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Would'nt take one for free. https://www.africahunting.com/threads/safety-warning.14239/page-4

Good friend of mine bought one in 7mag and it felt good and shot great groups. But he can afford expensive toys.

FWIW,
if you keep your eyes open you can snag one reasonable from time to time. The Blazer R93 Prestige in the picture I posted came with the Blaser hard case, hex wrench velvet bag for barrel and stock/receiver, and Blaser 1" Saddle ring mounts. I purchased it here on the Fire for $2,250, shipped. There is a Blaser Professionl in 30-06 for sale on GunBroker now and the bid is at +/- $2,250 the last time I looked.

I'm in the market for a 9.3 x 62 Barrel at present.


ya!

GWB

I tell folks my Merkels want to be Blaser K5 Stutzens when they grow up.

















but till they do.......





ya!


GWB

Have you ever owned or spent time with one? I've seen the internet photos and invariably, when the truth comes out, it's likely a double charge reload.
I have worked DSC and SCI for the past several years and have spent time with many PH's who are here to sell hunts. I have yet to have one complain about a Blaser rifle. Not one. I'm sure there are some who simply don't like them and that's fine.

While I have what many would consider extensive shooting and hunting experience, I am a relative newcomer to handloading. That said, I do not see how anyone could put a "double charge" into a rifle case unless the loader used pistol powder instead of rifle powder. Mule Deer would be the one to definitively opine on that issue.

When I stated that my .30/06 and 9.3x62 barrels produced half inch groups with factory ammo, my preferred load for the R93 in .30/06 is the Federal 165 grain TSX (no longer in production, but I have laid in a good supply) and the Federal 286 grain TSX in the 9.3x62.

I acknowledge that there are reports of R93 failures and there may be some credence to those reports. I do not know for certain. But Mauser 98's have also "blown up", as have Model 70's. Each case has to be evaluated on it's own merits.

As a Blaser owner, I would not take one on a DG hunt. Period. A double or tried and proven Model 70, Dakota or a well made Mauser are my choices in that regard.

As long as we have mentioned Mule Deer, I would be interested if he had an opinion on the Blaser R93 and/or R8.

I know people personally who have hunted dangerous game with the R93 & R8. On one such hunt, the PH almost got everyone killed by a Cape Buffalo. If my friend had been shooting any other bolt action rifle, he would not have been able to get the 2nd shot off that stopped the charge. The buff landed at his feet. He will tell anyone who asks the R93 was fast enough to allow him a 2nd shot.

I'm not personally interested in hunting DG but if I were, I would shoot my R8 and never be afraid of the rifle failing me.

Ironically, in my 30 years of hunting in Alaska, Western Canada and the Lower 48, the only rifle failure I have had (I have had multiple scope failures) was this past fall when the firing pin on my pre-64 M70 snapped. Of course, it did it while I was on a high country mule deer hunt in Wyoming, not at the range.

RinB recently told me that in all of his overseas hunting, he has only had two rifle failures. One was a Model 70 that had the trigger shoe break off and the other was a 98 Mauser where the extractor snapped.

Having said that, I still have multiple 98's and M70's and use them all the time. Anything made by human hands can and will break, usually at the worst time.

For what it's worth, JB did a story on straight pull rifles recently:

http://gunsmagazine.com/the-straight-dope/

OJ,

That was me at RFGC. If you would like to play with one of them a bit more, let me know and I'll meet you there sometime. You pick the caliber - I have quite a few!

The R93 is definitely trimmer than the R8. I struggled between the two and eventually went with the R8 - I bought mine about when the R8 was coming out. I've not been disappointed and I've hiked with it all over the place.

While some poo-poo the removable trigger group/magazine, I would definitely shy away from the "S" for lack of it. When moving around you can render the rifle completely safe very quickly by dropping the trigger group in your pocket. Even if you have the rifle cocked, the firing pin compression is released when you drop the trigger (called the "fire control"). If you are the nervous type, there is a slider where you can lock it in. The "S" is a little less expensive but not THAT much.

For traveling, you can't beat the system. It knocks down and reassembles in seconds, and with a perfect return to zero. Sometimes I'll even pack it in that way, depending on the circumstances.

The one you looked at had an aftermarket stock. The wood that came on it was too pretty to take too many places. However, I also have a professional and it is that stock that gets the nod when I go out, anyway.

Again, let me know if you want really look under the hood.

Mine feed very well, and with any caliber I have for it. The magazine insert is case type specific so the geometry is optimized. There is a battery interlock, though, so you need to close the bolt firmly. Even in snow and dirt, every round has chambered without difficulty.

That said, the collet that locks the bolt to the barrel doesn't have the camming power of lugs and an extended bolt knob. You need to keep that in mind when sizing brass and make your brass fit the chamber.

One operational feature of the straight pull is the speed of operation; I once was able to place two shots on a jumping blackbuck while in the air on one jump. The trackers thought I had an automatic. Once you get used to how it works you'd be amazed. (Yes, I got the blackbuck!)

Once I moved into the Blaser system I thinned the herd on many other rifles. When I go out to hunt I do it with a platform that I'm comfortable with and in any caliber specific to the game at hand.

I really like the modular concept behind the Blaser. Up here in Canada, trying to find a good 'smith to do changes to an existing rifle will test anyone's patience; parts avalabilty and wait time is a whole other topic.

I travel for nearly all my hunts and lugging around a large Pelican case is a pain. The idea of breaking a rifle down for easier travel and changing calibres without a gunsmith is very appealing.

I have been watching for a used one for over a year and have yet to one for sale so I will ordering new shortly. Just what calibre to start with.....maybe 6.5 something or other.

Funny, I almost recommended one when we were talking earlier in the week, but you have to be careful who you talk Blaser's with!

Great minds think a like! The hardest part has been deciding on stock style and calibre 😂

Thanks for the link.

I watch a lot of European YouTube hunting videos, and the boys seem to do good work with these. They don't appeal to my 1960's style sense much, but are doubtless of good quality. The entry fee is a bit steep for a retired blue-collar guy as well.

A big attraction for Germans, and maybe others, is that they're limited as far as how many guns they can own, but extra barrels don't count apparently, yet. Just saw that the EU wants to ban blank pistols because they could possibly be turned into real ones. I guess athletes will have to be re-trained on Ready-Set-Go, or as the news guy on the Fieldsports Channel said, to the official shouting "BANG!"

No doubt Apple will soon offer the BANG app.