Jason,
you are correct that some states do not allow the use of semiautos, that is how I came across my first semiauto. My oldest brother lived in Pa and had a 742 that he loaned me since he couldn't use it. I have sinced replaced the 742 with the 7400 that I use today. I hesitate to agree to the statement that alot of states do not allow them though. I do not know the actual number so will withhold any additional comments in that regard until actual numbers are made available.
I have alot of respect for our friends here on this board and some of the one shot, bolt wonder hunters have proven theirselves to be legitimate, ethical, knowledgeable hunters from prior posts on previuos threads of varying topics but their comments within this thread does a disservice to our younger friends that are just taking up deer hunting. Their biased comments have no basis in fact or reality and I pose several thoughts to ponder and respond to if they desire.
First thought, one shot, one kill. Okay, that is a preferable result that we all strive for but the reality of it is that if you hunt deer long enough you are on occasion going to have to shoot more than once. One of our one shot posters on this thread ( who I have alot of respect for) has posted on another thread recently that he has killed over 150 deer and yet by his post here on this thread he would have us beleive that they were all killed with one shot each. Sorry but I just don't buy it. A final thought on this matter is that accepting the fact that at times a 2nd shot may become necassary I prefer to have a weapon that will autoload the next round thereby my hands never leave the firing position/points of contacts with the rifle. This fact alone has made the difference from a kill on site verses a long and possibly fruitless tracking job as mentioned in my earlier post.

Another point of contention I have with our bolt hunters that have made negative remarks to the reliabilty of semi autos I respond as follows, the function of reliabilty or lack thereof has nothing to do with the function and design of the gun but with the user's ability to properly clean the firearm. Think about this for a minute, 99% of the firearms used by law enforcement and the military are semiautos. Are my friends here trying to tell me that the people in charge of procurring these firearms sat around discussing the merits of the various weapons under consideration and came to the conclusion that they would prefer a weapon that is prone to jamming, unreliable and inaccurate over the superior weapons such as bolts, single shots and levers. That out of all the choices available they picked the worst of them all as the primary weapon of the vast majority of their personnel to be used in life and death situations. Or would you have me beleive that the manufacturers of these weapons deliver a different type of semi to the military and law enforcement than they do the hunting public. I don't think so.

I see some very clear and distinct advantages to using a semi over other weapons of choice but in the process of stating these advantages I would hesitate to denigrate your weapon of choice and I only ask that the same from our one shot bolt hunters. I glad that you like your gun but don't run mine down with your biased, inaccurate comments.

Have a good day,
Mark in SC

Here's mine:

1. Shoot whatever caliber you like as long as it's legal for the game you plan to hunt.

2. Shoot whatever action you're most comfortable with (practically any new gun will shoot good enough for deer right out of the box, after sighting it in of course). If you want a tack driver just for hunting,,be my guest, waste your money on glass bedding, etc.

3. Whatever you choose...practice...then practice some more.

4. Don't get sucked in to caliber, brand and action arguments. You can't win and everyone has a favorite they swear by but it might not be right for you.

5. When all else fails...see number 4 above.

Why is it that when one person prefers Action A over Action B, he or she is seen as denigrating Action B. To be fair to those who have had semis jam (I'm not one of them), we don't know if the jam came from improper cleaning or dirt / debris while in the field. It happens.

1. Bolt - precision accuracy
2. Lever - Browning BLR only, 7mm.08
3. Semi - started with an 742 in a 30.06
4. Pump - Still seems unatural for a rifle

JMHO

I shoot a bolt 270, to each his own.

I prefer a bolt because there quick to load and not as dangerous as a semi.

" to each his own", I couldn't agree more.
Unfortunately some of our friends continue to make statements with no basis in fact or knowledge of the subject.
"bolt not as dangerous as a semi" Where did Bud get that one from? What is it that make's the semi more dangerous Bud? I think you are greatly mistaken my friend, you are not referring to the function of the gun but the person behind the gun. Try to stay focused on the topic.
"bolt keeps you from making a sloppy first shot" Sorry Taz, don't blame that on the gun(semi auto), sloppy first shots are once again strictly a function of the person holding the gun.
"jams all the time" Once again the function of the person that cleans the gun not the gun itself.
Look guys, maybe I'm sounding a little to sensitive to the subject and so this will be my last post addressing this topic (unless somebody says something really, really stupid!!! ) but lets face it, this topic has been the subject of prior threads and some of our friends have consistantly made biased, inaccurate, uninformed statements regards to semi autos that does no service to any of us that visit these boards to exchange ideas. My son as well as other young hunters that visit this site are looking to us for information, I'm not particularly fond of the idea that my son might read some of the crap that's been posted and thinks that his dad hunts with a piece of junk. The reality of it is that the Rem 7400 is normally priced a few dollars more than your average bolt action, that it is a fine piece of machined steel and in the hands of a competant hunter it will kill deer just as dead as any bolt will.
One final thought, if you one shot, bolt wonder hunters like I can give you a pretty good list of the disadvantages of a bolt. I prefer not to but if you ask me real nice like I 'll see what I can do.

Respectfully,
Mark in SC

rem7400, I am not trying to take sides in this as I could give a rats butt what anyone shoots, but I can think of at least 2 instances where the firing pin locked forward in a semiauto and basically turned the firearm into a fully automatic weapon. In one instance the shooter lost most of his hand, and in the other the shooter lost his life along with a big portion of his head. When they let the bolt go forward to load the chamber, the gun fired unexpectedly and the barrel naturally rose up. Freak accidents yes, but had they been shooting another type of action it would not have happened.

The action I most enjoyed shooting was an autoloader. I always shot better and with more confidence using this action. When I realized that I would never have to rush anything if I missed or a bullet was lost to unseen brush (because the next shot would always "be there&quot, I became more deliberate and careful with my shooting.

Over the years this gun began jamming as parts wore out, and a replacement I picked up didn't last long before breaking down. I simply lost confidence in the reliability of the action, and have since switched to levers and pumps. In the thick stuff where I hunt, bolts are inappropriate.

Edited by - Rick Teal on 01/16/2002 22:36:51

this was a opic on which do you prefer, come one people its ok to answer. if you give advice on an action that is extra. and the best advice for that is what ever fits them best.