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I am posting this in Big Game hunting instead of Big Bores simply because I am soliciting feedback on hunting with the R8, not necessarily shooting them.. I spent couple hours with my dealer today looking at an R8 Professional package. I am looking at a 375 H7H to start. Incredible design and I love the straight pull bolt.. I'm hunting buff in Sept and want something other than my trusty Ruger No.1 in 375 H&H.. I have a Ruger 416 Alaskan that I shoot well but the action is very rough - tears up the brass and tend to jam up... Just looking for opinions from fellow hunters... I have read all the previous threads - just thought I would re-kindle the discussion.. "At least once every human being should have to run for his life - to teach him that milk does not come from the supermarket, that safety does not come from policemen, and that news is not something that happens to other people." - Robert Heinlein | ||
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I love the Blaser! I have an R93 and was a little dissapointed I could not use my R93 barrels with an R8. Also it looks like Blaser took my favorite Caliber away the 7mm STW. I am not sure what I would buy next that would match my 7mm STW for flat shooting. I love the system and wouldn't have it any other way. If I were to start over again I would choose the R8 and give it a go. | |||
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I have used the Blaser products for now going on 14 years. I bought my first Blaser R93 in 1999 because it was "left handed" and have not looked back. There quality is great, service is good, and componets are expensive--but they work. You will like what you get, I have had almost all the blaser products D99,R93,K95,R8,F3,BBF97...and looking at a S2, they are accurate, have a 10 year service warranty, and a durable finish, go for it!!! My R8 semi weight 30-06 in south africa 2011  P-dog hunting with R93 222 2008  Bird hunting F3 2010  Blasers are great hunting weapons! DRSS Member | |||
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The R8, and the R93 before it, are accurate and handy rifles. I've had as many as 12 barrels in different calibers. You pick your barrel(s) depending on the hunt, put them and the stock in the suitcase-sized travel case, and off you go. With a bit bit of trial with factory loads, or with handloads, they all seem to be capable of attaining the 1/2" mark. | |||
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I have a few R93's & a couple R8's, but have only actually hunted with the R93. I love the R93 & will eventually hunt with the R8. You won't go wrong with the R8. They shoot extremely well & function flawlessly (at least mine do). A great choice for a traveling hunting rifle - none better, IMHO. ____________________________ .470 & 9.3X74R Chapuis' Tikka O/U 9.3X74R Searcy Classics 450/.400 3" & .577 C&H .375 2 1/2" Krieghoff .500 NE Member Dallas Safari Club | |||
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I took my R8 proffesional in 375 hh to ZIm last Sept and shot a nice cape buff along with some plains game. It was a joy to use and deadly accurate. I would recommend getting the IC control and mount a matching ZEiss scope. It will serve you well. Having said that , I am upgrading to a steel receiver R8 in 416 and 500 jeff for a little extra bang to make it a true all rounder . Cheers Nick | |||
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I like the throwawayable/forgetable/disposable trigger/magazine. Having a removable trigger which can be lost, I think is a real cool idea ... | |||
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  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition” ― Rudyard Kipling | |||
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The only way it's gonna be lost or disposable is if you physically use your own hands, push the tabs in and toss it away . . . simple as that. Don't know how can it be forgotten if it's locked in the stock?  R93/R8 is the simply the best travel firearm out there as far as I'm concerned. One short Pelican nicely travels with the stock, two barrels with scopes, and switch to whatever barrel/caliber you want, no sight in, go hunting . . . But, like everything to each their own, JMHO and pass the popcorn PD999  -------- There are those who only reload so they can shoot, and then there are those who only shoot so they can reload. I belong to the first group. Dom --------- | |||
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Nice gun. My wife and I each have one. The only thing I don't like is how they reem you for accesories like $375.00 for a scope mount. Full time professional trapper | |||
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Forgot to add "space age polymer". I could "live" with a 93 but ask detachable magazine owners how many times they lost them. Pass. USN (ret) DRSS Verney-Carron 450NE Cogswell & Harrison 375 Fl NE Sabatti Big Five 375 FL Magnum NE DSC Life Member NRA Life Member | |||
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Not to mention the absolute UGLIEST gun on the planet! | |||
