I myself have stalked quiet a bit for a R93 in 7mm-08 & 338WM. Now I have the new R8 Pro.
So far I have used a 300Wby & 7mmRM. But just traded those for the practical 9.3x62, which is a great cal & fast gaining a reputation for walking em up........
The more I use/shoot this cal the more I luv it.

What you men got?

If some are cautious about the straight-pull system, you will want to checkout the NEW Blaser R8.
Fast, one of the strongest actions, de-cocking safety, quality! List too long to mention.

I like my K95 kipplaufs more than any other rifles. They are short and handy, light, accurate, have a fantastic trigger, and take down easily. Their mounting system is the same one the R93 and R8 use, simple and very precise take off mounts.
BBerg

I would love to own one with all the barrels I want, but for the price I can have a BAT machine action, krieger barrel, mcmillan stock, all put together glass bedded etc for less money.

I'm a Blaser man! (Just haven't saved up enough yet.)

I went all in R93 3 years ago, Sold most of my other guns and now have 222 sporter, 22-250 heavy fluted, 7mm mag standard and my favorite 375 H&H cut to 20" with Answer break. All shoot great!! I mean 222 sporter barrel 5 shots .257" with 3 different loads, The 250 I hitting golfball size rocks at 400 yds to the point its boring. 7mm does very good havent had a lot of time with it yet. The 375 my friends call the death ray (anything I point it at dies from 50 yds to 350 just point, squeeze, flop)
I have had custom rifles and even built a few myself but like the way the R93 works. I have a Leatherman with all the tools to take it down remove scopes or do anything I need in the field.
Still would like a 28 ga shotgun barrel. But what else could one want?
Ya They are expensive but what is 4 custon rifles going to cost you.

I prefer a pull over with tie.

I currently own 2 complete R-93 rifles with barrels in 7mm-08, 22lr and 300 wsm (I keep the .22LR as a complete rifle and switch the 2 rifle barrels around when needed on the other receiver). I also own a K-95 Luxus in 308. Best thing about the Blasers other than the accuracy is the way they break down for travel. I feel I have enough barrels to hunt anything I'm ever going to go after, but would like a 375 and 22-250 someday.

The Blaser is still the better hunting rifle. It is three inches shorter thru the action, so it points like a lever. And it repeats as fast as a lever. Every barrel i have had is capable of .5MOA. I can pull it down and put it back together in a minute, and it'll still shoot to exactly the same point. It is more corrosion resistant. I can mount a larger objective lens scope lower because it mounts to the barrel. And it is now the only rifle i need. Whether i am using it as a varmint rifle or big game rifle, it perfoms the role better than any rifle i have owned previously.

And ultimately, you can only carry one rifle at a time. Hunting in remote areas in NZ, i can even take two barrels with me and effectively have two guns - a long range barrel for chamois and tahr on the peaks, and a thumper for elk.

Yes indeed!

I too have had customs & semi-customs built up, but nothing has ever come close to my Blasers. Not even my NULA, & I luv that rifle!
1/2" is easy with the right ammo, if I do my part.....

The kicker now is. The R8 is officially the strongest action ever tested by DEVA. Scoring an impressive 210,000thou PSI without letting go.
Plain & simple. Da Germans just do it better!!!

I am currently in possession of three R-93 Professionals in 270 Win, 308 Win semiweight, and a 9.3x62 "tracker" length, a BBF97 combo gun in 12 ga over 308, and a recently acquired a K95 Prestige in 30-06. I have to say that the K95 is fast becoming my "go to" rifle.

No problems with rust? I wouldn't mind selling off a few guns and trying one in a lefty version. One of my main concerns would be how well the rifle would hold up in the harsh weather conditions that I hunt in, while I am on my 3 week hunting trips. Sure is alot of money for a R8.

The gas nitriding process they use is definitely better than stainless, and also makes a very hard surface. But they are made of metal - they will rust if you don't look after them i am sure. I have never heard of one with a corrosion issue, though.

What i really like is that you get the greater strength and consistancy of quality cromoly steel, with superior corrosion resitance to stainless. I have two friends who are metallurgical engineers (and keen shooters) and i have been influenced by their arguments that stainless steel at this point in time remains an inferior material to build a lightweight bolt-action rifle with.

I carry one of my Blasers in a gun rack on the front of my 4 wheeler on a daily basis in all weather conditions, and I have never had even a hint of surface rust on any of them. I second the opinion that the nitride finish is better than stainless.

What about that R8 Pro that comes in a case with the Zeiss scope and some other stuff (knife, flashlight) for about $3500? Is that a good deal?

They take some punishment then some!
Mine is subjected to the wet most of the times, as well as dry n dusty conditions, with never an issue with rust.
I don't even pull mine outa the stock to wipe it down either.

The Blaser coating is outstanding.

That R8 package deal is a bargain.

http://www.blaser.de/Safe.1560.0.html?&L=1

I wonder if you can get the left hand version for that same price?

What is the 7mm Blaser Mag? Saw it on their list of calibers and have never heard of it. Thanks.

It's Blasers own range of 'new' cals.

About $500 more I think

I have a R8 professional in .30-06, and I really like it. I bought the kit that came with the pelican case and Zeiss scope. I recently added a barrel in 9.3x62 that I've taken to the range once. I tried and sold several hunting rifles before settling on this one. Everything is well fitted and the action is fast and smooth. One of the main reasons that I began looking at the R8 was to have something easy to check on the airplane without incurring additional baggage fees. As much time as I spend on airplanes, it has already saved me a lot of fees.

That is a good 9.3 barrel you got.

Blaser men? Hmmmmmm. I think I have one in the closet, but I can only wear it on business casual Fridays. Typically suits for me.

In other words....Hell no!

I don't like the Blaser.

To me its the highest priced really homely rifle.

I would not mind a K 95 with a Euro stock in 7x57 if someone gifted it to me.

I 'spose the strongest endorsement for the Blasers is that i have never heard of anyone who has gone Blaser and then changed to an alternative brand. There is no other rifle brand with that kind of loyalty.

The only real problem i have ever found in the design is that they are a little difficult to top-load in a hurry, or potentially clear a jam from. This is because the scope is positioned further forward (mounting directly to the barrel - which is inherently a good idea, especially in a switch barrel and as you can see from the image above, facilitates mounting on larger objectives lower to the bore). Hence the ocular bell sits directly above the magazine. If i wanted a rifle just for dangerous game hunting, the R93/R8 probably wouldn't be my first choice for this reason. However, as some folks have pointed out to me, a good option is to just go for a red-dot/reflex scope for dangerous game which resolves the magazine access issue.

Otherwise, it is hard to find a hunting application in which the Blaser is not just plain and simple better than anything else out there. Just sell everything else and get a Blaser - you won't look back.

What I really find surprising, is how many guys I know, that have told me they thought the Blaser was ugly, or too expensive, ended up buying one anyway, after handling, and shooting one. And as noted above, they still have them.

Each of us admires different things. To those that like the Blaser its fine with me.

It's not likely that I will ever own one. The design and look of the rifle give me the shudders. I don't feel safe with one!

Is the bolt closed? Did it close?

Count me in the camp that would love to have one......

I've owned a R93 for a fair amount of time (7 years), handful of barrels. They all shoot great, I use the 28 ga shotgun barrel often.

I Shoot and hunt with an R-93 off road timber. 7mm Remington Mag. Plenty accurate, very good trigger, no rust issues, All I had to do was zero it in, then check zero from time to time has not wandered off since I zeroed it in when I bought it in 2006. I still have two extra doe tags, will fill them this week. All in all its my favorite rifle, I sold a Dakota 76 to buy it. I can put it in my suit case and no one is the wiser that I am even traveling with a rife.

There was a Blaser for sale today at Cabelas. It had fancy engraving with an inlay.

The price was $7600. Make them an offer.

The rifle looks clumsy to me.

I must admit i find it very amusing that someone who goes by the name of Savage 99 can have so many issues with the aesthetics of a rifle. And i would argue you can be no more sure your Savage 99 is really closed than you can be with the Blaser. Ultimately, if the bolt isn't fully closed, it won't fire. Most guys who have owned one for a while have had this experience when shooting very rapidly.

Have had the R93 for years with three barrels and really liked it--very accurate and with a superb trigger. But, traded the works for this K95 in 30/06; it's proven to be just as accurate with just as fine a trigger.

The R8 really does intrigued me though too.

Yes, the bolt closed........or, it won't fire.

Someday I'll own a magnificent Blaser with a beautiful wood stock....until then I drool and wish.

I think CDNN has a couple of Blaser's on clearance.

I almost took the plunge on a Blaser until I saw three different episodes on TV, one of them sponsored by them, where the hunter had issues with jams on hurried shots. That and the removable combination trigger'magazine group, well just too radical for me. I'll stick with 70s Browning Safari Grades and doubles

Jorge, as an aviator, with a lot of math fundamental to aviation, you should (and do) know that a stat of one, especially where there is no isolated element to pin the fault on--the magazine or the bolt or action as a whole-- but a least two including the skill or lack thereof of the operator, is meaningless. It is meaningless in regard to drawing a conclusion on the Blaser straight pull action. After all, I've seen guys jam all sorts of traditional bolt guns.

I've fired 5 30/06 rounds from the R93 in 3 seconds and that was not particularly fast, but, the measure was to stay on 20" target at 50 yds. The R93 was bored . And I've repeated it with other barrels and cartridges. Try that with a traditional bolt gun.

Much more imortantly, a blessed Christmas to you and yours.

Can't say i've had a jam with the Blaser, and i would say that it would be particularly unlikely with the R8, due to the feed mechanism. I have heard a bit of feed issues though with the "mini" cartridges - .222 and .223. Which is not suprising in an action that can also accomodate the .458 Lott! I have decided, personally, i don't think i will add a .223 bolt head for this reason. If i wanted a varmint gun, i'd either go to the .243, or just buy a specific varmint rifle. You can buy the R8 without the detachable trigger/magazine set if you want to.

Typically, the guys that can afford such rifles have a lot more money than practice with such a gun. They think high price equals high functionality. In the end, the gun is no better than the operator behind the bolt. Most often problem I see is short stroking the bolt. Not even the finest bolt gun is immune to a jam under that condition.

The Blaser R8 has a near foolproof feeding system as it gets. Single-stack, guided straight in from the mag. 360 degree lockup once in with 200+ thousand PSI strength at hand!
Since I have owned my R93 & R8 I have never had a miss-feed or malfunction in any way.
Plain & simple the new Blaser R8 is the strongest, finest/most well made factory rifle for ones $ in today's market & IMO up there as one of the most thought out action designs ever.

Same to you George, but those Blasers are not for me.

That is your opinion and mostly mine too.

I owned a Prestige (middle-of-the-road model) R93 and had a Pro stock also with 6.5x55, 30/06, and 375H&H barrels. These three barrels were the most accurate three sporting "rifles" I've ever owned or shot. I shot a .38" group with the 375 and with this load it averaged about .5". The 6.5 did as well with the 06 just behind those two. The 375 with the 06 barrel went to Africa--Namibia with it's famous red dust about the consistency of white flour--and I read here how the R93 with it's close tolerances would bind upright after you uncased it. It not only didn't bind but didnt in ten days of traipsing through the bush becoming covered in the stuff. I simply took it down each evening and wiped it off.

Size and weight-wise (this does not pertain to the R8) it is distinctly more compact and lighter than the typical traditional bolt sporter with the same barrel length. This is because the bolt head locks into a 360 degree detent just within the barrel, not the receiver. So, the receiver not being the recipient of high thrust pressure can be made of lighter alloys which it is and it's unique design enables it to be 3-4 inches shorter.

The point made about jams could very well be short stroking as it's difficult to jam cartridges held in a straight line any other way. Perhaps hand loads with OALs that jam the bullet front into the front of the magazine would be another scenario but these issues would be so with any bolt gun. It is true that the modularity of the design puts the .223 in the same length action as a 375 with only a magazine and bolt head change. As mentioned above, there might be a greater propensity for a jam with the shorter cartridges, but not necessarily.

I've addressed this before but this is as good a place as any to repeat it. Early in this past decade there were some highly publicized "blow-ups" of R93s in Europe that after much research turned out to be one documented case where a hand load was determined to have developed over 120k psi. This was all documented by an independent European agency. While the shooter was injured many parts of the action were still useable. In the same time frame there documented blow-ups of Mausers, Weatherbys, and Winchesters (or these were recalled to put the Blaser's in context). The point being that a careless hand loader can turn any sporter into a pipe bomb.

The Blaser "Bolt Action" is a typical Teutonic Engineering approach... find the most complicated route to do the simplest end.

Some are fascinated by the unnecessarily complicated, I'm not one of them...

Brad, you do realise your Kimber is still essentially a Mauser action, don't you? And you know where Paul Mauser came from don't you (in fact, did you realise Mauser and Blaser are the same company). You could also argue the mauser claw and ejector is unneccesarily complicated.

