Thread: Why semiautos

Semi is much easier to use when left handed (except hot brass down your shirt) or you limit (ok there are a few available now) yourself to left hand bolts only

I think you pretty much covered it.
Also probably with some of the more available clip mag models, the mag capacity was a bit more although now anything more than 10 shots is now evil, that is out of the picture. 20 shot stirlings and the big banana mags for the 10/22's spring to mind
I found when spotlighting possums, if you needed a second shot for any reason, missed, branches in the way, or hard to pick up in the scope, etc, a semi was better than a bolt.

-Usually ambidextrous in the case of Ar type platforms
-Ergonomically better for various firing positions
-Faster follow up shots and target transition's
-Reduced recoil
-Higher capacity magazines
-Faster reloads
-Usually chambered in common and economically priced calibres
-Bloody fun and effective to use

agree with the above plus
Sounds way cooler
great fun when shooting gongs as you can shoot fast then here rapped hits.

Out spotlighting a week or so ago, if I'd had a semi rather than my bolt 22, the tally would have been 20-30% higher.

well over 10k bunnies shot so fat and 99% were with a semi 22 or semi 12.
best guns for the job, the amount of times i shoot a bunny and one i didnt see at first moves next to it is very common.
also since my right shoulder is pretty stuffed i really liked my centerfire semi's

I preferred them because:

*Quick second shot

*Easier to use when prone

*With a bolt action, I find that working the bolt breaks my cheek weld to the rifle

My friend who had a 30/06 semi wouldn't touch an 06 bolt because the semi soaked up the recoil.

A bolt 06 would have killed his shoulder. (He rolled a quad 20 years ago and has ongoing injury problems, head, neck and shoulders)

Greetings All,
The only semi auto that has ever entered my rifle cupboard is a Ruger 10-22 Sporter purchased man moons ago for $99.00. It is still here but does not get much use these days. I found that using sub sonic ammo (without a suppressor) you could often get a second shot or more when hunting rabbits. You would not have been able to do this with a bolt as your movement in reloading would have spooked them. A friend and I used to run shooting classes for school kids, organised through the schools, with our 10-22 rifles. They shot, from a rest, from our old RBR shooting hut, two at a time, with one of us standing behind each shooter. We felt that removing the need to reload each shot made the process safer especially for the younger shooters that might struggle with a bolt action. We loaded the rifles for them and cleared them when they finished. It was a different time.
Regards Grandpamac.

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings All,
The only semi auto that has ever entered my rifle cupboard is a Ruger 10-22 Sporter purchased man moons ago for $99.00. It is still here but does not get much use these days. I found that using sub sonic ammo (without a suppressor) you could often get a second shot or more when hunting rabbits. You would not have been able to do this with a bolt as your movement in reloading would have spooked them. A friend and I used to run shooting classes for school kids, organised through the schools, with our 10-22 rifles. They shot, from a rest, from our old RBR shooting hut, two at a time, with one of us standing behind each shooter. We felt that removing the need to reload each shot made the process safer especially for the younger shooters that might struggle with a bolt action. We loaded the rifles for them and cleared them when they finished. It was a different time.
Regards Grandpamac.

Yes, watching kids new to shooting struggle with a bolt action can sometimes be.....painful. All part of the experience though.


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My only semi is a 12ga (which I love). I once had a 10/22, I would like to get another as a project rifle but will depend how much bunny hunting I do in the future.

I've found that too @tiroahunta But usually so keen to shoot, they don't mind.

Originally Posted by Dama dama

I've found that too @tiroahunta But usually so keen to shoot, they don't mind.

For sure. It’s not the kids that mind though...


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For pest control (goats, rabbits, pigs etc) the semi is unbeatable, particularly with large mobs of goats. Having to work the bolt breaks the cheek weld and also pulls the rifle off target which adds at least a couple of seconds to your next shot. My best effort in one go was 13 pigs with 14 shots from my FAL. My hunting companion was using a bolt action Remington 700 7mm Mag and got a misfeed on his first round and never fired a shot. It was all over in 10-12 seconds.

ive had semi .22s mostly
have used a few semi centerfires
i prefer bolt rifles so didnt get hammered with bans and bs yet it erks me tho just cause im a cat bolt action owner/user its inferred im a sheep/or threw others under the bus
but its not my right to say next shooter cant have semi if they wish for whatever reasons they choose

Originally Posted by Marty Henry

So a question, what would be your reasons for using a semiautomatic for hunting or pest control over a bolt action.
The only ones I can think of are for pest control as in a target rich environment you can transition quickly between targets, you can rapidly follow up on misses especially as often your shooting position is less than ideal.
Can anyone add anything else to the mix feel free to think centrefire as well as rimfire.

Ergonomics, there are quite a few guys out there who due to medical or physical reasons struggle to manipulate a bolt.