Hello,

Longtime lurker, new poster here. I have recently been looking at the Blaser line of rifles. I hear good things about them, but, I don't see them very often. They seem very versatile.

Do they generally feed well?

I appreciate any input.

Thanks!

Jack

Oh, Lord - NOW you've asked for it!


Anyhoo, my sample of 1 was using a friend's R8 in .308, and it fed perfectly. The whole concept was foreign to this 'Merican, but seeing as how I was overseas, it seemed to work fine, nonetheless.

I never would have figured one could remove the entire magazine & trigger assy, & have it go back together well, but it certainly did. Very nice trigger, too.

With any luck, that rifle's owner may chime in, by the by....

FC

I've been curious about them, and finally got to handle one in 6.5x55 Swede a couple of weeks ago. The guy who owned it said that he hunted all over the world with it set up in 300 Weatherby, and that it really does return to zero as advertised.

I can't speak to the peculiarities of the Blaser's mechanics and design, but it was impressive overall. I didn't shoot it, but the owner had made several little cloverleaves with hit at 100 yards, so the accuracy of that particular example was acceptable. The trigger definitely is something to write home about. It seems light and crisp, but it still feels solid and safe unlike a lot of other very light triggers. It was hard to assess handling as this example had a 36x scope for load testing, but it was light without being too light and it seemed well balanced. The straight-pull bolt is odd, but I figured out how to run it quickly after a few tries. That said, after 40-odd years on turnbolt rifles, I'd want an extensive trainup before I took a Blaser hunting, especially if that involved going into harm's way.

The ability to change calibers is interesting, but I'm more drawn to the fact that it breaks down into a small package and returns to zero. I live in a city full of gun haters and car burglars, so I'm interested in any versatile long gun that I can transport without calling attention to myself. Cost is prohibitive, but maybe I'll give it a try if I stumble into a few thousand extra dollars someday.

And that's all I know after a grand total of maybe 10 minutes on the system.


Okie John

Welcome to the Fire Jack. There is lots of great knowledge represented by the members here.

I have a Blaser R 93. Mine has just nice walnut on it kind of like you would find on an older Marlin. Not fancy. It has two barrels, one in 300 Winchester Mag and the the other in 264 Winchester. I got the 300 with the rifle and added the 264 later. Of course they take the same bolt head and each barrel comes with a magazine to fit.

Each barrel is capable of 1 inch three shot groups if the shooter does his part. That is with any factory ammunition that I have tried. I can't speak to other rifles, but this one is good to go. I haven't noticed recoil being any more than anything else in these calibers, so would not consider it to be an issue.

The function of the rifle takes a little getting accustomed to since the bolt won't lift and the safety cocks the rifle. Each of these features, while different, are nice in the field. The rifle is absolutely safe when the safety is on, as it isn't even cocked. The bolt is very fast to cycle from the shoulder. Much faster than a regular turn bolt type of rifle and very slick. Not one feeding problem to date.

Another feature is the overall length of the rifle is reduced because of the shortness of the action. Very handy in a tree stand or thick woods.

The only change I have made on my rifle is to replace the aluminum sideplates with sideplates made of Snakewood. No problems, I just like the looks better.

While they are pricey, if you look around you might luck up and get a bargain. I did.

I have had a Blaser R8 for a few years now and absolutely love it.

I can remember first handling a mates rifle and wondering how the heck one could get used to the straight pull action. Well it soon becomes second nature and when I go back to a turn that feels very awkward.

Getting used to the decocking lever doesn't take long either and if one is going to walk with a round in the chamber it is quite simply the safest system out there because, unlike a safety, it decocks the firing pin spring, so the rifle physically cannot discharge. Only disadvantage I can see there is that if one has an arthritic thumb, operating it could be a problem - quite a bit of force required to recock it.

I have now 5 barrels, and each and every one feeds flawlessly from the mag to the barrel. It's a vertical stack mag and even with rounds like the 300wsm or 500 Jeffrey's feeding is never a problem.

I have never had an issue with my rifle, it simply works.

They are not cheap though !

I'm a glutton for punishment. I'm on my second one. The first was a very ugly Ultimate .270 and .338, was controlled feed and shot very well.

I have had a R -93 since about 2000 in .270 and 9.3x62. I started out with a 270/22-250 combo. The 22-250 was twisted 1:14 topped out accuracy wise at about 60 grains. Unsatisfactory for my wants, so I swapped it for the 9.3. I like nice guns. My choice was a beautifully figured Prestidge model with the rose and scroll minted side plates. It is plenty accurate.