Give me a German anything over anything made in the USA - particularly rifles. In all honesty, folks in these parts really do make joke about "Made in USA" these days, just like folks used to make jokes about made in Japan. Everybody shoots european or japanese made rifles. Buy european or japanese, and you are buying quality assurance. Buy US and you are buying a marketing campaign and massive corporate bonus. This is the real reason the US is broke - it is your corporate culture. You have been making $hit for decades, and trading on your reputation. Nobody outside of the US wants to buy anything made in the US anymore. And bizzarely, in Australia or 'most anywhere alse in the world i can buy a Sako A7 for the price of a Winchester M70, or a Sako 85 for the cost of a Kimber - and there is just no comparison in quality. Even though the Finns pay their workers twice what you guys pay. And thats because half the cost didn't go on a marketing campaign.

Yes & no Brad.

Let's break this design down...

Barrel. 3 pieces. Barrel & 2 threaded studs, which are used to secure the barrel to the stock. Which is basically a 1 piece due to the way the studs are fixed(high pressure hydraulic presses).
The 2 barrel studs mate to the 2 nuts(permanently in stock, so these cannot be lost & cannot be stripped due to the design) located in the 1 piece stock.
The barrel has 4 scollops to accommodate the mounts. So what we have is a very basic designed 'modular' barrel system.

PS-R8 open sights are screwed-in steel type.
Blaser coating is hard & not too many other coatings could match it for toughness.

The Blaser is NO Mauser... the basic Mauser is the simplest, most efficient, battle-proven way to get it done.

Everything else in the bolt action world is an also-ran including the Kimber.

ok, stupid question coming. how is blaser pronounced?

blazer
blosser
blasser

i've heard them all.

Plus 1 scollop which mates to the 'steel' tongue in the stock. Similar to the T3 is some aspects.... Maybe even the reason why Tikka adopted this system. Which has proven to be extremely simple, reliable & superbly accurate, in both designs!

You know, the Mauser action was considered very innovative in its day, and I figure that if we had internet forums in the early 1900s, we would have to listen to a bunch of guys crap, about how the were too complex, expensive, ugly, unsafe, over engineered, and possibly unsafe. These fellows were wrong then, and the guys who filled their boots are wrong today.

Stock.

1 piece construction(not including the tip of the fore-end) using proven/extremely stable plastics. Which then has Blasers unique steel bedding system. And as mentioned. Steel tongue mates into the barrel-scollop.
3 elastic inserts for grip. These are IMO not matched by any other rifle design I have the pleasure of owning. The XCR inserts come close to the feel but yet so far.
Palm-swell, removable rubber insert to protect rounds from deforming under recoil(which has to see & used to fully appreciate), semi soft recoil pad, drop out mag with a locking feature(mag cannot be lost).

Very hard to put into words so these really have to be witnessed to gather.......

IMO both the stock & barrel are simple. As is the mount, especially the SR rail system I use.
The bolt head is simple too, as it's locking features. But I will say. The safety system & bolt mechanism has some parts!
The new R8 trigger is outstanding!!! It might pay to do a little homework on that design men.

From my time with rifles(which is not allot, only 40 years) I have learnt there is nothing that is perfect!!! Not even the great M98.......Everything is a compromise......Pre-64, M98, Model 700, Sauer 202, Mauser M03 & the R8........
So buy what you wish, enjoy, breath that sweet country air & let's enjoy what we are all here for. Putting some grub on the table & getting out there as many times before we move on

I have a LH professional R8 ordered in 9.3X62 with a 23.6"semi heavy barrel. Also ordered a fluted semi heavy 20.5" in .308.

My dealer told me today it would only be 8 weeks

I shot and handled a 06 quite a bit and it was one of the few rifles that have impressed me latley.

Lefty C

True! but the same can be said on the reverse.......as could be said about the M98 Vs the Pre64 trigger...... NOTHING IS PERFECT, EVERYTHING IS A COMPROMISE

Brad, your opinion is certainly as valid as mine, though the statement above is of course arguable. Their Teutonic "end" includes simple fast takedown capability including the scope (with repeatability), modular construction, with parts (barrels, bolt heads, bolts [left & right], forearms, etc) that all fit each other withe exceptional triggers and very good accuracy thrown in. Over engineering? Few other bolt guns come close to that. Flexibility? Buy a serialized stock/ receiver and there is practically no limit to the "guns" you can build off of it from 222 to a 416.

But I also appreciate your classic tastes as mine run that way also. But, I would add that with well over 100 k R93s sold it may one day be recognized as a classic also.

Well thats a pretty ignorant statement...but then it is TYPICAL of low life trailer trash.


Lefty C

I guess I'm repeating some of what has already been stated. I apologize for that. And no one need be criticized for their opinion concerning guns.

Needless to say at this point, I was very impressed with the R93 while I had it. Still am and if I wasn't very satisfied with what I have including the above K95, I'd spring for a R8 and a barrel or two.

No extra charge for LH blaser will just switch the bolt out.


Lefty C

I would rather buy American.

However, I must say that the the decocking ability and the removable trigger magazine in the R8 are very well thought out features.

I waited 6 months for mine!

Blaser just sell a whole lot of rifles and can't keep up with demand. One of the things the guys in the US don't understand is that they are a very big company and sell an awful lot of rifles, and growing very rapidly. While they are uncommon in the North America, they are the top sellers in Europe and very popular elsewhere in the world. And there are nearly as many shooters in Europe as there are in the US - though they tend to have one or two high quality rifles rather than many cheaper rifles. We are becoming more the same here - fewer, better rifles. The guys i know who own Blasers are just regular working folks. They used to own a few rifles with a total value of a few thousand dollars. They have instead made the decision now to own a single rifle worth a few thousand dollars - it is just that it is the best rifle for a few thousand dollars. On average, these guys have far less invested in their firearms than guys here. Average guys with fewer, better rifles. Ultimately, you can only carry one rifle at a time, can't you?

The Blaser tactical rifle is now our standard military sniper weapon for some years, and talking to the guys, without any problems. My rifle has been frozen and covered in snow quite a few times, without problems. In fact, it has an advantage in that it is effectively sealed when the bolt is closed. Most mauser-type actions would have had problems.

I really am not that convinced the Blaser is actually that complicated. I 'spose the bolt is, but the rest of the rifle is pretty simple really - no more complicated than a standard mauser action. It is just a radically different design, and a very good one. The best one on the market, currently. Made by the best people with the best materials and technology.

Everybody i know who has bought a Kimber has moved on to another rifle. In fact, i think i can now say that i know nobody who owns a Kimber or a Winchester any more. Quite a few will never change from their Sakos. Nobody i know who has bought a Blaser has ever changed rifle again, and a lot of them have had them for well past a decade. That says something, doesn't it.

[/size][size:14pt][size:14pt][/size]

Frankly and sadly, I have to agree that there are few, fine, high quality, mass produced products made in our country anymore including rifle. The reasons why would be whole other thread in itself and probably be devisive Conversely, German engineering is iconic for quality (Mercedes Benz, Audi, Merkel, etc., to name a few).

Not stupid at all; in fact I had to stop and wonder if all these years I was pronouncing it correctly. I'd say like your first spelling: "Blah-zer (or -zur).

I always tell everyone to pronounce it like "Blauser"

I am probably being a bit harsh. But i find the deterioration in the US very saddening. I love America and Americans (and i want you folks to let me back in the country soon). However, the US needs to have a good look at the Germans if they want to sought out their manufacturing industry and economy more generally (and i don't mean joining the Euro!). The Germans have always "stuck to their guns" so to speak. They have always insisted on making the very best they can, even if it meant lower profits, higher prices and lower sales - because in the long run it was the only sustainable option. (And it probably contributed significantly to their losses in the wars - much of their weaponry was just too complicated to make fast enough to compete with American mass production). They new they couldn't be the cheapest or the biggest. They could, however, be the best.

It is interesting to consider that Germany was the world top manufacturer a hundred years ago. It was threatened by a nation that could make more for less - the US, at that time. Much as the US is threatened now by China. They never tried to compete with US mass production. Instead, they just stuck to their game and continued to make the very best and priced it accordingly. A hundred years later, they remain at the very top of the manufacturing tree. Unfortunately, corporate US has got itself dragged into competing with the Chinese - fighting a constant battle to cut prices, trading on reputation earned hard decades ago and spending more and more on marketing.

America need to learn quality not quantity, and word-of-mouth and reputation not marketing are the secret to its future success. And that isn't just limited to industrial production.

I agree mostly, but feel that there is a place for marketing, if it is done right, such as marketing as a form of customer education, on the merits of the products offered.
Quality needs to be improved for sure, but as long as we have the throw away mentality common in most consumers, things will change slowly.

All I know is the way I spell it above phonetically is the way I hear their dealers pronounce it.

Phonics always confuse me.

About the worst thing about a Blaser, is sometimes counting bullet holes is difficult.

Here is another one, probably the best three shot group I ever shot.

I agree. It is a matter of changing the entire American mindset. I am just constantly amazed by the amount of "stuff" Americans think they need. And most of it is just junk. Go to northern europe or Japan, and folks just own a heap less "stuff" and want a heap less "stuff". But what they own is very high quality. And that then allows their industry to continue to produce high quality goods, because they have the domestic demand for quality. It is the other half of the puzzle.

I am looking out on my street, and there are several German cars. The rest are Japanese or Australian. No US made or designed cars any more. Once, they would have all been US made or at least partly US made or designed. People are embarrassed now to own an American car now - their reputation has become so bad. To own an american car was once a status symbol. I never see American cars any more. They are cheap - often cheaper than the Japanese. But they just have such a poor reputation. Go to the gun club - everybody is shooting European and Finnish rifles. European optics. Leupold was the big brand here once. Even my kitchen is German. All the technology at work is German. Once it would have been American.

The American stuff is always cost competitive, often even the cheapest option. America is fundamentally not too expensive as these other country's labour costs are much higher. It is always quality and particularly quality assurance that is the problem. And if you are going to buy cheap, why wouldn't you just buy Chinese?

Stella groups there Corjack. My 7mm-08 R93 was like that. .2-3" with 3 factory 140's, but my 270Roy, 338WM & 7mmRM would only throw em 5 into about .8 of an inch

Nothing has every out shot(rifles I have owned) my 7mm-08 R93 but my old Nosler custom 48 in the same cal was close. The 30-06 NULA is great also!

When you throw a rock at a pack of dogs the one you hit will holler.

Just because you have a lot of money doesn't mean you have the mental capacity to operate what you bought.

Are you for real? Seriously? Really? I'm not kidding. Really? You snobbish sack of $hit! Am I the only one? Anyway...I don't care what you can afford or what you hunt with but your bashing of the USA doesn't sit well with me.

[bleep] retard!

my local gunshop has had a few blasers for about a year! I fondled one a few times and wondered who the hell would pay that much for something that dam ugly imho! I dont care how they shoot! For that price i can get something tailored just the way i want and still come out money ahead!

Yea, I can't wait to buy my boy a new pos remmy produced by the quality guy soros.

I can't believe this. a year ago I googled articles trying o find info on the accuracy of blazers. I could find nothing of consequence until this info on the fire-1 mo after I bought a nosler custom. sob

I really have a hard time hunting with such an ugly rifle, but I force myself.
This is the one that shoots the one hole groups with great regularity.

as I said, SOBiatch. But, by the grace of God, I have some pretty guns. Dayom, I love your F'ing gun.

I have had 2 customs(64's) built-up now, both around the 5-6k mark(bare rifle) plus 1 semi-custom. The customs went down the road, still have the NULA & always will(They will have to pry that out of my cold clammy hands ). But at this point in my life the R8 is number uno for me.
Like I said. Enjoy what you lust

You sound like you are from some fourth world European nation and enjoy insulting the USA. First off, European investment funds have been flooding into US bonds lately for safety. Were you aware of that? Europe as a whole is failing and going broke far faster than the US.

I would take a Kimber Montana or a Winchester Model 70 all day every day over the serious piece of schit that is the Sako A7. The Sako 75 was a heavy, blocky, piece of crap with a poorly designed bolt system. The Sako 85 isn't much better. If you cannot appreciate the design and simplicity of a Model 70 or a Montana, then you demonstrate your lack of understanding of basic engineering principles. I would take a lowly Savage over a great percentage of the crap comimg out of Europe.

I have had two Blaser rifles. I did not care for them at all. I don't know of, nor have I ever heard of any serious, world class big game hunters who prefer them, or favor them. I am talking about guys who hunt mostly full time all over the world. Money is not their concern, yet they aren't shooting Blasers. Odd isn't it? Plenty of crappy USA made Winchester, Weatherby, and Remington rifles are being used though. Weatherby Award candidates come from all parts of the world each year, they can use whatever rifles they wish. As a whole they are the most experienced trophy hunters on the planet. A few use Sakos, but no Blasers that I am aware of.

Give the Blaser R8 time & it will be more widely excepted 'worldwide'. Did you know the R93 is the biggest selling rifle in Europe?

[/quote] I have had two Blaser rifles. I did not care for them at all. [/quote]


ULA24

Out of curiosity what Blasers were they and why did you not like them?

Granted, Blasers are not for everyone.....but as a takedown system they are unsurpassed. They are impressively accurate and always return to the same Point of Impact when assembling the barrel.

And one can travel the world with a rifle with two barrels fitted with their scopes in a Blaser Case that is not much bigger than a briefcase.....

They quite simply - work......

nice wood corjack! They do come with some nice wood, though. I cant get past the action. Its way over done in the engneering department, imho!

Hi,

I recently purchased a Blaser R8 Professional Package in .308 Winchester and so far it has exceeded my expectations. As a result, I will begin selling some of my other rifles to financially support (keep my better half happy) future purchases of Blaser products.

