For big game hunting I'll take a bolt gun 10 times out of 10 over a semi-auto. For other uses semi's are just fine. I have several 22 rimfire semi-autos as well as AR's and I like them for their intended uses.
A bolt gun is:
* More reliable with a wide range of loads. Semi autos can be pretty reliable, but only if the ammo is loaded within a fairly narrow pressure range. I can load, or buy ammo that would never function reliably in a semi-auto
* More rugged and reliable in harsh weather or dirty conditions.
* Significantly lighter.
* More accurate, partly because of better triggers. You can get a semi to be plenty accurate, but it is significantly harder and more expensive.
Which leads to cost, there are a lot of sub $400 bolt guns that will out shoot most $1000 semi-autos.
Quote:
|
M1's and M14's have put 24 shots inside 12 inches at 600 yards in 50 seconds shot from prone.
|
From a military perspective this is significant. I'll not argue that a bolt gun is a superior military weapon except for those times where much more accuracy is needed and at even longer ranges.
But as a hunter using the same 6" target and only firing 3 rounds at 100 yards ( more relevant numbers for a hunter) It might take 1 second longer for someone who knows how to run a bolt rifle.
Not trying to hit anything, just throwing lead down range as fast as I could while being timed, I've gotten off 3 shots from a 308 bolt rifle in under 2 seconds. It takes me about 4 seconds to hit a 6" target at 100 yards 3 times.