Bolt action

Bolt action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by directly manipulating the turn-bolt via a bolt handle, most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the firearm (as most users are right-handed). The majority of bolt-action firearms are rifles, but there are also some variants of shotguns and handguns that are bolt-action.

Bolt action firearms are generally repeating firearms, but many single-shot designs are available as well, particularly in shooting sports where single-shot firearms are mandated, such as most Olympic and ISSF rifle disciplines.

From the late 19th century all the way through both World Wars, bolt action rifles were the standard infantryservice weapons for most of the world's military forces. Except the United States Armed Forces, while they used the bolt-action M1903 Springfield during World War I, by World War II they had adopted the M1 Garandsemi-automatic rifle. In modern military and law enforcement after the Second World War, bolt-action firearms have been largely replaced by semi-automatic and selective-fire firearms, and have remained only as sniper rifles due to the design's inherent potential for superior accuracy and precision, as well as ruggedness and reliability compared to self-loading designs.

Due to their higher pressure, most centerfire bolt action firearms use a rotating turn-bolt operation, where the handle must first be rotated upward to unlock the bolt from the receiver - the bolt is locked in the receiver with locking lugs which hold it securely in place during firing - 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 barrelchamber, and finally the breech is closed tight by rotating the handle down so the bolt head relocks on the receiver. Another bolt-action type is the straight-pull mechanism, where no upward handle-turning is needed and the bolt unlocks automatically when the handle is pulled rearwards by the user's hand. Straight-pull bolts are less common on centerfire rifles because their higher pressures can cause the bolt to unlock during firing. However, straight bolts are a common type of bolt on rimfire rifles like ones chambered in .22 Long Rifle or .22 Magnum since they operate at much lower pressures, and are cheaper to manufacture.