Colorado Hunter Education Practice Exam

A bolt-action firearm has a manually operated bolt mechanism that cycles rounds into the chamber by pulling the bolt back and then pushing it forward. This simple mechanism is considered the strongest because it locks the bolt into the barrel, providing more support and stability, thus reducing recoil and increasing accuracy. The other options, such as lever-action, pump-action, and semi-automatic, have more complex mechanisms which may not be as strong or reliable as the bolt-action. For example, lever-action rifles have a lever that projects from the firearm, which can be prone to jamming or misfiring. Pump-action firearms require the user to manually slide the forend backwards and then forward to chamber each round, which can be tiring and may also lead to errors. And semi-automatic firearms use the energy from the previous shot to help load the next round, which can increase recoil and decrease accuracy. Therefore, the bolt-action is considered the simplest and strongest option among these firearms actions.