Bolt action is a much more tactile experience for me. Both types have their place for sure.

 

I like single shot,lever and pump rifles too. They round out a collection nicely.

 

Bolt Action firearms don't malfunction because there is no magical process- throw the bolt back, extract a cart, feed another round into the chamber - included. I think it's pretty obvious why they are more reliable. And accurate, too. There's less moving parts. So, I agree with everything you said, including that I'd prefer to have an auto-loader in my hands if I was in real trouble and needed to throw a lot of lead down range. Hunters and Snipers only need accuracy.

Good piece.

 

And accurate, too. There's less moving parts.

Ya beat me to it.

 

The bolt action (and single shots) are much more relaxing. Centerfire or rimfire, doesn’t matter. If I take a bolt action to the range, I typically shoot less than the magazine capacity of a single magazine for say one of my AR’s. Typically a much more focused, deliberate range session.

 

Agreed. Am sure I would go through more ammo and only have a 22 magnum which can be costly lately. Did consider that Savage A-22M briefly but the R/A bolt sounded more my style. Plus I trust Ruger for a superior product. Yep sure makes for an easy clean.

 

Once when I served in the Corps I had the opportunity to try a variety of firearms that had been issued to grunts over decades. My first issued rifle was an M1. I loved it. Then I got to shot a Springfield 1903, a bolt action rifle. It was quite a different experience from the M1. The M1 had a maximum effective range of 500 yards. The 1903 had it at 1200 yards. I asked the armorer why it was so much longer than the M1. Both had a barrel length of 24 inches, and used a similar but not identical cartridge. The armorer said it was because thec1903 was bolt action. When the bolt is locked on the chambered round it seals of any loss of meaningful pressure so the bullet is fired at full pressure. With the M1 gasses are used to eject and reload the rounds resulting in a loss of pressure. That reduces velocity and range. So if range is important to you then consider a bolt action.

 

I have a Mossberg 195D Bolt action 12 Gauge. I had a senior moment and put a 3" magnum in a 2 3/4" chamber. Bolt locked tight, shot with a good amount of recoil but no incident. Semi I believe would have had serious problems. Bolts are stronger in my opinion (at least older ones) and hold a special place in my heart.

 

I have semi-auto rifles for self-defense or SHTF scenarios. I have bolt-action rifles for hunting large game or long range shots. I have Winchester lever-action rifles in .45 Colt and .44 magnum to pair with my .45 Colt and .44 magnum single-action revolvers.

 

All of my semis shoot well, smooth, & are pretty accurate, but I'm sure not as accurate as a bolt gun. I'd love to find an older model Remington m700 in .308

 

I competed in NRA across the course National Match with a custom 1/7" twist Winchester .223 bolt gun and
gave up nothing to the semi auto's.

 

The only advantage a semi-auto has ... is really .... an increased rate of fire .
In a battle rifle ... that's important . In a hunting rifle ... of little importance and in a target rifle ... of no importance .
I actually have done most of my hunting with a single shot rifle or shotgun ... we were taught to make the first shot count ... Dad didn't like you wasting ammo .
Except for a 10/22 , all my other rifles , rimfire and centerfire , are bolt actions ...
Gary

 

I have a bunch of semi rifles both RF and centerfire. But I love my bolts both RF and centerfire. I have a couple lever action and one pump. The pump is 22WRF from 1926. I don't shoot it often but it is a great shooter.

 

Here's some more advantages of 22 LR bolt action or other locked breech (pump, lever, or single shot): the chamber and headspace are typically tighter, which causes less bullet damage when the gun is fired. Likewise, the feeding system is usually simple, which helps prevent bullet damage when the gun is feeding.

When guns have a fast rate of fire, we tend to have fun and blast away with hopes of hitting the target. When guns operate slowly, it makes us think a bit more and try to make every shot count. So even if a 10/22 might be just as accurate as an Ruger American, the marksmanship skills tend to dominate in the American.

 

Only advantage a bolt has over a semi auto is it allows you to slow down and shoot less in a given amount of time. I rarely have any issues because i don't use nor need a problematic 25 rd mag. I shut my brother 25rd mag just fine. When there is a issues it usually shooter induced.