Merry Christmas to all!

J_Scott

It is best all the naysayers never try a Blaser, or they'll be buying up all the barrels on me.

So, after you got a custom, you may very well have less money in it then a Blaser, but then how does your 2d, 3d, and 4th Custom job compare to the price of a Barrel?

For those that travel, there is no better system, especially in today's baggage limits and fees. Until one has tried one, there's always stuff to gripe about over them. They are an excellent system, but not for everybody, which is true of most things in life, Waidmannsheil, Dom.

Do you by chance remember the shows' names and what the episode was about? I'd be interested in watching them.

There has been more than one case of blow ups with R93s, and they are not exclusively related to handloads. One 7RM seriously wounded its shooter in Madrid's Canto Blanco shooting range, using Remington ammunition, and I just got back from Tajikistan where one of the guides that work for the outfitter that I hunted with was seriously wounded as well with a .300 and commercial ammo. Just to name two cases I know of firsthand.

On the other hand, I would rather have a rifle that has no serviceable parts left after a blow up but that saves the shooter, than one that kills him though is still fully serviceable after it.

BBerg

I just saw one today where they were hunting leopard. Blaser jammed on a followup shot.

Aircraft are still THE measure of a nation's technological/manufacturing prowess... and the USA is still FAR ahead of Europe making quality flying machines.

Airbus is a perfect example of European engineering... a far too complex means to and end.

That was the R93, which is a much different beast to the new R8 in terms of strength! But saying that. Anything will let-go with the right stupidity......

I would agree. And the US is clearly still miles ahead of the curve in most military fields. Computing and information technology, likewise. But it is interesting to look at why those areas have continued to succeed. I would argue it is because in those fields there has been a conscious decision made to remaining the best. Because, in the end when you are a developed nation you have to strive to be the best to survive. And i apologise, i was unnecessarily critical before - i would happily own one of the new FN Winchesters from the gossip here, but the old Winchester really trashed its reputation here. And that of course is the problem - they spent a hundred years building a reputation and managed to destroy it in a decade, and then it is very hard to come back.

I work at times in the US and some of my extended family lives there. I have much closer ties to the US than elsewhere - certainly Europe. The US at its best remains capable of beating anybody else. But the problem i have observed is that, in the short term, being the best doesn't produce the greatest profits - at least not this year. Maybe in ten years time, but there is very little thinking given in US corporate culture to the longer term. Folks want their money and they want it now. So much of american corporate thinking has become preoccupied with short term profits at the expense of longevity and building a brand and reputation. You are also struggling with established forces that are seeking to crush newer, more innovative players with anti-competitive players (and i suspect much of the Blaser bashing in the US is just this, sadly - established players trying to undermine the new guy rather than trying to build a better mouse-trap. It cheaper, you see to just pay someone to have an opinion). There are a lot of rent seeking behaviours within US industry.

With respect to Blaser blow ups, there are only two reliably documented cases i am aware of, and the Spanish example being the one we know the most about. The guy wasn't using Remington factory ammunition. He was reloading with HANDGUN POWDER! The other incident also apparently involved some fairly crazy handloading techniques. Now one or two incidents in Blasers might sound like a lot in the US, because Blasers remain uncommon. But in Europe they are very common, probably the most common rifle. They have been the top seller for more than a decade. They are the Remington 700 of Europe, and very common elsewhere in the world. And Europe has 90% as many active shooters and hunters as the US - thats ten million people. Two blow ups in that context is nothing, particularly when they appear to have occured in such stupid situations. They were very heavily publisised within the shooting community in Europe. But when folks really looked into the situations in which the documented failures occurred, the concerns all vanished. Blaser is selling more rifles than ever.

Ulimately, no rifle can prevent a stupid person from blowing themselves up.

With respect to feed issues, i would put the R8 up against any rifle in the world currently for inherent reliability. There is actually nothing special about the system, it is just a midline push feed - no different to the X-bolt or Sako A7. (I notice there is a lot of mythology about the Blaser in the US. Everyone has an opinion, few experience. When you actually have a look at it is a whole lot more boring and simple than you might expect - most peoples first comment is "is that it"). Midline push feed is inherently just the most reliable and accurate feed mechanism in a mass produced rifle, and the Blaser has this design and is just made a little better than others - no cheap flimsy plastic. In a DGR, where a staggered feed is desirable to maximise ammunition capacity of large diameter rounds, a well made CRF action may hold a slight statistical edge - providing it precisely tuned to the cartridge (most aren't!). However, from what i have seen, the Sako 85 may the most reliable of any of the current mass produced actions and it doesn't have a full-length claw. Because it is inherently a smoother action, the operator is less likely to inaccurately work the action. The best way to make a reliable action is to make a smooth action - that is the action you are most likely correctly under any condition. There is no substitute for reliable, smooth repeatable cycling of the action.

Tracks Across Africa, Buffalo hunt in Tanzania and the other was Under Wild Skies.

After the authorities in Madrid investigated this blow up, the whole thing got dropped, and no one is willing to talk more about it further. Blaser has inquired wanting to know the results of the investigation, but the Spanish authorities tell them nothing.

The 300WM that blew up that started life as a 308 Winchester that had been rechambered by an unknown gunsmith, and it was NOT, factory loads, they were reloads left by a previous client, that had been loaded for a custom rifle, and were way over CIP specs.

Most guys that blow up rifles seem to always omit the real facts, as they realize they did something stupid and do not wish anyone else to know they screwed up.

For instance a fellow I know personally blew up a 700 Remington with factory ammo nearly loosing the sight in one eye. It took a year to get the whole story, he was shooting a box of ammo that had laid on the dash of his pickup in extreme high temps for six years, and he had to beat the bolt open the first three shots before things got really serious.

Maybe Remingtons are not any safer than Blasers? As it is really not fair to blame shooters who make stupid mistakes.

Smart move

[/quote]

Airbus is a perfect example of European engineering... a far too complex means to and end.

[/quote]

If you think the B787 is any less complex than an Airbus think again mate....and BOY have they had problems with that Aeroplane! How late is it? Only just going inot service with All Nippon now......

And a monoque constructed carbon fibre fuselage that is difficult to detect damage AND repair!

How about the fire they had in the eletrical system during the test program? Forced a complete redsign of the electrics as all the systems started dropping offline and frightened the crap out of them.

All the new aeroplanes are complex these days....

Airbus is a perfect example of European engineering... a far too complex means to and end.

[/quote]

If you think the B787 is any less complex than an Airbus think again mate....and BOY have they had problems with that Aeroplane! How late is it? Only just going inot service with All Nippon now......

And a monoque constructed carbon fibre fuselage that is difficult to detect damage AND repair!

How about the fire they had in the eletrical system during the test program? Forced a complete redsign of the electrics as all the systems started dropping offline and frightened the crap out of them.

All the new aeroplanes are complex these days.... [/quote]

+1 you won't catch me flying on one of these or an Airbust

I saw the same shows.

I have an R93 Professional with barrels in .30/06, .300 Win, .338 Win and .375 H&H. The rifle is superbly accurate and has an excellent trigger pull. It is reasonably light and handles well. It comes back to zero when disassembled and reassembled. The action can be cycled very quickly from the shoulder.

However, the trigger guard and trigger are plastic and therefore, more likely to break if accidently banged against a rock or something. Unless you slam the bolt forward with some authority, you may get a light strike and no "bang" when you squeeze the trigger. The design appears overly complex for a hunting rifle. IMHO, the rifle is not "Africa Tough" and that's why I haven't taken it there. I prefer a CRF bolt gun and my double when on safari.

As to the R8, it feels bulkier and heavier to me than the R93. The fact that unless you special order the R8, the trigger assembly comes out when you drop the magazine is a liability. There is an internal lock to defeat this, but this feature still gives me concern. I do, however have friends who haven taken their Blasers to Africa with great success.

In sum, a brilliant, but overly complex design.

Winchestermodel70

I agree with the points you make. The R8 is heavier than the R93 as the action has been strengthened to take the 500 Jeffreys.

All I can tell you is an aweful lot of Blaser regularly hunt in Africa every year and from what I gather with no problems at all.

Would it be the Ultimate DG rifle? No - simply because there are better (CRF) actions and easier magazines to top load in a hurry. But with practise they certainly will get the job done and I have no doubt, more reliably than some of the modern factory rifles now around.

But - for a take down rifle that will shoot any cal between a 22 rimfire and a 500 Jeffreys - with the choice of about 30 calibers inbetween to choose from - they simply have no competition.

But everything is a compromise.......

I have said here before, i don't think the Blaser is ideal as a DGR, although i have used mine here. There is the top loading issue, although i think the suggestion of a red-dot/reflex sight is a good one. The failure to completely close the bolt when shooting very rapidly is another. I think we have all done that one. Some guys just respond that it is your own fault, because you haven't operated to bolt properly. I 'spose that is the same as the short-stroking or binding argument. Ultimately, i think that will come a little consolation to you though as you are trampled by a buffalo. Of course, the only reason it happens with the Blaser is because you can repeat it so fast, and that obviously has enormous benefits as well. And the failure to close the bolt is very quick to rectify.

I am not worried about the CRF so much, as i think the R8 is has a very reliable feed mechanism, especially when combined with a cartridge optimised for feeding, like the 375 H&H. I am not worried about the drop out magazine/trigger unit either. If you use the R8, you would see why. It just can't drop out accidently once it is locked in place. It is completely secure. I nearly ordered the fixed magazine option, but when i actually looked at the rifle, changed my mind. It just cannot drop out accidently or inadvertantly.

The other thing in the Blaser i am not convinced by on a DGR is the decocker vs a conventional safety. For a standard hunting rifle, i am convinced the decocker is THE best design, and it is one of my favourite things about the rifle. It is the safety you can really trust. But it takes a bit of effort, and isn't as quick as a simple two position safety (partly that may be because i have bad arthritis in my thumb). It is still at least as quick, and more convenient as the three position M70-type safety, or the ruger safety, for that matter. I think a simple shotgun-style tang safety is probably optimal - but good luck finding a modern bolt with one.

Personally, if i were currently buying a rifle specifically for DGR, i would probably just go with the Sako 85. Firstly, i'd rather a bolt to a double - i am the client not the guide and expect to be taking more measured shots at longer range. The guy i'm paying can have the stopper. Quick safety to operate - two position with bolt closed. Very reliable feed and smooth action. The magazine cannot fall out accidently, but can also be changed very quickly with a minimum of practice. Easy to top load with huge top port. Big magazine capacity.

But then the deer i hunt aren't very dangerous. For a deer rifle, the Blaser is just the best there is.

The guy in Madrid WAS using Remington Safari Grade (Swift A-Frame) commercial ammo. I know from one of my best friends who was shooting from the next hooting position. Mr. Nieto was sighting in his R93 as he was going to Namibia and had specifically bought this new ammo for this trip. This is something he explained to my friend when they chatted in between shots. When the blow up ocurred he had already fired the gun a few times and all shots sounded ok and the bullets hit the target. The blow up happened suddenly and with no prior warning. My friend actually first aided him, called the emergency services, and gathered the R93 pieces. The bolt, or lock, or however you call it in a R93, let go and was violently projected backwards hitting the back wall of the building. If it had hit him sqare in the face or in the forehead, which almost happend, it would have surely killed him.
No one knew whht happened thereafter, the rumour being that Blaser had reached some financial arrangement with Mr. Nieto. I do not know if that is true or not, but it sounds likely to me.
Calling Mr. Nieto stupid is not correct, in my opinion, his only fault being buying a R93.
The "official" version about Shodi's blow up in Tajikistan is equally false as, tipically, Blaser would always blame handloads while they were quickly redisigning the rifle into the R8... what else?
By the way, as much as I deslike the R93 I like the K95, the rifle in the photo below being one, so I have noting against the brand.
BBerg

No finacial arrangement was made by Blaser in the Madrid incident. I have direct knowledge of this. The authorities started an investigation, which was quickly dropped. Blaser asked repeatably for the results of the investigation, and to examine the firearm, but they were never given anything. I suspect the Spanish authorities, found something other than fault with the firearm.

The Tajikistan, is also just wild accusations, with no direct proof, nor any sort of an official investigation, nor contact of Blaser. Again, no finacial arrangements were made by Blaser to cover up anything.

Your distaste for Blaser has you reporting, and repeating, false, and inflamatory information, and just shows you know a lot less than you think you do.

You have fully discredited yourself, and your position on this subject.

What are you up to, son?

No matter what you think or say, the rumour of a financial agreement is still there. I already said I do not know if it is true or not, but the way the incident was silenced, at least in Spain it was silenced, has made a lot of people think it could very well be true.

I got Shodi's version from his boss, where did you get your version about his blow up? From Blaser? Hah!

I always found appealing the naiveness of the R93 unconditionals... What is not appealing is the fact that that person, who earned his living as a hunting guide, is now in indigence which on the other hand serves as proof that in his case there was no idemnity from Blaser.

I have owned two of their K77, and currently own three K95s, so there is not dislike in me towards Blaser. I attended IWA the year the R93 was presented and I did not like it from that very first moment. Always looked to me like an IKEA thing, built with recycled cookie boxes.

I do dislike your tone, though, so will not inter change any more words with you.

