Bolt Action vs Semi Auto

G

Glockcarry007

Moderator
I have also used both semi auto and a few bolt action rifles. I don't understand why some people prefer bolt action due to it always having a lower rate of fire. Does someone with more bolt action wanna share their thoughts on this?
 
For me shooting is not how many rounds you can send downrange in a minute.
It's accuracy. I'm in no rush to pepper my target with 20 or 30 rounds.

But that's my thing

AFS
 
Bolt actions are generally lighter, more accurate, cheaper and more reliable. I've never worried about the rate of fire while hunting or bench shooting.
 
My primary rifle use is for hunting and my preferred action is bolt. Not to brag-- but my target generally drops with the first shot ;-)
 
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reasons

Bolt rifles are generally considered to be more accurate. That is changing, but by example, all accuracy contests and varmint hunting which requires precision shooting, for the most part are dominated by bolt rifles. As noted, a good bolt rifle will be 100% reliable, or as close as one can come dependent on ammuntion. Autos can be finicky. Since there are fewer parts, and they are manually operated and do not have to withstand the "slam/bam" action of a semi, bolt rifles can be made very light and tidy.
 
If best accuracy is your primary objective, bolt action rifles are best.

When semiautomatics start setting open records in long range and benchrest matches, I'll reconsider.
 
What Bart said. I went out last weekend with a friend doing some long range steel clanging. He had his stupid slick operating Bighorn Origin based .260AI rifle with a 18x scope on it and I had my .223rem AR-15 with a 16x on it. Both guns had muzzle brakes but the one on the .260AI was much more effective.

Clanging a target at 822yrds, my friend was just as fast as I was engaging that target landing a round every .8-1 seconds. I'm just as quick as he is on a bolt gun but I had to recover from (very light but still extant) recoil of a 7lbs AR that moved me pretty far off the target with each shot. Because the AR-15 is so light and the brake doesn't really do much, it's easily moved off target. His 20lbs rifle didn't move at all so he was able to run that bolt like a madman.

Bolt guns aren't slow. Bolt gun shooters are. Start looking at straight pull bolts and you can get really fast bolt gunning.
 
For me, I just like working the bolt. Either my .22 Marlin Glenfield or Remington 700, 721, etc., I like the operation. I don't need a high rate of fire for hunting or tin cans. If you look at old videos from WW1, some of those troops could work a bolt VERY fast.
 
Both a Bolt and a Semi have their places that they shine.

If you look at old videos from WW1, some of those troops could work a bolt VERY fast.
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Last year my son did a Mad Minute with a No4 MK1 - ringing a 10" plate at 100 yards 20 times in a row offhand in less than 60 seconds. I'd call that fast enough for Government Work....
 
Does someone with more bolt action wanna share their thoughts on this?
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I'll share a few thoughts on this,

First, remember the very broad range of rifles and calibers in each group means there are almost always exceptions to general statements.

First off, the semi auto's high rate of fire is only an advantage in certain situations, and is of no consequence in others, and can even be a disadvantage if the shooter "shoots faster than he can see" meaning, faster than he can AIM.

Throwing a lot of rounds down range as fast as you can has uses for COMBAT, and matches designed for that, and yes, its fun, but other than that, its not very useful. And, since I'm paying for every round I shoot, to me, that matters some.

Next point, Bolt actions are more versatile. The ammo does not have to be loaded to within a fairly narrow range of specs in order for the gun to operate correctly.

A Semi auto in the same caliber as a bolt gun has more parts. It is more mechanically complex, and therefore has to be at least a bit heavier. Does this matter? That's an individual thing, but it does matter to some people.

As a group, semi autos do not have as good triggers as bolt guns. AS A GROUP. There are exceptions on both sides.

Bolt guns are easily adapted to a wider range of rounds than semi autos. Literally, a bolt gun can run on anything that fits in the action, while a semi needs something that not only fits but must also cycle the action reliably.

I personally have bolt actions ranging from .22LR to .458 Win Mag. My range of caliber choice in semi autos is much more limited.

