Bolt vs Semi for Moose/Deer hunting

About my statement earlier that a few have misread my thoughts.

What I was saying is walking into the forest knowing your aim isn't good enough that your going to rely on spraying the forest with bullets in hope to finally hit a deer is bad. Hence why my statement started with "If you require a semi to take an animal...". Please note 'an animal' was singular, not plural. I believe your intentions should be to try and kill the 1 animal in 1 shot by aiming...not using a spraying method. As for the multiple deer, yes... I believe if your allowed to shoot multiple deer, a semi is completely reasonable for that.

I don't have anything against semi's aside from what I have heard with them having a higher ability to not respond in the cold. This does not mean I look down or differently at anyone who uses one.
 
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About my statement earlier that a few have misread.

What I was saying is walking into the forest knowing your aim isn't good enough that your going to rely on spraying the forest with bullets in hope to finally hit a deer is bad. Hence why my statement started with "If you require a semi to take an animal...". Please note 'an animal' was singular, not plural. I believe your intentions should be to try and kill the 1 animal in 1 shot by aiming...not using a spraying method. As for the multiple deer, yes... I believe if your allowed to shoot multiple deer, a semi is completely reasonable for that.

I don't have anything against semi's aside from what I have heard with them having a higher ability to not respond in the cold. This does not mean I look down or differently at anyone who uses one.

AAAHHHHH. One step closer to the DARKSIDE.:50cal:

Semi's are only as unreliable as the operator makes them. Yes, they require more maintenance than a bolt action, and yes, there must be more consideration to cold weather, but all these can be over come with due diligence. Painting everyone with the same brush just doesn't sit right with me, or other members of this board. Especially with statements like:


On a side note, 1 shot should be good enough. If you require a semi to take an animal, you probably shouldn't be hunting. When some people use a semi, they tend to rely less on aiming and more on splatter. This quite often allows the animal to escape and lots of laughter from neighboring hunters.

Hope you have a good hunt this year, with whatever you choose to legally hunt with:D

7.62mm
 
I have owned two BAR rifles 300 wm and 338wm, both were accurate and maintainance is not difficult. The plus side to autos is reduced felt recoil.
The downside for me, is on the older models you cant just drop a shell into the breech as you can with a bolt action and i dont like the mag loading. Thats just personel preference. If you like the idea of the auto go with it.

One other aspect is if you are a new shooter and get excited you have a live round in the chamber after firing, that you have to be aware of.

You cant go wrong with either.
 
I have owned two BAR rifles 300 wm and 338wm, both were accurate and maintainance is not difficult. The plus side to autos is reduced felt recoil.
The downside for me, is on the older models you cant just drop a shell into the breech as you can with a bolt action and i dont like the mag loading. Thats just personel preference. If you like the idea of the auto go with it.

One other aspect is if you are a new shooter and get excited you have a live round in the chamber after firing, that you have to be aware of.

You cant go wrong with either.

Fully agree. An autoloader does have its advantages, but you can't go wrong going with a good bolt action.:pirate:
 
A few years back, the camp down the road from us was putting out a new hunter, opening day. The spot, over looks a pond, and I know it very well. The boys left the kid alone with his 30-30, and went over the next rise. They were about to set out the next man, when they hears the kid firing like a man gone wild. They put it down to his being a kid and went on with the hunt.
At the end of the chase, the kids father was the first out to him, ready to give him a long lecture. The five yes 5 dead deer the kid was hacking at with a cheap knife soon changed that tune.
It seems that when the boys went over the hill they spooked the deer. The deer came over the rise, and went down to the pond for a drink.
You just can't do stuff like that with a bolt gun.
 
At the end of the chase, the kids father was the first out to him, ready to give him a long lecture. The five yes 5 dead deer the kid was hacking at with a cheap knife soon changed that tune.

You just can't do stuff like that with a bolt gun.

I know I can't do that with a bolt gun,but I do know a few who can.
 
