Bolt-action rifle

The bolt-action rifle has considerably long range, high accuracy, moderate damage, and a somewhat long overall cooldown period. You'll ideally want to equip somebody with at least 97% post-processed shooting accuracy to be somewhat efficient with the bolt-action rifle at maximum range - one way of achieving this is with a healthy colonist with at least 10 shooting skill. Do note that bolt-action rifles can outrange automated gun turrets.

Bolt-action rifles can be purchased from outlander or orbital combat suppliers, found equipped by outlander and pirate raiders, or manufactured. You'll also start with one survival rifle with the 'Crashlanded' scenario.

Obtaining

Bolt-action rifles can be purchased from outlander combat suppliers or towns, or from an orbital weapons trader - or taken from incapacitated mercenaries, outlanders, and pirates. Bolt-action rifles can also be manufactured at a machining table once the machining research has been completed; from 60 steel, 3 components, and 25000 ticks (417 secs) of work.

A bolt-action rifle is also one of the three starting weapons from the crashlanded scenario, alongside a pistol and a plasteel knife.

Conclusion and Comparison

The bolt-action rifle can be seen as a rapid-fire, more skill-friendly alternative to the overall more powerful sniper rifle. Due to its attributes, the survival rifle remains a useful weapon throughout all stages of the game, and works nicely when a few bolt-action rifle shooters are mixed amongst many charge rifle shooters.

It fares much better at close range than the sniper rifle. Sniper rifles are very inaccurate at close range, while bolt-action rifles fare much better.

Trivia

Its name before Alpha 17 was the Survival rifle.
In even older version of RimWorld, it used to be called the Lee-Enfield. In real life, the Lee-Enfield is a reliable and powerful bolt-action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle that was used primarily by the British military in the early 20th century, notably during World War I and II. The Lee-Enfield had a 10-round magazine (loaded with 5-round "charger clips") and used a .303 caliber (7.7mm) cartridge.
Bolt-action rifles with Masterwork or above quality are capable of producing 100% accuracy across all ranges. It's the only standard weapon capable of such a feat in-game.