Hello all ,
With out a doubt , we do need semi-autos for hunting if for no other reason than personal preference. I own a couple of BAR's and Rem along with a variety of other rifles and enjoy them all. I seen no valid reason for some politician or government to target my guns.

the sandman 454:

In 1998 my 84 year old uncle and I drewBull Elk tags in NM Unit 16D. He was not strong enough to work a bolt action quickly anymore, so he used a Remington Model 7600 30-06 Sprg. Four of my cousins guide the Gila Wilderness and surrounding areas. The first morning of the hunt my cousin Ernie turned my Uncle Al on to a 400+ bull. The first shotwas high and the secondalso missed. My uncle was not upset he missed the bull; he was just happy togo on the hunt and get a shot at a bull. That was the last hunt my unclewent on due to alzheimer's and diabeies.To this day he still remembers the hunt. If semi-autos were not avaialiable he would never had a chance to shoot at that bull.YES WE NEED SEMI-AUTOS!!! Good luck.

handloader1:

That is a very nice story, although I think you might have misinterpreted what my post said or mistaken me with someone who is claiming nobody needs semi auto rifles or something.

Just to be sure everybody is clear on my stance:

One should be able to use whatever he or she is most comfortable with, be it bolt action, pump action, or the media appointed "ultra-dangerous super-evil" semi automatic rifle. Of course I don't feel that way about semi automatic, or for that matter fully automatic firearms, but the morons in the media and politicians with agendas do, and have apparently done a fair job of convincing a lot of people of that being the case, but I digress.

I'm simply saying that need is irrelevant for that very reason. If someone wants to use a certain type of firearm for a certain (legal) task, then questioning his or her "need" to use that particular firearm is not necessary, irrelevant, and frankly insulting. There is no reason to question anybody's preferred firearm action type if it's a type they want to use. Said another way, I believe an individual's preference is inherently his or her need. To question someone's need is to claim you know more than they do, which is at best impolite.

Of course the above is simply my opinion.

Edited to add:

I'm sorry for carrying on about the subject, but anytime anybody questions someone's "need" of anything it really strikes a nerve with me. I mean why should anyone be questioning what someone else chooses to use or wants to own? The whole need question seems to come up with politicians a lot these days.

"You don't need semi autos for sporting purposes"is one particularly goofy line many politicianswill blather on about. In fact, the question of "need" is a big part of the reason so many of our rights with regard to firearms have been eroded away.

As an example,a handful of the hunters I know in persondon't"need" semi automatic "evil black rifles" or any sort of thing and don't care if those get banned. Who are they to determine what I can have based on "need", but yet they do, consciously or subconsciously, by buying into the whole "need" line of crap. Apparently "because I can" isn't good enough for such people.

Again, sorry to have gotten off on a tangent, but the bottom line is if someone wants to use a type of action for a purpose, they should be able to, no further questions asked, especially questions of "need".

What the hell has NEED got to do with it?? Do we really NEED bolt actions? For shooting fixed ammunition, I happen to prefer a single-shot, like the Ruger No. 1, a Sharps. or a Dakota #10. But I actually prefer using my .73-caliber, flintlockJaeger over all other alternatives!! It shoots a 597.5 grain, .7325" ball, and will kill anything that walks out to at least 200 yards.

I personally would never select a semi-auto for hunting, but see no reason why others should not, if they feel like it-after all, it is THEIR RIGHT!!

(Sorry Heinz. I failed to note that you live in a British Commonwealth nation, where it now appears that individual liberties no longer exist. That's the problem with an unwritten constitution, where the government allows you whatever rights it sees fit, rather than deriving its' power to govern from the consent of the governed......)

WOW!! Your father is impressive! Reminds me of what Ernest Hemingway once said: "If you are too old to chase women, you are OLD! If you are too old to hunt, you are DEAD!!"

Yep, it has always bugged me when folks try to mix hunting in with the second ammendment. Hunting,or "need" has nothing to do with it. It's already illegal to shoot someone, what more laws dowe need?

The original post asked if semis were necessary for hunting purposes. I don't think the right to have them is even a question. I think it depends on what you are hunting and where you are hunting it. A single-shot is fine for deer here, but if there were bears around, I might want a little more firepower.

i think we do need semi-auto there no different than bolt, lever, pump, or single shot they all fire one bullet at a time so whats the big deal.

Semi Automatic guns are great for deer hunting. It was my grandpa's preferred deer gun (Winchester Model 100 308), and my dad has been shooting that same gun since he was 16 (he is 53 now). I am planning on buying myself a semi-auto in the near future for deer hunting. They work great on deer drives, where getting a quick follow up shot is needed.

the sandman 454:

As long as you understandWE NEED SEMI-AUTOS!!!Need has a great deal to do with it. God forbid anyone in your family is ever in need of using a semi-auto for his or her last hunt. Good luck.