BBerg

Your withdraw is a sign of your poor knowledge, and standing on this subject. First wise thing you have said.

I happen to like the cock/decock feature. My double is a Krieghoff which uses a very similar system and it has done quite well for me in the field. You just need to dry fire practice with it a lot before you take it afield. But this a very subjective area. Some people hate it and some people love it.

Another thing is that the barrels sell for a minimum of a grand. By the time you've bought the rifle, bought extra barrels and scoped them, you've got a lot of money invested in your Blaser.

I agree that the Sako 85 is a fine rifle, even though it is not "true" CRF like a Mauser or an M70.

Thanks!

I'm always amazed by the fact some folks can't seem to state an opinion without further denigrating the thing they don't like. There isn't a product out there including "all- American" made rifles that are perfect, without flaws in design and/or workmanship; in fact, most OTC name brand rifles need a bit to a lot of work to fix this or that--and some are just junk. As somebody said, everything is a compromise of sorts and in degree.

I don't care if anyone here buys an R93 or decides it's not for him or her--that's perfectly fine-- but the oft-heard "over-engineered" bit humors me. Yea, well, it's "over-innovative" for sure which required newer than more than 100-year old ideas on how to make a bolt gun. I would give credit where it's due and say that with well over 100k of the things out there, Blaser did quite well.

While I have no experience with the R8, I assume it's an "improved" variation on a theme, but that remains to be seem. I do know that when introduced at SHOT in '08 or' 09, Blaser was so inundated with orders for it, they back-burnered other models and have been playing catch-up up to this past summer.

So, from first inspection in 93 you made up your mind, without even hunting with it for a few seasons? let alone one season? Or did I miss something. Have you actually hunted with a R93 or R8?

Thank you for clearing that up Corjack. As it seems there are 'some' men here willing to knock the integrity of the Blaser R93 & R8 but have not actually hunted with one.....

I know Corjack puts his rifles through there paces! As well as a few other Blasermen here. Now that speaks volumes.....

BBerg is far more credible than some some booger county, piss ant like yourself. You are the Blaser ass kisser who has their facts all wrong.

So as I understand it, you are impressed by Corjack's incorrect facts? No one is knocking the Blaser, just stating opinions, and in some cases known truths. His little feelings get hurt, because the truth hurts. Then he attempts to discredit people with incorrect facts that are fabricated and tailored to salvage his own credibility, as well as to justify in his mind that his beloved Blaser can do no wrong. Give me a break!

Geeeeezuz ULA hahaha. Your head is so far up your own ass you believe your own BS..... hahaha but you made me chuckle lol

The first impression is always important, I have to admit, but the R93 became so popular here that I've had many opportunities to handle friend's R93s, even shoot them a few times at the range and its design, still, never caught on me.
With so many rifles around that I like, I don't see the point in mortifying myself hunting with such an ugly -for me- gun.
Why should I?
On the other hand, am I not free to like it or not like it, use it or not use it...? I can�t see how that can be offensive to anybody.
Regarding the R8, I have not shot it, but the truth is that I like how it feels in my my hand much-much better than the R93.
Regards,
BBerg

No, you give me a break, you chime in on a subject you know nothing about. You are are again, like the other gentleman, someone thinking they know something, when they, actually no very little. And in your case, you know less than BBerg on this subject.

Your handle is ULA24, I know little about them, other than they seem like a decent rifle, so if a thread came up, where someone was bashing ULA rifles, I would probably just keep my mouth shut, and not comment.


It is clear you know nothing on the subject of this thread, so a sensible gentleman, such as yourself, would know, you are, not qualified to comment, on a subject you know very little, or possibly nothing about.

Merry Christmas.

Fight nice fellers.


I wouldn't mind giving the R93 Professional a whirl.

I'll stop commenting only because it is a waste of effort. Nothing I say will convince you, and nothing you say will convince me.

Merry Christmas to you too.

The NULA 24 & Blaser R8 will always be one of my finest rifles.
The NULA is no R8, the R8 no NULA.

Comparing these side by side now & whilst out hunting, this is how 'I' see it.

Both superbly accurate. The R8 is more accurate when comparing the one NULA 24(30-06) I have & two R8 barrels(7mmRM & 300Roy
), but not enough in it to count on a hunting rifle.

The safety on my 24 is a bit stiff & knotchy. The R8 is smooth, direct & has a more precise feel to it. But saying that. Both are completely different designs....

I had an issue with my 'new' NULA 24 'out of the box'. With the bolt-release button catching on the cutout(action) provided near the tang. Which meant, the bolt would just slide out of the action into my hand under normal bolt cycling
I contacted Mr. Forbes regarding this. In which, he had never had a rifle that this had happened too. Call me lucky I guess
Melvin was helpful, but at the end of the day, it was better for me to take matters into my own hands due to the fact I lived a long trip over the water.
The whole precedure took me a few hours, which was just a matter of lightly filing the release-button with a selection of tiny files & some wet & dry paper.
A PITA job on a brand new rifle but as I have stated before. NOTHING IS PERFECT! EVERYTHING IS A COMPROMISE.
That 24 is now perfect, 100% foolproof & dependable after this mod.

Back to the comparison.

The Blaser R8 trigger is certainly the best I have had the joy in using. Even better than my R93 which was superb!
The 24's trigger is excellent too!

Both offer outstanding action workmanship.

24's bolt is super-slick & precise in every way. With perfect contact/mate to the chamber & lugs. The R8 takes some work, but this is due to the nature of the action design. Once worked it comes to life.

Balance & lightness of the 24 is nothing short of brilliant. The R8 balance can be matched with the right barrel combo, but the R8 will never be a true ultralight rifle. But this was never designed to be......Weighing in about 300g heavier than the R93. Which is IMO a better weight for a mountain rifle. 'A compromise' again.

The 24's stock is grippy, super strong & construction is well thought out, no doubt! Slight palm-swell which is a must for my hands.
The downside of kelvar. Whilst sneaking up on my Deer in the thick stuff(woods, forest etc) is it certainly does make more noise than the traditional wood stocked rifle, or that of a duratouch type stocks made by; Sako, Browning etc. These have no peers for noise dampening going through thicker areas IMO!

The R8 stock is 'slightly' better, only due to the big elastic inserts & harder feeling about it, but certainly not stronger.
The larger elastic palm-swell, elastic grip/shorter forend & more pronounced pistelgrip feels like a custom to me. No other synthetic rifle I have owned or shouldered can match the grip these elastic inserts offer for me.

Barrels.
Every Blaser barrel I have owned(7) were mirrorlike & super-slick inside. All cleanup'd with ease. Reminding me of Sako, Tikka & Sauer barrels.
The 24 is also excellent! More like the few G model Model 70's I had, which were superb!
All mentioned here shot.

I prefer the crown on my Blaser barrels over the 24. Due to the fact R8 tapers down more(less likely damaged if hit IMO). Nothing wrong with the 24 crown though, & it's certainly polished beautifully!

Mag design.

Staggered type magazines IMO are not as fool-proof as single-stack mags, in 'general'.
The finest staggered design I have owned 'out of the box'(no tweaks) would be my old Sako 75(243win) & 85(375H&H), which were slightly better than my higher end$$ Sauer 202 Hardwood(9.3x62) & Nosler custom 48(7mm-08).
Those Sako's just lead the race here IMO, but I did hear some small issues with WSM cases giving grief in the 85. Nothing is every perfect I guess, & individual rifles can vary...

The Sauer just had a few knotchy issues with the last round in the mag. Something that was soon fixed with a little bolt cycling.
The 48 gave me a few issues. Great bench rifle(that rifle shot bugs) but not such a great 'bang em on the run' rig.

My XCR 375 used to feed & extract everything slicker than gooseshit. I pulled off a assy shot on the run with that rifle(with my son present. in ear, out of the side of head) which I don't believe I will every match again(fluke shot)

I saw the Tracks Across Africa buffalo hunt show today. The guy was hunting with an R93. It looked like the extractor let go of the shell before it was ejected. The empty case remained partially in the chamber and prevented another round from feeding. The upside was he was able to just flick it out with his finger and chamber another round. I wonder what the problem was? I've never had that happen on my R8. Maybe just a dirty or gunked up bolt.

With that said. The 24 feeds & extracts like a Sauer. No Sako though but getting there with use.....

The single column design of the Blaser is IMO not matched by most.
My old T3 270WSM used to gobble those rounds up quicker that I could work the bolt(grin).....
R8 can be fed on any angle(like the T3) fast or slow with never an issue. Accubonds & BT's style pills can catch in the barrel chamber if the AOL bullet length is pushed too far out. If one sticks to the approximate 'standard' recommended AOL specs there was never an issue(with my barrels anyway....)

Blind-mags certainly bring a rifles weight down but are a PITA at times. More about this later.
I prefer the detachable/lockable design the R8 offers. But saying that. Blaser made one big [bleep] here IMO. That being. When the rounds are in the R8 mag one cannot lock it, more importantly, unlock the mag. So the mag-lock needs to be applied beforehand.
This lock should of been recessed into the bottom 'outside' of the mag IMO, similar to my old Sauer 202 Hardwood.....just my thoughts here

Where I stalk it is law that one "empties the entire magazine & fully open the bolt when crossing a public area". Which means a designated walking track(hikers) & 4x4 track. With that said. It doesn't sound like a hassle but I can assure you it can be hunting my quarry. Which are quick to hear any metallic sounds from a distance, usually results in a quick departure.....
There are many tracks in the remotest of places too. And although your chances to quickly cross these areas, it is against our law......so as a general rule I play along...

Both the 24 blind-mag & 'locked' 2 polymer tags(similar to the old Tikka 695) R8 fail here, for me.
Unlocked the R8 is perrrrrrrrrfect but then you take the chance of loosing the mag/trigger system. Which is highly unlikely, but it does render the 'entire' rifle un-fireable....Certainly a concern.

The new camo R8 Pro stock would correct the noise issue. This coating Blaser apply certainly has a softer feel & would match the 24 in camo appeal...

Finally the kicker here for me & others, is. 1 stock with many different barrels to be had if needed or when one wants a change....
So essentially you have 1 gun with many options, & all can be carried in a wee little case if needed.......bravo.

Merry Christmas lads

Looking back through my notes on some of the rifles I have owned.....

17Rem Remington 700 BDL. Bought new. It fed, balanced, shot & was deadly accurate on Foxes. No hiccups whatsoever, 100%.

22 Hornet CZ 527. Bought new. Superb light little rifle, although little rough out of the box compared to some others in it's price range, but 100% reliable.

22-250Rem. Bought new. The single stack CRF snapped under the claw with precision. A little heavy & cumbersome for a mountain Fox outfit, but it shot! No issues.

243Win. Sako 75 stainless hunter. Bought new. explained above. Great rifle although I found it a little too heavy & I didn't care for that stupid key lock Sako installed on it. 100%

270WSM Tikka T3 lite. explained above. Stock did not fit me as good as Sako. 100%

270WSM Winchester Model 70(Classic. G series) Featherweight. Outstanding rifle that shot silly little groups with factory ammo. Sold it in a moment of thinking I needed a synthetic stalking rifle..... The bloke that owns it now says. "it's my go-to rifle" .......100%

270Weatherby UL. Bought new or so I thought. I opened the box to find it looked like it was their demo rifle from the year before or just bad QC? It went back the day after.....

270Weatherby Blaser R93. Outstanding in every way 100%. Shot .7" with 5 handloads(150gr TSX).

7mm-08Rem Blaser R93. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""". shot .2-.3" with 3 federal 140gr factory ammo. 100%

7mm-08Rem Nosler custom 48. Light strong Melvin stock. Although made by NULA the finish & grip were not the same as NULA. Mis-fed every now & then. Cerakoted did it's job. This rifle shot lights out!!! Balance was superb. Solid action design!

7mmRM Blaser R8. Just like every other Blaser barrel, it put 5 into MOA. 100% but too heavy for an allday mountain stalker. light felt recoil!

30-30Win Pre-64. Secondhand. Light, extremely low felt recoil. They don't make em like this anymore! Outstanding rifle. If I ever get recoil shy this rifle is my pappy

308Win Sako L579. Secondhand. This rifle fed & shot 'OK'(in respect for Sako. me thinks this barrel was a little worn out) but it used to slap me in the mouth more than not(stock did not fit me). Gave me a flinch my .22 had to sort out later(grin)....Older Sako's are heavy brutes. These L61R & L579's are not for me. The trim Sako L461 is a different beast though....

308Win Kimber Montana(one of the very first productions). Bought new. Light & extremely trim. It shot around 1.1-1.5" at 100 with 150gr ammo & sprayed a few.....
It mis-fed(only from one side of the staggered mag) most of the time. Pretty piss poor quality given what it cost me($1600). 3 position safety felt crisper/more direct than any 64 or Classic M70 I have felt.

308Win Browning A-Bolt SS. Bought new. Light & balanced. It shot too, around 1" with 3. Tang safety is certainly my preferred safety system for stalking Deer. I liked the mag design. Bit of POT metal but IMO is serves a purpose between lightness & strength. 100%.

300WSM Winchester Model 70 Classic Stainless. Bought new. CRF SS toughness, shot 3 into MOA with anything. QC on the stainless machining could of been better. Stock was basic but robust & fairly quiet for a leggo stock. 100%.

