Bolt Action vs Semi Auto

Personal preference. In my reloading days it was easier to save the brass from a bolt action, some actions-the Cetme/G-1 the fluting in the chamber makes the brass harder to resize, a complaint about the Lee Enfields is they stretch the brass.
I think the bolt action is better for teaching beginners, makes them more aware of the mechanism-like teaching someone to drive with a stick as opposed to an automatic.
 
There are men and women out there....and there will always be...who have a very black and white view on the application of X Y or Z platform for X Y or Z job.

I never really considered the bolt action rifle optimal for self defense/warfare in the post WWII era, but I won't ever deny or argue that in good hands or in a pinch that someone can't defend themselves very well indeed WITH a bolt gun.

I can't even begin to chase down a statistic that might give insight into a hard number of times a bolt gun is used specifically as opposed to a semiauto annually, but I would bet that as many times as Americans legally defend their lives every year with a firearm...a good number of those times will be with an old bolt action hunting rifle.

I have seen the effects of a 220gr 30-06 fired out of a Ruger American when a subject got dirt napped by a home owner after breaking in to his house. It was the only gun he owned. Was that Ruger optimal? No, but it WAS effective in that moment.

There are a LOT of folks out there who are hunting enthusiasts, but not necessarily gun enthusiasts and have no interest in owning anything other than the Remington Model 700 they have had since they were 16. They like hunting deer, but for the other 350 days a year, don't give a gun another thought.

My maternal great grandfather had a Model 94 Winchester in 30-30, it was his "deer rifle" and it lived untouched in the gun rack at his cabin in Glennie, Michigan until the morning of November 15th every year. He liked hunting, but didn't care about "guns". On the other hand...he had dozens of fishing poles, tens of hundreds of lures, flies, crappie rigs, etc...etc...etc...

Different strokes and all that. I am not going to pee on another feller's choice of rifle or pistol...mostly because I don't care about his opinion on MY choice.
 
I have both.

I hunt and target shoot with both.

I dont do spray and pray shooting, so capacity isn’t really a concern for me. When I do hunt with semi-auto rifles (AR 15/10), they get the smallest magazines I have in them, cause even if I can carry 20-30 rounds, I’m still trying to get it done with the first one.

The times I’ve needed a second shot, the bolt guns (and my single shots) have gotten it done just fine.

When I choose one type of rifle over the other, whether hunting or killing soup cans, it’s usually due to caliber choice, not rifle type.
 
Bolt rifles

The original poster stated:
"I don't understand why some people prefer bolt action due to it always having a lower rate of fire."
While a faster rate of fire can have importance in military applications, and rarely in law enforcement, its relevance in most civilian applications is minimal.
For the military, suppressive fire is a useful tactical principle in some circumstances. For law enforcement, a rapid rate of fire is beneficial only in very limited circumstances, and has the potential to dramatically increase risk to the public. For example, in 2012 two NYPD officers shot and killed an armed murderer in front of the Empire State building. The two rapidly fired a total of 16 rounds; 7 hit the perpetrator, but 9 bystanders were also hit with bullets or fragments. Now there is no doubt that they did the right thing, what they were sworn to do. But in this case one has to wonder if the "rate of fire" was a factor in the civilian injuries, which fortunately did not result in deaths. In NYC, semiauto rifles are issued to only specially trained police, such as the Emergency Services Division, or more recently, antiterrorism units, in part due to the potential risk to the public.
In civilian self-defense incidents, the available data make it clear that aimed shots that actually strike a miscreant are the most critical factor, not the number of rounds fired.
 
Depends on the use.
Bolt actions are able to be lighter and/or more accurate for the price. (Semi auto rifles can be very accurate, it is just more difficult/expensive)

Semi auto allows faster follow up shots.

So, for military, law enforcement, self defense, pest control of herd/pack animals, or fast-paced shooting sports, semi auto has significant advantages. For ultra-precision shooting sports or hunting (with lots of hiking), bolt guns have advantages.
For casual target shooters, a bolt gun will slow you down and probably save on ammo costs, haha.
 
Bolt guns make it easier to find spent brass than semis--break-open single shots are even better than bolt guns in that respect.:)
 
I have had military style semi's that I used for hunting, I never trusted commercial semi's to be reliable or rugged enough not to mention they were more expensive. But the military semi's are already heavy, add a scope mount and scope and they become prohibitively heavy. For hunting applications I have found bolt-actions to be the best compromise as they are simple, rugged, less expensive, usually more accurate and usually lighter than their semi counterparts. One feature of semi's that I prefer is the detachable magazine, so I found a bolt gun that has detachable mags and it's close to perfect for me. One can learn to work the bolt pretty quickly if necessary.
 
I just couldn't get used to the CLANG SHLANG WHANG BLANG of a semi auto. Very unnerving all that apparatus doing its thing right next to my head. Haven't had any dealings with one for quite a while, don't miss it a bit.

Bolt guns and wheel guns are where it's at.

RJ
 
RJ nails it. For me it's just the old school action of the bolt. I have ARs and some good match grade ones, but it always goes back the the bolt. When I got back into shooting 20 years ago I picked a tube fed Marlin 981T .22 off the rack simply because of the bolt. It's been re stocked, trigger upgraded and has good glass. That is still my favorite rifle bar none. My latest favorite is a CZ 527.
 
For off-hand shooting with ease of rapid, repeat stay on target follow-up--no contest, my AR 15's always win (for me). That's one key advantage they have IMO, otherwise I have no real preference, I like whatever shoots accurately.
 
I shoot both, but more bolt action lately. I'm conserving rifle primers but I do have a good supply of small and large pistol magnum primers which work great for reduced rifle loads in bolt guns. I still enjoy my AR's, Mini 14's and an M1A, but exploring reduced load shooting in the bolt guns is a hoot. I have no problems with pierced primers. Accuracy can be amazing, even in sporter weight barrels.
 
I enjoy both semi and bolt, for fun shooting and for hunting. I have taken numerous deer using one of my Garands. But if I have a buck tag and want to hedge all my bets I will grab my Model 70 to hunt with. Dollar for dollar spent a bolt will out shoot a semi. That being side, shooting a deer at a 100 yards make pretty big targets so a MOA vs 1.5 MOA rifle won't make much different if you do your job. But my main concern is function, I have hunted in snow storms at -15 and bright and sunny 50 degree days. I have seen too many semis jam or have cycling issues in bad weather, whether they are shot guns or rifles. Most issues caused by stiff lube, or a dirty gun,but either way it can cause you to miss a chance at filling a tag.
 
I have seen too many semis jam or have cycling issues in bad weather, whether they are shot guns or rifles. Most issues caused by stiff lube, or a dirty gun,but either way it can cause you to miss a chance at filling a tag.
Click to expand...

And the same can happen to bolt guns as well. Particularly in extreme cold weather. Too much and the wrong kind of oil can gum up the bolt action's firing pin so it doesn't fire the rifle. Or the trigger, with the same result. It's not the fault of the action design, it is operator error, failure to properly lube the gun for existing conditions. (and sometimes, that means no lube at all is better than the wrong lube).

Another lesson learned from winter hunting camps is that, when practical, your rifle should "live outside" until the hunt is over. In other words, get cold and stay cold. taking them inside a heated cabin, or even a tent if its warm enough makes them sweat (condensation) which means a tear down and wipe down after they've warmed up, and it can also cause scope fogging issues though less likely with modern scopes than in the past.

If you're fine with doing that at the end of each day's hunt, fine. But be sure to do a complete job, because if you miss any condensate, that can cause rust when its warm and turn to ice jamming the mechanism when you go back out into the cold.
 
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