A BOLT BY ANY OTHER NAME
Since the appearance of the bolt-action rifle nearly 200 years ago, the operating mechanics have remained the same: handle up, back, forward, down. But what if someone were to tell you there were manually operated bolt-actions that could be cycled more than twice as fast as those of traditional design?
Well, such rifles do exist, and they’ve been available for quite some time. I’m talking about guns built on straight-pull actions—a concept that’s been enthusiastically received by European hunters but almost totally ignored by our American gun companies.
THE STRAIGHT-PULL IDEA
It’s a simple concept really. Instead of the four motions required to cycle a conventional bolt-action, a straight-pull requires only two. Not only does that reduce the required movements by half, it also reduces by more than half the time needed to do it. Lifting the bolt handle on a shouldered rifle employs muscles that are otherwise rarely used, making it awkward, even for those who are well practiced.
Should a fired case hug the chamber
