Originally Posted by
renegadelizard
From Chuck Hawks
"The fastest form of bolt action rifle is the straight pull action. The Canadian Ross rifle of pre-WW I fame was the first of the breed with which I am familiar. Such rifles have never been popular because they usually sacrifice too many of the bolt action's virtues (camming action on extraction, controlled feed, simplicity of design) for a fairly minor increase in speed of operation. The straight pull bolt action is still slower than a lever, pump, or autoloading rifle."
I just read something on the early Ross rifles where a few of them malfunctioned and sent the bolt flying straight back into the face of the shooter causing severe injuries (burying the bolt into the side of your face)due to the nature of the locking mechanism.Its much more complicated than a simple locking lugs bolt action. Thats pretty much why they never took off and were relegated to rimfire power levels where the potential for injury were less devastating. Firearm owners have very long memories. Not saying they aren't safe as they are really nothing more than a autoloader operated by bolt so probably just as safe. Whatever floats your boat. Take care.
Last edited by nyorange; 02-27-2010 at 07:33 PM.
Reason: saw video