T.A.Sharps wrote:This is the only thing you said I don't agree with. Its really fundamental that a heavier rifle will have less recoil than a lighter one shooting the same round. Also, a semi auto action will even have less, simply because the energy spent on working the action.
Not to mention weight and recoil have no bering on range capabilities of a cartridge.
Please read my post above yours, for a better summary of my statement and its intent. It is true that with the firearm itself, semi-automatic rifles will present less felt recoil than a bolt-action rifle firing the same round. BUT, in the hands of even the most skilled shooter, semi-automatic long-range rifles have been proven to offer less accurate fire at extended ranges.
While the recoil in a semi-automatic rifle might be slightly less, the forward cycling action of the bolt assembly creates additional movement and those movements cause the weapon to be unsteady until the bolt has fully stopped cycling. Also, bolt-action rifles have minimal moving parts which means less barrel harmonics or movement of the barrel during firing. Due to the assembly and nature of a semi-automatic rifle, the barrel is not as "tight", and the gas tube/etc does interfere with accuracy at those extended ranges.
A short summary of Barrel Harmonics and its effect on accuracy:
From the moment that trigger is pressed and the firing pin strikes the primer until the bullet leaves the muzzle, a series of many vibrational impulses begin in the rifle, all of which are transmitted to the barrel in various magnitudes. These include such minor things as; the trigger sear releasing the firing pin, the firing pin moving forward, striking the primer, and the cartridge being moved forward. The powder then begins to ignite, and the bullet starts moving forward and engages the rifling. Because of the twist of the rifling, the bullet while it is being propelled forward, begins to spin imparting a small but measurable torque, but more importantly as it traverses the barrel it also sets up a circular vibrational pattern, or arc. The heat of the burning powder along with the pressure wave generated by the expanding gasses start another vibrational pattern that is induced into the barrel. All of these movements cause the barrel to stress and vibrate with a number of different harmonic patterns which if not controlled by some means cause each projectile to leave the muzzle at a slightly different point in the vibrational arc. Some people speak about the "whip" of the barrel, which would imply to some, that the barrel simply vibrates up and down like a buggy whip. Although there are some of the vibrations that are traveling in this direction, the main vibrations are circular. If this were not true, then a 3 shot group from a rifle would always be in a vertical string. This would be because, one would leave at the bottom of the "whipping action", one would leave from the center and one from the upper travel of the "whip". As we all know this seldom occurs, and if it does, it is usually caused by the barrel being under a heavy stress, such as way to much pressure exerted against it, caused by improper bedding, usually of the barrel. Most 3 shot groups you will see will be virtually triangular in shape, this is caused because as the barrel vibrates through its "circular arc" one bullet leaves the muzzle at say 12 o’clock, another at say 4 o’clock and the third at maybe 8 o’clock. The larger the arc of the barrel, the less accurate the rifle will be, and the larger the triangle. As a rule the less mass a barrel has, (the thinner) the more it is affected by the vibrations, this is the reason that a "heavy" barrel seems to shoot more consistently than a sporter barrel, and is also easier to tune.
Due to the higher number of parts that are in motion upon firing a semi-automatic, you can see why harmonics are much worse and why accuracy will be effected more than with a bolt-action.
Also, my statement regarding accuracy (as explained in my previous post) was not just about the firearms, but the shooter himself. Both weapons are used in different circumstances, both are often fired from different stances, both are often fired at different rates, etc. The purpose of the DMR is NOT to be as accurate as a "Sniper Rifle", but only to provide an extended-range engagement capability within a squad.
There are many other soldiers, law enforcement professionals, and even hunters on these forums who I can assume have fired both types of weapons. I have little doubt that those same people would agree with me that when you desire maximum accuracy, bolt-action rifles always win. Don't get me wrong, I prefer semi-automatic myself. But having fired pretty much every weapon in the US arsenal, from WW2 to modern, ranging from .22-caliber pistols to 155mm Howitzers, as well as most weapons from non-US nations...I have no doubt in the accuracy of my claims.