Gas gun vs. bolt competency question

[komifornian]

I've read here on the hide quite a few times that it's more difficult to 'master' or be proficient with a gas gun than a bolt gun - why? I ask because I haven’t experienced this at all. I shoot better with my gas gun than my bolt gun even though I have far less time behind the gas gun.
I guess the question is: What difference does it make if a gun auto cycles or if it's a manual operation?

 

[ARP]

Re: Gas gun vs. bolt competency question

Exactly due to the fact that one is cycling and the other isn't.

 

[KillShot]

Re: Gas gun vs. bolt competency question

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: komifornian</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I've read here on the hide quite a few times that it's more difficult to 'master' or be proficient with a gas gun than a bolt gun - why? I ask because I haven’t experienced this at all. I shoot better with my gas gun than my bolt gun even though I have far less time behind the gas gun.
I guess the question is: What difference does it make if a gun auto cycles or if it's a manual operation?
</div></div>

The bolt is more forgiving because it doesn't have all of the moving parts that contribute to the recoil. With a gasser, the BCG slamming open and shut can easily throw you off your POA if you don't have the proper form when pulling the trigger. You don't have that issue with the bolt because when you pull the trigger, that's it for recoil.

 

[komifornian]

Re: Gas gun vs. bolt competency question

okay point taken for the second shot. However, what about the first shot? Can we at least agree that we're on an equal playing field with the first pull of the trigger?

 

[Powder_Burns]

Re: Gas gun vs. bolt competency question

No. There are no moving parts in a bolt gun when you pull the trigger except for the hammer/firing pin components.
When you pull the trigger in a semi-auto, (DI or GP) some of the gases are cycling the action, causing all sorts of movement inside the gun. This behavior of semi-autos requires more finesse to get accurate performance out of them.

 

[komifornian]

Re: Gas gun vs. bolt competency question

Hmm - okay

 

[TiroFijo]

Re: Gas gun vs. bolt competency question

The gas enters the port and cycles the action, OK... but the elapsed time from entering the port to the point when the bullet exits the barrel is a small fraction of a milisecond. Follow through would be affected, but perhaps the more complicated sequence of actions from trigger release (the gas gun has a hammer, the bolt does not) and longer, heavier trigger are the most likely causes

 

[tomthebaker]

Re: Gas gun vs. bolt competency question

IMHO, the lighter gas guns, with shorter barrels, are more sensitive to varying cheek and hand pressures, and more prone to going off POA because they are so light. My FAL shot as well as could be expected, and technique changes didn't seem to affect it, but my lighter and shorter 16" POF-308 is very sensitive to any change in technique.

 

[TiroFijo]

Re: Gas gun vs. bolt competency question

Yes... you have to compare apples to apples, you cannot compare a heavy bolt gun with an ergonomic stock optimized for prone shooting, with a good cheek rest, and crisp 2.5 lb trigger to a relatively light AR rifle with stock not optimized for prone shooting, no cheek rest, long 5 lb trigger, and long lock time due to hammer fall and vibration due to hammer impact.

 

[frankythefly]

Re: Gas gun vs. bolt competency question

I always thought my gassers had way less recoil than my bolt guns. What I think that makes the big difference is a slower lock time in a gasser than a bolt gun.

 

[komifornian]

Re: Gas gun vs. bolt competency question

I'm glad I finally brought this up!
I just don't see any meaningful difference in ‘first shot performance’ between a bolt gun and a semi auto; follow-up shots are a completely different matter.
Frankly, I think a gas gun, once mastered, is much more effective at putting lead on target in a short amount of time than bolt rifle.

 

[kraigWY]

Re: Gas gun vs. bolt competency question

Go take in a High Power match some time. I've seen some bolt gunners that were no slouch in the rapid fire stages.

If you practice a bit, you can work the bolt while recovering from the recoil, nearly as fast as a gas gun;

I'm not talking about just pulling the trigger to see how fast you can get the rounds off, I'm talking about precision fire.

If you could find one, read Cpt Edward Crossman's book, Military and Sporting Rifle Shooting. It has a very good section on shooting rapid fire with a bolt gun. He was talking about the Spingfield.