Hey ZMa, I'm one of the mapleseed instructors. Regardless of the platform, we always try to get attendees to forget about the score and focus on the lessons. It may take a few events before you achieve the rifleman score so building a good base AND proper practice is key. If you are new to shooting, I would recommend using a semi-auto so you can focus on learning the fundamentals. It is certainly more challenging with a bolt, as most will lose sight picture when they cycle the action and form can break down pretty quickly when time pressure is applied. Changing magazines is required for 50% of the stages so no real advantage of 10 round mags over 2 5 rounders.