About my statement earlier that a few have misread my thoughts.
What I was saying is walking into the forest knowing your aim isn't good enough that your going to rely on spraying the forest with bullets in hope to finally hit a deer is bad. Hence why my statement started with "If you require a semi to take an animal...". Please note 'an animal' was singular, not plural. I believe your intentions should be to try and kill the 1 animal in 1 shot by aiming...not using a spraying method. As for the multiple deer, yes... I believe if your allowed to shoot multiple deer, a semi is completely reasonable for that.

I don't have anything against semi's aside from what I have heard with them having a higher ability to not respond in the cold. This does not mean I look down or differently at anyone who uses one.

A poor shot is a poor shot whether with a semi, a bolt, a SS or a muzzle loader!
Regarding your singular animal statement, here's a statement just copied from an earlier thread
Quote:
Originally Posted by rollingrock View Post
I'm loading that bullet for my 7.62x54R Mosin Nagant. A friend of mine took a deer with the same type of gun and the same bullet this season. It took him three shots to put the mulie down. The first shot was a solid good hit, the deer dropped right away. As he thought the deer was done, the buck unbelievably got up and started running up hill. So he took the second shot, the deer dropped again and got up again, until he fired the third shot. He looked for blood on the spot where the buck took the first shot, there was very little blood. But the buck was hit very well by the first shot. So I was wondering if the bullet didn't expand enough?

Reason enough for a decent type of repeater?

What you heard!!! :rolleyes:
Semi take slightly more maintainence! but by the same logic no-one would use a muzzle loader because of the HIGH maintainence.
 
Senior, sure its reason enough...
but at the same time, last I checked a mosin nagant was a bolt action. Which apparently did the job.
 
Senior, sure its reason enough...
but at the same time, last I checked a mosin nagant was a bolt action. Which apparently did the job.

I have heard guys can "spray & pray" with a bolt too!
My point is even when shooting at a single animal there are times when a second quick shot can be neccessary.

You could turn the line of thinking upside down & say with an semi you have more time to make a shot!
 
Get an SKS, best deer rifle semi out there.
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A semi allows you to maintain a sight picture on your target, something a bolt gun can't do.
 
A semi allows you to maintain a sight picture on your target, something a bolt gun can't do.

Yes you can, you just have to learn how to do it. I've seen it more than enough times to know it's possible.

For the record, I hunt with both. I have a 700 in a .35 Whelan for my moose trips, and a BAR .270 for deer. The Whelan was picked up (among other reasons) for the fact that I spend a fair amount of time and money to go on a moose hunt. I acknowledge that my BAR can have reliability issues, especially since Northern Manitoba at the end of September brings about lousy weather. The lack of iron sites on the BAR, and lack of room in a Cessna 180 for a back up in case of scope death were also factors in buying the Remington. Also, packing 50-100 more grains of lead just seems like a better idea. But in November where the weather is usually below zero at all times, and I hunt close to home with all confidence in my BAR. In 10 years of hunting with it, I have always gotten my deer, and I as long as I own it, I always will.
 
I hunt close to home with all confidence in my BAR. In 10 years of hunting with it, I have always gotten my deer, and I as long as I own it, I always will.

This exemplifies what is most important. Its not the tool, but ones confidence in its abilities, or ones abilities to use the tool...

Confidence in your tool is the most important factor, and is often overlooked by naysayers if they dont agree with what that tool is.
 
You know, this debate reminds me of a debate I had with a newbie woodworker who thought he knew it all. He was singing the praises of the power planer, and I simply stated that he shouldnot overlook hand planes....as often the right hand plane in the right hands can work faster, cleaner and more effectively than it's plug in counterpart. He proceeded to tell me that that was wrong, handplanes were second-rate, and about a million reasons why.....then I showed him my "second rate" work. ;)

He then decided to give my hand tools a try...and there, like here, it truly is about whos hands the tool is in....he massacred that board. :)
 
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