The semi auto shines when it comes to ammo capacity and rate of fire possible, comparted to the bolt gun. After that it becomes more a matter of specific guns and their features, and which is best suited for what task.
 
IMHO--it's simply a question of complexity--bolt guns have fewer components involved to make a graceful concentric introduction of the cartridge to the chamber. Top-shelf semis are closing that gap slowly but surely.
 
M1's and M14's have put 24 shots inside 12 inches at 600 yards in 50 seconds shot from prone.

Don't know of any bolt gun doing that.
 
My dad used to hunt Northeastern states with a Model 81 .35 Rem. He said it was dense hardwood forests, close big game, and rapid follow-up shots were beneficial.

I hunt the Rockies exclusively. I've hunted and hunt with only bolt action rifles exclusively, usually loaded with 2-to-3 rounds. If I miss the first shot, chances of a second are slim. When mule deer and elk commence to run for thick forests, they blaze trails.

The Springfield Armory M1A is extremely accurate. The M1 Garand was very accurate. In general, a bolt action might be more accurate. It would have to be a quality-to-quality comparison. Both the SA M1A and Garand are heavy beasts.
 
M1's and M14's have put 24 shots inside 12 inches at 600 yards in 50 seconds shot from prone.

Don't know of any bolt gun doing that.
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Nor do I.

on the other hand, I don't know any M1s or M14s that go 6lbs without optics but I know some bolt guns that do.

What matters most is what "game" you're playing, and what matters and how much for that game.

Deer hunting is one, target shooting, another. Timed events are yet another. And then there's also designs intended for combat and designs adapted from what were once combat designs.

I love my M1A. I was in the last class of Army Small Arms Repairmen trained on the M14. If I ever need to shoot people at beyond pistol distance that's the gun I'd choose.

On the other hand, I also love my Rem 600 carbine in .308 Win and if I'm going to walk a few miles and/or go over 5,000 ft up, I'd choose that over my M1A.

Different tools for different jobs. Neither one is absolute best at everything. Which is why we have different guns and cartridges.
 
The last gun I bought was a bolt action in 22 magnum. I figure It goes nicely with bolt action 22LR. I have more semi autos then bolt actions. It's just the way it worked out. In times of plenty when ammo wasn't an endangered species I enjoyed a good mag dump.
With enough practice you can get very deadly with a bolt and kill with one shot. I would take my old .270 out jackrabbit hunting and got to where I could blast a bunny as they took off, one shot and bunny parts hanging off sage brush. All this is a long answer to your question that should been answered with " because I want to".
 
For big game hunting I'll take a bolt gun 10 times out of 10 over a semi-auto. For other uses semi's are just fine. I have several 22 rimfire semi-autos as well as AR's and I like them for their intended uses.

A bolt gun is:

* More reliable with a wide range of loads. Semi autos can be pretty reliable, but only if the ammo is loaded within a fairly narrow pressure range. I can load, or buy ammo that would never function reliably in a semi-auto

* More rugged and reliable in harsh weather or dirty conditions.

* Significantly lighter.

* More accurate, partly because of better triggers. You can get a semi to be plenty accurate, but it is significantly harder and more expensive.

Which leads to cost, there are a lot of sub $400 bolt guns that will out shoot most $1000 semi-autos.

M1's and M14's have put 24 shots inside 12 inches at 600 yards in 50 seconds shot from prone.
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From a military perspective this is significant. I'll not argue that a bolt gun is a superior military weapon except for those times where much more accuracy is needed and at even longer ranges.

But as a hunter using the same 6" target and only firing 3 rounds at 100 yards ( more relevant numbers for a hunter) It might take 1 second longer for someone who knows how to run a bolt rifle.

Not trying to hit anything, just throwing lead down range as fast as I could while being timed, I've gotten off 3 shots from a 308 bolt rifle in under 2 seconds. It takes me about 4 seconds to hit a 6" target at 100 yards 3 times.
 
I'm an obligate southpaw. Therefore, I loathe conventional right handed bolt action rifles. They are just ... backwards.
 
I switched to a bolt gun when I started reloading and wanted to find my brass when hunting. And the bolt gun was easier on the brass. And...much easier to clean.
 
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