Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Great Article by Phil Shoemaker

From my readings of history I gather the preferred method of operating bolt handles when they were situated at a 90 degree angle was the palming method but the English taught those operating the SMLE to use the ball and socket method with their fingers and a very good operator could place forty rounds on a man sized target in sixty seconds. that is pretty fast when you consider they were using a 10 round magazine so had to reload from a stripper clip three times during those same sixty seconds!

How one is taught and familiarity with ones rifle makes a big difference and I know JB can operate a bolt rifle quite fast using his method but the general consenus among the real bolt gun wizards that I know is that the fastest and most reliable method is the ball and socket method.