Cycling speed - lever vs bolt

SuperCub said:
There's a reason they don't make lever action shotguns. The pump action uses a more fluid/natural body motion than the lever and will be found to be faster and more accurate for second follow-up shots.
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Don't think you have ever seen somebody that is proficient with an 1887 or 1901 Win lever shotgun They can be easily as fast as anybody with a 97 or comparable pump. When it comes right down to it I know two people that are quicker with a 4 shot burst from a double than anybody with either pump or lever.
 
SuperCub said:
There's a reason they don't make lever action shotguns. The pump action uses a more fluid/natural body motion than the lever and will be found to be faster and more accurate for second follow-up shots.
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Depends on the shooter and gun. I can shoot skeet very well with a lever gun in 12 ga.
My Ithaca 37 pumps are effortless however my model 12 is quite different in raking the pump

Pumps are more durable than a lever imo
 
It's all about practice. Those cowboy action guys are extremely fast with their light loads in their lever action but they also have hundreds of hours of practice. I bet you if their was a bolt action stage in their cowboy action match that they would be equally fast with their bolt action after the same hundred of hours.
 
Why does it matter which one is faster??? I have found I have never done anything very well when I did it fast..... ask my wife!

Taking well placed/timed shots always seems to work better than the spray and pray method. Works both in the hunting/shooting world and the bedroom. Lol
 
cdn1canhunt said:
Why does it matter which one is faster??? I have found I have never done anything very well when I did it fast..... ask my wife!

Taking well placed/timed shots always seems to work better than the spray and pray method. Works both in the hunting/shooting world and the bedroom. Lol
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I completely agree..... even about the stuff regarding your wife....... just ask her..... :)

Kidding of course..... :)
 
Seriously though...

How many of us actually practice shooting and cycling the bolt from the shoulder for the next round? I admit that I haven't!

My own experience, however, is that my Marlin lever seems to be easier and faster than any bolt action I've tried. Some bolt actions take considerable more effort than others to cycle, too, which I often read is one of the drawbacks of a three lug bolt...sometimes a bit harder to cam the bolt open on a spent round than most two lug bolts.

Of course, the biggest screw up that happens with either, usually when confronted by a potentially dangerous situation and the adrenaline is pumping like hell, is short stroking the action, not picking up the next round, or God forbid jamming up the works...and I'm inclined to think that this happens easier and/or more often with bolt actions than lever guns.
 
^^^ I do...... frequently actually....... in fact, I would say my observation at the range is that too many hunters spend too much time shooting from a bench and nowhere near enough time shooting offhand, sitting, kneeling etc....

We dog for deer at camp and sometimes there are multiple targets...... I even practice on moving targets frequently in the gravel pit...... great fun and s good skill building exercise.....
 
Superbrad said:
... in fact, I would say my observation at the range is that too many hunters spend too much time shooting from a bench and nowhere near enough time shooting offhand, sitting, kneeling etc....
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Guilty as charged!

I read several writers who've noted that this is a weakness among N. American hunters compared to our European brothers. Over there many hunts are "driven", and the ability to make fast but accurate shots is paramount, even more so when a second shot is necessary.

In Finland, as I understand it, they roll a moose target on rails across the range at 60 yards, and you have about a handful of seconds to put three...count 'em, THREE...shots in the kill zone! Fail this after several attempts, you simply don't get a hunting licence, end of story!

I don't even want to guess at how many hunters here in Canada, rookie or veteran, would flunk that trial!
 
[Youtube]zVqK1BnWJkY[/Youtube]


This is a video I shot. Forgive the horrid video quality. I was seeing how fast I could get off follow up shots, I am hitting a target, but not shooting accurate enough to shoot game. This was shot with a .280 so a pretty typical big game rifle.

Fairly fast, but not lever fast. I used to practice with a shot clock with both bolt actions and Ruger No. 1s, but admittedly not much in the last couple years. I agree that hunters need to practice both rapid follow up shots and shooting from field positions more often.
 
sir_springer said:
Seriously though...

How many of us actually practice shooting and cycling the bolt from the shoulder for the next round? I admit that I haven't!
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I do.

ALWAYS cycle your second round as fast as you can. That's the only way you get a second poke sometimes. This fall on the bull elk I shot, all three shots connected while he was running towards me, and all three had the echo rolling around the hills when the shooting was done. 3 aimed shots, well under 5 seconds.

Try doing that, if you don't cycle from the shoulder while maintaining your sight picture.
 
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