 

Sometimes you need multiple quick shots.
When I decided to get a gun for feral hog hunting I built a 6.5 Grendel AR. Then when I decided I might like to try calling coyotes I bought a Bushmaster 5.56 AR.
For PP I have a 10mm 1911 and a few 9mm semi-autos.
And three 10/22s and a target 22/45 just because they are so much fun to shoot.

But I really like accurate rifles and love my bolt-actions. I'm lucky to have collected four Rugers: an '80s M77V .220 Swift, a '90s M77V/T .223 Rem, a 2017 M77 Hawkeye FTW .260 Rem and the '85 77/22 that was a xmas present from my wife. They're all great shooters.

And I've swapped that ugly FTW stock for a Boyd's.

 

a '90s M77V/T .223 Rem,

So you changed your mind on cutting the barrel down?

 

My neighbor has a Ruger 220 swift. With an unertle scope on it. He got it for 600.00 with dies and loaded ammo and bullets and powder. The guy he bought it from was up on drug charges. He knew he was going to be found guilty.

 

If the SHTF does happen and we get primitive a bolt gun will be running a lot longer than a semiauto. I can run a bolt fairly fast if I need to. I have a bolt in 5.56x45 that takes AR mags and one in 7.62x39 that takes Ruger Mini 30 mags. I also have rimfire bolts along with the semiautos. A 10-22 will take a lot of abuse but it does take more care. I have been considering a lever action 22lr as a compromise.

 

I like bolt actions for their simplicity. They also tend to weigh less than semi-autos as well.

 

I just like the overall feel of the bolt-action to be honest. They come cheaper, too.

 

Reloading bolt action brass is a bit easier than semi-auto brass, IMO.
Bolt action chambers are often "tighter" than semi-auto chambers.
Semi-auto brass is snatched out of the chamber immediately after firing, the brass is still hot and expanding in both length and circumference.
Resizing generally is done with a full length die or even a small base die.
Trimming to the proper length may also be required more times than brass from a bolt action.
Typically bolt action brass will only require neck sizing, since it generally spends more time in the chamber and will cool to the chamber dimensions.
Rarely any length trimming.
I've been reloading bolt action .308 and 30.06 brass off and on for a long time.
When I purchased a .308 semi-auto I had to learn some new things because of the differences.

I do find myself shooting a bunch more rounds through the semi-auto at the range then when shooting the bolt actions.

 

Just did some target shooting with 22 Magnum rifles. My brother-in-law shot his Henry and I shot my old Marlin bolt action. Objectively, he is the better shot with a rifle. We shot at those self-healing rubber ball targets at about 40 yards. Both guns were scoped. Both scopes were zeroed.

I shot the heck out of that ball and he kept missing or winging his. His Henry also liked to jam that day, which might’ve been due to his short stroking the lever. I love that Henry rifle, but for varmint hunting there’s nothing like a bolt action rifle in a small caliber. I have sent many rabbits and groundhogs to the great beyond at the verges of my garden over the years with that gun.

 

I have found no difference in accuracy in my rifles. (at least for me, I am learning to overcome the natural shake we have, mine is bad). I have a RPR and a LR-308 both in .308 that shoot the same load to 1 moa or less at 200 yards.

The biggest advantages I see is a bolt action is quiet, is easier to load and unload. No bolt to go slamming shut. If you watch the military precision shooters on TV, they will close the bolt, then lift the handle, back the bolt back a hair and reseat/chamber the round, really ensures alignment, consistent chambering. Also a bolt gun doesn't throw your brass all around to get lost. Of course you can modify a semi to become a bolt, but that defeats its purpose.

 

I grew up reading Jack O'Connor and thinking the bolt action was king. Never much strayed from that thinking for my purposes and my hunting rifles are bolt action or a muzzleloader. Even my 22's are bolt. One I got when I was in high school via mail order, a Marlin Model 80. Shipped right to my door. I've owned other actions and brands but always came back to that Marlin as I get fine accuracy with it.

 

I have both types and enjoy them both. My Ruger AR556 MPR has never been rapid fired. I am concentrating on the scope and the nice trigger. It usually results in very accurate groups.

 

Faster velocities (since no energy is lost in cycling the bolt) and much easier to clean.