300Weatherby Blaser R8. Same as 7mmRM barrel + some recoil. Loud! 100%.

338 Win Mag Blaser R93. Bought new. 3.6kg & my best meat gatherer to date. It was a Deer willing-stick, filled with luck & precision. Just ran a basic 2-7x33 vx11, hand rolled 210gr TSX's. Never missed with this rifle. 101% perfect & singlehandedly the finest combo I have had, which I sold, due to what is being discussed on this thread. 'integrity of the R93 strength', before I actually new the real facts. Listened to the wrong people....
Pre-ordered my R8 Pro not long after this lesson. Moral of the story. Believe none of what you hear & only half of what you read

338 Win Mag Kimber Montana(one of the first 338's). Bought new. To my knowledge I am the only man alive to have this problem with a Kimber rifle. Lucky again(laughin)
One of the 'rear base holes' was tapped off(12" was the closest I could get it to the bulleye) centre. I did not realize just how bad this would effect sighting-in until range day came. Other than that. It fed(after I tweaked the claw to grab the rounds tighter) & shot MOA. Piss poor quality again from Kimber.

338 Win Mag SS Ruger Hawkeye. Bought new. Solid but a little rough. Spent some time working the action & safety, which slicked things up considerably. Fed great rough & slicked!
A tad heavy for an allday mountain stalker, but mygod nothing is perfect for these bills$.
It shot 1.2" without any mods.
If I needed a rifle to beat the [bleep] out of & give zero issues due to it's KIS all steel design. These Rugers are hard to beat IMO. 100%.

340Weatherby Accumark. Bought new. It did everything exceptionally well. Heavy recoil & too heavy a mountain rifle. Live & learn though.... Gave me fallen arches...lol 100%.

35 Whelen Remington 7600. Bought new. Felt recoil was more than it should of been, meaning, stock just did not fit me. Other than that. It fed, extracted & shot into 2". 100%.

9.3x62 CZ 550 Battue(hogback). Bought new. Rough, needed a fare bit of slicking up. This shot great! Fed fine & extracted well clear of the rifle.
After owning this rifle I came to the conclusion that hogback rifles are not for me....100% other than that.

9.3x62 Zastava M70. Bought new(still own). Rough but everything on it seems to be made using old school steels & laths. It shoots!, feeds & extract better than many rifles I have owned. Too heavy for a dedicated mountain rifle(for me) with scope & mounts fitted. The finest/cheapest centrefire rifles I have bought bare none, pure M98 too . 100%.

9.3x62 Sauer 202 Hardwood. Bought new. Mentioned above. Sauer make solid rifles. This steel action type was great running bare(no scope) but once scope & mounts were fitted it was a tad heavy.....Other than that 100% when the minor mag issue was worked a little.

375H&H Remington XCR. Bought new. Mentioned above. This rifle surprised me...& I liked it allot more than not.... Tri-nyte is IMO one of the best(better than cerakote IMO) wet weather coatings I have come across. Fed, shot & extracted great. 100%

These are some of the rifles I've purchased over the years. So what you read here is mostly the notes I had written down, with some mental notes....
I added these not to show how many or the sort of rifles I have owned, but only to show how different companies can vary somewhat. With some companies products shining, others not so & rifles can be individuals.
So please take it for what it's worth gents. A Compromise, Nothing is Perfect, mostly. And every man has their own 'ideal walking stick'

Good stalking men

Not much to really add other than I now own an R93 and an R8 both in the professional models. Will be adding a Jaeger stock to the R8 here very soon. First time I saw a Blaser I knew nothing about the rifles and was turned off by what appeared to be a very complicated rifle. My primary rifles were a Colt Sauer I'd bought back in 1974 and a couple of Remingtons over the years. Later the Sauer 202 came out and I started collecting them. Great rifles btw and they all shot very good.

Couple years ago I met some Blaser owners who took the time to explain how the system worked and why it kicked butt like it did. I bought my first R93 in October of 2010. Purchased the R8 in the kit form in January 2011. Today I have the R93 set up with a 270 Wby fluted barrel, 257 Wby fluted barrel and a 243 Winchester round barrel. The R8 has a fluted 300 Wby barrel. The 270 Wby is my main hunting rifle and performs flawlessly. It's a pleasure to shoot and will shoot sub 1/2" groups with factory Weatherby ammo. The 257 shoots just as well with Wby ammo and the 243 will shoot 1/2" with the blue box Federal 80 grainers as well as 55 grain Federal ballistic tips.

The R8 300 I've only put 4-5 rounds through it and hope to get some time to shoot it here soon. I honestly don't care for the R8 Professional frame since it is bigger and bulkier than the R93 frame. Thus I'm adding the Jaeger wood stock which is lighter, nimbler and has a cant to it so it will fit better. I've handled the Jaeger and to me it was more the style of rifle that I prefer versus the Professional.

One of the biggest selling points was the scope mounting system and the fact that you can use the Swarovski rail mounted scopes on them and it is as slick a system as there is. Easy on/off, sight in is back dead on after swapping things around. The scope mounts on the barrel which just makes so much sense. The bolt locks up in the barrel adding to the inherent accuracy.

The one big thing was the fact that it looks complicated if you don't know how it works. Once you understand it, it's a piece of cake.

Saw the earlier postings of the American quality and to some degree must say the fellow had some good points. I always told people to buy a Remington 700 if they were looking for a good rifle. I won't do that today after seeing too many coming out with issues. I will say though that I've had 2 Thompson Icons, one in blue and one in weathershield and they both shot as good as any guns I've owned. And that's putting them right with the Blasers and Sauers. For the money the Icon is a super rifle and as one who would like to see 'Made in America' mean excellent quality I'm glad to see that they're still doing top notch work. Had friends over the years who swore by the Encore but that just wasn't my style of rifle even if they did shoot good. Hear good things about Savage as well. Guide buddy of mine has one and it definitely shoots darn good. Tikkas, Sakos, Kimbers and several others that I've owned and all were accurate or 'fixable' if they weren't. Still have an older Rem 700 Mountain that I probably will never part wit. But for the every day rifle the Blaser won out.

Lots of good rifles out there. Everybody has certain taste and certain things that aren't for them. That's what makes the world go round and everybody who builds these guns has a job as do the folks that distribute and sell them. And like some pointed out we're all free to own any of them we want to. Only problem is paying for them all!

340Wby, very thorough, thoughtful, and detailed review. I am impressed by your attempt to be impartial, although it is clear enough that you prefer the Blaser. In truth, had I done the review, I could not have been nearly so kind. Well done.

Thanks ULA. I guess I was quick to have a crack at you before too. I should of been more tactful....

Yes, the R8 is my preferred go-to rifle ATM, it's a gem!
But every time I take that NULA for a walk....... After a few hours I find myself a scenic spot to take a breather(side of a mountain)......the scenery, crisp fresh mountain air, freedom, contemplate life....& admire my rifle.
Yes sir, that 24 is a true joy to carry all day long & I could very well finish with it.......

A malfunction can happen to any rifle, but there's just too much of the proverbial "smoke" around the fire to give me pause. That and the fact the trigger housing comes OUT as part of a detachable magazine(two "qualities" I detest in hunting rifles) AND for the amount of money they want for one of these "Super Rube Goldberg" gizmos, it has PLASTIC parts, I think I'll most definitively pass. jorge

The proverbial smoke around the fire in this case, is caused by poor digestion, from guys who can not grasp the concept, and rather than just accept the fact that others do, and are extremely happy with the platform, have to interject, unfounded, uneducated, and rude comments, such as "Super Rube Goldgerg" gizmos, concerning Blasers.

You both make some good points, and they have been expressed and hashed out even on Blaser enthusiast boards as well. I have owned at least one and sometimes multiple R93's since 1995 and have put them through the paces in the field and at the range, and I can honestly say the only parts I have ever broken is the arm off a bolt assembly when I dropped it in my house and a throw lever on a QD scope mount. Both of these parts are metal by the way, and BlaserUSA promptly sent me a replacement for both free of charge.

I am one of the many folks who believe Blaser has stepped on their pecker by discontinuing the R93, and I have no intention of ever owning a R8. Like you, I am not fond of the detachable magazine and think it is a poor design, and I also think that for the money, there is entirely too much plastic in the gun. On the other hand, I do believe that they are tough and will hold up to any hunting condition.

On another note, I have a friend who had one of the defective safety/triggers in his Remington 700 and now has a prostetic foot because of it, and that being said, I am more scared of and will never own one. So to each his own on what rifles we own and shoot.

On a related note, folks seem to only focus on the R93 and R8, but Blaser builds other guns on different platforms. I also own a BBF97 combo gun in 12 ga over 308 and have recently acquired a K95 single shot in 30-06. The BBF is nice, but the K95 has become my "go to" gun which I have already killed 4 deer with. They also make a really nice drilling (D99) and double rifle (S2), but I have not had the opportunity to even handle either of them.

Unfortunately here in the US, BlaserUSA admittedly has no interest in selling any of them which just seems crazy to me.

Spare me.
"Rube Goldberg": A Rube Goldberg machine, contraption, device, or apparatus is a deliberately over-engineered or overdone machine that performs a very simple task in a very complex fashion, usually including a chain reaction.

Gizmo: Something unspecified whose name is either forgotten or not known; "she eased the ball-shaped doodad back into its socket"

Given German propensity to the former, and given the fact the Blaser consists of consiserably more parts that your standard push feed bolt, the term "Rube Goldberg" is not far of the mark. AS for the latter, I don't know the exact terminology of the "gizmos" used in that Rube Goldberg type action, therefor the word usage was accurate.

Your posts have not proven to me (and neither have those from the other side)beyond a reasonable doubt these issues did not occur as advertised, hence the term "smoke". Lastly, my last two comments are my *opinion*. i.e. I don't like detachable magazines, much less as a part of the trigger group and even more so, paying that kind of money for PLASTIC components is something I'm not prepared to do. Nowhere have I called these rifle junk or anything of the sort. So enjoy your Blasers and maybe grow thicker skin. jorge

Yeah, have you checked out their doubles? Barrel heavy, no ejector options and you have to use the cocking lever EVERY TIME you reload (unlike Krieghoff's which one need only cock once). No thanks.

If you had read a little farther into my post, you would have seen that I HAVE NOT seen a D99 or a S2, but I do own a BBF97 and K95.

Like such a discussion I had with a now deceased member of the Fire, it is hard for a man who pays so much money for what he thinks may be the perfect gun, to have to admit to himself that it is not.

Noted, I meant is as a general discussion topic for all. My mistake

Good point, and that school of thought can also apply to the guy that pays too much for a "custom" Remington 700 or Winchester M70 as well.

I have bought, sold, and traded R93's and R93 parts for a few years now, and I have to admit that they have been a good investment FOR ME, and I am speaking only for myself and not Blaser owners in general. I also know guys who buy, sell, and trade "custom" rifles as well and can make the same claim as me.

A mutual acquainntance perhaps?

Truth be known, I have killed as many or more head of game with a bone stock 1986 model Ruger M77 UltraLite in 270 Win than all the other rifles I currently own combined. I still have but don't shoot or hunt with the old Ruger any more, but I could and would if needed.

Do Blaser shotguns count?

They seem to be all that matter to BlaserUSA and Great Lakes Sporting Arms...

Hi gentlemen,

It will be my only one contribution on this thread because arguing about Blaser is like a discussion about politics or religions but here are some facts.

The R93 production today run around 160000 pieces. Blaser don't give the exact number but it's their saying (around 160000)
26000 were sold in France, the second biggest customer of 93 after Germany.
In 2003 (beginning of the year) Blaser made a call back of all the rifles sold before that year because the trigger block could be very dangerous on some rifles: firing at the closing or opening of bolt. I lived one and believe me it's "interesting sensation".
About the accidents: 14 are registered. A norvegian friend of me made a good search about and contacted Blaser. Answer was always: handloaded ammo, not their fault and so on.


As gun loonies and handloaders you must admit that not a single Rem700, Mauser or Winch 70 would have produced the damages to the shooter the R93 did, even with faulty handloaded ammo. Blaser spent time, money, layers and advertising to cover this.

During that time they developped an answer to correct this problem. It's the R8. Most of european specialists (yes we have some) believe that the magazine-trigger block of the R8 so advertised by Blaser is a justification for a totally new system with not a single part interchangeable with the 93 except scope mount and sling.

The R8 action is safer because of new bigger locks, with different angle than the one of 93 and two small levers that are lowered at the bolt closing and act as safety "lugs" in case of blow up. These lever can be opened only when you pull the bolt lever. The bolt head goes deeper in the barrel too.
Blaser planned to push the 93 to an end but they had to gain full production status with the R8 which is done today.

In all Europe the R8 is selling well, but less than expected being heavier and more expensive than R93. In France the R93 remain better seller but it will change soon because Blaser planned a phase out of 93 soon.

For the "camper" who says the R8 was introduced in 08 or 09 sorry to say that's false. It was in january 2010.

Most gun writers i know in Europe and i know a lot don't possess one R93.

10 days ago was in Germany at Zeiss factory. Testing new products i used the R8 in 308Winch to shoot more than 60 cartridges with it in 1 hour and half with not a hitch but did'nt used the 93.

