Bolt action battle rifles

[sonofeugene]

MVP Patrol in .308. Tactical Sling with QD recessed mounts, 16.25" barrel with flash suppressor, Leupold VX-R scope in 3-9x50, Warne QD scope mounts, Magpul 10 round magazine, Atlas bipod with QD on a short picatinny rail. And I've burnished the bolt with tungsten disulfide powder so it's nice and smooth.

IMG_3003.jpg

[sonofeugene]

.....I'll agree that the action isn't as smooth as other options, but from what I understand it's a compromise made to be able to feed from a double stack magazine......

One thing that can really help with smoothing the bolt action is slathering the bolt with either tungsten or molybdenum disulphide (high content paste) and working the action two or three hundred times. Then wipe it all off, clean the bolt and receiver, and then oil as usual. Both of the afore mentioned materials are top notch, dry lubricants that have a particle size so small it'll work it's way into the microscopic pores of the metal where it stays. The action on my MVP when I got it was a bit rough and would hang sometimes. After treating it, it smoothed right up and has worked flawlessly since them.

Another thing that helps is good magazines. The ones that come with the rifle are more or less crap.

[crono35]

Sorry, I don't think I described it properly... the bolt works smoothly on mine, but there is a good amount of radial play in the bolt when pulled back. In comparison, the action on a mosin feels rock solid, very little movement when open. I think it's a trait that's inherent to the design though.

[NapalmCheese]

Sorry, I don't think I described it properly... the bolt works smoothly on mine, but there is a good amount of radial play in the bolt when pulled back. In comparison, the action on a mosin feels rock solid, very little movement when open. I think it's a trait that's inherent to the design though.

That play and sloppiness when the bolt open is neither a problem nor a flaw.

As I understand it:
Having very tight tolerances in this area can contribute to the bolt binding if any amount of lateral pressure is applied to the bolt which makes the bolt not so smooth. Keeping the tolerances loose allows for some side play without binding and allows for debris to clear the area. IIRC one possible 'fix' is to put a bead around the bolt where it fits inside of the receiver when it is fully retracted and then size the bead for a precise fit. Voila, no more sloppy open bolt and no bolt stiction. As long as there's no bolt play when the bolt is locked closed, that's all that matters.

Once I learned of the above I stopped thinking about it and went back to shooting.

[DennisCA]

While I love the practicality of my semi-auto rifles for defense I've always enjoyed pushing my skills and my gear to the limits. All the talk of a statewide ban on semi-automatic rifles got me thinking about the effectiveness of a bolt action rifle for run and gun/defense purposes etc. After watching my grandfather compete in SASS style competitions I am convinced that most hardware limitations can be overcome with enough practice (well not entirely, but let's say a well practiced shooter with a bolt action rifle could out shoot an inexperienced person with a semi-auto).

So my query to the forum is what rifles would you consider for such a purpose? I know that most bolt guns are set up and designed for either long range target shooting or hunting. What caliber would you choose? What type of optics, stock and barrel weights/lengths would you consider?

On a side note I would appreciate any advice on specific drills or challenges on learning to efficiently and effectively wield a bolt-action rifle.

How about an SKS? 10-round fixed mag and it has a built in bayo (in case you have to stab things). Here's mine I picked up a few months ago:



Ammo is fairly cheap, semi-auto and dependable.
A mosin is fairly is an option - if you don't a really long rifle, there is short version of the M44 or the Type 53 (Chinese version). Again the ammo is still fairly inexpensive, can spam can of 440 rounds will run you 100-115 dollars.
Here is a Mosin 91-30 I used to have: (I still have another one but a laminate version)


The short version of the Mosin:

(Polish M44)


Just my two cents

[ar15barrels]

I ended up at the range yesterday next to a gentleman with a .308 Mossberg MVP. Initial impressions weren't all that great.
I'm surprised how much recoil there was for a .308, the recoil increase for the lighter than average bolt rifle was more significant than anticipated.

Gun weight is a significant factor in felt recoil.

I don't want a sniper rifle though.

So you want a lighter weight gun?

[Sunday]

While I love the practicality of my semi-auto rifles for defense I've always enjoyed pushing my skills and my gear to the limits. All the talk of a statewide ban on semi-automatic rifles got me thinking about the effectiveness of a bolt action rifle for run and gun/defense purposes etc. After watching my grandfather compete in SASS style competitions I am convinced that most hardware limitations can be overcome with enough practice (well not entirely, but let's say a well practiced shooter with a bolt action rifle could out shoot an inexperienced person with a semi-auto).

So my query to the forum is what rifles would you consider for such a purpose? I know that most bolt guns are set up and designed for either long range target shooting or hunting. What caliber would you choose? What type of optics, stock and barrel weights/lengths would you consider?

