guys,
could really use your opinions on your pro’s and con’s about getting a “Big” gun. I had a bold action, but found myself never shooting it, mainly because there was no where to shoot the distance where I was living at the time…I don’t want to not shoot the gun to its potential, but now, I have better resources to get something that I can get out to a distance range to shoot, and I just may be able to afford something new and nice…
but, Bolt or Semi…please advise!
Thank you,
Velcro
What is this firearms primary mission and what caliber are you wanting?
Are there any legal things you need to worry about (California or other state restrictions and such)?
Self defense, hunting, varmits, matches or just a plinkster? I would start with that and go from there.
Once you define the mission, you then can go for the details.
long range match (400+ meters)= bolt gun
long range hunting=bolt gun
short- medium range hunting= either bolt or semi
self defense= semi auto
good all-around short to medium range=semi
again, just depends on the mission…
I am in the same boat as you. I bought a remington 700 with plans to outfit it for long range shooting, but now that I’ve had it for a month or so I’ve decided to build an ar-15 SDM type first. I don’t know why, but I prefer the semi auto’s.
I get more use out of a semi auto. With the right setup, you can hunt at good distances. It is not uncommon to take coyote at 300+ meters with 55-62 grain .223 out of an ar. Bolt guns have their niche, but with all the caliber conversions and options available for the at platform, it’s hard to go wrong. A .308 ar platform might be up your alley. Depends on usage, I guess.
Since there really isn’t a quality option for a big bore auto loader out there, I’d go with a bolt. The market is full of LWRC type junk guns, but there’s truly not one GOOD big bore auto loader than I can think of.
I’d try to get a FAL if I had to have an auto, but that’s kind of like trying to pick out a good AK these days… too much ass ache. And who wants some fly by night build by some joker?
Well if you want big bore, the .458 SOCOM is a good semi auto AR platform.
Hard hitting and fun to shoot.
I just picked mine up this year for deer hunting but I can take anything in North America with it.
markm and his never ending quest to trounce on LWRC. :rolleyes:
I know mine works damn well for me. Ok didn’t mean to hijack the thread. I would go with a semi auto, much more diverse.
It is tuff.
There really is no “mission” persay, but I understand the reference, but I have worked with both systems and the semi’s that I have worked with have at least been descent ones.
Velcro
My opinion:
The decision can be easy depending on your usage.
-how good of a shot are you and how far out will you shoot
-would you like the firearm to pull double duty
-any legal restrictions where you live
With that said…
I prefer a good semi-auto. I have a nice bolt gun and it sits in the safe way too much. I would much prefer the semi-auto if the shtf in any way.
In my opinion the bolt gun is still more accurate than a good semi-auto - and that begins to show at the longer distances.
I’ve had a FNAR for a while now and I get true sub moa results with it. I have hit .88" at 200 yards and I can regularly get 1.5" at 200 yards. The largest group I have at 200 yards is still 4.11". I have thoroughly tested it at 300 yards (and under) and it is a solid performer. I have only taken it to 420 yards so far, but it was true at that distance. I took a hog and hit him where I wanted to. It has been absolutely reliable and has not had any failures - I don’t run it like an AR, but I do run it. I usually run it from a high bipod to get over high grass, etc…
If I could only have one of the 2 (my bolt or my FNAR) I would take the FNAR, even though my bolt is more accurate. The FNAR is accurate and would be good in a defensive posture if the shtf in a serious way.
Another part of the equation that kept me away from the big semi-auto for a while is ballistics. I am a huge fan of a certain type of round that is not readily available in semi-auto and I’ve never been a big fan of the 308 compared to that round. Now that I have the semi-auto in 308 I’m glad I have it. Cheaper and more readily available ammo. I use it regularly. I do plan to see just how far I can push it with good hand-loads. I did find a few places that would build an AR for the caliber of choice, but I never felt like I could trust the whole process.
You might ask yourself if you’ll really use the bolt much and if you really care about the difference in 1 and 1/2 moa. I know for many the answer is they really prefer the bolt, for me I prefer the semi-auto.
I’m guessing you’ll end up with both.
Your post is very much my line of thinking as well. While I want to have a really nice and accurate bolt gun, a semi auto just appeals to me more. Once I get done building the semi auto precision ar then I will work on the bolt gun.
IMHO, it would depend on what you already have. In my case I already have several semi-auto rifles that shoot straight enough and have been extremely reliable. Most of my range time is spent doing rapid fire type drills involving movement (getting off the x or what have you), practicing shoulder transfers and transitioning, trying to get more smooth moving between shooting positions, and so forth. Basically just reinforcing what training I have received.
Since most of my time is spend 200yds. and in, I would like to get a long range capable bolt-rifle next. Within around 300 yards or so, I believe semi-auto is king. Sure most semi-auto’s will go a lot further than that, but for me personally when I think distant shots I think bolt action. There is something relaxing to me about shooting a bolt gun long distances. And since like I said, most of my training/range time is at pretty short ranges and relatively dynamic I think it would be nice to change gears every once in a while and slow down. The bolt gun won’t have the same rate of fire as a semi so even though ammo is cheaper for my semi-platforms, the added cost of the higher caliber will be offset simply by not being able to shoot as much of it.
I already know what I want, so for you I just guess its just what you want the rifle to do. I also agree with joshua79109, in that you more than likely will end up with both. While there are a few good big bore auto loaders out there they are almost always way more expensive than a good bolt rifle. Anything over .30 caliber is going to get extremely expensive in an auto-loading platform versus a bolt of the same caliber, save a few oddball large calibers meant to be used in the AR, like 450 Bushmaster, 458 SOCOM, 50 Beowulf, and the like. But most of those calibers that were designed to fit through an AR-15 magwell are more for close range brush type hunting IMHO. For me if it were a .308 I would have a tough decision on auto versus bolt as there are a few quality examples of auto’s I would consider. But since I want a magnum of some sort (.300 or .338) it makes my decision to go for a bolt that much easier. However since I am a lefty, that narrows my selection down to even fewer rifles and makes a custom seem like the only way I’ll get what I want. I really envy you right-eye dominant shooters when it comes to bolt rifle selection.
Ever thought about a big bore lever gun? Just throwing it out there… I’m kinda biased I love all of mine but my Marlin 1895SBL runs neck and neck with my BCM as my favorite. Just saying
You indicated long range. For that, I’d require an under 1 MOA rifle, preferably way under. That is possible with a few semis, but many bolties.