When you look at both guns and action other then the gas sytem which gets cleaned once a year or before a big hunt...maintenance is very similiar to that with a bolt action...I mean you have to clean out the locking lug recesses on a bolt gun don' t you why wouldn' t you do it on a semiauto.? The bolt has to be stripped down and cleaned occasionally and oiled etc etc very similiar maintenance. I am down in your neck of the woods a couple of times a year if you care to follow up on your bet....