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The AWM sniper rifle, a bolt-action rifleA Kelbly rifle action bolt that has been oiled to run smoothlyA US Marine extracts a fired cartridge from an M40A3 using a bolt-action mechanism
Bolt-action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by directly manipulating the bolt via a bolt handle, which is most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the firearm (as most users are right-handed).
Most bolt-action firearms use a rotating bolt design, where the handle must first be rotated upward to unlock the bolt from the receiver, then pulled back to open the breech and allowing any spent cartridge case to be extracted and ejected. This also cocks the striker within the bolt (either on opening or closing of the bolt depending on the gun design) and engages it against the sear. When the bolt is returned to the forward position, a new cartridge (if available) is pushed out of the magazine and into the barrel chamber, and finally the breech is closed tight by rotating the handle down so the bolt head relocks on the receiver.
Bolt-action firearms are generally repeating firearms, but many single-shot breechloaders also use bolt-action design as a breechblock mechanism, particularly in target sports. Single-shot firearms are mandated in most ISSF rifle disciplines. The majority of bolt-action firearms are rifles, but there are also some variants of shotguns and handguns. Examples of these date as far back as the early 19th century, notably in the Dreyse needle gun.
From the late 19th century all the way through both World Wars, bolt-action rifles were the standard infantry service weapons for most of the world's military forces. In modern military and law enforcement, bolt-action firearms have been mostly replaced by semi-automatic and selective-fire firearms, and have remained prevalent only as sniper rifles due to the design's inherent potential for superior accuracy and precision, as well as ruggedness and reliability compared to autoloading designs. A firearm using this operating mechanism is colloquially referred to as a boltgun.
Bolt-action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by directly manipulating the bolt via a bolt handle, which is most commonly placed on the...
repeating shotguns are either pump action or semi automatic, and also fully automatic, lever-action, or bolt-action to a lesser extent. Preceding smoothbore...
pressure to adopt a domestic design resulted in the Vetterli Model 1867, a bolt-action design utilizing a copy of the Winchester's tubular magazine, being adopted...
Lee–Enfield type safety at the rear of the action and a bolt that cocked on closing to ease unlocking of the bolt during rapid fire. An advanced design, for...
with the support hand, a pump-action firearm is much faster than a bolt-action and somewhat faster than a lever-action, as it does not require the trigger...
of battle rifles List of carbines List of bolt-action rifles List of straight-pull rifles List of pump-action rifles List of rifles List of pistols Sniper...
company chief designer Charles A. Nelson directed the design of new bolt-action rifles for the US military to supplement M1903 Springfield, but in the...
Model 1875 Model 1890 Naval Model 1865 Pistol (rolling-block) XP-100 (bolt-action) Military versions only. Civilian versions are built by Bushmaster Firearms...
other type of repeating actions such as the bolt-action, pump-action, semi-automatic, fully automatic, and/or burst mode actions. A firearm using this operating...
ga.). They are also described by the type of action employed (e.g. muzzleloader, breechloader, lever, bolt, pump, revolver, semi-automatic, fully automatic...
Patrol Bolt Rifle: 7.62×51mm NATO bolt-action rifle intended for police patrol cruisers. Special Police Rifle: Special Police Rifle; bolt-action sniper...
using the bolt handle rather than lugs on the bolt head like the Mauser M 98 or M16. The first rotating bolt rifle with two lugs on the bolt head was the...
to as a K98 (a K98 is a Polish carbine and copy of the Kar98a), is a bolt-action rifle chambered for the 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge. It was adopted on...
any other self-loading design, the action is cycled by the energy released from the propellant, which sends the bolt back to the rear, compressing the...
known in civilian circles as the K31) is a magazine-fed, straight-pull bolt-action rifle. It was the standard issue rifle of the Swiss armed forces from...
漢陽八八式步槍) and Hanyang Zao (Which means Made in Hanyang), is a Chinese-made bolt-action rifle, based on the German Gewehr 88. It was adopted by the Qing Dynasty...
fed individually into the chamber by a reciprocating bolt, via either a manual or automatic action mechanism, while the act of chambering the round typically...
98, or M98) is a bolt-action rifle made by Mauser for the German Empire as its service rifle from 1898 to 1935. The Gewehr 98 action, using a 5-round...
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