For years have zeroed tens, may be hundreds, Blaser93 for customers. Stopped to do it. Last week one brand new 93 i was mounting scope on, had to come back to the distributor: i was able to open the bolt without being cocked or pushing the cocking piece...Sorry for me it's a safety issue and i don't shoot them any more.


Blaser R95, F3 shotguns, double rifles and other products are real good and with sterling reputation and flawless design.

So if you trust them and like, them use them. Me i stay with old standard. As i wrote above i will not argue on this subject any more, even if i'm old, a bit scared and no Brad Pitt sort of man, i like to keep my face as it is.

Have good day.

Dom

That is a pretty good write up. I don't have an R93 but I've seriously considered getting one but the safety concerns just kept me from pulling the trigger on the purchase.

I understand that the bolt design is very strong when the collett is engaged. But what if there is a malfunction that allows it to fire when they aren't engaged? The bolt will come straight back into your face. With a more conventional design with lugs, it is impossible for it to fire unless the lugs are engaged. And once engaged, the only way the bolt comes back at your face is if they shear off.

It does seem like a little big of a Rube Goldberg contraption.

More smoke it appears and this one looks pretty credible to me....I'll continue to pass....

I don't doubt at all that there is "some" truth in all the Blaser blow up propaganda, but I also know a few guys that can tear up an anvil with a feather if they work at it hard enough.

I have literally fired hundreds of rounds through a R93 and never felt the need to duck when I pull the trigger.

Bite your tonque dear sir! This is no place to be posting the truth! You are clearly attempting to hurt Corejack's feelings! Shame, shame!

Your post contains content that is not factual, wrong, and derogatory in nature. You seem to feel you are such an important person, that you you are entitled to be spared any sort of arguement when you make such statements. I suggest that the best way for you to be spared, is you stop posting non factual, wrong, and derogatory comments on something you have not owned, and do not intend to own. Besides what makes you feel the need to comment on a thread, in a negative way, about how many guys own Blasers? Your just being rude, and trying to spread hate, and discontent. Mr. you need to grow up and get a life.

Thank you for your input, very incise.

Ok, it seems the R93 does have some issues if pushed & what you mention above(which is a concern ), but IYO, just how good are these R8 Professionals ?

For me, I did feel the angle degree on the R93 collet system was a little too shallow, & the 'reported' accidents did raise some questions with me.......which was one of the reasons why it went down the road. But for the life of me I cannot see any weak points in the R8's design.
The rear backup 'hook' on the 'longer thicker' & much 'steeper angled collet' answered these concerns, & I have no doubt for many other also.

So, again. Is this third generation(R8) Blaser the answer???

As I said before, I don't doubt there is "some" truth in the Blaser blow up propaganda, but I am curious how many of the naysayers on THIS THREAD are engineers???

I personally know at least a couple of engineers who shoot and hunt with R93's, and like me, they don't feel the need to duck when they pull the trigger.

There is a lot of technical mumbo jumbo spewed on the several message board that I am a member of, and I just want to know how many here really have a clue what you are talking about.

Your not going to hurt my feelings, but please post all the details, documented by the authorities investigations, concerning these 14 registered accidents. I would be surprised if you could do it. Heard it from a friend, who knew a guy, that lived in a country next to the country where an accident may have happened, does not count. If these 14 "registered" accidents are not registered with some sort of legal authority, they are just here say, and can not be considered truthful, and information that can be trusted.

I don't doubt that for a minute and I would gladly hunt with one given the opprtunity. Now going out and spending over three grand of my OWN money for an over-engineered rifle that is no more accurate than my plain Model 70 and with plastic parts to boot, no way.

No worries I have a life and I daresay a lot more interesting than yours. That aside, please SHOW ME where I posted something NOT FACTUAL of a definition that was inaccurate. On top of that we had a well-written post by a gentleman from France whose posts have a ring of credibility and of course since the facts don't support your point of view, you dismiss it outright. But let me ask you this; Is the trigger/magazine group of the R-8 not made of plastic and does not the R-8 and R-93 have considerably more moving parts that your standard bolt action rifle? Simple questions..

I completely understand and don't blame you at all. It is a big pill to swallow and not for everyone.

I would like my "simple questions" answered too.

That smoke around a fire is a reason to find fault. It is very inaccurate, and you are just trying to be misleading about a product you know nothing about, and for no reason, other than your own pettiness.

The French gentleman does make a credible post, now lets see if he can back it up with any real facts

I went hunting with my R93 today......

Walked out and set up to try for a coyote, didn't see a thing; messing with a new to me Fox Pro picked up here in the classifieds......got some crows to come in.

Took a minute to put my 28 ga barrel on that fits in my day pack, and wacked a few red squirrels in a pine stand on the way back.

Sure would like to shoot something with that 8x57 barrel.

Not had a chance to shoot a coyote with one of my 8X57s, but I can tell you from experiance, that a 9.3X62 is rather hard on em.

I had those Sellier and Bellot rounds with me.....

I had a chance to shoot to 200 yds with them and they were decent.

I'm looking forward to my 52cm 9.3x62 barrel..... Obaby

Your good to go then, good lord willin, and your R93 don't blow up.

I have a 52cm, 8X57 Attache, with sights, in the R8 on order. I like my Sauer 202 Highland so well, I had to have a short barreled Blaser, to go with it.

If it matters, I have also spent the last of my breaths on defending the R93, unless someone wants to know about my experence with one sampling of these rifles. There are no doubt some very innovative and high quality features but the action remains the whipping boy of this rifle. So be it.

Dom might have been referring to me in mentioning that the R8 was introduced in Jan of 2010--that is correct, I believe, at the SHOT show here. That's where they--Blaser-- received many more orders than anticipated if I have the chronology of events right now. I mentioned "2008 or 2009" because i believe I saw it advertised long before introduced, and long before availability and confused the terms.

Anyway, gents, nothing to get rancorous over. Good shooting.

A friend of mine has that Sauer on order(30-06 & 308Win).
I shouldered one a few years back....it was light n very trim. Sweet rigs those 202's, especially the alloy action type. My old Hardwood steel action was a club when scope & mounts were fitted, but ideal using with just OS.....Another compromise I guess

Mine has the Attache flutes too, just no OS on it. Saving on weight....lol

I got to read on the internet more so I can be safe.

[quote=dinsdale

I got to read on the internet more so I can be safe.

[/quote]

You do that you will never go hunting!

I just like a rifle with sights, think they look better, and I actually use mine a bit as well. I got out the R93 rimfire kit, with RAZ sights, a few days ago, and shot at several steel gongs I have set up in my backyard/shooting range, great fun, and great practise.
On paper I have surprised myself several times at how well a rifle equipped with decent sights, can shoot. Even the plastic sights on the R93, are quite functional, and durable. If I go on a hunt I am having to pay for, having sights that I can fall back on in a pinch, and knowing they work, are very comforting to me.

The R93 Blaser... as I said, over-engineered answer to a question no one was asking.

Things that have worked for a century do so for a reason. The metallic cartridge is a VERY simple thing and doesn't really require a technology to handle it much newer than it is.

Shocking revelation I know...

You are dead on in that lightweight alloy 202 was about as sweet a rifle as I've ever held in my hand. I had them in 22-250, 25-06, two 243s, and two 270 Winchesters. Wound up keeping the 270 that I bought new and it's still the lightest rifle in the safe. And as much as I like my Blasers I think the 202 is the best looking conventional rifle. My R93 Blaser 270 Wby is also light and for a magnum is really about as light as I'd want one.

Which model 202 did your buddy order? They have quite a variety now to choose from.

I have a 50cm 9.3x62 barrel for my R93 and a 52cm 9.3x74r barrel on order for my K95.

I am guessing by the lack of response that there are no engineers posting on this thread.

Well looking at it from that point of view the black powder cannon worked fine. However were I in a fight for my life I'd prefer a Cruise Missile or a Stealth bomber over that cannon. The 50 cal machine guns are a vast improvement over the muzzle loader. Another way to look at it is that progress is something that doesn't always go over well. Especially when we don't understand it or in some cases don't want it to happen. I remember when computers entered the work place. A lot of my older guys looked at that screen like it was something from Mars. Most were convinced that this was a new fangled gadget that would never last. They weren't given a choice when it came to learning how to write reports on it and in short order they were all doing fine. Not long after that they were all sending emails, etc., and wouldn't have given up their computer without a fight. One of the older fellows who complained the loudest began teaching newbies how to use the computer and the report writing software. It was actually quite funny how he took to it once he understood it and realized how much easier it would make things. I find myself now looking at the new phones that are out and I hate them. I don't want to have to learn how to operate one and my eyes are bad enough where I couldn't see what was on one without glasses. Double handicap. So I'll resist that 'progress' as long as I can. And being an old hard headed German I think I'll be holding out for a while. Or at least as long as I can buy a regular cell phone that I can use to CALL people!

As for nobody asking for it a whole lot of folks have ventured there. As I said in my earlier post when I first saw one I wasn't interested. In fact I thought it was a gadget with a price higher than I cared to pay. Times have changed and now they're here and in use and they're appreciated for being the engineering feat that they are. Being able to build a rifle out of any assorted bunch of parts is something that not many builders have mastered. Being able to swap those parts without any fitting is impressive. Being able to add another caliber and not have to buy the whole rifle to do it is nice.

It's not for everybody but then again they're having a hard enough time filling the orders they already have. The marketplace is showing it's approval even if some of the old diehard R93 folks were upset when the new one came along. Again there's that 'change' thing rearing it's head again. I suspect some might have tried holding their breath till they passed out but they won't tell us if they did.

BTW in an unrelated issue to your post; contrary to the complaints about the detachable magazine that is one of the reasons it has gone over so well in Germany. They can leave the gun in the vehicle, take the mag/trigger assembly with them and if it's stolen they are in a whole lot less of a mess than if a useable firearm is stolen. Were it not for their laws being what they are I doubt if the detachable trigger would ever have been thought of. Must say it pretty well neuters the rifle when it's missing.

I posted. And now I see they even come with PLASTIC SIGHTS??? wow, their profit margin must be astronomical...

Yep, and besides bolting them, they are glued on as well. The R8s have metal sights on them, they look a tad nicer, but the function , and durability seem to be about the same. Six of one, half dozen of another. Good sights on both R93, and R8.

They're definitely better than the plastic sights the Glocks came with for years. Used to have them fall off at the range when they were qualifying. Had one guy shoot better after it fell off... Wondering if Glock ever bolted them on like the aftermarket ones were affixed.

None of my Blasers have sights. All optics and if need be I use a different barrel/scope combo if something were to go wrong with the other one. Or sight the other scope in. Dinsdale here carries his second scope in his pack, ready to go just in case something happens to the first one. Also a good idea.

BTW Corjack how much are Recknagel's plastic sights? If I recall they're pretty steep.

Brad

Based on the KIS principle, my last 3 rifles I have bought should have worked -and they dont. First of all I had a new Extreme Weather M70 in 308. It never shot well for me and that was after a very expensive bedding job & crown job.

Then I bought a MK5 Outfitter - a very expensive rifle here in Australia. That does not shoot anything like a consistent group and I am still battling with the local importers here to take the rifle back.

Then I bought a Hwakeye African Safari in 9.3x62. Initially it looked real promising - for the first 6 or so shots - then it started misfiring. I took a quick look at the bolt & firing pin spring, cleaned them up and tried again with the same results. By the way I had my R8 in the same caliber on hand to prove that all the rounds that misfired in the Ruger would shoot - every one of them had no problems in the Blaser - and that was both Lapua and RWS brass.

So that rifle is back at the importers too - suspect a weak firng pin.....

In the mean time my overcomplicated Blaser keeps shooting .5" groups reliably day in and day out - and thats from 2 different barrels! And no problems thus far!

Yuck,

What's that brown squigly stuff all over the wood of your otherwise fine looking shooting iron?

Anyone know how I can keep whatever infected that gun from messing up my guns?

Highland

This does not surprise me with the 3 mentioned.

A friend of mine had a major issue with his Ruger Mark 2, which saw it firing every time the safety was moved from full safe to fire . It was due to the wood underneath swelling & putting pressure on the trigger or safety, something like that.....
So I take that back, with Rugers being KIS & ultra reliable. Rather have my KIS Zastava M70 after owning one

Never has my Blaser R93 or R8 let me down. And I did hunt hard with that R93 too!.....The R8 is still new to me but I cannot see any issues, but time will tell.....

But after 2 seasons my R93 Pro trigger did become a tad raspy(not as slick it once was when new). Dust/fine-grit did manage it's way in there... But never did it ever fail.
I think the R8 trigger is even better/less complicated?

Personally I don't see all this fascination over the plastic trigger guard or sights, must be an "Ami thingee"

I did not even notice that until somebody said something and I had to find a magnet to prove to myself that it was in fact a type of plastic. From looking or feeling you cannot tell. Why not a big ruckus over "plastic" stocks? Hmmm, come to think of it, in the old days the dashboard in a real truck was made of steel. Guess there are no more real trucks nowadays either.

That and this cost thingy all the time, nobody wants to answer what a Blaser with 3 barrels vs. Four separate customs would compare in total costwise

Pretty much personal choice, glad everybody don't like them or they'd be buying up all the barrels and parts!!

Right up there with Glock when it comes to beauty!

