Bolt Action vs Semi Auto

For me it was the model 70. For my friend it was the BAR in 7mm magnum. We were both pretty happy with our choice. And we both slightly dislike the others choice. We have both killed deer and both have missed deer. When the gun goes off and recoils up you loose the animal in the scope. So it takes even the guy with the auto some time to re find the target. Not as long as the bolt, but you are supposed to hit it the first time.

Having been hunting with a BAR many years, I can only recommend it. I think its only disadvantage is in the cleaning department if seriously dirty, if it was dropped in muddy water for example, but it never happened to me. I don't use mine for target shooting, I prefer a bolt action for that. Strictly for hunting, I like to think of my BAR as my best option objectively, but I enjoy a single shot rifle or a muzzleloader more, for no good reason.

I am a still hunter and for that type of hunting action type is not as important as fit and weight. My favorite rifles for still hunting are a remington model 14 in 30 rem with a red field peep, sight, Mannlicher Schoenauer model 1905 in 9x56 MS with express open sights. Both of these guns are over 100 years old. For tree stand hunting I like my Ruger 77 RSI in 250-3000 with a 2x7 Bushnell scope and a Browning BLR in 358 winchester with a 2x7 vortex. Both of these guns are short and handy in a tree stand. That said if I could find a BAR in 9.3x 62 I would be all over it. But they don’t sell them in that caliber here in the states.

Hookeye said:

Had three 742s. One was minty, a carbine, and it shot funky ( hot barrel.major change in impact ). My othrr two were well used and did at or just over 1.5 inches at 100 w factory ammo. Good enough. And probably why they had seen use.

They are heavier than the pumps. But they are soft shooters. I dont think the pumps to be bad though, 150s in my 3006 were no big deal when wearing just a T shirt. Bud has one and says it beats him. And we about same build. Both of us had 3006 w buttplates.

Click to expand...

I had a 750 in 35 Whelan that shot softer than my savage 99 in 308. Rather heavy but it was accurate.

Bud had a 700 classic in 35 whelen, stock felt like made of balsa. Man it was light.
250's at dang near 338 winmag V.
Muzzle jump was pretty good LOL but surprisingly comfy in the push.

Had a 99EG in .300 sav. Buttplate. It wasn't bad but had more pop than I thought it would.

The last couple prairie dog hunts I've been on, I used a 26" barrel 204 Ruger AR-15. Great rifle for the task but I found I was not being as careful with the first shot as I should have been. Hey, a second shot was front and center before I recovered from the recoil. Prairie dogs tend to ignore shots around them unless they get sprayed with dirt, then they go to ground quickly. To put some limits on my shooting, I'd only load 4 or five rounds in the magazine. A definite limit where I'd have to stop and reload.

My back up rifle for prairie dogs is a Savage Model 12 chambered in 204 Ruger.

For deer hunting or something similar, I'd prefer to use a bolt action. I'd have to be more careful with the first shot but a follow up shot is available if necessary.

Hookeye said:

Bud had a 700 classic in 35 whelen, stock felt like made of balsa. Man it was light.
250's at dang near 338 winmag V.
Muzzle jump was pretty good LOL but surprisingly comfy in the push.

Had a 99EG in .300 sav. Buttplate. It wasn't bad but had more pop than I thought it would.

Click to expand...

IIRC those eggs had a metal buttplate ?

I have a bit of a soft spot for the BAR. It certainly will be fine for the application. In my experience they have a few limitations compared to a bolt rifle. For one, they are not really tinkerer's rifles. Folks who like to play with bedding, aftermarket triggers, etc. pretty much have to stay inside during this recess. Secondly, they do require maintenance. That should not be an issue for an enthusiast, but it makes the BAR a less-than-perfect choice for the one box a year hunter who simply leaves his rifle in the corner until the next hunting season. And finally, the bolt has to be allowed to slam into battery for best reliability, and that makes some noise. It is not really an issue for the tree stand hunter, but might be for the stalker who prefers not to stumble around the woods with a loaded rifle.

In the OP's shoes I would simply grab whichever one grabs me for whatever reason. They both will be perfect for his scenario.

I say buy them both. That way next fall you can post again and say "I don't really know which of my rifles to take hunting?"

9x56MS said:

IIRC those eggs had a metal buttplate ?

Click to expand...

Yup. For a rifle of that weight i thought itd be a tad lighter in recoil. Not bad but I was a bit surprised ...just expected less.

If i get another 99 it will be drilled and tapped on top, have a high comb stock abd a pad, and a lighter bbl.

For deer? In a stand "or hut"? Bolt, no question. Single shot even better. If you can't make it a one shot deal. Don't take it.

Hokkmike said:

For deer hunting - choose the bolt. Properly sighted in with a good scope you'll likely never need a follow up shot.

Truth is, with the ammo shortage the way it is, semis just eat too much. Kind of like trying to wolf down a delicious pizza in 3 minutes.

Click to expand...

So buy more pizza.

You only live once
Doesnt mean you only have to shooy once.

LOL

And sometimes wheb hunting a second shot is needed. How fast you need it?

People are built different. People think different and within all that, have different abilities.

Some people just aint fast or smooth no matter what they are using. Others are fluid and speedy.

So stuff can be advantageous or not

But IMHO gear can only help so much.

tws3b2 said:

For deer? In a stand "or hut"? Bolt, no question. Single shot even better. If you can't make it a one shot deal. Don't take it.

Click to expand...

No matter how awesome a person is, they can't control everything. And sooner or later something is gonna go less than planned.

I have grown up shooting Ruger #1s and hunted w Contenders and Muzzleloaders.

