Bolt vs AR platforms, what say you?

skinney said:
James, Keith and John take a deep dive into what platform they prefer, the Bolt Action or AR style Rifle. As always fellas I hope you enjoyed it, I hope you found it entertaining, but more importantly informational.

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AR’s are fun but I am a bolt man at heart so I run my AR 15 at night And a bolt action in the day so I think I can have the most of both worlds
 
I've tried to like an AR for hunting, it always feels awkward to me. I've tried and even killed a couple coyotes with mine.

Semi auto shotguns don't do anything for me either. Nothing like a flock of ducks coming into the decoys ànd sweeping back the hammers as the shotgun comes to your shoulder.
 
AWS said:
I've tried to like an AR for hunting, it always feels awkward to me. I've tried and even killed a couple coyotes with mine.

Semi auto shotguns don't do anything for me either. Nothing like a flock of ducks coming into the decoys ànd sweeping back the hammers as the shotgun comes to your shoulder.
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I'm the same way with the AR. I think if I had one that was light weight and slick rounded edges and didn't rattle..... maybe.
 
I won an AR in the PM Eggshot back in 2010. I had never owned or even shot one before that, but I dedicated myself to learning how to use it for calling. It took a couple seasons to get real comfortable with the platform, but now I'm sold on it. I've been using that rifle or the follow-up Predator Technology Group rifle I won in Elko a few years ago for predator calling for 13 years now. Our governor keeps trying to put a stop to that success though...
 
I shot bolt guns for everything for 45 years; the AR's never interested me until they started showing up on the line more and more (and winning matches). Hard to teach an old dog new tricks, until I tried one for calling. They are a natural for my style of calling. The secret for me is the pistol grip makes for a much more natural/comfortable angle when sitting w/rifle on sticks and the hand is positioned for a straighter line of pull on the trigger.
Maybe I've just been lucky but the least accurate (out of the 5 I've owned) AR I've encountered shot MOA or less; wish I could say that for some of the bolt guns that have passed through, although I've owned many super accurate bolt guns as well.
 
I own both and love both. I use an AR platform for nearly everything except elk. My bolt rifles both shoot sub moa as do my AR's. As for my 5.56/223 AR's, I had to experiment with different loads before finding the right one, and it varies from rifle to rifle. The 6.5 Grendels that I have shoot the 123 SST's sub moa and are accurate out to 650 yards for me. 650 is the longest shoot I can take at the range, in the field I've kept it in the low 400's for deer.
Anyway, use the one you're most comfortable with and you won't go wrong.
 
I have my own opinion so no need to watch the video.


I run both in different places for different reasons. When I hunt wooded areas or near houses, I run my bolt action because I want maximum suppression.

Both my AR and bolt action can outshoot me so I'm good with either.
 
TXCOONDOG said:
I have my own opinion so no need to watch the video.


I run both in different places for different reasons. When I hunt wooded areas or near houses, I run my bolt action because I want maximum suppression.

Both my AR and bolt action can outshoot me so I'm good with either.
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"Both my AR and bolt action can outshoot me so I'm good with either". No truer words were ever spoken about a rifle🤠
 
Pa didn't allow the use of SAs for hunting until 2017...but for only small game and furbearers.
...so like many I bought SAs.
Got a RRA Predator HP .243(pic in avatar) and an ATH .223.
Killed coyotes with both. Both guns shoot super. Have shot the .243 out to 1000 yards and the .223 out to 500.
Love both guns and they feel like an extension of my arm.
Now..
I transformed 2 of my bolts to strictly night coyote hunting use...a .223 and .243win
I found that the SAs are wayyyyy to noisy to chamber( cannot have loaded firearms in vehicle in PA)...so at every stand trying to get the BCG charged and set quietly is impossible.
We all know that coyotes will tolerate certain sounds...and that sound echoing off barns and buildings isn't.
The perceived sound at gun is also louder of course.
So for me...being a bit more stealthy at the truck with a bolt is more important due to the situations where I hunt. May not matter for the most part in all reality...but the coyotes spooky enough.
 
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