Reasons for you taking bolt-action over semi-auto?

[S12A]

The AW50 is bloody amazing though!

i would like to have a semi option but the decision is made for us here in Australia

I need to recalibrate my sarcasm detector. :-D

 

[LRShooter101]

Fact #1 we are not in combat, so all "what the operators use/with pictures of said, using semis" does not mean shit.

If you look at the 2 pictures below, you will note a number of things that the Military Snipers have picked up from civilian competitive shooting events like the PRS.


Carrying a Rear Bag on a sling, using a Pillow Bag on your arm for support, and using a skid pad on your handguard, are all things that came out of civilian competitive shooting, not military sniper training doctrine. The Military (in some cases) is not to arrogant to try and learn from civilian shooting programs. Per an earlier post here, there are now plenty of military personnel competing in civilian matches to improve their skill sets. Fortunately not everyone in the LE or Civilian shooting world is to arrogant to think that they can't learn something from the military shooting programs. If need be, I can run down a multi-page list of things that the civilian shooting programs have courtesy of the military shooting programs. Fortunatley there were shooters on both sides who were willing to make it all happen. Per my earlier comments, everyone can learn something from everyone else, it is how we all ultimately improve and move forward.

To rant that semis are the only way and are just as accurate as a bolt gun is ridiculous.

Any shooter, new or experienced, should sit down and compile a list of Pros and Cons for anything that they are going to do. In this case, a list of Pros & Cons for a bolt rifle and a list for a semi-auto. The key, is to do the homework, and make sure that they have a list of good factual Pros & Cons, versus popular opinion Pros & Cons.

I am not going to tell every new shooter that I work with that they need to start with a semi-auto, likewise I am not going to tell every new shooter that they have to start with a bolt rifle. I am going to take the time to make sure that they know what the Pros & Cons are, so they can make their own decision based on what will actually work best for them in the short and long term.

Once again, any shooter who looks at the big picture, versus focusing on one single perspective, will ultimately do better in the long run. Just because you don't ever have an intentions of jumping into a combat zone, doesn't mean that you can't learn something from those that do. The key is not to blindly follow anything without thoroughly understanding it, and insuring that it is relevant to your specific situation.

I am not trying to force a semi-auto on anyone. I am trying to play devils advocate, I am trying to get people to question what is being posted here, and I am trying to get shooters to make a logical/rational decision for what will actually work best for them, versus rolling right along with the crowd.

Final "sanity check" for some folks, I am currently running:
Bolt - .22, .223, .260, .284, .308, .300 Blk, .300 NM
Semi - .22, .223, .260, .308, .300 Blk
Yes, I actually have more bolt rifles than semi-autos, and yes there is a time and place for each one of them. No I will not become a single rifle owner/shooter anytime soon!

Sorry if my "non-biased position" was not clear enough for you? 95% of the information and arguments here were one sided pro bolt rifle, I was simply trying to balance that out with some counter points.


Your mileage may obviously vary.

 

[MoBoost]

Likewise, if you are going after a trophy animal or need to whack tangos at 1,200 yards or more, are you grabbing your semi auto (SR25, JP LRP-07, Nemo, etc.) or are you shouldering your tried and true bolt gun shooting a magnum caliber that is a sub 1/2 MOA rifle (AI AXMC, DTA SRS, Surgeon .338, GAP in 7 SAUM, etc.)?

In hunting - bolt is preferred over semi solely due to weight not accuracy; same reason dangerous hunters prefer break-over doubles over bolts.

In combat - long range engagement is rarely "one shot - one kill" deal. Short/mid range - sure! Long range - you "walk it in" or get lucky ("The perfect intent was not to make a one round clean shot" - longest 308 kill).

Like I said - I love bolt guns! There is just no good logical reason for it.

 

[charvey9]

You already said it. Tighter groups.

 

[MoBoost]

You already said it. Tighter groups.

Well, I don't know about "back then", but this summer I can't outshoot a semi - something about posting .3 aggregates on demand (twice!) that made me change my mind!

http://www.snipershide.com/shooting...00yard-semi-auto-6group-30round-shootout.html

 

[BangBangBlatBlat]

It depends on the game I am playing.

PRS has rules, scoring, and courses of fire that favor bolt guns.

Mil. Sniper competitions favor semi-automatics.

NRA Long Range favors bolt guns. No need for self-loading when everything is single loaded. Semi's are usually only shot as Service Rifles, which is aperture and post iron sights, and that means competing against the big mil teams that have it figured out.

Big game is usually a one shot affair. A semi is extra weight.

Combat favors Semi-automatics.

Mechanically, a bolt gun should shoot better than a semi-auto. But the gap between the two isn't that big of a deal. An extra 1/4 MOA usually isn't a big deal if a 1 mph wind error is worth a full minute left or right.