Thread: Why semiautos

As a "southpaw", I find semi autos quicker to loose off a second shot. With my faithful Ruger .44 Magnum semi (now in firearms heaven) I encountered a mob of 4 hogs, and downed 3 in rapid succession, and on another pest eradication run, stumbled on 8 pigs and was able to drop 4..couldn't have done that while fumbling with a bolt handle.

10/22s are just fun to shoot..

More effective for pest control for me, pure and simple.

Above semi autos I more so loved the AR platform purely for modularity - having a fleet of different uppers in different barrel lengths or calibres. The ergonomics and everything worked perfectly for me too. In the field they shot as well any bolt action. For competition it was a no brainer. They really are the pinnacle of individual small arms development in my opinion.

I got my AR as a kitset. I really enjoyed putting it together and I loved seeing how it worked.
I hunted with mine from bunnies to deer. I loved the ergonomics of it.
Plus it was cool.

Originally Posted by eamars

The old E(MSSA) was for sporting and competition only purpose. There is nothing about hunting.

In your opinion?
Or based on law/fact that you would like to share?

My old MSSA Endorsement specifically listed hunting as a legitimate use to use my MSSAs. And I did.

So I guess its your opinion only.

And back to the OP's question.
I'm a leftie, but shoot rightie.
My son is a rightie, but shoots leftie.
Guess what is easier to use for the both of us? Bolt or Semi?
Its a no brainer.

Semi.

Originally Posted by dogmatix

In your opinion?
Or based on law/fact that you would like to share?

My old MSSA Endorsement specifically listed hunting as a legitimate use to use my MSSAs. And I did.

So I guess its your opinion only.

And back to the OP's question.
I'm a leftie, but shoot rightie.
My son is a rightie, but shoots leftie.
Guess what is easier to use for the both of us? Bolt or Semi?
Its a no brainer.

Semi.

He is right in a way. When E first come out you had to have a real legitimate purpose or you wouldn't get one. Definitely didn't get one for hunting unless for pest control/helicopter work.
It relaxed a bit early 2000s
I got only got mine because a cop did it for me after I flew him around on a police job with E cat firearms in the machine and he asked if I had my endorsement. I was using them for years without one so he sorted everything rather than charge me for it.

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Originally Posted by eamars

The old E(MSSA) was for sporting and competition only purpose. There is nothing about hunting.

There was with mine. I made sure of it.

AO was impressed how I covered all the bases and possible outcomes, including "any other shooting discipline I may decide to take up in the future"

Another thing overlooked is when you do come across a moonscape of rabbits, a bolt action just doesn't cut it. They heat up far too fast and become inaccurate and quite possibly dangerous if you keep on it.
A semi can crack on smacking the fluffly bunnies till the cows come home quite happily. They're made for the rapid fire and long strings of rapid fire.

If you read the Hansard records for when the MSSA laws were first introduced and , hunting was one of the things that the house considered a genuine activity with MSSA's. It was just a case of police saying "yea na that's not what we wanted though" and applying policy as such.

Because sometimes bolt actions arent enough.



There were 4 more around the corner just out of the picture.

Originally Posted by Ben Waimata

Not something I would admit to animal rights people, but a large mag semi auto allows you to put 'holding' shots into animals, you may have only a 3 second window to knock down 20+ goats in bush, in 3 seconds you can empty half a 30rd mag into a mob of goats at close range, you don't have to use perfect kill shots every animal first shot, it's only a couple seconds until the kill shot takes them out.

Too many of the general population don't understand the difference between hunting (meat collection, one shot ideally should be plenty, very careful shot placement) and pest control where meat collection is not the primary purpose and you just want to cull as many as possible in shortest possible time. The difference is often very clear when hunters come shooting on the farm, they are often far too slow and methodical in taking a shot and we loose the target.

Yes, professionals have for many decades employed tactics and shooting techniques that wouldn’t be regarded as particularly ethical by your average meat or trophy hunter. Driving deer towards choke points with a shooter waiting in ambush; using immobilising shots to drop deer on the run; the list goes on. Clean one shot kills weren’t practical when cullers were dealing with big numbers, but most of them did their best to prevent any undue suffering. Agree that there’s a big difference between culling and hunting

My ar was my favourite rifle... Lefty so just made it easier... Liked being able to modify/customize to my liking and make it different to all the rest... great for pest control....easy and comfy to carry long distances with side mounted sling....and with the 22 bolt kit it's was walk in shooting goats,deer,pigs in day time with 223 , walk out at night with 22 kit in for possums. Now I have to carry two rifles to do the same walk.

Personal choice of gun aside, I think it comes down to whether you are hunting or carrying out pest control.

Had an AR10 - ergonomics were great, rugged - easy to personalize to suit the shooter. Used it for pests on the farm, targets and would be using it for deer if I still had it.
Replaced it with a RPR in 6.5cm - basically has the same ergonomics as it is a similar style, prefer the 6.5cm though.

Have a 10/22 which has taken plenty of bunnies, hares and a few possums - heaps of plinking, good rifle - would actually like to replace it with a RPR 22LR