I see no advantage to moving on to the newer R-8 models unless you are interested in the heavier calibers, say from .375 and up. The action is a little longer and heavier. oakie john pretty well described the trigger magazine. The magazine only comes out of the R-93 and can be topped off without removal.

SIL had a R-86 which was gifted to him that he hunted a few years. I shot it a few times and it was accurate too.

These are well crafted guns. The 86 had a safety lever. The rest cock and un cock with the thumb spur that looks alot like a hammer. The straight pull is not difficult to adapt to. I have a weakness for guns that come apart in the middle. I have never shot one that was not accurate with ammo appropriate to the twist.

Down side. Everything about them is expensive. The only way I'm not upside down in mine is that I traded a steal for it. In 2000, my luggage case was $400, one piece scope saddle mounts were $300 each. Today, they retail for over $400. Barrels start at about $1100 plain, sights add about a hundred or more, and fluted can double that. The best place to buy accessories is on the Blaser Buds forum. Nice used stuff at reduced prices. Changes in barrels is quick and easy. Changing bolt heads for mini or magnum cartridges is simple. I choose standard cartridges for the 93 to avoid the expense of bolt heads. Left hand options work on the regular action on 93 and 8 models.

One more caution. Every few years they update. Stuff for Ultimates and 86s is a used market deal. The 93 is only partially supported by the factory and officially, they are gone, but truth is that is only partially true. EDIT. looks like the 93 barrels and accessories are now secondary market items. EDIT. I WOULD SUGGEST A R-8 and if history repeats, they will one day be gone.

Honestly, the big advantage is for the flying hunter who wants two calibers. I last flew to hunt about fifteen years ago. Mine should be for sale. Henry is about to introduce a nicely finished rifle similar to the H &R Topper or Savage or was it Stevens 219 in .243 and .308 and maybe several other calibers, that I ihave an urge for because they come apart, and are waaaay cheaper. Your money, your choice.....

Jack

I would opt for the K95

"K95" or Merkel at substantially less..

Jack

I have had an R8 for three or four years now, and I have been really pleased with the accuracy, function and overall quality of the rifles. I have had barrels in 300 Win, 300 Wby and 375 H&H and all three of them were extremely accurate. The straight-line magazines feed extremely well and the triggers are incredibly good.

Another nice thing is you can have a couple of extra parts (like a bolt housing and bolt head) and if something breaks, like say a firing pin or extractor, you can swap the spare bolt assembly on in a couple of seconds and be back in business. You can do the same with a spare scope in a saddle mount. In my experience, the saddle mounts always return to zero.

As already mentioned, they are especially nice to travel with. They break-down quickly and can be carried in a case that is the size of a briefcase. They are readily replaceable too. If your gun gets stolen or lost, you can have a new R8 in 48 hours that performs just like the old one.

They start at about $2,400 nowadays for the basic complete synthetic rifle and extra barrels are about $950. You can easily spend that much on an entry level "custom" parts rifle that may or may not feed or function properly. The nice thing about Blasers is they are ready to go, not a project in a box.

Excellent rifles with zero problems. Accurate, dependable, interchangeable, break down and return to zero every time with no question. You'll not regret getting one.

100%




R93 , 243 Win.


ya!

GWB

Thank you for your responses! I may have to give one a try. The R8 Professional S looks like a good way to get started.

Expensive

I have shot one several times and the action was very slick. I think I could get to like the straight pull bolt action, and the wood stocked rifles look really good, but they are a bit too high priced for me.

Mine is like geedubya's except 270/9.3x62 in a two barrel case, with no need to remove scopes. They do return to zero, so no problem there. And yes they are expensive. The only reason this old cop has one is that I had a salt wood Browning Olympian that had not yet rusted the barreled action that I was into on the cheap. I traded the barreled action, engraved by one of Browning's best engravers, Angelo Bee, for the R-93 Prestidge and saddle mount. I later added the second barrel and case. I was looking at a small fortune to replace the Olympian wood.

Best,

Jack

I have had a Blaser R93 Professional for several years with barrels in .30/06, .300 Win mag, .338 Win mag. 9.3x62 and .375 H&H. I bought it new, prior to the introduction of the R8.

It is well thought out, precisely built and packs easily for travel. The .30/06 and 9.3x62 barrels shoot .5 MOA with factory ammunition. I find the other barrels to be ammo sensitive and 1.5 MOA is the best I can get out of them.

The rifle can be disassembled for travel, including scope removal, then reassembled upon arrival and it returns to exact zero. Every time!

