This is a subject that has been popping up a lot lately in the Blogosphere. Shelley takes a look at this over at Gun Nuts, and its well worth the read.
Me? I am of the belief that guns are tools, and you need to pick the right tool for the job. The bolt gun is a very specialized tool. This lends itself to very limited use in the first place, but as semi-auto rifles become better and better we are naturally going to see less and less of a real need for a bolt gun. Yeah, purists and old timers are always going to cling to what they feel most comfortable with, but as far as actual need is concerned that day may have passed. Shelley equates it to the lever gun, and for the most part I think she is right. The day may come when we see the bolt gun only come out of the safe for nostalgic range trips or gun specific matches. The "changing of the guard", is going to have a big impact on this as well. As the older shooters pass the baton to the next generation of gunnies (who are being brought up/in on ARs and tacti-fool rifles), the perceived need will eventually give way to real world actuality. Will the bolt gun make the cut? Time will tell.
