Why do snipers prefer bolt action rifles?

[chesty762]

Semi-automatic rifles, whether kitted out to be sniper rifles or not, have moving parts; an unavoidable fact. The trade-off for the auto-reload effect is the instability caused by the chambering of the next round in the mag.

 

Another reason, especially for Marine Force Recon, Navy SEAL and Green Beret snipers to prefer bolt action rifles is the fact that a brass round isn't ejected involuntarily in a wide arc from the breach. Nothing to ruin the perfect hide like the sun glinting off of a shell casing.

[Vindekarr]

And who doesn't love the click-click of a nice crunchy bolt action?

 

And besides, some of those bolt action rifles, speaking from small experience, are absolutely beautiful (M-1 Garand, Mosin-Nagant, Accuracy International AW-50 Wolf.)

[RZ1029]

*cough* M-1 wasn't a bolt action, but it was a beautiful gun. You might be thinking of the 1903 Springfield, which the M1 replaced.

 

Even the Remington 700 is a very elegant weapon, in my opinion, along with the Accuracy International Arctic Warfare. (Given the designation of L96 by the Brits, one of my favorite personal weapons, second to my R700.)

[LHammonds]

Yes, you gotta love a nice R700

 

http://www.shooting.com.au/forum/uploads/monthly_09_2010/post-23-037342600%201283568194.jpg

[Vindekarr]

Aye, if you can afford the upkeep, I cant think of much nicer than an new Arctic Warfare Rifle. They've also made an even better one recently called the Arctic Warfare Super Magnum. Which is a standard AW50 but chambered up to the brutal Finnish .338 Lapua round for the ultimate long rnage punch.

 

Me though, I'd like a PGM Hecate, that's a beautiful gun, to shoot and to look at, typical Frenchy coolness. while at the same time, and exceptionaly effective Antimaterial Rifle well suited to sabotage/munition detonation/demolition shooting..

 

http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee454/Vindekarr/800px-PGM_Hecate_jpg.jpg

[RZ1029]

That's a pretty gun there Vindekarr, I like the wooden stock and grip. Is it actual wood or just a laminate on a synthetic material?

 

A bit worn, but I like the character that comes with a little wear and tear.... And is that picture in the middle of a street? That looks like a curb in the background.

[Vindekarr]

Genuine wood, it's not mine, that particular Hecate II is in service in the French army. I dont think it's a legal gun here anyway, the Hecate is very accurate, but it's also a full antimaterial rifle, designed from the ground up for army use. I dont think it would be legal for civilian use, let alone would I be able to find a range long enough to properly use it. The PGM Hecate II does the same job for the French military that the same-calibre Barrett .50 cal does for the American army, and the AS-50 does for the British, it may seem a little delicate, but that's a massive bore rifle, overkill unless you're hunting the largest of game.

 

Here's another beauty. Zastava Black Arrow. Epic if melodramatic name, but a beautiful gun and one of the best Sniper RIfles in the world. Big bore, bolt action, excellent craftswork and very durable. Superlative range. http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee454/Vindekarr/800px-Sniper_Zastava_M93.jpg

 

Lastly, pic relatively unrelated, but I saw one today and thought "damn, that's a beauty" Accuracy International AW-50 in .50 cal trim, German army spec.

 

http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee454/Vindekarr/Bundeswehr-Technik_02_RaBoe.jpg

Edited April 23, 2011 by Vindekarr

[Aurielius]

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac177/Aurielius/8edaee58-829f-4fce-bf2b-48e1268c2394.jpg

[DarkeWolf]

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac177/Aurielius/8edaee58-829f-4fce-bf2b-48e1268c2394.jpg

 

One of those size counts... bigger is better types?

LOL I know that's so wrong, but I just could NOT resist. [/professionalism] :laugh:

 

Some awesome input so far, my friends. Sorry for not getting back to this sooner. Technical difficulties has kept me off the site quite a bit of late. :(

 

Commander- very cool. I know that there was an episode where they focused a lot on firearms myths. I still gotta catch that episode :D

 

Vagrant- very true. The other part of that question that I didnt ask was if that kind of shock in that kind of enclosed space would have adverse affects on the occupants of the small confined area. :blink:

 

RZ- yup, I have a bolt action rifle, tho not a sniper (Only a german Sportbusche .22 war trophy from WW2). So no pics needed, but much thanks for thinking about adding a pic ;)

And its very true, cleaning a BA is incredibly easy. Slide out the action and run a rod thru it. Easy as pie. :thumbsup:

 

And VERY True about making each shot count with a BA. Especially if it's a single shot. They wouldnt let me get a repeater when I was a kid, til I would learn to shoot right, on a SS BA.

 

LordWushin- No problem at all, I'm really glad that the thread sparked your interest, and if you do decide to go back, I most definitely wish you the best of luck. Hell, I wish you the best of luck regardless. It's a dirty job, and one that doesn't get much acclaim. But one that makes a serious difference, nonetheless. :thumbsup:

 

Chesty- another issue that I hadn't thought about was that autoloaders can sometimes nick or otherwise deform rounds when they go through the action. True professional snipers want that shell as close to perfect as possible, to get optimum performance for each shot.

 

Vindekarr- very true that! When I was doing paintball, I absolutely loved my autococker for that reason alone. The audio. There was all the controversy of closed bolt accuracy and all that, but I just LOVED hearing the sound of the metal on metal "Clack" when it would cycle. :thumbsup:

[RZ1029]

I could make a joke about double-tapping that, but I don't think I will, since I'm pretty sure she could turn me into a bloody mess of pulp with that rifle.

 

In all seriousness, though, that Sportbusche is a pretty gun, been kept in good shape? My grandfather had a bolt-action rifle he got from WWII, but I was never allowed to touch it as a kid. He'd tell a mile-long story about it and how it got it, I never figured out how much of it is true and how much he was pulling my leg, but it was pretty important to him, even if he never killed anything more than a rabbit or squirrel with it. I wonder whatever happened to that, I might just ask him.