The trigger is crisp. Mine breaks at 2.75 lbs. I have two bolt assemblies. One has a .473 bolt face, the other a .532. Changing calibers takes all of two minutes.

There are two types of QD Blaser scope mounts. One uses rings, the other is meant for scopes with a rail mount. I use either Swaro Z6 rail mount scopes or the equivalent Zeiss product and they work perfectly. When I bought the rifle (new), it came with a setup wherein activating the cocking mechanism also activated the red dot in the Zeiss scope. This never worked properly and my Blaser dealer replaced the bolt and let me pick the scope of my choice (an upgrade, actually) at no extra charge.

The .30/06 is a great all arounder. Without a traditional "action", it is about 4" shorter than a traditional rifle with the same length barrel (22"). A .375 Blaser with a 26" barrel is no longer than a traditional .375 would be with a 22" barrel. The 9.3x62 with a 22" barrel is the perfect pig rifle.

There is no "safety" as such. Instead, there is a cock/decock lever, much like that on the Krieghoff double rifles. Since I was already used to the Krieghoff, I liked it a lot. It is perfectly safe to carry the rifle uncocked with a round chambered. It will not fire from the decock position,, even if dropped.

I recently shot an R8 and didn't like it as much. The R93 felt lighter and livelier. For standard calibers, I would prefer the R93. For the really big stuff, the R8 would make more sense. The R93 and R8 barrels are not interchangeable between the two models.

The downside is that the rifle with a few different barrels is damned expensive. Especially if you put a decent scope on each barrel so you don't have to rezero after changing barrels. One of the great attributes of the Blaser is that with one "receiver", you can have multiple caliber available to hunt/shoot with. That said, each barrel runs about a grand, and you can buy a Model 70 or Kimber for about that much.

I have never taken my R93 to Africa. I was going to one year and my PH asked me not to, stating that he did not believe they were "Africa tough" and that he had several clients bring them in the past and they all developed some sort of "issue". He did not elaborate further. That said, I've had two friends who brought their Blaser R93's to Africa and they were pleased with their performance with no problems whatsoever. YMMV.

They are expensive when compared with a standard off the shelf production rifle, but they are not really in the same class as your average production rifle as far as fit and finish, function and overall build quality.

Even a fairly average parts rifle "custom" can get pretty expensive really fast, and they may not always work as well as a Blaser in my experience.

Barrel: $350
Installation: $300
Donor action: $400+ Could be a lot more for a custom action like a Stiller, which would be a closer match to the Blaser's quality.
Blueprint: $300-$400
Jewell Trigger: $250
McMillan painted drop in: $550
Bedding job: $150
Talley detachable rings and bases $150

Total somewhere around $2,500-$2,600+ with a considerable wait.

Blaser Professional S:

Complete rifle: $2,200
Blaser Saddle mount: $400

Total around $2,600 and you can generally have one in a couple of days.

Once you buy the first complete rifle, they actually become cheaper than those basic customs. If you want a three rifle battery comprised of the custom recipe I listed above, you would spend somewhere around $7,500. The Blaser would cost $2,600 plus two extra barrels at about $900 each = $4,400.

If you get a wild hair to change calibers or try something new, it takes about two days to get a new barrel in dozens of calibers. It often takes months to get a new barrel on a conventional custom.

Not to mention the modular and takedown capabilities that the conventional custom will not have.

I have had some pretty decent rifles over the years, built by some of the top makers, and I will say that I have been really impressed with my Blaser. Enough so that I would recommend a guy that is a serious travelling hunter buy one with a couple of barrels and spend the rest of his cash on hunting trips.

Best,

Chet

Jack, you've been given some really good advice from these guys but none better than ChetAF regarding adding additional barrels. It makes the Blaser system much less expensive than the same number of custom rifles in the same calibers.

I've been shooting Blasers for over 10 years. R93, 2 R8's and 2 K95's. It's the only rifle I know of that comes with a 10 year guarantee and you may feel very comfortable that you will not shoot the barrel out. Barrels are hammer forged with a single mandrel from the chamber to the muzzle and it guarantees exceptional concentricity all the way through. Another good point to consider is the 360 degree lock up that makes the action extremely strong.

As these other Blaser shooters, I'm happy to provide any information and assistance you require. Good luck and welcome to the fire.

Really enjoying this thread. My dream rifle is a Blaser K95 Stutzen in 7 Mauser with open sights and quick detach scope. This configuration seems to be much more popular in Europe than here in the States.

Thanks for the pictures and feedback!

Tag

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.