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You can have the R8 without the detachable magazin/ trigger feature. It is not heavily highlighted as it was "the" feature which distiguishes the R8 from the R93. Besides the more massive locking mechanism. | |||
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I haven't had a chance to wring out my new R8 yet but I do like what I've seen so far. One of the things that is attractive is with the addition of another trigger group, you can carry softs in one group and solids in another if you have to switch due to circumstances. Nice wood, great feel, crisp trigger and if they prove to be as accurate as boasted about, it's gonna be a great rifle (Todd, reloading equipment is getting more expensive by the post)  | |||
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Never lost one and haven't heard of anyone loosing one either. But Ya, you're right, probably not for you guys, who probably loose your slings and scopes all the time also  -------- There are those who only reload so they can shoot, and then there are those who only shoot so they can reload. I belong to the first group. Dom --------- | |||
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walter likes them  | |||
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I love mine. Used it last year on Giraffe, Eland, Waterbuck and Porcupine. Will easily shoot 270gr TSX handloads under 1 moa. Have one in .308 that I use for most hunting at home. They are fairly compact and fun to shoot. The trigger/magazine is a non issue as far as im concerned. Good luck. | |||
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And, it's one of Saeed's favorites. | |||
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Have one in .375. Really like it! Will be going to SA with me in May. Price for barrels is ridiculous . you can buy 2 complete rifles for the cost of a barrel. they would sell alot more barrels if they charged a reasonable price....... | |||
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You obviously forgot to put the icon in that statement if you are mentioning Saeed and Blasers.I had a an R-93 for about two years. It was accurate and it had a great trigger. IT also had an issue with not going bang every time the trigger was pulled. No thank you on any more Blaser products for me. Especially not on DG. | |||
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Interesting feedback from everyone... The "non-metal" detachable magazine makes me a bit nervous.. I saw where you can lock in the housing.. It does seem that for the cost there would be more steel and less "space age polymer". I shoot an F3 Combo for trap - gave up my MX200o Perazzi and would not go back. I really like the straight pull bolt but I'm still on the fence about all the polymer parts... "At least once every human being should have to run for his life - to teach him that milk does not come from the supermarket, that safety does not come from policemen, and that news is not something that happens to other people." - Robert Heinlein | |||
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I always assumed that Blaser rifles were hated by people who had never used them and loved by people who have them. I was one definitely in the first group. Aesthetically, they really don't do it for me. Then, I used my guides R93 in Austria this fall. I thought it handled like a 2X4 with a sewer pipe attached. After shooting two animals with it, I politely asked him for a different rifle. The 100 year old Mannlicher-Schonauer he gave me was huge step in the right direction. I'm sure it would work great for whatever you want to use it for, but I can think on many, many rifles I'd buy before a Blaser, especially for what they charge for them. | |||
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Then I automatically hate them... USN (ret) DRSS Verney-Carron 450NE Cogswell & Harrison 375 Fl NE Sabatti Big Five 375 FL Magnum NE DSC Life Member NRA Life Member | |||
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If you watch enough episodes of Under Wild Skies and Tracks Across Africa, you'll see a few examples of just that. USN (ret) DRSS Verney-Carron 450NE Cogswell & Harrison 375 Fl NE Sabatti Big Five 375 FL Magnum NE DSC Life Member NRA Life Member | |||
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You'd also see a 14 year old girl work a blaser bolt like a semi-auto to beautiful effect on multiple species including ele and leopard. I had a 375 r93, and it was a tack driver. | |||
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It doesn't really matter how ergonomic or how accurate a rifle is if it fails to fire occasionally. That makes it unreliable and not something I am interested in using on DG. It's a shame as once you get used to a Blaser it is a very good platform. | |||
