Semi~Auto or Bolt action for hunting?

I want to be the first to say that no one will think less of you if you don't fully load that magazine while hunting. Especially if you're worried about someone else's firearm handling, just have them load one at a time until they can safely handle it.
 
I know in my area there are very few semi's only because of reliability issues. Too many improperly inserted mags and jams. Other than that, levers and pumps are the mainstay and yes it's very common to hear several rounds in seconds from those guns and hit nothing.
I use a bolt and only load 3 rounds in the mag. I only need one round per each deer I've shot, but always bolt another round immediately just in case.
Would I care if you had semi? No, why should I?
Why is your buddy scared of it or you having one?
 
X2 just load one round in the chamber and nothing in the mag if it is that big of a deal. Or keep one in the mag and nothing in the chamber, just rack the bolt as quiet as possible when you are ready to shoot. That is as safe as you can get.

Problem solved, now go hunting.
 
I have used several semi's for years - and even hunted with them on occasion. As a rule (My Rule only - before the cascade of uproar descends upon me) I walk with an empty chamber and NEVER rely on a mechanical safety. I load a round when I see or I feel that a shot will be immanent. If nothing happens, I unload and back to step one.

With a semi, the loading part is noisy (the BAR's are quieter) and particularly with the BAR, a time consuming affair to reload the chambered round into the mag. Same thing applies with a lever. Since it is amazingly difficult with a side loading gate and a full tube to quietly unload (without cycling the next) one has to either rely on the hammer in the closed position, or as in the case with my Marlin, to use that crossbar safety, which requires a semi-cocked hammer.

In the end, I choose to use my Bolt actions for most of my hunting, followed by my Marlin lever action. The only semi I will hunt with is my M14 due to the quick removal of the magazine after I eject a live round for non-use. If I fire, the safety is on. If I move, the round is unloaded from the chamber and back into the mag. Everyone I hunt with does the same, or I do not accompany them or them me.
 
I will be speaking with my friend on Tuesday the 23rd but from our past (first) conversation it was not me that he was concerned with me personally using a semi, but anyone he hunts with using a semi,,, He also mentioned that no one he knows or hunts with will hunt with anyone using a semi, which led me to believe it is a pretty normal deal to not use semi's for hunting although I personally do not see a problem with them,,, Again his concern was that a semi~auto loads another round automatically, which I can only assume at this point is a concern over a bolt because there is no actual motion there by memory/knowledge to remind you that a semi is know loaded (has reloaded),,, (I myself do not mind this fact as I always treat any firearm as loaded as do all responsible firearm users) Like others have stated they chamber another round in their bolt rifles once a shot at game has been taken for several reasons, I do the same first to allow myself the ability to take another shot quickly just in case the game is not down and secondly to allow a quick shot in the event of encountering an aggressive/attacking bear,,,
Thanks again to all those that have replied, cheers,,,
 
Zeroed-In said:
I will be speaking with my friend on Tuesday the 23rd but from our past (first) conversation it was not me that he was concerned with me personally using a semi, but anyone he hunts with using a semi,,, He also mentioned that no one he knows or hunts with will hunt with anyone using a semi, which led me to believe it is a pretty normal deal to not use semi's for hunting although I personally do not see a problem with them,,, Again his concern was that a semi~auto loads another round automatically, which I can only assume at this point is a concern over a bolt because there is no actual motion there by memory/knowledge to remind you that a semi is know loaded (has reloaded),,, (I myself do not mind this fact as I always treat any firearm as loaded as do all responsible firearm users) Like others have stated they chamber another round in their bolt rifles once a shot at game has been taken for several reasons, I do the same first to allow myself the ability to take another shot quickly just in case the game is not down and secondly to allow a quick shot in the event of encountering an aggressive/attacking bear,,,
Thanks again to all those that have replied, cheers,,,
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Well, most guys in BC use bolt actions. It's much more common. And they are probably better for most hunting situations anyway
 
I'm not a fan of anyone telling another hunter what kind of rifle he should be hunting with.

If someone is a dangerous idiot, that's a different story, but it has nothing to do with the action of his rifle.

I think maybe your buddy needs to stop listening to rants by semi-haters, or maybe you should hunt with someone a lot less judgemental.

It is NOT normal to have any sort of "no semi's allowed around here" ban or anything; that's just pure silliness.
 
Although off topic, as far as the unreliability some have mentioned about semi-auto's. I've owned a BAR in 300 wm since the 80's and I've never experienced a jam yet.... I'd really like to have enough ammo to some day just keep shooting it round after round to see how many rounds it would take to get it to malfunction without cleaning. It would be interesting, somebody somewhere must have done this.
 
hawk-i said:
Although off topic, as far as the unreliability some have mentioned about semi-auto's. I've owned a BAR in 300 wm since the 80's and I've never experienced a jam yet.... I'd really like to have enough ammo to some day just keep shooting it round after round to see how many rounds it would take to get it to malfunction without cleaning. It would be interesting, somebody somewhere must have done this.
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For quite a few years back in the '70s I hunted with a BAR. Don't know how many years it was but all of a sudden it started to stovepipe ejecting cases. Went looking for the literature that came with the gun and found it to say the gun should have the gas system cleaned at least every 600 rounds. By my best estimation I had fired about 1200 to 1300 rounds through the gun without cleaning.

