I would never call an enfield rifle slow to operate, but in my experiance, the K31 has a slight advantage. I'm sure many will disagree, but who cares, the difference is so negligible that it may as well not exist. When it comes to a fast follow up shot, the pump rifle has a clear advantage. It is a simple linear operation and there is no need to move one's forward hand. The less a person has to reposition between shots, the easier it is to keep your focus on your sight picture and make an effective follow up shot.
Single-shot rifles, why not?
- Thread starter PlayMaker
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As mentioned, many 'serious', purpose-built target guns ARE single-shot, primarilly to give a stiffer receiver and so more accuracy. They're just single-shot bolt-action designs. Ever seen a benchrest or prone unsupported grouping by a half-decent shooter using good equipment? If so you'll see why.
Not long ago, one of the best .22LR target rifles was the BSA Martini Internationals. These were scaled-down Peabody-Martini-Fancotte actions with a very good barrel. Perfectly capable of getting a perfect score with one of these. They went out of fashion as they didn't have so many shiny movey bits like the German rifles. The non-free-floated barrels weren't best appreciated after a while, so they put a hanger off the front of the receiver. Absolutely nothing wrong with a good condition International MkIII. Many have now been modified with a new stock to produce very good .22LR benchrest rifles.
Not long ago, one of the best .22LR target rifles was the BSA Martini Internationals. These were scaled-down Peabody-Martini-Fancotte actions with a very good barrel. Perfectly capable of getting a perfect score with one of these. They went out of fashion as they didn't have so many shiny movey bits like the German rifles. The non-free-floated barrels weren't best appreciated after a while, so they put a hanger off the front of the receiver. Absolutely nothing wrong with a good condition International MkIII. Many have now been modified with a new stock to produce very good .22LR benchrest rifles.
As others have said a bolt rifle is easier to build into an accurate rifle than any other action. Not saying it can't be done with other actions just simpler with a bolt gun.
Concerning the speed of bolt guns vs levers. The military did test some lever rifles at some point before bolt rifles were adopted and they found the bolts to be only slightly slower to fire when any sort of accuracy was considered. They also came to the conclusion leverguns were next to imposible to fire with any speed from the prone position and that bolt rifles could be reloaded much faster.
This pretty much mirrors my own experiences. With practice I have found I can accuratrely get off 4 shots with a bolt gun in about the same amount of time I can accurarely fire 5 from a lever.
Concerning the speed of bolt guns vs levers. The military did test some lever rifles at some point before bolt rifles were adopted and they found the bolts to be only slightly slower to fire when any sort of accuracy was considered. They also came to the conclusion leverguns were next to imposible to fire with any speed from the prone position and that bolt rifles could be reloaded much faster.
This pretty much mirrors my own experiences. With practice I have found I can accuratrely get off 4 shots with a bolt gun in about the same amount of time I can accurarely fire 5 from a lever.
You hang around with a different breed than most though. Your saying that you "know a guy who can shoot...." would be like me comparing slapshots I face on the ice to those faced by high-school kids.
(I play goalie for the Minnesota NHL alumni team)
Not exactly, once fired, or more correctly after the firing pin is in the fired position, there is no spring tension on the bolt.
The cock on closing is the "secret" to the Lee Enfield smoothness though. There is no resistance on opening, unlike the Mauser design which cocks on opening, the Lee Enfield cocks after stripping the round out of the magazine. There is forward momentum in the arm, hand and bolt that it just seems to "fall" into battery.
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"The Constitution should be taken like mountain whiskey
My Swedish Mod 96 Mausers cock on closing. and are very smooth and quick. The same can be said for the Swiss Straight Pulls, the K-31, 96, 96/11 and mod 11.
The cock on closing is the "secret" to the Lee Enfield smoothness though. There is no resistance on opening, unlike the Mauser design which cocks on opening, the Lee Enfield cocks after stripping the round out of the magazine. There is forward momentum in the arm, hand and bolt that it just seems to "fall" into battery.
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"The Constitution should be taken like mountain whiskey
My Swedish Mod 96 Mausers cock on closing. and are very smooth and quick. The same can be said for the Swiss Straight Pulls, the K-31, 96, 96/11 and mod 11.
It just seems to me that you have to pull harder on a K31 and while this doesn't really make it cycle slower, it does tend to throw you off target more and that makes it a little slower in rapid fire. You have to rotate the bolt on the Enfield, but not as much as on other bolt actions, (I believe it only rotates 60 degrees), and it can really be manipulated extremely quickly. Combine that with a 10 or 12 round magazine and you have half the reloads as with other bolt actions.
The K31 is still one of the fastest bolt actions out there and definitely more accurate than an Enfield.
Since there are less moving parts, stiffer receiver, simpler action, shouldn't that make for a more accurate rifle? I understand why on the battlefield you would need quick follow up shot but the best of the best long-range solo/duo op snipers only have one chance to make the shot count.
I guess the OP needed to clearify what kind of single shots he was asking about. I know bolts can be made more accurate but most of the break opens I have seen shoot better than bolts off the shelf.
My smallest and my largest gun are both single shots with no mag.
Savage-Stevens model 73 .22cal youth rifle and Bohica FAR 50.
Savage-Stevens model 73 .22cal youth rifle and Bohica FAR 50.
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