Now, I want to be sure I put this up front - I' m not talking about taking them off the market, but why anyone would choose to use a semiauto rifle over the other options available to him? Is it the jamming? The poorer accuracy? The only reason I can conceive of (and that I' ve heard ad nauseum), is a faster second shot. I don' t believe that' s true at all, actually. Unless you' re shooting a gun that doesn' t kick at all, I would bet money that I can get an aimed second shot off just as fast with my bolt action.
Obviously, there are going to be people who simply like semiautos for no real reason, and I' m not saying you shouldn' t be able to do it, by all means.. but I honestly can' t see any benefit. I' d get a single-shot rifle before a semiauto - at least they' re a little more accurate than a bolt (theoretically).
Yeah, it' s late, I just want to talk.
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' I had him to myself as he lay there in the crushed ferns - all by myself, a boy alone in a cathedral of oaks and cypress in a vast swamp...I knew then that I was the richest boy in the world as I stroked the hide of my first deer.'
-Ruark
Well you started off making 3 assumptions that are off base . One is that a single shot is more accurate than a bolt action . Number 2 is that semi-autos are inaccurate or not as accurate as a bolt. Number 3 is that an operator of a bolt action could squeeze off lets say 5 rounds as fast and as accurately as a semi-auto. 1) If single shots were more accurate than bolt actions then they would be the weapon of choice of bench rest shooters. I also own Ruger number 1' s and yes they are fun to shoot and an absolute thing of beauty but a good bolt will outshoot them on any given day. 2) I know a lot of people yours truly included that shoot autoloaders(Not Remington) that shoot as well as most bolt actions in fact some are downright scary especially some of the older browning BARS. 3) There is no way someone could squeeze off multiple AIMED rounds with a bolt action faster than I could with a BAR. Another benefit of a semi auto is with larger magnum cartridges the recoil is softer. As far as reliability it depends on who is taking care of the gun and how well it is maintained. I have never ever nor have any of my hunting group and others that have owned BAR' s ever complained about jams etc etc. I cannot say the same about Remingtons in this regard . My personal preference in a rugged hunting situation would be a bolt action but not because I have had any bad experiences with an autoloader. They just balance and point better and generally have a shorter OAL thats just MHO.
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i find my semi BAR shoots just as good and even better than several of my bolt action firearms. also if you take care of your semi it will never jamn. min hasn' t yet
FL/GA Hunter is correct in that in general bolts are more accurate than semi autos. I' ve seen a few autos that were very accurate, but in general they don' t have near the accuracy potential of bolts. To draw off oldelkhunter' s example, when I see automatics taking the benchrest matches I' ll become a believer. Single shot are in the same boat. They haven' t been proven to have the accuracy of bolts although I have seen a few very accurate No. 1 Rugers. I once owned a Browning single shot 22-250 that was very accurate, but it was the exception and not the rule.
Many autos will jam, with some designs being worse than others. Of couse there are some designs that seldom if ever jam.
All that being said, it really doesn' t matter in the grand scheme of things. We' re all intitled to shoot what we like. If someone likes a bolt, auto, lever, pump, singleshot, etc, more power to them. I only use bolts for serious work, but I love all guns.
I haven' t used my 742 to hunt with in several years mainly because of its weight more than my bolts and with age lighter is better for carrying.The only time I can see that a auto would be better is when dog hunting where rifles are used.I have dropped 2 out of 3or4 running on these hunts more than once in my eariler years,with a Rem 742.and actually have taken my longest shot deer with this 742 infront of the dogs,only because thats what I was using at the time.
I think it is personal choice to what one uses especially here where I hunt either one works for deer.
Don' t really think anyone can get off more aimed shots with a bolt compared to someone that shoots a auto regularly bases though.You could compared to me though because I am older and a lot slower.
In general bolts are more accurate.Some autoloaders are much more reliable than others but I have yet to see one that has never jammed at least once or twice under the harsh conditions that I hunt under in alberta and saskatchewan. It is much harder to keep a semi auto from jamming in -30 temperatures than it is in warmer climates.Having a fast second shot is a poor excuse for a poorly placed first shot.
I have always believed that bolts were the most accurate around. Why is it that snipers use these exclusively? Less room in the chamber for potential misalignment.
Fla/Ga, I have a Rem 742 semi as well. I inherited it from my father who purchased it back in 1970 for a whopping $ 200. What about yours?
The gun is a beauty. It still looks like new, hits its mark every time. Last year, I had a jamb and this was the first time I pulled it completely apart to find that some pine needles got behind the firing pin. However, it does weigh a ton and the first few days of the season my arms ache from dogging through the bush with it.
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Becoming a better hunter.......day by day
If by NEED you are referring to being necessary for hunting,... then no, there is no real NEED.
But I NEED to buy more guns, therefore I will NEED to buy me a BAR, An M1, A Swedish Lungman, and maybe a FN49. Just cause I have a NEED to shoot many different guns.
I hunt with Bolts now. But before my gun cabinet was so full, I would occaisionally hunt souther Michigan with my old browning A-5 stuffed with buckshot. Worked fine then and would probably work fine now. Never had a jam. Folks with auto' s need to learn that you only need to oil for storage. Clean and DRY is better in the field.
It' s our RIGHT to buy them. Please don' t give the anti' s ideas on why we NEED them. Some people pefer the semi for their OWN reasons not yours. I like shooting single shots for hunting but for shooting paper I like a good ol' Semi, especially along the lines of a AR-15, AR-10, M1A, FNFAL, etc....
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If I were to buy a .223, I would choose a competition model AR over a bolt gun any day. They are as accurate if not more accurate than a bolt gun and are alot more fun to shoot[8D]
Quote:
I have always believed that bolts were the most accurate around. Why is it that snipers use these exclusively? Less room in the chamber for potential misalignment.
Semiauto rifles have been used as sniper for a very long time- SVT-40' s, Gewehr 43' s, M1C' s, M1D' s, M14' s, Dragunov' s (built on AK actions), Stoners, (built on AR actions) Barret .50' s, even the .50 Ma Deuce machine gun, not to mention that european forces probably use something based on a FAL or G2 for sniping.
A carefully fitted semiauto will lock up just as tight and true as a bolt action, in fact alot of modern semiautos use a rotating bolt that locks up just like a bolt action.
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Convince me there is a real NEED for a semi