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Hmm.. firing problems worry me... Another question that I have is unloading.. For example - when I get back to the hunting truck I normally open my bolt, put the round back in the mag and close the bolt on an empty chamber by holding the cartridges down with my fingers and sliding the bolt forward. Does that work with the Blaser? I do like the idea of the gun being uncocked until the safety is pushed forward though... "At least once every human being should have to run for his life - to teach him that milk does not come from the supermarket, that safety does not come from policemen, and that news is not something that happens to other people." - Robert Heinlein | |||
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Sure, you can do that on a Blaser. | |||
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All my experience is with the Blaser R 93. I've never had it misfire. The trigger is perfect. It's really nice to be able to take the barrel and scope off and put it back together again and know the scope will not lose zero. Being able to take it apart makes packing in a standard size airline case easy. Accuracy is also great. The negatives as I see it include expense but, if you compare one to a rifle that feeds perfectly, needs no trigger work, etc., I don't think the price is too out of line. You also buy one rifle and can then add a chambering simply with a barrel and maybe a magazine change without going to the expense of a whole new rifle and scope. I got one barrel that was terrible but Blaser replaced it with a new one. The twist rates on some of their barrels like the 22-250 aren't as fast as I would like. Blaser also has the mentality that a design will only run for a finite period and then they'll stop supporting it. The R 93 is now getting to that category and, if history is any guide, in 10 or 15 years, the R 8 will be in the same category. I can understand this somewhat for an economy priced gun but not so much for a gun as expensive as a Blaser. I wouldn't be put off by the fact some R 8 parts are made of polymer. They won't rust and in certain applications a polymer is as durable or maybe more durable than metal. | |||
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I have never had a misfire either in 14 years with 5 different R93's and 2 different R8's--all went bang everytime the trigger was pulled. Most of the problems arise when the gun is not closed into battery--by not shutting the bolt all the way and putting it in battery. You will like the gun--if you cannot digest the stright pull then look at the M03 mauser...kind of a blend of a bolt gun with blaser take down...good gun too. I get entertained on what some call good looking and ugly...I have seen some guns with some pretty cobbed up paint jobs--ugly metal finishes on this site (most say pretty is as pretty does--or some crap like that) and I never hawk and say WOW thats cobbed up! It is just not my taste. For example MG arms makes some of the most cobbed up finishes and paint jobs I have ever seen...not my taste but I dont beat them down--it might be yours. Blasers are accurate rifles and I will take the Pepsi challenge with most to buy a gun out of the box and shoot it with my R8 with 5 different kinds of factory and see which one comes out on top...I bet you will lose! Ed DRSS Member | |||
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Misfires? Was the bolt fully closed? Mike Wilderness is my cathedral, and hunting is my prayer. | |||
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Walter had all of us rolling on the ground laughing our heads off when he was trying to show us how accurate and fast his Blaser was. We were in Zimbabwe, as we drove along, we saw a nice warthog. The episode went something like this: Roy "Walter, come, get your rifle and shoot that warthog!" Walter "Yes yes, I am coming, I am coming" as jumped off the truck with his Blaser. Alan had the video camera, and I had my still camera to make sure we have this historic event for future generations to enjoy. The warthog was standing among a lot of dead tree trunks on the ground, and was hard to see because he blended in very well. Roy put the shooting sticks up, and Walter got onto them. But no shot came! Someone said "shoot the bloody thing! He is not going to stand there all day!" Walter "Where is he? I cannot see him!" Roy "THERE, standing by that log!" Walter "Which log? I see many logs and none look like a warhog!" Some of the new members here might think this is something I am making up. But, I can assure you that this is just a normal hunt with Walter. The warthog moved, and Walter saw him. Walter fired at the warthog, missing him. The warthog moved a few feet and stood looking back, probably laughing as he looked at someone pointing some funny contraption at him. Roy "You missed him! Shoot again, and don't take all day about it!" Walter fires again, and hits the warthog. It was only wounded. And Walter was trying his best to show us how quickly he can load that Blaser. He pulls the bolt back far enough to eject the empty, but not far enough to pick a new round from the magazine. He closes the bolt on an empty chamber. CLICK! Walter works the bolt so fast now, trying to shoot again. He works teh wbolt again. CLICK! Now he has worked himself into a real lather! Works the bolt again. CLICK. He picks up the ejected roud and says "Saeed's ammo. It does not work!" I pick up the round he angrily dropped on teh ground. There is no indent on the primer. His new fangled Blaser misfired - I think in his haste to load it he did not push the bolt far enough forward. Eventually, he maneged to kill the warthog. I was lying on the ground, because I was laughing so much I was not able to stand up. Walter proved to us how good the Blaser is in a sticky situation. From that day on, I decided the Blaser is definitely not for me. I will stick with a normal bolt action rifle. | |||