On a side note I would appreciate any advice on specific drills or challenges on learning to efficiently and effectively wield a bolt-action rifle.

It makes you wonder how many idiot gun owners voted For Brown and the rest of the cabal.

[mls343]

Interesting discussion. Given the OP's original criteria, the logical choice would be one of the modern scout rifles probably in 308. Again, a one gun choice that takes care of most situations.

From a historical perspective, and living in the good old USA, the 1903 Family could probably fit the bill nicely as well as 30-06 is everywhere.

That said, and this gets a little interesting especially with the Enfield discussion (a nice choice, BTW), but I would consider a Swedish Mauser, especially one of the carbines. Why?

Smooth action
Accurate
Great caliber (6.5 x 55)
Handy
Rugged/reliable

Downside - ammo availability (reload?) and still probably not as effective and pratical as the more modern scout rifle concept/packages (Actually the scout rifle concept is not all that modern... Another discussion...).

Again, just having fun and throwing this in the mix. For those of you who have not fired anything Swedish, you may be in for a pleasant surprise.

[Ford8N]

Interesting discussion. Given the OP's original criteria, the logical choice would be one of the modern scout rifles probably in 308. Again, a one gun choice that takes care of most situations.

From a historical perspective, and living in the good old USA, the 1903 Family could probably fit the bill nicely as well as 30-06 is everywhere.

That said, and this gets a little interesting especially with the Enfield discussion (a nice choice, BTW), but I would consider a Swedish Mauser, especially one of the carbines. Why?

Smooth action
Accurate
Great caliber (6.5 x 55)
Handy
Rugged/reliable

Downside - ammo availability (reload?) and still probably not as effective and pratical as the more modern scout rifle concept/packages (Actually the scout rifle concept is not all that modern... Another discussion...).

Again, just having fun and throwing this in the mix. For those of you who have not fired anything Swedish, you may be in for a pleasant surprise.

The hard part would be even finding one a decent one for a reasonable price.

[REDdawn6]

MossBerg MVP Patrol.....

[juelz919]

MVP Patrol in .308. Tactical Sling with QD recessed mounts, 16.25" barrel with flash suppressor, Leupold VX-R scope in 3-9x50, Warne QD scope mounts, Magpul 10 round magazine, Atlas bipod with QD on a short picatinny rail. And I've burnished the bolt with tungsten disulfide powder so it's nice and smooth.

[ATTACH]464496[/ATTACH]

That thing is gorgeous.

1. How's the flash hider?
2. Trigger
3. Overall accuracy

[jarhead714]

No. 4 Mk. 2 wins for a number of reasons and I don't see much of an argument for any other overall "best." If they have one fault it's that Enfields have slightly (very slightly) inferior sights to an '03. The Enfield had better sights for aquiring a target, the Springfield's sights are better for hitting one. Enfields have THE smoothest cycling bolt imaginable among service rifles and the triggers are legendarily sweet shooting.

[ducky_0811]

I would say a lever action 8n .357 mag, but if you must have a "bolt action". I think we only need to look to history for the answer. Before the widespread advent of semi auto battle rifles, one rifle was had all the features, and was known for being a heavy hitter. The men who used it trained to fire as many rounds as possible at a man sized target 300 yards away. It's easy, the Lee Enfield. 10 round detachable mags and the fastest cycling action for a turn bolt action ( strait pull coming up next). The cartridge is not as widespread available today was doesn't lack any power at all, heck, the bits used to it hunt elephant. The jungle carbine no.5 would fit all you requirements. They are often rebarreled for .30-06 and 7.62 nato.

Now the fastest action. Period for a bolt action rifle is a strait pull. And the winner in that catagory (bolt action battle rifle) is the swiss k31. I use one for hog hunting bc of its ability for a quick follow up shot. 6 Rd detachable mags, and commercial ammo is available by s/b, ppu, and wolf. Reloading is a breeze. Extremely accurate, powerful round, fast cycling action. What's not to like? Oh, and it has a short sword for a bayonet too...

[Stumpfenhammer]

My choice

I'm putting this .308 build together:

Magpul Hunter 700 stock
Defiance Deviant Tactical Action
Timney Trigger
PROOF Research 16.5" carbon fiber-wrapped barrel
JEC Customs muzzle brake

That'll be my California-SHTF-truck-gun

AR's are great and I like mine, but I don't feel undergunned with a bolt action.

Now I need to figure out the optic...optimal would be something fast enough for CQB, with minimal parallax, but with milradian hash marks or holdovers. Hoping to find that in one optic, but guessing I'll have to pair a mini red dot with glass.

[LBDamned]

A SHTF bolt action battle rifle in case semi-autos are banned...

Antis plan/strategy is coming along nicely.