Gatorgrizz27
New member
Originally Posted By: millerjqOriginally Posted By: VarminterrorOriginally Posted By: 6724
millerjq said:Then why ask the question if you are already set on a bolt rifle?
^ This...
Why ask, just to argue?
I largely prefer hunting with semiautos (AR's). Have handled a Winchester SX-AR .308win that I thought would make a fantastic deer rifle, not excessively heavy (nice having the weight in a .308 too), and balanced like a bolt gun. Shot prairie dogs to 500yrds with it, hit what I was aiming at.
Semi-autos are like motorcycles. They only go as fast as you want them to go. Guys can be cynical and say "shooting a semiauto at a runner just means you miss faster", but the reality is that if you're disciplined, your second shot is CLOSER with a semiauto by the time you get back on target. You just don't lose the time cycling the bolt, and in a light recoiling round like a .223rem or a compensated 6.8/6.5, you didn't lose the target out of your scope FOV, or were able to scan from one target to the second without breaking your hold. Sure, if you don't have the discipline to make the second shot count, then you're just spraying (a buddy of mine used to tell me that he'd shoot his semiauto shotgun "first shot leading the bird, second shot above, third below, fourth behind, then 5th shot right on". I asked him "why don't you just shoot AT THE BIRD every time?").
But seems like you won't be convinced, so discussion is moot. You won't be significantly disadvantaged with a bolt gun, animals were killed for generations with sticks and strings with pointy things before we ever came up with the repeating rifle, let alone semi-autos.
As far as pricing, sure, a bolt gun can be found cheaper than a semiauto, but that doesn't mean I'd WANT a $300 bolt gun. If I had to choose ONE coyote rifle, it'd either be an accurized AR or a Savage 12. Talking maybe $50-100 difference between the two.
I was not asking just to argue. I was asking to get feedback from the semi-auto users. I have always hunted with a bolt or lever action gun. They have been much lighter than any AR I've picked up, including that christesen arms $3,000 one.