The trigger-guard looks like light alloy(feels cold) to me, as does the bottom of the mag. The trigger is 100% polymer but those other bits.....hmmmm not so sure about these being plastic lads?

Maybe a graphite polymer combo. Whatever it is it looks schmick. Blaser have done their research here....

Most of the guys that I know, that feel Blasers are ugly, seem to be married to fairly unatractive women. Evidently their taste in women has them calling everything ugly, in a feeble attempt, to justify, the blah view, they wake up with in the morning.

methinks Blaser owners doth protest too much. Keep trying to justify your FUGLY, over-engineered, expensive, plastic gizmo of a rifle with idiotic remarks like those. And we are supposed to be the ones needing to "get a life"?

I'll be at the Dallas Safari Club convention next week and I'll pose the question on the Blaser at the Professional Hunter's symposium and see what they think. The question of course is purely rhetorical. jorge

I will be there too, PM me for details, and I will buy you a drink.

You're an insulting jackazz one second, then you're buying drinks?

Too funny...

Ya'll can have mine..the rifle that is.

I will take the drink though.

It is nice wood on those rifles. Is it solid or a laminate over plain wood?

Long

I completely disagree.

I just believe on man's trash is another's treasure.
Taste and opinions vary.

HAA(laughin)

IMO every rifle is just a meat gather! And no rifle in my safe means any more........ Plus, these Blasers are just a phase to tide me over until my Hartmann & Weiss gets here. lol(laughinloud)

Who here is running the RAIL system. Tell me that isn't the neatest/slickest mount going.

2x Swaro AV 3-10x42(4A) here.
I was going to get a Z6 but it's another 100 odd grams more weight....
Would like a 1-4 of some sort. Might have to go rings & get that new Leupy VXR pig plex. Looks businesslike to me.

jorge,

Point indeed very well made! That is one very beautiful lady. Yours, I take it.

I too am blessed in this department. But I am not going to post a picture to prove it. You just have to take my word for it. All I will say that my wife is an excellent shot and successful huntress, along with being beautiful.

Hi Terry,

Not as nice as a Blaser (lol), not made by Hartmann & Weiss, not even by a German but...





If you like it call me

Dom

Very nice Dom!

I just tried IMR4007sc in my R8 Blaser a few minutes ago. These were the first three out of the tube.

They do shoot great as shown above. Fair is fair.

So do a lot of other rifles.

I will not disagree with you at all, on that. But they do seem very consistent about it, as rifles go.

They are solid wood. They are also available in a variety of grades with some being truly unbelievable.

I've gone rail on several. Have 3 z6 scopes with rail mounts. 2 illuminated and one without illumination. It is the best system I've found yet. Swarovski does appear to have the best rail mounting system since the teeth mesh and there is no give, no matter what the recoil is. One of our guys had a Schmidt & Bender fail on his 375 and it damaged the scope also. I really wish Leupold would figure out a rail mount and move America past the 60s. Until they do it here most Americans won't even know what one looks like or how simple it is today. The old rails that had to be drilled and fitted were prehistoric compared to those out now. Thing is even for the guys shooting conventional rifles if you have weaver bases you can use a rail mounted scope and never have nasty ring marks or worse. Clean and sharp, truly professional in every way.

Not like blasers, or as far as what I have owned that is

Yep, she's mine, and I figured a picture would easier explain it better to those who understand visual stimulation better than the written word. just celebrated thrity years this past week. Thanks for the compliments, I'll pass them on. She however does not hunt at all. jorge

More visual stimulation, from a plain old Model 70 Safari Express:

Of course I have found that a Marlin 30-30 will also shoot about as well as a Model 70, or a Blaser.

Of course the old R93 in 9.3X62 is about the most precise rifle I own. That would also be the one with all the sgiggly lines in the stock as well.

You mean the one that looks like a piece of furniture from a 19th century French whorehouse?

I kid,I kid.

Yep.

I disagree Savages Tikkas and Sakos are great!

Sako & Tikka surely are sweet! But those Blasers just seem to cut into each more than than most rifles, for me

A K95 in 270Win would be outstanding

For me this photo says it all.



This is 1911 technology at it's finest in warfare.
I chuckle at the anti Blaser comments. Some posters have little experience in life to back the strength of opinion they have. Others would never spend money for a quality gun and that is fine, just don't knock those that do.

The ignorance that I read online at times of people thinking you have to have a glob of metal to make a rifle is startling to see those that actually try and convince you that technology is of value in all things but firearms.
I don't care if you have no use for advancements in technology but to spit on it's value for being different shows a lack of intelligence that I do not have the patience for.
I know we are all wired different in what we like but Internet experts wear me down.
You dont need a hunk of metal. In fact the mini Mauser sized action in a 22 Hornet or 223 are very pleasing to me and a joy to carry. The best Mauser is the littlest.

You're ridiculous.

Flight propulsion and design has changed constantly since the first flight, hence the technology surrounding flight has changed. Flight is complex and the technology surrounding it is, and will forever be, complex.

The basic metallic cartridge hasn't changed one bit, hence the reason there is very little new to discover about how to handle that technology in a hunting platform. The technology of the metallic cartridge is simple and the platform to handle it best in the hunting field should be relatively simple.

Your analogy sucks and is at the intellectual level of the 5th grade.

I cant think of a single good reason to own a Blaser.

I rest my case

Your "case" is laughable.

Exactly

Sorry Blaser guy, but other rifles built today are technologically sufficient to shoot consistently good groups that will rival or possibly exceed your Blaser. Their simplicity makes them very reliable as well.

If that weren't the case, you may have had an argument.

Coopers, Nosler's, Nulas, etc. along with some mass produced rifles can be surprisingly accurate and dead nuts reliable.

Blasers are certainly fine rifles and I have nothing against them or anyone who wants to own one.

But, If you have a car with a 400 hp motor, sticking Chrome wheels on it will not help it's performance one iota.


JM

Put some blue tape on the [bleep] thing and go hunting. Jeezus Pleezus people make stuff hard.

Yup pretty much mate, shame really. Anyhow,..... I have friends here from your part of the world ATM, which has seen the last 2 days knocking down more, food, red wine, Lagavulan(16yo) scotch, beer & training that ones system should handle...lol...& only 3 more days to go. haa
Geeeezuz I bare no grudgers to any man. So on that note. I have a 6kg free-range pig going on the weber at noon, some cold piss(aka beer) on ice, dare say another 2 bottles of 16YO will be on the table too :P . If ya in the area stop on by

Here's a couple of questions for the group, how many Professional Hunters use or have good things to say about a Blasers reliability and durability as their own personal rifle and how many more parts, moving or otherwise does a Blaser use to accomplish the same thing a conventional bolt action does?

Last year between DSC, and SCI,I personally sold aproxamately 70 R8s, roughly 20% were sold to guides , PHs and outfitters. A few of these are well known, and respected.

Would you agree that a Lexus has more moving parts than a model T?

Would you also agree that a Lexus is more dependable than a model T?

Would you rather drive a Lexus, or a model T?

Absolutly no one disputes the fact that conventional bolt actions are dependable, however I have seen controlled round rifles fail, I have seen extractors/ejectors fail on conventional bolt actions, heck there is a thread about a brand new Kimber that has feeding issues going on right now. You guys have a double set of standards, you see past problems on certain models that you use, yet make a big deal about any issues of those you do not like.

Again, an apple/oranges, sophomoric argument.

Must be a Blaser thing...

I really see your need for fowl language, and name calling, as a total lack of having any sort of valid position.

This mans opinion should never be considered, when considering to buy, or not buy a Blaser, or any other product for that matter.

Sorry, but that's not a valid argument. Can you point specifically where a Blaser does a better job regarding accuracy, feeding and or reliability than a conventional bolt action? (rhetorical question).But I take it as a tacit concession the Blaser has considerably more parts than a conventional bolt. Kimber? not me. Now how about the second part of my question and while you are at DSC why don't you ask a few PHs their opinions on the Blaser?

No, I just find your "arguments" flawed and hilarious.

You obviously have nothing better. If you want to shoot a Blaser, I'm all for it... obviously you have a financial stake in promoting them.

What I DO object to is the childish arguments regarding the 93's viability.

Again you come in with a double standard. Can you prove that the products you use are any more accurate or reliable than that of a Blaser? You can not, you base your opinion on things you read, and take note of those concerning Blasers, yet dismiss problems that you read about concerning the products you use. I have no problem with what you own and use, and am open minded when it comes to the choices you make for yourself. However you do not seem very open minded to the choices others make. All is asked is that you not muddy up the waters with unfair judgements, that you can not be absolutely sure of the correctness of.

I still would like people to take not of your fowl language and name calling. It shows your judgement is clouded, and your posted material can not be considered as pertinent.

Of course one can and it's been done. I take I must have written my second question with invisible ink. I think am done here, I don't work well with zealots. Enjoy your over-engineered, polymer clad Rube-Goldberg gizmos.

You were done a long time ago, and are just now figuring it out.

Foul language? "Sucks"... you can't answer a logical argument (you have no leg to stand on) and are reduced to shooting the messenger...

Have fun with your Teutonic, Rube Goldgerg contraption. No doubt it's necessary in a Missouri tree stand drilling 125lb deer at 60 yards.

You used fowl language in previous post in this thread, as well as name calling.

You are doing a fine job of degrading yourself, and bringing attention to the fact that most Blaser detractors are cut from the same material as yourself. Your negative tactics will sell more Blasers than, it does not.

Thanks for being so cooperative in this.

I have never said to use a Blaser over anything else. To each his own.
You cannot say that a rifle engineered through modern technological advancements has no merit simply because it is different. That doesn't hold water. There are enough types of guns to go around. I like allot of different types of guns. I am a gun looney. Not everyone is. I go by the name blaserguy because of the narrow-minded view I see from people online on things. A Blaser is polarizing. That is why I go by blaserguy because I dont mind being overly judged. I could have gone by CZguy but then I would be like the rest.
As far as Africa goes you will find allot of Blaser products used there every year. I have yet to have a PH not endorse it's use either through prior experience of through seeing me use it. The PH's that deal with European
clients will see allot of these in action more so than the rest. Richard Cook is the only PH that I know of that has used one. I have not asked him if he still uses it. Jorge he is usually at DSC and you can ask him his take on the R93.
Some PH in Africa have what they can get there hands on. I know Butch Searcy had a program at one time to get his doubles in PH's hands by letting them pay them out. That's pretty smart marketing. I have not always been impressed by what a PH carries based on what we think of as a PH rifle. Especially some of the Zim PH rifles. These poor guys would really be blasted online for not using a proper DG set up rifle. As one PH said, "It works for me and that is all that matters". My feelings exactly

Carrying a live round in the chamber, is there any other bolt action rifle made anywhere in the world that is safer than An R93 or R8 that is not cocked?

This is a serious and significant advantage and is just as safe as carrying loaded rounds in the magazine.

BG: I'm responding to you because your post demonstrates what I look for in a valid counter (no blind zealotry) to those of us who don't care for Blasers although I do think your airplane analogy was not valid. You and I both know a big component of the Blaser's popularity in Europe are their Draconian Gun Laws and with a Blaser, those poor slugs can enjoy a multitude of calibers and that is where a Blaser shines.

That said, nobody will convince me-ever-the Blaser system demonstrates any measurable superiority over conventional bolts in terms of accuracy or reliability except for what I described above.

What is also beyond question is that ANY piece of equipment that needs to emply considerably more parts to accomplish the same function is by the laws of probability LESS reliable. I accept your predilection for Blasers, but the zealotry I reject outright.

All this "fowl" language.

The duck and geese will be upset.

As for the comment that modern turn bolts are not made using advanced technology....well, that's not true either.

The last time I checked, most every major manufacturer uses CAD in the design, the rifles actions are manufactured using state of the art CNC machinery.

If anything, they could use a little more hand fitting when being assembled.

Your comment suggests they are beat out on an anvil and the stocks are made with a hacksaw.

JM

Jorge, you are as much of a zealot as anyone else, you have a double standard, and fail to prove your arguements. You can not prove that a Blaser is any more, or any less reliable than, any other product. You only speak from heresay, things you have read, and not from any sort of real life experiance. you are badmouthing the product just to hear yourself speak, and are not in any way, shape, or form, justified in doing so.

I don't think it's any less or any more reliable than most other top shelf rifles.

That being said, where is the advantage of dropping that much cash on something that doesn't give you anything extra in return, other than some fancy wood, more parts and a Buck Rogers look?

You have a vested interest in selling Blasers and given your zeal for hawking them I have real doubts about them. Good products sell themselves with out all the cheerleading.
As far as I am concerned they are overpriced, ugly, club shaped, over engineered european junk.

Your slings are probably a fine product, and you probably feel that the bring an advantage over a conventional sling, to justify making and selling them.

You would then have to conceded, that some guys see in a Blaser, something useful and pleasing, to justify the additional cost. My point of view is, hunt with what ever rifle you choose, and use whatever sling you would like, because if all customers had the same point of view concerning all products, as you do about Blasers, you would sell a lot less slings.

Your opinion is well noted. Not much of an opinion, but probably the best you could do.

