Push feed vs controlled feed

Push vs controlled

  • Push

    Votes: 73 30.5%

  • Controlled

    Votes: 130 54.4%

  • Unsure

    Votes: 36 15.1%
  • Total voters
    239
Gatehouse said:
"Smooth" is not one of the criteria that I"m overly concerned about in a hunting rifle. No, I don't want an action that is gritty or binding or some other sort of defect but there are other things more important to me than being silky smooth. It's not like I am going to notice smoothness when operating a bolt in a hunting situation.
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Experience one of the early Browning Stainless Stalkers. The gummy version. You can't work the bolt without noticing it. It's like someone spilled pop in the action. That you would notice in a hunting situation.
 
Gatehouse said:
"Smooth" is not one of the criteria that I"m overly concerned about in a hunting rifle. No, I don't want an action that is gritty or binding or some other sort of defect but there are other things more important to me than being silky smooth. It's not like I am going to notice smoothness when operating a bolt in a hunting situation.
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I agree, I don’t notice recoil, rifle report or smoothness of the action.
 
A rifle does not need to be "smooth" to be a functional hunter. If you hunt strictly as an exercise in filling the freezer, why would you care about smoothness in your rifle? Do you carefully hand select the cart in the grocery store for smooth operation and squeak-free movement?

But if you hunt for enjoyment, there's a good chance that a smooth-operating rifle, one that looks good to the eye, balances well in the hand, and generally makes you proud to own, will add to the enjoyment of the hunt, in the same way that a beautiful sunrise or a picturesque natural vista will. Yeah, yeah, I can hear it now from the steely-eyed hard-bitten guys..."It's just a tool!" I work with tools, alongside other guys who work with them as well; I see the difference between the two mentalities every day on the job. Some guys own tools...others own just tools.

If you don't understand what I am saying...you likely own just tools.

Sorta like guys who shoot .375 Rugers instead of .375 H&H's; just tools, all the way...:)
 
Gatehouse said:
"Smooth" is not one of the criteria that I"m overly concerned about in a hunting rifle. No, I don't want an action that is gritty or binding or some other sort of defect but there are other things more important to me than being silky smooth. It's not like I am going to notice smoothness when operating a bolt in a hunting situation.
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I can close the bolt quietly and silently in a hunting situation. With notchy actions you have to put force behind it or it will bind and in doing so you create noise. It's personal preference.
 
Ardent said:
I had a Sauer 202 Forest I nearly took lion hunting, opted for another rifle but not because the 202 isn’t nice. While silky, an Oberndorf commercial sporting M98 is no different for smoothness and effortlessness in cycling. There are a lot of good CRFs as smooth as my 202 was, but you have to spend 202 money on them go figure. :d The current new production M70s are very damn smooth too, not 202 smooth but they aren’t 202 priced either. And I’d still choose the M70 for dangerous game.
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Sure, but then when I pick something up like a kimber adirondack which is not a cheap rifle and the bolt flops around like a Mossberg MVP I had and sold before even firing one round. It kind of puts me off. Tikka actions have a very smooth operation for the price on the other hand
 
jjohnwm said:
A rifle does not need to be "smooth" to be a functional hunter. If you hunt strictly as an exercise in filling the freezer, why would you care about smoothness in your rifle? Do you carefully hand select the cart in the grocery store for smooth operation and squeak-free movement?

But if you hunt for enjoyment, there's a good chance that a smooth-operating rifle, one that looks good to the eye, balances well in the hand, and generally makes you proud to own, will add to the enjoyment of the hunt, in the same way that a beautiful sunrise or a picturesque natural vista will. Yeah, yeah, I can hear it now from the steely-eyed hard-bitten guys..."It's just a tool!" I work with tools, alongside other guys who work with them as well; I see the difference between the two mentalities every day on the job. Some guys own tools...others own just tools.

If you don't understand what I am saying...you likely own just tools.

Sorta like guys who shoot .375 Rugers instead of .375 H&H's; just tools, all the way...:)
Click to expand...

Some guys own tools....other guys are just tools.

Fixed it for you********
 
John Y Cannuck said:
Experience one of the early Browning Stainless Stalkers. The gummy version. You can't work the bolt without noticing it. It's like someone spilled pop in the action. That you would notice in a hunting situation.
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Brian46 said:
I can close the bolt quietly and silently in a hunting situation. With notchy actions you have to put force behind it or it will bind and in doing so you create noise. It's personal preference.
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I would consider gummy actions or actions you must use excessive force to be defects.
 
Wood to metal fit, good metal work, strong safe action, gas venting capability in case of case failure, and a good 3 position safety along with the safety camming the striker back, trigger adjustability/overall trigger quality, accuracy, one piece bolt, welded bolt handle, action fit to cartridge length, absence of plastic pieces including bolt sleeves and magazines are all considered. CRF is nice, but a bit overhyped. But I also don't worry about some perceived "bolt slop". I voted CRF, but have both and they are all good. Many other guns that I would trust with my life are also kind of push feed in a sense. My lever actions, and semi autos have been more or less proven all over the world (not necessarily by me) as good dangerous game and defensive guns.
 
Limiting my choice to one of the two, and with the possibility of running into something on the 'mean side' out there, I'd have to go with and vote for a CRF. Mind you, my one and only situation along that line was with a Grizz, years back. That being said, looking at what I have in the safes, the majority are push feed.
 
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Blastattack said:
Why not both? For example, the Ross rifle is nominally a CRF action, but the extractor design is springy, allowing it to snap over the rims of single fed cartridges.
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Because the question used the word "prefer". The concept of preference refers to a feeling of liking or wanting one person or thing more than another person or thing. Thus, make a choice.
 
I was a push feed through and through until recently. Push feeds are great, but controlled round feed is just better overall at virtually everything. Have my Sako 85 action, which is smooth as glass. I don’t know if I will ever go back to push feed now for anything other than a target rifle.
 
So, disregarding action type/manufacture/quality/anything but specifically push vs controlled... Is there any advantage that push feed has that controlled feed doesn't?
 
Sako 85's aren't true CRF unfortunately,at least not the ones I've owned.
I enjoyed the 85's but I was always a bit miffed that they marketed it as such.
 
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