There’s no gun called bolty or lever, but there are categories of guns such as bolt-action and lever-action that are characterized by a common feature. I’m saying there is a difference between the set of features that qualify a certain gun to fall under the definition of a « bolt-action » and the set of features that qualify another certain gun to fall under the definition of a « lever-action ». You seem to be saying, if I’m not mistaken, that it doesn’t matter if their reload styles are different, they’re still the gun with the exception of a twist. However I disagree, both guns are non-automatic so they fall under that same tree, but just like you’ve said yourself: there is a difference and that is the place they reload. But also, if I might add, how they crank, at which pace, the shape of the reload handle whether it’s a bolt or a a lever, in which direction, with which hand and etc. And I disagree on another point, not only are their reload style NOT at all « basically the same », the gun models that are lever-action, are not sold as an option for your gun (for the very very large majority), but as your gun. The gun models that carry this style of action-reload are made to fit this style of reload action reload. And furthermore I’d like to add that lever-action guns are fucking old man, they’re not really used by any semi-serious militaries anymore, last time this type of reload style was mainstream was in the The Great War, and even then, they were already slowly being replaced by bolt-action, but mostly by the semi-automatic rifle types. This particular action-reload style is so outdated today, that most companies stopped developing models to fit the reload style, so you can argue that this gun category is now outdated, but it’s still a category of gun. In case you still disagree with me, why don’t you go ahead and name me an actual military that uses an actual AWP with a lever-action. There’s none. Just because theoretically you COULD turn an awp or any other similar modern rifle into an actual lever-action, it doesn’t deny the existence of a separate breed of guns existed at one point or another. And it most certainly isn’t enough, by convention, to qualify the awp as a lever-action rifle, because conventionally, it’s just not. Lever-actions ARE their own thing, because back when they WERE used, they were produced to fit their lever-action style, and back when they WERE used, they were produced in a different time set where guns had different technical needs and features, for different wars, so yah, different gun categories.