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pump action vs lever action

Posted on 03/11/2008 5:17:00 PM PDT by brm_brp

why is pump action better for shotguns and lever action better for rifles?


TOPICS: Hobbies; Military/Veterans; Sports
KEYWORDS: banglist; leveraction; pumpaction
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1 posted on 03/11/2008 5:17:01 PM PDT by brm_brp
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To: brm_brp
From Wiki: Advantages and Disadvantages

While lever-action rifles were (and are) popular with hunters and sporting shooters, they were not widely accepted by the military. One significant reason for this was that it is harder to fire a lever-action from the prone position (compared to a straight-pull or bolt-action rifle), and while nominally possessing a greater rate of fire (Contemporary Winchester advertisements claimed their rifles could fire 2 shots a second) than bolt-action rifles, lever-action firearms are also generally fed from a tubular magazine, which limits the ammunition that can be used in them. Pointed centerfire Spitzer bullets, for example, can cause explosions in a tubular magazine, as the point of each cartridge's projectile rests on the primer of the next cartridge in the magazine (soft-tipped Hornady ammunition made for tube-fed rifles avoid this problem). The tubular magazine may also negatively impact the harmonics of the barrel, which limits the theoretical accuracy of the rifle; a tubular magazine under the barrel pushes the center of gravity forward, it may alter the balance of the rifle in ways undesirable to some shooters. Many of the newer lever action rifles by Marlin are capable of shooting groups smaller than 1 minute of angle, comparable to most modern bolt-action rifles.

Due to the higher rate of fire and shorter overall length than most bolt-action rifles, lever-actions have remained popular to this day for sporting use, especially short- and medium-range hunting in forests, scrub, or bushland. Lever-action firearms are also used in some quantity by prison guards in the United States, as well as by wildlife authorities/game wardens in many parts of the world.

2 posted on 03/11/2008 5:20:40 PM PDT by BGHater ($2300 is the limit of your Free Speech.)
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To: brm_brp

Welcome to Free Republic


3 posted on 03/11/2008 5:20:57 PM PDT by Repeal The 17th
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To: BGHater

I don’t like bolt action for the simple weight factor. That and I shoot left handed as it were.


4 posted on 03/11/2008 5:24:19 PM PDT by swmobuffalo ("We didn't seek the approval of Code Pink and MoveOn.org before deciding what to do")
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To: brm_brp

Shotguns shells are much bigger then rifle bullets.


5 posted on 03/11/2008 5:24:24 PM PDT by MNJohnnie (http://www.iraqvetsforcongress.com ---- Get involved, make a difference.)
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To: brm_brp

1887 Lever Action Shotgun 12 Ga.
http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=93700261


6 posted on 03/11/2008 5:27:20 PM PDT by Repeal The 17th
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To: brm_brp

Winchester 9410 Packer 410 Lever Action Shotgun
http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=93575546


7 posted on 03/11/2008 5:28:16 PM PDT by Repeal The 17th
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To: brm_brp
Who said either is better for either one?

I prefer my shotguns in semiautomatic (full auto when I can) and my rifles the same.

8 posted on 03/11/2008 5:28:46 PM PDT by mad_as_he$$ (John McCain - The Manchurian Candidate? http://www.usvetdsp.com/manchuan.htm)
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To: brm_brp

Shotgun shells are very large diameter. The action has to be very large for a side eject system, creating weight.

Compare the ‘action’ of a shotgun versus a rifle.

A lever system would only add to that size and weight.


9 posted on 03/11/2008 5:29:29 PM PDT by Erik Latranyi (Too many conservatives urge retreat when the war of politics doesn't go their way.)
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To: brm_brp

Henry 22 Long Rifle Pump w/Octagon Blue Barrel
http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=85821


10 posted on 03/11/2008 5:30:29 PM PDT by Repeal The 17th
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To: brm_brp

Remington 243 Winchester Pump Rifle
http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=86138


11 posted on 03/11/2008 5:30:52 PM PDT by Repeal The 17th
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To: BGHater

Wiki is a load of crap.


12 posted on 03/11/2008 5:31:32 PM PDT by Westlander (Unleash the Neutron Bomb)
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To: brm_brp


Pump action.
 
13 posted on 03/11/2008 5:33:07 PM PDT by counterpunch (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl32Y7wDVDs)
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To: brm_brp
Welcome to Free Republic.

Keep those gun threads coming!

14 posted on 03/11/2008 5:33:07 PM PDT by SIDENET (Hubba Hubba...)
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To: BGHater
A pump action can be performed while holding one's beer with the pinky finger of the trigger hand (through the spout-hole), explaining the preference in design for duck hunters, who often cannot set a beer down in swampy conditions.

Deer hunting, on the other hand, does not present this problem, as most trucks come with cup holders.

15 posted on 03/11/2008 5:40:59 PM PDT by roamer_1 (Conservative always, Republican no more.)
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To: brm_brp

Personal preference. However, a pump action is not as detrimental to coming off of your target as a lever action or bolt action are because you have no up and down movement.

Shotguns have been built in pump, lever, and bolt though.


16 posted on 03/11/2008 5:42:24 PM PDT by SampleMan (We are a free and industrious people, socialist nannies do not become us.)
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To: brm_brp

A pump doesn’t have a firm hold for your hand when aiming a rifle. It wiggles. That isn’t a factor in shooting a shotgun.


17 posted on 03/11/2008 5:44:04 PM PDT by Mr Rogers (Let's win Congress - the Presidency is lost!)
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To: Repeal The 17th

You can get the Remington 7600 in .30-06 as well


18 posted on 03/11/2008 5:44:36 PM PDT by Yo-Yo (USAF, TAC, 12th AF, 366 TFW, 366 MG, 366 CRS, Mtn Home AFB, 1978-81)
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To: brm_brp

Of course, double barrel breech load can get off more rounds over an extended period — like a minute or more.


19 posted on 03/11/2008 5:45:43 PM PDT by Lee'sGhost (Johnny Rico picked the wrong girl!)
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To: Lee'sGhost
I prefer a shotgun guaranteed to bring home dinner. Something where accuracy is an option...

http://www.atlanticfirearms.com/programming/expand.asp?Prodid=457

It makes the birds kinda crunchy and adds lead to you pencil at the same time...

20 posted on 03/11/2008 6:05:00 PM PDT by PushinTin
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