BOLT vs SEMI
BY TRAMPAS SWANSON
A
s a lifelong hunter, recreational shooter and
former Law Enforcement SWAT sniper, it is
safe to say, I am a huge fan of long range,
precision shooting. Having reaching several
milestones in my life through the use of the
industry standard, Remington 700 based bolt
action rifle, I have still always kept an eye on
the continuing advancements with semi-auto
rifle technology. With their higher magazine
capacity and faster ability to load and reload, it was always
an ashamed they would never be as accurate as my beloved
bolt action. With all those moving parts, there is no way a
semi-auto high caliber rifle such as a .308 could perform like
a bolt gun, right? In this article, we will take a look at key
components for building an AR style precision .308 calibre rifle
like the one recently built here in house that could help you
answer that question for yourself.
DAWNING OF A NEW ERA OF SEMI AUTO
RIFLES
Until the Knightâs Armament SR-25 started its deployment
with US Navy SEALS and US Army snipers under the military
designation of M110 roughly 20 years ago, it was been a
general understanding bolt action rifles were simply more
MEET DEVIL DOG ARMS
With the recent trend of shooting enthusiasts building their
own AR platform rifles, there has been a good portion of
shooters and companies alike trying to replicate what Knights
Armament provided to the military at a better cost via the
AR10 and slightly modified LR308 models. While there have
been some very good rifles built off of these designs, they all
have fallen a bit short in their goals. In 2010, one company
was founded in Zurich, IL with the sole intent on specializing in
precision AR style rifle manufacturing, thus giving serious rifle
shooters a more affordable solution to the SR-25.
I present to you Devil Dog Arms, the company that will
change the way you look at precision shooting with the AR
platform forever. I had the great pleasure of meeting Joe
Lucania, CEO of Devil Dog Arms earlier this year at the industry
rms Pr
DEVIL DOG
ARMS
accurate. What was sacrificed in volume of fire as well as
second shot follow up times by the traditional bolt action rifles
was outweighed with its more precise shot placement and
range. Due to machining and technological advancements
in semi-auto rifles, the gap between bolt and semi-auto
accuracy started closing at a lightning pace with the SR-25
on the battlefield setting the pace. Over the past couple of
decades, real world data has been accumulated both on static
competition ranges and down range in the hands of special
operations warriors that have made the firearms industry
rethink its traditional views.
As data rolled in over the war torn past 14 year period for
the military in particular , it was discovered the semi-auto
rifles were holding their own in the field against the bolt
action sniper rifles and becoming quite the overall advantage.
The SR-25 gained worldwide notoriety which sadly led to
sky-rocketing price increases on the civilian market for those
shooters who wished to own one. Currently, the Knights
Armament SR-25 retails for over $6000.00 US.
pmcimagazine.com