Death of the Bolt action.

I prefere side levers if im punching paper from a bench but im happy to use a bolt action for pest control & hunting.
The best of both worlds was the bolt action on my Daystate mk3 which has zero retention when cycling the bolt due to it being an electronic gun so was just probing yhe pellet into the barrel.

I bought my S410 despite already having an S510 just because I wanted a bolt action.

I see no point in bolt actions. Theyre only there to pretend its live fire. Side levers are so much more effective

M1664 said:

I see no point in bolt actions. Theyre only there to pretend its live fire. Side levers are so much more effective

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By extension of that, air guns are pretend powder guns.

I don't have any issues with bolt type cocking action it is a simple and effective mechanism, serves a purpose and does it quite well.

All my bolt actions cock within an inch, for
example my fx2000 can be cocked using just my fore finger and thumb quicker than I can pull back my hw100 sidelever and return it as side lever needs to travel further in total, my rapids are very similar, but Ive been using them a long time so I guess theres a knack to it and I know all my guns quirks and how each likes to be cocked, i guess that gives each one its own character

I dont get that same mechanical connection with side levers i feel they are a bit numb and robotic, because the leverage they create amplifies the force it takes to probe the pellet home, for example and if you dropped a random pellet in a magazine in my bolt actions that was disimilar to their usual diet, I reckon even with my eyes closed I would feel that different pellet when it was probed home, I like that gives you a real sense of connection to your rifle.

I can cock my fx quicker than this when its in my shoulder and im not holding my phone, what I love about the fx2000 though is the fact the spring is compressed on the forward stroke its the opposite to a rapids which do it on the rearward stroke, quite a unique system..

I have rebuilt all my rifles and I smooth any bearing surfaces and debur any sharp edges internally I try get them as slick as possible, so shouldnt take much more effort than using one finger to cock, if I couldnt for any reason I would know by feel alone that there was a problem, you dont get that with a sidelever hence they are probably the biggest culprits for bending probes.View attachment 919075

M1664 said:

I see no point in bolt actions. Theyre only there to pretend its live fire. Side levers are so much more effective

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Really ? Effective at what ?

Ashf9999 said:

mmsI have a trio of the Webley bolt actions: .410, 9mm and .22 shot.

That’ll be fun post-lead ban

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Funny enough I have the same trio! and yes, 9mm rimfire shotgun cartridges in lead alternatives isn't something I've ever seen and I can't imagine manufactures will be quick to start knocking them out given the limited demand.

It depends.

There are bolt actions,
and then there are bolt actions

BigGun1 said:

Funny enough I have the same trio! and yes, 9mm rimfire shotgun cartridges in lead alternatives isn't something I've ever seen and I can't imagine manufactures will be quick to start knocking them out given the limited demand.

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.22 RF shot, 9mm RF shot, and for that matter, the vast majority of muzzleloaders, will be written-off overnight. And no, I don’t consider bismuth a viable alternative - not for the floberts at least.

I have one of each and I have to say I prefer the lever.

My bolt on my gx40 requires a firm pull to travel the full run & engage the charge/trigger. It has resulted in me double loading once or twice when not thinking, escaping doing so by removing the mag several more times, and me starkly warning about it to anybody else who tries it out.

Greencloud said:

I have one of each and I have to say I prefer the lever.

My bolt on my gx40 requires a firm pull to travel the full run & engage the charge/trigger. It has resulted in me double loading once or twice when not thinking, escaping doing so by removing the mag several more times, and me starkly warning about it to anybody else who tries it out.

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Same on the coyote, I tend to give people a single shot magazine instead

That said I do like the feel of bolt, I just wish it wasn't quite so heavy

Grew up on (and still use) bolt actions. Dont use any of my rifles for punching paper-except for checking zero. Since using side levers I definitely prefer them. To me they are slicker and quicker to cycle for those follow up shots, require a lot less effort to cock (especially on heavier hammer spring fac air rifles) and just seem more natural to me.
In my opinion definitely an improvement on the bolt.

The sequence, cadence, absolution of loading, via a bolt action, slows the process & makes for considered & more accurate shooting. A bolt action, properly dialed in, will be quick to cycle & as slick as goose sh**e on plate glass...

We watched quite a lot, or even too much of the recent Winter Olympics, including the Biathlon, which I haven't watched for years. I was very taken with what seems to be a type of straight pull action that they were all using, especially as it seemed that the competitors could cycle it with finger tips - no major arm movements required, which can only be a good thing for target work.

Witness the effectiveness of the Swiss K31, used judiciously.

The four actions (up, back, forward, down) required for bolt action can feel very satisfying, and very traditional.

But the two actions (back and forward) required for side lever action is definitely more slick and less effort.

Four Stroke and two stroke.. ?

There are no wrong answers. . . Just go with whatever method you prefer.

Best action is a " break action" ...cool & considered shooting a must... Take your time & hit it the first time & no need for rapid cycles, is there ?

Like already suggested its a bit like comparing a moderm flappy paddle gearbox to a stick shift gearbox.

The older shooters amongst us like myself just find using the old school methods more organic.

Does anyone remember the scene on John Darlngs video where he went in the barn and cleared some colared doves? (Legal at the time) well the sound of him cocking the rapid in that barn kind of echoed and I watched it over and over as a kid, I thought I want a rapid if only for that bolt action cocking sound call me crazy but its true, took me another 15 years before I got one, but something very satisfying about cocking a bolt action rapid, the newer ones do nothing for me unfortunately or the raws, just another sidelever like all the rest to me no character, I have polished hammers and sears on my own rapids and they use light springs on guides both ends they feel and sound great to cock very positive, and feel like they will feel exactly the same in a hundred years from now.
Ive also put a stainless probe into my R10 and lightweight hammer that also has a lovely slick short throw cocking action as far as piggy back bolts go its one of the slickest Ive used and can be cocked with one finger whilst on aim, i wouldnt change it for a lever.

I DO like my hw100s but Im down to one absolutely accurate .20 Ive blueprinted it like I do all my guns so its running absolutely at its optimum the only thing I think when I use it for hunting is just a bit numb to use, I never feel that when Im using one of my bolt actions strange but true, its like the cat amongst the pigeons in my line up the only sidelever I own but Ive had airarms and daystate sidelevers still think the 100 has the best action.

But the guns Action I really like to use is my fX2000 its quirky but I like it, but the axsor was the first pcp I ever owned back in like 1997 so maybe thats old muscle memory I feel when I cock it, but just feels like I can load the mag cock and shoot it in total darkness, I was doing just that last night, but I have fully fettled this Like I do with all my guns, its nice and slick now.View attachment 919180

I have a BSA R10 Se, an Impact Mk2 and a Wildcat Mk3, the BSA has a lovely smooth bolt action but the Impact and the Wildcat side lever system just feels nicer/slicker to me but I love all three. My wife has an AA S200 Mk3 and gets along fine with the bolt action on that but doesn’t like my side lever guns when she has tried them but then she is left handed. The stock on her S200 is left handed but the bolt is right handed.