One...

Most folks take a little more time lining up their shot & make EACH shot count with a Bolt-action.
The Mental preparation when using a Bolt-action is much like what an Archer does...care & consideration in each shot.

With a semi-you can afford to spray & pray...up until you run outta bullets ;)
When plinking, its more of a relax & don't sweat the missed shot,
because you have a VERY fast follow-up available!

For those who can master taking their time with a Semi-auto...and doing it by the numbers like an Olympic Athelete...
they can truly lay down some sweet fire :cool:
 
With a .22 there is no a huge advantage if you aren't shooting competitions. I like bolts just because there are less thing to go wrong. I have a .22 semi auto fail because it did not chamber the round completely and when i fired it the round exploded and blew off the extractor. That will never happen with a bolt action rifle.

They are simpler and have less things to fail on them.
 
tINY said:
What happens when you're out hunting squirrels and forget to bring ammo. Out in the styx, the little store only has one type of 22lr.... and your auto-loader doesn't cycle with it?
Click to expand...

Your autoloader is now a single shot, inconvienient, but the hunt is not ruined.

mapsjanhere said:
All the gases are used for one purpose: Driving the bullet
Click to expand...

I doubt that a chronograph can tell the difference between a semi auto and a bolt provided that barrel lengths are equal. The bullet is already out of the barrel before there is any significant movement of the bolt in a typical blow back .22 semiauto.

Also, a blowback semi auto is about as simple as a gun can get, with fewer moving parts than a lever or pump repeater. That's one reason why semi autos are so affordable.
 
I shoot regularly in small bore prone and that game is bolt gun only.

It is just about impossible to shoot a semi auto in this game due to the rules that you to load one round at a time. That is not easy with a semi auto.

When I have looked at the group size of the guys with tricked out Ruger 10/22's, I would be hard pressed to say they are inferior to what a good Anschutz will do.

However if you are looking for "ulimate" accuracy the rim fire bolt gun is the way to go.

To get best accuracy you need tight chambers and light triggers. Our Club champ uses a two stage trigger, first stage 4 ounces, last 8 ounces. Semi autos need big chambers for best function reliability and the trigger mechanisms are designed to provide heavier trigger pulls.

Still, if you are not shooting from a bench, or prone with a sling, a tricked out Ruger 10/22 will shoot inside 99.9% of shooters. With good ammunition.

Until you have shot rimfire ammo out of a match barrel, you just don't know how much ammunition varies.

If you want a bench mark, the 2010 Small Bore Prone Champ, Charles Kemp, who set the National Record in 2010, told me his rifle with its favorite lot of Red Box Tenex would consistently group ten shots within 0.39" at 100 yards.

And this is Mr. Kemp with his M52 D actioned rifle

DSCF1146CharlesKempIronSightWinnerHighCivilianoverall.jpg
 
Even though I own a semi-auto .22 (Ruger 10/22) I am opposed to the use of semis for hunting.
(please, no one get yer shorts in a knot, I'm as staunch a supporter of the 2ndA as anyone, this is my personal opinion)
Sadly, I see way too many people in gun shops and the woods who are deficient in the basics of gun safety and courtesy. Very scary. And, I realize anyone can get the adrenelin up and get excited during a hunt.
The reason I oppose the use of semis for hunting is that as soon as you shoot the gun it is ready to shoot again. An excited, non-safety conscious hunter might (and often does) start waving that ready-to-shoot gun in any and all directions, including at other people. Very scary.
A bolt action, on the other hand, requires a deliberate and conscious act of working the bolt to be readied for another shot. Much safer.
My 10/22 was my truck gun when I raised cattle and is now my 'back yard' gun for predator control (4 legged and 2 legged), I have never hunted with it. For squirell hunting I have used either my Ruger Single Six or my flintlock long rifle.
That's my position, please consider it when making your decision.
 
What advantages does a bolt action have over a semi auto, if any. I can see that it might make the shooter more deliberate (slower). But, in a 22 rimfire, what plusses are there???
Click to expand...

I'm not 100% convinced about the accuracy advantage of a bolt-action over an autoloader. My 10/22 is as accurate as my MKII. With all things being equal (good trigger, heavy barrel, good ammo, good maintenance, etc.), I don't see a difference at 50 yards or less. At further distance, maybe it is but I don't lob 22LR further than 75 yards.

If you're talking about an expensive bolt-action like Cooper or Anschutz then all bets are off.

You can't rapid fire with a bolt so you may save some money on ammo. Plus, it gives you time to practice good firing techniques.
 
I agree that the little moment working the bolt gives your brain time to process info in the field. But mainly I despise semi auto's since they are much more prone to jamming, you can keep them clean, well lubricated and 99% of the time there wont be a jam, but the other 1% will leave you watching your brother taking down that 10 pointer you had a crystal clear shot at.
 
I have a model 60 with a 4x scope and my son has a Savage MkIIBV with a 3-9 power scope. Once we found the ammo each gun likes, there is no practical accuracy difference out to 130yds. However, the Savage definitely likes more ammo than the Marlin does, but they both shoot ok with Wolf MT. On the Marlin Wolf MT is about 1.2" at 130yds, the Savage is about 1". The rate of fire and mag capacity with the Marlin means I can knock down more targets than he can, but 1 subtle thing is that there is zero movement of his rifle when he fires, but the sliding bolt on the Marlin makes it move around a little bit. I wouldn't call it recoil per se, just a little movement on the target.

On a nice no wind day we use both rifles to break up clay pigeons on the 170yd berm, this has inspired us to start looking at the 22s as training tools because the amount of wind doping and drop is similar to centerfire 30s at long range.
 
A bolt action is a little easier to clean as well. Remove the bolt and it's just a straight shot from the breach end. Small point, I know.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top