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So will I. | |||
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Surprisingly enough, in what little handling time I have had with the R8, I think I personally would be more likely to short stroke a standard bolt action that I would the straight pull bolt.. For those that own a Blaser - I am looking at the Professional with a 375 H&H barrel - which barrel do you have? I like the heavy safari barrel but does that preclude putting a small caliber barrel on the same stock? "At least once every human being should have to run for his life - to teach him that milk does not come from the supermarket, that safety does not come from policemen, and that news is not something that happens to other people." - Robert Heinlein | |||
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I love the safari barrels they are just $$$$...No you can put a standard barrel in a safari stock and it just has small gaps on each side it does not look unsightly at all. Right now I have a 6.5x284, 7mm mag, and 338 win mag barrel for my R8 (it is a Attache), they all shoot MOA but my 7mm mag will do much, much better-- one hole with 150,160's. My 6.5x284 is funny it shoots 120's into one hole, and will not do much better than a 1" with 140's. I do not think you will be dissipointed. Ed DRSS Member | |||
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There is a reason for that, and that reason is why I won't have anything to do with a R93, regardless of their accuracy and other advantages (looks are a matter of taste, everyone his own). For years, Blaser has been dogged by various claims of accidents due to the R93 bolt blowing back into the shooter's face. Blaser has always staunchly denied any fault with their rifles. I carefully checked a couple of R93s, until I understood what the problem is (that would be a long technical explanation). I recently had the opportunity to look at a R8 Safari in .375 H&H. The first thing I noticed, is that - among other things - the locking "lugs" or "fingers" and the corresponding breech locking ring have been redesigned, and that this redesign partially addresses the problem above. Nowhere Blaser advertises this change in design... For obvious reasons. So, if the R8 locking system is better, why not tell about it? And if the R93 locking system is faultless, why change it to the extent that you can't interchange barrels (which I'm sure would have been a strong selling point for the R8)? | |||
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Seems like a pretty common problem on the Blaser. I think mine was rebounding if it was closed hard enough. Once again not something I'm taking after DG. | |||
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The pretty common problem is not closing the bolt sufficiently. If that wasn't the case with yours, then it wasn't a common problem .... I think we'd agree that any gun, including a traditional bolt that doesn't feed or extract properly shouldn't be used for DG. Just my experience with a couple R93s is that I can tell you I never once, ever, had a jam with a R93. I can't say that about all the bolt guns I've used over the years, but by far the majority were just fine. | |||
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Yea, I heard of that; where the guy loaded up with a rifle cartridge stoked with fast pistol powder. | |||
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The bolt coming out of the back of the gun and blowing half of a guys face off has happened on more than one R-93 rifle. I don't think can blame them all on faulty reloading.
Or one that doesn't fire all the time no matter the reason. if it's am ergonomic problem it's get killed all the same as if it's a mechanical problem. Here's the deal guys, the Blaser is a very accurate rifle. It feeds and functions very well the safety (decocker) is one of the best safest mechanisms on the market. They shoot and cycle like a dream. However there is no reason to defend their faults. A fault is a fault and the bolt blowing off peoples heads is a serious fault, the bolt having a tendency to not get closed all the way leaving the action out of battery causing misfires is a design flaw that needed to be addressed. If the R-8 has fixed all of these issues that's a good thing. Remember the R-93 also had recall on the trigger pin which was causing accidental discharges. They simply don't float my boat, I don't trust them and I don't use them anymore. | |||
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