Bolt Action - Any Advantages??

[snipecatcher]

As far as reliability: My 10/22 is more reliable than a Marlin 981T bolt action that I sold a while back. It would not extract the shell about 25% of the time. The 10/22 rarely jams. My Marlin Model 60 is more accurate than the ruger or the Marlin bolt-action. It, however, jams frequently if not kept squeaky clean.

I recently bought a CZ452 with a 28" barrel, installed a trigger that is in the ounces and target peep sights. If I were to take 10 different ammo types and average them, the 10/22 would be more accurate than the supposedly "magical" CZ452 everyone raves about. It ONLY likes Wolf Match Extra, which I still need to order a case of.

The MAIN advantage I see to semi-auto's is that you can keep your position on the rifle from shot to shot. There is no need to remove your hand to work the bolt. This definitely helps accuracy.

 

[Scorch]

Bolt Action - Any Advantages??

Weight, distribution in particular. Most semiautos use blowback (the HK is the only one I can think of right offhand that doesn't, it uses short recoil), so the bolts are heavy, so the action of the rifle ends up weighing more than a comparable bolt action rifle. Now before all you guys run off to weigh your 10/22s and Marlin 60s, since the action is heavier, the manufacturers put lightweight barrels on these pieces, so overall weight is close to what a bolt action will weigh, but in a bolt gun the weight is in the barrel, which makes for steadier hold and more consistent shooting.

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.

I built a 10/22 a couple of years ago that would shoot 3/8" at 100 yds, it gave the Anschutz owners at my club fits because "an Anshutz is always the most accurate rifle and a 10/22 can't do that" . My best with my bolt gun to date is about 7/16" (again, at 100 yds, I don't shoot at less than 100 yds except with handguns), but I don't have a $400 barrel on my 77/22.

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.

Agree, tight concentric chambers and a light, crisp trigger. Most 22s don't get chambered well, and most of the triggers are awful.

My 10/22 is more reliable than a Marlin 981T bolt action

Not trying to sound elitist, but cheap 22 bolt action rifles may shoot well at first, but they will start to loosen up after a few thousand rounds. Marlins and Savages are surprisingly accurate right out of the box, but 10,000 rounds later they are usually pretty disappointing.

With a semi-you can afford to spray & pray

No, you can't. And I have seen lots of bolt action 22 shooters "spray and pray", they just spray slower. As Townsend Whelen said, "only accurate rifles are interesting".

 

[wwd88888]

Doesn't matter

Buy a rifle and shoot the heck out of it. As long as you know what the rifle can do in every situation, you can make it do wonders. As soon as you wear it out, you have to start over again learning - even if you simply re-barrel.

 

[Rob3]

I agree that bolt action .22s are boring. The actions look and feel like dinky little toys.

If a 10/22 has problems feeding certain ammo then guess what, you cycle it after every round just like a -wait for it- bolt action. But of course most ammo you are likely to find will cycle perfectly.

You do not lose your sight picture or right hand hold between shots, thus giving you more time to concentrate between shots, not less. "Spray and pray" is a matter of self discipline, not a rifle's action.

 

[chadstrickland]

Fienwerkbau rifles are very nice also they are close to the anschutz like a really expensive ford vs chevy thing...both are extremely accurate...but they are single shot bold guns..kimber makes nice little bolt 22 that are accurate and more affordable...you might look into those..but if you just want a toy..the 1022 is by far the way to go..I mean sure there are gsg5 and m&p 15 22..but imho ruger is still on top of the semi auto 22 game..but they may just be me

 

[Smaug]

Jeff, the bit about Marlin 60s being finnicky is bunk, unless there is something wrong with the rifle. Marlin recommends cleaning the action (but not the barrel (!?)) every 250 rounds. Even so, mine only jammed twice in 300 rounds with bulk ammo when it was filthy dirty.

The better ammo, such as CCI Minimag, do not ever seem to jam, and also seem to pack more punch than the bulk stuff.


Finnicky compared to a bolt? Maybe, since bolts can shoot Shorts and Longs too. But Shorts and Longs cost more than Long Rifles anyhow, so there's no real advantage in shooting them. If it is a noise thing, get 22LR Subsonics. Same noise as a Short. They cycle in my 60s OK.

I had my two best 22 rifles out to the range last week, and the Marlin 60 that I bought used for $135 shot as well as the Ruger 77/22 (bolt action) that I bought used for $450. Most folks would agree that the Ruger is the superior rifle, but the group sizes were the same, with three types of ammo: Federal bulk HP, CCI Minimag HP, Winchester Super-X 40 gr. solids(gray label), and Remington Subsonic HP.

I bet the bolt is marginally more accurate, and it was just a matter of shooter error. But in order for it to make a practical difference, you'd better have top grade ammo, a very solid rest, a calm day, and a high power scope.

To me, lever actions are a great compromise. More speed than a bolt, but with the tight lock-up and easy cleaning of a bolt. They're usually balanced better than bolt actions too. I know my Marlin 39M is a better balanced gun than my 77/22.

My first 22 was a Ruger 10/22. It was a Jam-O-Matic. I sent it back to Ruger twice before it was reliable with any kind of ammo. Plus, no last shot bolt hold-open, so I was always dry-firing it. It was not as accurate of a gun as my Marlin 60 either. The Marlin 60 is just a better gun, out of the box, than a 10/22. My opinion only.

If you're not into benchrest shooting, stick with your 60 and spend your money elsewhere.

 

[Evan Thomas]

I agree that bolt action .22s are boring. The actions look and feel like dinky little toys.

You've, perhaps, never shot a CZ?

As people keep pointing out, the main advantage of a .22 bolt gun over a semi is out-of-the-box accuracy. I've never seen one, but I'm sure there are 10/22's, for instance, that are about as accurate as my CZ452 -- but I'd bet that they're not stock, and the owners paid a fairly hefty price for that accuracy.

So if you want to hunt, or punch paper even semi-seriously, there's much to be said for a bolt gun. If just for plinking, maybe not so much...

But...

As Townsend Whelen said, "only accurate rifles are interesting".

 

[pgdion]

More accurate, reliable, more fun IMO. I have bolt action in the 22 magnum and I also like how it slows down the shooting on that platform. At $10/50 you don't want someone loading up the 50rd magazine and letting it fly in 20 seconds. My 22LR's are semi-auto's, for 22 magnum I like bolt action and lever action. Also for bolt action, I like the .22 magnum. It's slower shooting so I can afford the larger cartridge (and it is more fun to shoot than the LR).

 

[baddarryl]

I like my Marlin 981T for my amateur purposes. Have had no cycling problems and I like that the bolt makes a boring ole 22LR feel more like a real gun to me. Not boring like some have stated. Makes me also concentrate on getting more accurate follow up shots which I was concerned about when I first got it. Turns out I can real them off pretty quick, for me anyway. But, to each his own.

 

[BrittB]

I really like my bolt action Remington 581s. I bought it for $60, clean it up, refinished the stock, and stuck a big ole scope on it. Total cost involved is around $90 now and I really enjoy shooting it. I don't know how many thousands of rounds have been through it but it shoots better than I do and the action feels like new. Bolt action 22's are alright in my book!