Why bolt action ?
 

Why are bolts so popular for hunting ? I would think semi auto's and lever's are faster cycling, and more fun to use in general.

Even the Remington pump is fun to use. I can't explain why, but using a bolt is just boring.

Why do you hunt with a bolt action ?

Semi automatics are illegal to hunt with in some states. I personally like bolt action.

So they're boring?

...that's OK. I don't need any excitement from my rifle while I'm hunting. I only need excitement from from a dead deer.

Accuracy, simplicity,reliability,strength of the action.

A-c-c-u-r-a-c-y!

Plus only needing one shot to get the job done over the last 36 yrs.
Needed 2 when I was 14 once.

First the action and barrel is fitted in a one piece stock, this means you can free float it or put pressure on the barrel to make it shoot better...

Next, the trigger is fully adjustable, because of the design of a semi, this isn't possible...

Because of the above, bolt actions are usually more accurate than semis...This is why those that shoot long range targets and snipers use bolt actions...

Reliability, a bolt action won't jam like a semi can...

Mounting a scope is more solid and it will be more reliable because of the action of a bolt action...Most bolt actions are more balanced and lighter than a semi...Lever actions are cute but for some of us they are simply too short and don't fit us well...

Hunting does not require a lot of firepower. Semi's may be more fun to shoot a lot, but it's the first shot that counts in hunting and the bolt guns will deliver that first shot very accurately and reliably. During gun season: one shot, dead deer; two shots, probably a dead deer; 3 or more shots, deer is still running.

Because I reload and with the flick of the bolt the brass is in my hand then my pocket. Once there I can then go field dress my deer and not have to crawl around and look for the brass in the grass and snow.

My brother has a pump action Remington 760 and he catches the brass from it also.

Semis are a military weapon because the object really is to maim which ties up more people to care for them so less persons to fight.

:D Al

Bolt accuracy
 

X2, I like lever actions for hunting thick woods while still hunting or tracking. Bolts for stand hunting in more open woods.

Bolts offer you a wider choices of rifles and cartridges to choice from. Also with practice you can work a bolt action almost as fast as a lever or pump and more accurately. Also some autos are not just a military weapon they have their places in hunting.

Nothing that I can add to what has already been stated. I have found that people that shoot a semi tend to spray because they have it in the back of their minds that if they miss or maim with a semi they can spray a few more in the general direction of whatever they are shooting at. I can count on one finger the number of semiautos that shoot half decent. I am a big fan of bolts and single shots. It takes one well placed shot to harvest dinner, not a barrage of shots.

For whitetail deer hunting, I carry a full magazine, and a full row of cartridge loops on my buttstock, good for about 14-15rnds on hand in the field.

If I come back with more than one empty case, I either have more than one animal to drag, or I did something wrong. For big game, I haul bolt guns.

When coyote hunting, I like to load up in the morning and not have to load again all day. Having multiple animals come in on one stand, or taking a few shots at a running coyote happens enough that I prefer to be equipped to manage those situations. So for coyotes, I haul semiautos.

I don't count myself in the camp that believes that having a semiauto entices anyone to take irresponsible shots. My advantage on doubles/triples on coyote stands means that the second and third dog haven't covered extra ground while I cycle the bolt, so I have an easier shot. For coyotes, I'm going to take running shots, and I'm ok with that. For deer on a dead run, I'd pass unless I knew I had a less than ideal placement on my first shot that might mean a lingering death. Driving a car that can go 200mph doesn't make anyone break a 75mph speed limit. If someone's prone to want to speed, then sure, they'll buy a car that helps them go fast, but there's nothing about a mechanical device that makes you take more or less ethical shots. I'm actually quite critical of those that say they take ONE BULLET into the field - to me, it's just not ethical, because you have no way to dispatch a wounded animal in the event SOMETHING goes wrong and you don't get a clean one shot kill. Semiautos don't make anybody "spray and pray". That person would spray with a bolt gun too, they'd just be slower at it.

For what it's worth, the only reason I ever load 6 rounds in my big game revolvers is because it can damage your action to fire with only one round in the wheel. There's really no such thing as a follow-up shot in handgun hunting of big game, so I'd have plenty of time to reload a "finishing shot" on a downed animal. Same deal, I walk out with a full cylinder and a speedstrip in my pack, if I come back with more than one empty, I did something wrong.

Ruger No.1, one shot- one kill.

I like all actions. I started out on a lever action and grew tired of having to cycle through to unload. We do a lot of deer drives so its constantly loading and unloading. Semis can force you into a bad habit of pulling the trigger and not focusing for some people but I don't have anything against them, heck I own a couple. My current rifle, Browning X-Bolt .308 allows me to have a magazine for more convenient loading and unloading and I like to use a bolt. Like someone else mentioned, with practice you can be just as quick with a bolt if additional shots are needed. I went with a bolt too for previous reasons mentioned with the top being accuracy. I know I can get other type of action guns with a mag but I just prefer the bolt.

There is an old saying: "Beware the man that only uses one rifle because he probably knows how to use it".

I've been carrying the same 7mm Rem Mag since I was 13 years old. I'm 52 now. I have never found it wanting even when it went to Africa 5 times. I can kill deer as easily at 25 yards with it as I can at 400 yards. Accuracy is more important than firepower to me and I know where that old bolt gun hits at hunting ranges.

I have other guns, even some lever guns that play with from time to time. But when I need to put meat in the freezer, that 7mm is the one I'll pick up every time.

