Rifle 101: The Difference Between Bolt, Semi-auto, Lever, and Pump Actions

By GDC Staff

For those inquiring minds who want to know the nuts and bolts differences between various rifle actions, pull up a chair and get the 411. The first muzzleloading rifles date back to at least the 17th Century. These simple single-shot black powder guns were “front stuffers,” being loaded with patch, powder, and bullet through the muzzle or front end of the gun. The name “rifle” is due to the rifling inside the barrel which imparts spin on the bullet, upping its velocity and thus increasing its accuracy and range. Rifles were far more capable when compared to smoothbore muskets and, by the 1850s, had largely replaced these older guns.
Then things started getting really interesting.
Bolt Action Rifles
Bolt-action rifles, such as this Remington 700 BDL, have been popular for well over 150 years, largely for their accuracy and ruggedness.
As breechloaders — which were loaded in the open rear of a rifle’s action rather than via the muzzle — became more common, the bolt-action rifle was not far behind. A German firearms engineer, Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse, began work on his “Needle Gun” in 1824 and the turn-bolt mechanism ushered in an era that has yet to go out of style. Bolt-action rifles, when

Source: Guns.com