A single shot doesnt make you put more effort in the shot. You take em all as if thats the only one you get. And......you damn well add another if needed.

" Waste meat " purists are a joke.

Yeah until of some experience, folks might be apt to shoot more than needed. I dont like the take one shot and wait half a day for em to expire nonsense.

If I dont spot the hit and I can add another as insurance, I do it.

But i usually spot the hit.

Hookeye said:

No matter how awesome a person is, they can't control everything. And sooner or later something is gonna go less than planned.

I have grown up shooting Ruger #1s and hunted w Contenders and Muzzleloaders.

A single shot doesnt make you put more effort in the shot. You take em all as if thats the only one you get. And......you damn well add another if needed.

" Waste meat " purists are a joke.

Yeah until of some experience, folks might be apt to shoot more than needed. I dont like the take one shot and wait half a day for em to expire nonsense.

If I dont spot the hit and I can add another as insurance, I do it.

But i usually spot the hit.

Click to expand...

Sounds pretty judgmental. What may be a joke and nonsense to you is how many hunters have done this for years. The well placed shot that does not ruin meat is how a meat hunter hunts. The fellow who want to stop and secure his deer is willing to sacrifice a shoulder to do it. Two different schools of thought; two different ways of hunting. The only shoulder I ever ruined was with a scope that could have used more eye relief or really, a shorter stock. The direction the deer came in caused me to twist my body and the scope picture was rapidly deteriorating and I had to rush the shot before I lost the fleeting window. Nothing wrong with a second shot as you described, I would just not want that to ruin any meat. I can't remember more than one or two second shots that I needed though.

If the op is mostly shooting from what he described, either rifle would be fine. The brass will stay in his blind. I carried and hunted with a friends BAR back in the late 70's. Nice, but seemed a bit heavy at the time. I've come to appreciate rifles with a bit of barrel weight that hold steady when a rest may not be available. Some have the skill and ability to do the same with light rifles, but I like the weight of a Knight Disc or a 26" Winchester 94 for longer, standing shots. I got in the habit of carrying a forked walking stick with me to use as a rest if needed when nothing else could be utilized. I really don't care for light, whippy sporter barrels on bolts but then, I'm not walking in all that far anymore either.

TSchwab25 said:

Remington guns are gone now. End of an era

Click to expand...

Remington name will be around a long time. Hopefully somebody will bring the company back to producing quality firearms again.

Hookeye said:

No matter how awesome a person is, they can't control everything. And sooner or later something is gonna go less than planned.

I have grown up shooting Ruger #1s and hunted w Contenders and Muzzleloaders.

A single shot doesnt make you put more effort in the shot. You take em all as if thats the only one you get. And......you damn well add another if needed.

" Waste meat " purists are a joke.

Yeah until of some experience, folks might be apt to shoot more than needed. I dont like the take one shot and wait half a day for em to expire nonsense.

If I dont spot the hit and I can add another as insurance, I do it.

But i usually spot the hit.

Click to expand...

If you can't make it a one shot deal, Don't take it. Really not that hard to do. All it takes is some practice and control. You should have that before you go into the woods.

Bolt gun for deer in NE Pa for many years 7mm-08. Never had to fire the second shot. So to me a semi is not needed.My experience.

TSchwab25 said:

I think I will go with the BAR. The final deciding factor was money. The model 70 I want would be around 1400. I know I can get the BAR for 1150. I don't think I will buy it anytime soon as I have bigger fish to fry. But when I do I will come back here to let yall know how I like it.

Click to expand...

I bought a MKII Safari in 30-06 a few months ago. My son bought a MKIII Hells Canyon in 300 Mag about the same time. Both are very accurate and his MKIII is just as light as any of our bolt guns. It also has recoil comparable to a bolt 30-06, maybe even less. I expect you'll be just as pleased as we are.

My experience with men that can use a bolt gun is that they can make it sound like an automatic and hit what they are aiming at, all at the same time. When hunting deer I carry a single shot or bolt gun but for wild hogs, it is an AR, if I can cover a field with their bodies, that is just fine, I have a tractor.

So I can get the "you should only need one shot" way of thought, but I don't necessarily agree with it.
Hope for the best(I do generally expect a bang, flop), practice for and be ready for the worst, Is sort of how I look at it.
If an animal takes a hit I KNOW was good, and doesn't go down It gets shot again. If I think I made a bad shot, and the animal doesn't go down it gets shot again. If the animal goes down no matter WHAT I think happened with the bullet I get set up for a second shot, and I've used that second shot more than once.

This guy took two hits about a second or two apart and didn't react to either of them except to kick it into high gear, I'd have shot him until my mag was empty or he was on the ground, except he was in the middle of the herd at that point and I didn't have another opportunity. He died at the edge of the trees about 200yds from where the first round hit him.
Ive completely emptied my magazine and pulled rounds from my pockets on our cow hunt, and a number of other times. One little 40lb goat soaked up 2 .308 rounds and 4 rounds from my 6x47 before finally going boots up.

There are also those situations where your firing at multiple targets, which for me is almost every time were out hunting unless it's specifically for sheep.

Along those lines, If you spend time practicing with a rifle, or a type of rifle, most people can get to be pretty quick. Using a semi takes a lot of the learning curve out of it, and gives you an advantage in ergonomics from weird positions. Personally Ive never felt the NEED for semi specifically for fast follow up shots, but I do appreciate the ones I own/owned for that part of their appeal.

A man should always know his limitations.

Armorer 101 said:

A man should always know his limitations.

Click to expand...

And those limitations are not the limitations of other men, they are his own...

Bolt or lever guns work best for hunting.