Bolt Action Rifles Need to be Cheaper

The bolt action rifles are too expensive to be viable in any real sense of the word. Currently, the M24 and Nagant aren't an option unless you want to take the gun just to have fun. At 2 points they may seem cheap in comparison to the Marksman's other options, but when you add attachments the cost adds up quickly. The greased bolt(which is basically a necessity for the bolt action) is a very expensive 3 points. The bolt action rifles and the greased bolt could be priced at one point each and still not be that much of a competitor for the semi auto rifles.

Disclaimer- this regards my experience in co-op.

The bolties have an extremely reliable one-hit-kill at pretty much any range, so as a marksman, that alone would make me choose one. The greased bolt and stripper clip make them that much more effective. Plus, the intended usage of the bolt action is long range, and at long range the (already pretty much non-existent) need for body armor or explosives which can free up a lot of supply.

That said, don't use bolties as long range weapons. The very low weight, reliable kill, and kill at any range make it more fun to use (in my opinion) than a lot of the battle rifles. More importantly, you're helping your team rather than sitting back being useless and that is what wins games.

My loadout is generally mosin+stripper clip+greased bolt+bipod=10 supply leaving more than enough for a good sidearm and grenade if you want one. Hell, you could even put an optic on the rifle, but I personally do not. This leaves you with extra supply that you don't need.

@Demotic said in Bolt Action Rifles Need to be Cheaper:

The bolt action rifles are too expensive to be viable in any real sense of the word. Currently, the M24 and Nagant aren't an option unless you want to take the gun just to have fun. At 2 points they may seem cheap in comparison to the Marksman's other options, but when you add attachments the cost adds up quickly. The greased bolt(which is basically a necessity for the bolt action) is a very expensive 3 points. The bolt action rifles and the greased bolt could be priced at one point each and still not be that much of a competitor for the semi auto rifles.

When Stripper Clips and the Greased Bolt were first added into the game, they were 1 and 2 supply, respectively. That's a much better cost IMO. I also think the bolting speed could be a tad faster for the M24 without a Greased Bolt, as the Greased Bolt makes that bitch bolt fast but it's otherwise extremely slow for some reason.

@AggressiveRock said in Bolt Action Rifles Need to be Cheaper:

The bolties have an extremely reliable one-hit-kill at pretty much any range, so as a marksman, that alone would make me choose one.

So does the SVD, and that's semi-automatic and can get a 15-round magazine.

@AggressiveRock said in Bolt Action Rifles Need to be Cheaper:

The greased bolt and stripper clip make them that much more effective.

Keep in mind that most optics for the Mosin prevent the usage of Stripper Clips.

@AggressiveRock said in Bolt Action Rifles Need to be Cheaper:

Plus, the intended usage of the bolt action is long range, and at long range the (already pretty much non-existent) need for body armor or explosives which can free up a lot of supply.

Body Armor in Sandstorm is actually considerably more effective at long range. About half of the 5.56 weapons (G36k, VHS-2, QBZ-03) stop two-shotting Heavy Armor past about 40 meters. Still pretty trash, though.

@AggressiveRock said in Bolt Action Rifles Need to be Cheaper:

That said, don't use bolties as long range weapons. The very low weight, reliable kill, and kill at any range make it more fun to use (in my opinion) than a lot of the battle rifles. More importantly, you're helping your team rather than sitting back being useless and that is what wins games.

The Marksman is supposed to pick off guys at a distance. That being said, I still play pretty aggressively with the Marksman class and will snipe enemies on objectives before moving in myself.

Of course, running Marksman so you can get a decked-out bolt-action (of your faction) is also a good idea in Hardcore Checkpoint. In case you die, you can pick up your bolt-action and use the ammo you already have (since you spawn with your faction's bolt-action rifle).

Considering how much something like the SVD blows the bolt actions out of the water, I wouldn't be against bolt actions getting some buffs through supply point reductions, damage increase, or general speed of handling.

While the Mosin has access to stripper clips, the M24 is left behind as... well it exists. To the very least, having a detachable magazine upgrade would be a massive improvement for that one IMO.

Anything to help make them a bit more relevant would be nice. I can't say I know much about the AMR's to really give my thoughts on that, but this thread is mainly for the bolt actions anyways.

These are good points, yeah. The semi autos are just far and away better. A steep cost decrease would make them more attractive if only because you could afford a good sidearm and some utility.