After it was cleaned I began doing it at the end of every season. Never had another problem of this kind.

I switched to bolt guns after I missed an opportunity at a moose due to having an empty chamber and having an inability to quietly chamber a round after calling it in to within 75 yards.

Now having used bolt guns for many years I can operate them very quickly, if necessary. Have you ever seen someone with a 30/30 shooting at a deer being pushed by hounds? Most times if you couldn't see the operator you would likely think it was either a semi-auto or a pump.

Coming back to the OP, if it is your friends hunting party they can establish whatever rules they want. If you do not agree then find another more compatible group to hunt with, simple as that.

Jim
 
danacollicutt said:
I was told bolt action for big game or a bear .....you do not want a JAM from a semi or lever if you miss
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Sounds like somebody is under the seriously mistaken impression that bolt actions never fail.

I have both seen it happen, and had it happen to me.

A properly cared for semi will go a very long time between failures. Not "a very long time" like 8 - 12 rounds, but "a very long time" like 8 - 12 hundred rounds. Military M1A/M14 torture tests show them getting around 2000 - 2500 rounds between FTF, if I recall.

If someone won't hunt with a semi because they're scared it will have it's 1-in-1000 jam right on their trophy game animal, well, that's their choice for sure, but it's obviously very unlikely.

And let's not forget that clearing a jam on most semis only takes moments. It doesn't mean the rifle needs to go to the gunsmith or anything. We're talking 2-3 seconds to clear a typical jam. I'd bet that, in a real hunting situation, that 1-in-1000 jam could be cleared and the game animal successfully taken down 80% + of the time anyway.
 
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The only thing I don't like about semi's for hunting is if game is possibly near by when Ioading it and hear the big "whack!" when the action is loaded properly. As far as unsafe I just don't see it....
 
If he gets to choose what kind of rifle you use, you get to choose what kind of rifle he uses. Make sure you pick something he doesn't like.
 
A good, properly cared for, semi should not have reliability problems. My issue with them for hunting is that I always have an empty chamber when hunting with somebody and usually have an empty chamber when hunting alone as well. I only load a round in the pipe if the terrain is easy and I'm alone. With a semi to chamber a round you need to let that action ride home on it's own, which results in a big "whack" scaring game.

I can operate a bolt pretty darn fast, so I don't find any advantage to the semi, certainly no advantage big enough to nullify their one big disadvantage.

Edit: I'm pretty bored here today so I went to see how fast I can shoot a bolt action. 4 shots in 6 seconds from my trusty .280. Yes they were aimed, no they were not aimed well enough to shoot at game, more of a speed test than anything. Sorry for the poor video quality and ugly mug :p
[youtube]zVqK1BnWJkY[/youtube]
 
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hawk-i said:
Although off topic, as far as the unreliability some have mentioned about semi-auto's. I've owned a BAR in 300 wm since the 80's and I've never experienced a jam yet.... I'd really like to have enough ammo to some day just keep shooting it round after round to see how many rounds it would take to get it to malfunction without cleaning. It would be interesting, somebody somewhere must have done this.
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both my dad and mom have used browning BARs since the late 80's and taken many animals without any malfunction as well, they both have them in 7mm Mag.
 
Semi-autos are reliable as hell or else armies all over the world are wrong...

And if I had a grizzly charging me, a BAR in .338WM would feel really good.

The only semi auto I have ever owned is a CZ-858, which is just for play; not a hunting rifle.
 
I always have a good chuckle when I read all the foolishness about semi-autos not being reliable, or not being accurate,....and what makes me laugh the most is most of this anti semi stuff comes from guys that have never even used one. The bad reliability thing can be blamed on Remington for their piss poor QC. Browning on the other hand is the best auto loader you can get and I would trust my life to it in any dangerous game situation. Brownings are as accurate as most bolt actions, and more accurate than some. If you have to make a follow up shot your hands never have to move from shooting position and your eye never has to move from the site plane and the sights, crosshairs, or whatever, never stray from the target. I do agree that they are noisier to chamber a round if you slam it shut, but the BAR ShortTrac and LongTrac have a little red dot on the reciever that is shows behind the bolt handle to indicate that the bolt is fully closed. If you see the dot you know its going to fire. You can close the bolt gently and quitely by hand and the red dot shows and gun will fire. So, in short, the BAR is what all other auto loaders should be judged by, and they should not be thrown loosely in the same catagory as the the rest, because there is some real junky semis out there but Browning is not one of them. In no way am I degrading bolt action, lever action, or pump action rifles, I have them too, and have used them all for hunting and i think they are great, but I get a little aggravated when people put things down when they know nothing about them. If you ever get a chance to get a BAR for hunting, top it off with a Aimpoint red dot sight,....Its the best thick cover moving target rifle and sight combination you can get,...I would put it up against any other combination out there.
 
Personally Im a fan of bolts for hunting. I have no issues with a semi or hunting with someone using one, providing there not doing anything stupid with it. Id ask him to explain his reasons for feeling this way. Maybe its just a personal thing but has an understandable reason? If its a brothers, friends, uncle type story I think Id look for someone else to hunt with. Who knows what other "rules" he has youll learn about on day2 of the week long moose hunt? Could make for a long week.
 
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