The battle between bolt action and semi

G

GeeRawkz

New member
Good afternoon all,

I have been torn for quite sometime between a bolt action 308 and semi 308. I am looking to shoot around that 250+ yard range and would like to use it for wild hog hunting as well. Does anyone have any recommendations through their own experience or research. The price range is pretty flexible. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
I prefer bolt guns, but for what you want a semi might be better due to quick follow up shots, although with practice a bolt can be cycled faster than most would think possible

A good bolt gun is generally cheaper than a good semi 308, but I try not to base things too much on cost since the average "lifespan" for most guns seems to be around 400 years
 
For hunting anything it's six of this and a half dozen of the other. At 250, there won't be any difference other than bolts tend to be more accurate. Close range on a PO'd pig, I think I'd opt for a semi.
Mind you, if you practice with a short barreled bolt action, it won't make much difference, but a semi will always be a faster second shot.
Catch is the availability of good semi's and the daft ideas of some States. No semi's in PA, at all. Some States think rifles like the Rem R25 are battle rifles. And Brownings are just stupid expensive. You pay extra for that name.
 
Bolt guns are just hardier and simpler to me. I much prefer them myself except for just plinking. I have semi auto's mostly for SD scenarios. I think to me they're apples and oranges. I can obviously shoot farther, and more accurately with a bolt gun. That being said I know guys have expensive bull barreled ARs in different chamberings and can shoot a long ways with them, I just don't use mine for that.

I could drag this post on with pro's and con's but I think I'll leave that to someone else and just say I really prefer a scout style bolt gun myself.
 
I like the idea of a semi.

When someone makes one that is as accurate and reliable as my bolt gun, and is capable of shooting the hotter handloads I want to use, and has as good of a trigger, and weighs under 6.5 lbs, and costs under $600 I'll buy one.

Till then I'll keep my bolt rifles in 308.

There are some AR's chambered in 223 that come very close to my criteria, not any 308's.
 
At 250 yards, I don't see much diff between the two, IF the semi-auto is a decent shooter. If it's one of the mil-type bullet flingers, that's a different story. As long as the accuracy is adequate, I'd go with the one I liked.
 
There are some AR's chambered in 223 that come very close to my criteria, not any 308's.
Click to expand...

You won't find a 6lb .308 AR style rifle - and you certainly won't find one in the $600 price range. Everything else on your list can be found in an AR style rifle including accuracy, reliability, and trigger.

I have a .308 AR that is repeats under <0.5 MOA accuracy, has never malfunctioned with commercial ammunition, and has a Geissele 2-stage trigger. However, it was 5x the cost of your $600 price point and weighs over 12lbs with a 3.8-25x scope and bipod.
 
The only reason, IMO, to use a semi over a bolt rifle in a hunting situation is for fast follow up shots, which in hog hunting could be needed! At 250yds you should not have any problem finding either one that would do the job.
 
GeeRawkz said:
I have been torn for quite sometime between a bolt action 308 and semi 308.
Click to expand...
You are definitely specific about the .308 being the cartridge of choice & a good choice at that.

I'm finding that more & more hog hunters are using 6.8mm SPC for hogs. It fits the AR-15 platform, definitely shoots to 250 yds & with all the premium bullets available, has proven very effective on hogs. I suggest a bit of "googling" & you'll see what I mean.

FWIW...

...bug
 
When someone makes one that is as accurate and reliable as my bolt gun, and is capable of shooting the hotter handloads I want to use, and has as good of a trigger, and weighs under 6.5 lbs, and costs under $600 I'll buy one.
Click to expand...

+1

For what you describe, a turnbolt** is definitely the superior choice, IMO. The need for instantaneous follow-up shots is 99% myth, 1% truth, *even* with feral piggies. 1 shot, 1 kill is still the way to go and always will be. A turnbolt is very fast and has so many other advantages, roughly in order:

-Lighter
-More reliability feeding (if only very slightly)
-Much more reliable extraction in dirty conditions
-More accurate (not always, but 8 times out of 10 they are)
-Easier to clean
-Hotter load-capable (stronger)
-Easier to shoot rested from the bench, to sight in

And did I mention lighter? You could even add "more PC" to the list if you care about such things.

The only disadvantage is "less ergo" - a semi-auto such as an AR15 is more ergo. Nearly-instant follow-up shots is NOT a disadvantage for hunting in my view - would be in a firefight against other humans, but not animals.

**Semi-autos, lever actions, and pumps are also "bolt" guns - anything but a falling block, rolling block, or break action is a "bolt" gun. Hence the name "turnbolt".
 
Last edited:
Great advice still wrestling around with it a lot. Sounds like a lot of people saying bolt but primarily due to pricing and what they want gun to do / preference. To me that becomes a if I want that dual purpose of tactical and hunting how much is it actually worth spending.
 
The Model 100 was a good idea poorly executed. They typically did not shoot well, and they were heavier than a comparable bolt action rifle.

As far as ARs, that seems to be the main problem with semiauto 308s, they are heavy.
 
Get the bolter.

With practice one can get FAST on a bolter and mag capacity hardly matters.

I use a .308 scout rifle for hunting, defense, and everything else. A bolt action is STILL tremendously effective in practiced hands and is more reliable and simple than virtually and other firearms design on planet Earth. Add to that the lower weight and less bulk vs. a semi... and the greater accuracy... the list just does on and on. All the .308 semi will do for you is get shots faster, but that is IT. And remember, you can be VERY fast on a bolt.
 
MODEL12WIN, all you have said could apply to a single shot rifle over 100 years ago, think about it. i myself prefer a pump rifle over bolt rifles most of the time, they have many of the advantages of a bolt rifle and non of the disadvantages. eastbank.
 
I had a model 100 Winchester, briefly. It had reliability problems. After a gunsmith got the bugs out of it, it was pretty good. But it had lost its charm and I sold it quickly as I had an opportunity to get everything out of it I had spent. In retrospect, I think the model 100 can be a good rifle if you go into it expecting a project gun that might need a new extractor, the upgraded firing pin, and religious devotion to keep the gas system immaculate. I prefer the reliability of a bolt or lever action. In a bolt gun I would prefer a different caliber. Adamant about a 308, there are some proven leverguns worth considering, if you're not adamant about bolt or semi-auto. The Savage 99, BLR, and Winchester 88 come to mind.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top