I have used bolt, single shot, lever and semi-auto designs as a hunting rifle off and on for decades. My expereince is that the bolt action seems to be inherently more accurate out of the box. And there is a chance to make a relatively quick follow up shot if need be. The design of a bolt action has been around for well over 100 years. It lends itself to a strong, reliable and simple action. Positive control bolt actions such as the Mauser 98, Ruger 77, and Winchester 70's (Pre 1964 and Classic) are practically impossible to jam, though the push feed actions which are very popular are very reliable as well.

Hunting isn't the Army
 

300 million plus Americans says it's unlikely to change for awhile.

cuz you are shooting at a deer not going to war slinging lead everywhere around the woods...plus if you miss with one shot who's to say you will hit anything after that in a rapid fire/semi auto?

Can't get any more clear than that ! :confused0024:

I used a Bolt 30-06 for years, LOVED that gun! But I bought me a Glenfield 30-30 this summer and I'm really enjoying it. I loved the Bolt because it is so simple, and almost nothing can go wrong. Also, you get more distance. But, Levers are much more fun to shoot, and with LeverEvolution ammo you can get more distance. Either way they are both great guns, Its just a personal preferance.

All are good in the correct hands
 

Any action rifle in a good choice in the correct hands. I bet you couldn't count the deer killed with a 742 woodmaster over the years in one sitting. Of course that isn't implying that all who shoot a 742 aren't strafe shooters. My dad and uncles along with various hunting partners hunted with the 742 or 7400 for several years and did very well. They eventually went to bolt action rifles for various reasons but they will tell you they wouldn't hesitate to pick the autos backup if they wished.

I have wondered that question as well. While I started with bolts as a youth for hunting and target competition I got a Savage 99 back in the 60's and it became my deer rifle.

Then I got some of those 'new' SS Syn stocked rifles and they are bolts!

Most bolts are more accurate, better lockup, chambered in magnums and have more positive safeties.

Some are also lighter than autos.

Why bolt action....why not. I prefer the action. After field stripping various types of firearms and seeing what makes them work or what can go wrong, I have come to enjoy the simplisity of a firearm having less moving parts in a more rugged and typically more accurate platform. To many it is the efficiency. Plus the wide variety of calibers offered in bolt actions is another reason why.

this is why I use a bolt action, replicate any of these with a semi or a lever


RR

i started with a shotgun went to a marlin lever action, then years later and a ton of dead dear i missed the big buck called the rake horn at 250 yards. went straight to the sporting goods store and got me a .270 rem 700 and a good scope. that was 30 years ago.

Cause you only need 1 shot.

Though I'm toying with a lever 30-30 as a second gun, the main reason for bolts with me is that I bought my bolt rifle years ago when there was only going to be enough funds for one gun. The only flat shooting calibers that I saw in lever guns were well beyond my budget, and a caliber like 30-06 (which i ended up getting in a savage) was important for the versatility.

Now you say it is boring to use a bolt? Why? Are you generally taking more than one shot at an animal that you need a semi or a lever action? If so please practice more at the range. But my reasoning is less to screw up. Been tried and true not as many moving parts, stays a whole hell of a lot cleaner then something like an AR.

Disclaimer:
Before this thread leads to 2nd amendment rights and it is my right for why I said "you need a semi or a lever action" . Which I agree the most but this wasn't directed to that. Which would be a whole another thread.

My philosophy is if you can get a second shot in, take it. Normally, there isn't the opportunity as they run into cover, but it is something I look for.

I did see something once that I found interesting: one of the outdoor writers compared the results of a bolt and a lever gun--aimed shot and then quick several follow ups. It was timed.

The bolt was something like four hits in a 4' circle, the lever like 7-8 hits in a pie plate. He pointed out that all of the shots with the lever would have been fatal and none would have been a hit in the stomach.

His point was that if you were in similar distances, that quick follow up ability of the lever action might be handy.

The first shot counts everytime. If the second shot was a deciding factor, it would be due to luck of hitting a moving target you missed or making up for bad shot placement from the first shot. Either way I would be upset and revert back to making the first shot count.

Use what the heck you want, just know your limitations. P.S. Caliber, recoil, and the sights used can be as important as action type in regards to shooting speed.

There are several reasons
 

Some states would have too many hunters firing semi-automatic weapons.
The idea is to hunt and not to wipe out a deer herd with the most efficient weapon. Many GI's returned from WWII after using a semi-automatic rifle, the M1, and then used a bolt action or lever action in hunting. HUNTING IS NOT WAR. It doesn't have the same objectives.

Plus the size of the country has expanded rapidly. Some older Americans remember when there were half as many in the country, as there are now. Many will see less use of semi-automatic rifles, in states that do not have them. It will result in using semi-automatics for hunting, less than more often.

The second shot, if necessary, should preferably be the mercy shot.

I started out with bolt actions in the 1950's and they worked well.

In the 60's I found a Savage 99F in .358 Win. and that became my primary big game rifle. I had a fine High Wall for chucks and I got one of the first Ruger #1 single shots when they came out.

I was shooting single shot bolt rifles in centerfire and .22 competition.

Now I am primarily shooting a few well made custom bolt rifles. I shoot often at the range in good weather.

This 30-06 mauser actioned custom has a full length octagon barrel and a well crafted stock.

Because who needs two shots? Especially two shots faster than what a bolt can load?

I have several bolt action rifles that I use for deer and elk hunting. I like their accuracy, dependability, strength of action and the ability to hold 1 in the chamber and 3 or 4 in the magazine, which is important to hunters. I won't comment on semi-auto or pump rifles as I've never owned one although, I have shot a couple of different makes. I will say that one of my other favorite rifles is a single shot Ruger #1. A family friend and former Montana elk guide also liked Ruger single shots. He said they bring out the best in a hunter while giving elk more of a "sporting" chance.