The airplane is my way of pointing fun at the argument. But it does give a perspective of my frustration on the types of comments I read at times. It is a way for me to present facts if you will on a subject that most talk on this subject is pure emotion and personally opinion or prejudice.
I will state my reason I use it. Based on MY NEEDS.
The R93 is my traveling rifle. I carry two. I can swap parts between the two guns to make one gun in case something happens to one. I have never had to do this but peace of mind is valuable to me. It is a very simple gun. One bolt, one stock, one barrel. There is no normal action length to deal with so overall it is shorter and balances better to me. I didnt have to "tweak" it to get it to shoot. I don't have allot of time so this is good to me. I am a gun looney and this really feeds that bug. I have 22 rimfire barrels and a 28 guage barrel to practice with. I have the big boomers but my neck is screwed up and if I shoot the big guys allot I won't be shooting anything for very long. The dang things are very accurate. More accurate than I need but when you can put three 416 touching you dont have an excuse for missing. I started with a Blaser because I like takedown guns. It became my go to gun when I am spending my hard earned money because I trust it the best.
My 15 year old loves it, my 19 year old is more traditional and hates it
My 19 year old says it's just too different. He earned the right to his opinion based on him trying it. It didn't bother me there are more guns in
the safe for him to try.
The airplane does show how far we have come in technology. Facts are still facts

I don't have anything against them and they certainly have a loyal following.

I tend to believe they are more of a "statement" purchase, as other rifles will give you the same performance and reliability for less money.

Not knocking them or the reason folks buy them.

There were some posts regarding standard turn bolts earlier by another member that weren't exactly true and I was addressing those.

JM

Thank you for clarifying that. You are a gentleman.

I have no issue with your post BG and your likes & needs for said rifle. I'll just add that the rifles I own don't need tweaking either and the airplane does show how far we have come in technology, aside from the barrel/caliber swap, I see no advantage to the Blasers "process" at at achieving what we all clamor for in a rifle; accuracy, reliability and appeal.

How about attracted to ugly?

Kinda like the dudes that only do fat enormous ugly chics.

Masochism?

The appeal part is easy for me. That straight pull action in my hands is very fast and deadly and it comes as a take down gun.
But I am also a Ginger "AND" Marry Anne guy.
I am not an either or kinda guy when it comes to guns
Politics and religion yes, but I don't mix my gun views with the other two.

No!

The way I stalk I always need a round ready to go.....cycling it from the mag whilst walking them up just won't cut the mustid 90% of the time as my quarry are out onto you quicker than a blowfly on a fresh turd...
And it's the only rifle I will ever feel truly safe with when hunting with my son. Especially in the event of a fall, which is often had.
Just the way I see it

Yes, certainly faster than any BA rifle. And when a second shot is needed these straight-pulls can mean the difference between meat on the table or not....
And of course the first shot means allot!, no doubt, but some animals can just go on adrenaline if dead....... We have all been there, Im sure....

I

That, my friend, is a very fine group. The 375 (H&H, Ruger, etc) is just fine isn't it--the laws of physics converging on a point of perfect balance of power, portability, and accuracy.

It's just amazing you shot that group with a m70 though!





Kidding

I wish I had a blaser.

And a blonde

Actually there are few advantages to the Blaser setup that come to mind.....

1. Ever taken a look at the bedding system on a Blaser stock? I can garuantee that there are very few factory rifles that come with such a solid and consistent setup that is two finely machined blocks on which the barrels rests. How many threads are there on this forum and others regarding factory bedding jobs that have to be redone? Some factory rifles not bedded at all!

2. Take a look at the magazine setup. Its a vertical stack mag and the top round in the mag is directly in line with the barrel - so the bolt just feeds the round straight into the chamber. Feeding is flawless regardless of projecile shape, cartridge dimensions with respect to rebated rims, sharp shouldered or even fat little cases. They all feed flawlessly. So does a 500 jeffreys - one of the hardest cartrdiges to get to feed. Simple. How often to we read about fellow shooters with feeding problems in conventional rifles? All the time.

3. The bolt. When pressure builds in the chamber, the petals on the bolt are forced open against the rim of the barrel and give almost 100% concentric consistent contact with the lockup part of the barrel (minus the extractor). Most rifles have 2 lugs and probably 50% contact or less? Thats got to contribute to better accuracy!

4. The R8 has a new trigger system called a desmodronic trigger. No springs in it so its a very simple trigger and its reset everytime the bolt is pulled back. Its also very crisp with no creep. No need for timney trigger replacements!

5. The QD saddle mounts are ingenious! Want two loads for you 300 win mag? Say a 150 load for lighter deer and a 200gn load for the bigger stuff? Just setup 2 scopes, one for each load in each saddle mount and change between the two as required in a matter of seconds. Its so easy! And the mounts are designed to be removed 250 000 times I believe before they show signs of significant wear. (think that may last me! ;))

I too like other rifles - and would get bored hunting with just one type of gun. So I have several other makes in my safe including some cheapies like Vanguards and Rugers, some Mausers and Weatherbies and I like them all but I have to admire the level of fit and finish and the engineering ingenuity that has gone into the Blaser System. Maybe not to everyones taste but it really is very clever and I post these points hoping that next time the guys that critisise this rifle so much will take a little time to actually look one over.

Happy hunting & all the best to everyone in the new year!

Thats funny and something I didnt consider...

Blasers and fat chic's. I don't care who you are, that's funny.

Took my Blaser R93 Professional to the range this past Wednesday with a .375 H&H barrel mounted. Scope was a Swarovski Z6i 1.7-10x42 in a saddle mount. Also brought a Kimber Caprivi .375 with Swaro PH 1.5-6x42 illuminated scope.

The Blaser put 3 Federal 300 grain TSX rounds into 2" @ 100 yards. A 3 shot group with 270 grain Remington Core-Lokts went into an inch. 3 Nosler factory loaded custom grade 260 grain Accubonds went into 5/8".

The Kimber put 3 270 grain Core-Lokts into 1.5". 3 of the Federal TSX 300 grain loads resulted in a 5/8" group. Didn't get to try the Kimber with the Accubonds.

The Blaser shot all three loads to more or less the same point of impact. The 300 grain TSX loads were 5.5" lower than the Core-Lokts in the Kimber.

The fixed sights on the Blaser were 1 FOOT HIGH at 50 yards with the 300 grain TSX load! The Kimber was right on with the 300 grain TSX using irons at the same distance. Six o'clock hold for both.

I'm evaluating rifles and loads for a 2012 leopard hunt I have booked in Namibia.

Both of these .375's would likely work well. They are ammo sensitive. IMO, the trigger on the R93 is too light for a DG rifle. The Kimber is a very crisp 3.5 lbs which is just fine.

Also intend to investigate the .30/06, .300 Win mag, .338 Win and 9.3x62 barrels I have for the R93, as well as conventional CRF (Mauser and Winchester) rifles in those same calibers.

The "iron" sights on the Blaser are really plastic, as is the trigger guard and trigger. I'm not certain the Blaser is really "Africa Tough". The Kimber is. The Blaser is, however, lighter and easier to carry.

How many of you have hunted the Blaser hard in rugged country during an African hunt? Any problems?

Here I go again. I'm not sure what you mean by "African tough". To my way of thinking and experience, much of NA hunting offers up much more potential abuse for a firearm than Africa does. Hunted the red, dry dust of Namibia with the R93 in 375 for ten days, took ten species with eleven shots (added a finisher for a gemsbok) with nary a problem. Many, many R93s have passed the African test. Again, not trying to promote it, just attempting to be factual.

I would choose more on which rifle shoots best with the load you choose and your final point of comfort,.. but rest in the fact that either rifle will do fine.

And edited to add though I no longer have an R93, my wife is a petite, slim "chic".

Plastic sights, trigger guard and trigger! Really!

Yes--plastic! At least on the R93 Professional in .375.

George:

What prompted you to divest yourself of your R93?

I took a shine to the Blaser K95 single shot and traded my R93 ensemble for the Prestige model but with some wood upgrades, an octagonal barrel, and ebony tipped for end.

As I read all these posts I have to laugh since a good friend of mine makes a decent living fixing most of the ones that some think here are bulletproof. One of his most common repairs is CRF rifles that don't feed right. Another that he sees quite frequently is 700 bolts that have the brazed on bolt handle break off. And of course the maintenance and repairs; rebarreling, bedding, bluing, ceracoating, nitriting, trigger upgrades and the rest of the laundry list of things that those 'dependable' rifles come in for. And speaking of the CRF rifles I took him an Enfield P14 that belongs to a friend of mine recently that isn't picking up the shells to feed them into the chamber. So far that rifle has been a nightmare and my buddy will have more money in it when it's finished than if he'd have just bought a new one.

I've been in his shop and watched him tell people who want to build a custom rifle that they might as well buy a Mauser M03, Blaser or Sauer and get it all in one package. He does get their attention when they see the numbers come together. And the fact that they can add one barrel for probably a third the cost compared to having a second custom rifle built. Adding a few parts here and there can give someone a complete battery capable of taking everything from a prairie dog to elephants and using the same basic rifle, same trigger with the same feel. You can practice with a 243 barrel and go hunt with a 300 barrel thus saving you a substantial amount of dough on ammo and a whole lot less pain in the shoulder! I practice my freehand shooting using the cheaper ammo and it works great.

Now if someone just doesn't like the way the gun looks or functions that's fine. We all have our idea of what looks good and what's ugly. But just to rip something when you don't have first hand experience to do so isn't fair to the product or to yourself. I know I've had to eat my words more than once when I repeated something someone else told me as fact and found out the hard way that they were wrong.

Happy New Year to all of you!

Pay your money, take your pick. The Blasers are not for me, and I'm similarly unattracted to other German guns (save for the Lindner Dalys). It might be interesting to see the tastes of the Blaser connoisseurs in shotguns...Kreighoffs, I'll bet.

I think both are ugly as sin, and I have to work to find a Merkel attractive (though some of the older ones are compelling if for no other reason than their workmanship).

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but for function, style and looks I cast my lot with the Model 98 Mauser and its relatives (Model 70s, etc.).

Back in 1998 I was at a gunshow where a dealer had a Kreighoff over/under rifle chambered in 375 H&H. It was actually a very small rifle for that cartridge but the engraving and workmanship was something to behold. Been a long time so I don't remember the specific asking price but it was around $37,000. That was the one rifle that caught my eye like none before or after.

I sold my last Win 70 featherweight earlier this year. It was a stainless 270 Win and was also one of the prettiest rifles I've ever owned. It also shot factory Federals under 1" consistently without ever having a thing done to it. Right out of the box it was accurate. As much as I liked it I knew I wasn't ever going to hunt with it so might as well send it to somebody that would not only appreciate it for it's looks but use it as well.

Lots of very good looking guns to choose from and that's a good thing!

Wow haven't looked at this thread for a few days and amazed that it has turned into a "rich man" vs. "poor man", American vs. Euro, simple vs. over engineered, and all kinds of personal name calling thrown in for good measure.

I recently ordered a R8 and here's why. First off I never found the R93 very appealing. the Fancy wood, flashy engraving of mermaids having sex with unicorns and such really dont cut it either

But a friend of mine bought a R8 professional in 06 and brought it over to my place and we gave it a pretty good workout on my backyard range..each putting about 100 rounds through it. Everything from mil surplus to handloads. Nary a bobble and it was accurate all the way out to 500 yards, and it handles really well. The trigger was excellent. And even though I am a lefty I could work the bolt pretty well. We took it apart, detached the scope and put it back together again and it held zero. The short overall length with a 23" barrel was nice as well.

So I warmed up to it and decided to order one. Have more rifles than I NEED for sure but I will sell a couple to fund this and so it goes................

Bought it cause I liked it and I can. Good enough reason to me to buy anything I guess.

Lefty C

Sooooooo many pages.....

At the end of the day. Buy what your comfortable with, get out there & have some fun whilst doing it

For me, there is nothing more suited...., accurate, convenient, reliable & it fits me so well.

Good stalking

After looking over the R8 modular system, is it feasible to build one by parts alone? I find the concept intriguing except the stock...I need a monte carlo style to fit right.

So I could feasibly buy barrels, the "receiver" parts and have a custom stock done from say lonewolf stocks to finish it off and call it a complete rifle? Will the parts bought carry any kind of warranty?

You are correct. You can build a gun with just parts. In fact there are stock makers who have made stocks out of mesquite as well out of Carbon Fiber. One thing to remember is if you were to buy one you'd want to buy the Jaeger or other 'wood stock' model. The wood can be removed and these stocks can be installed then. You have to have the 'innards' that come with one of the stocks (known as the 'frame') and the wood stock models are a lot easier to have custom wood or carbon fiber replacements made for. The "Professional" polymer stock has the innards in it and you'd basically be dismembering it by removing them and having them installed in a new replacement stock. Another thing to keep in mind is you can buy a higher end wood stock and replace them with the custom wood or carbon thus keeping your higher quality wood ones in new condition. Or even sell them if you don't see yourself ever using them again. Any part of any R93 or R8 is bought and sold daily. Some guys will buy the used ones and then dismember them and sell the parts.

To my knowledge any Blaser part carries a 10 year warranty. You might want to double check that with a dealer but that is my understanding.

Here are two carbon fiber stocks that one of the blaser owners is making:

http://www.blaserbuds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4861&p=42153#p42153

http://www.blaserbuds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=4580



Here is the one KDF did in Mesquite. 5th pic down from the top: "Custom Blaser R93"

http://www.kdfguns.com/custom.html