Currently I shoot a .300 Wthby Accumark and am extremely happy with the accuracy of the gun. I'm considering selling it and purchasing a Sig Blaser in the same calibre. Can anyone provide any insights as to how they compare with long range accuracy?

Before I fork over the $2500 I want to know if the price difference is justified.

Thanks

If we are talking the same Blazer that I handled I wonder what you want out of a rifle?

The Weatherby that you have is already extreme in appearance. Are you looking for a rifle that certain peers will ooh and ahh over?

The Blazer to me is like other straight pull rifles. They give me the creeps as I am not sure they are locked up or not. The dealer that showed it to me seemed up on them. This means, to me, that they back him up on returns and the markup is good.

This same dealer likes the Sauer 200's also. I looked at one and they seem very well made and the pistol grip with it's Wundhammer swell was excellent. These rifles are switch barrel also.

I don't think they come in .300 Weatherby however and that's fine with me. The Sauer costs about $1100 discount. I am not saying it's a great gun as I have never owned one, just suggesting that you look at one and find out more since I think you want something different.

If I were to choose a rifle for long range accuracy it would not be any of the above. I would start with a M70, others might choose a M77 or 700 and just wring it out yourself. I picked up an old M70 in 300 H&H that is a lot more rifle than any Weatherby for instance.

In new rifles just shoot them. Many work out fine as is. If the rifle does not shoot the way you want but has potential and you don't have time to do the work yourself there are many top smiths, some of whom post here. I am sure a Ricks, Lewis or Belk could get any M70. M77 or 700 going and going good. I am not sure that there are many smiths who will bother with a Weatherby, Blazer or Sauer for that matter.

[ 12-27-2002, 21:58: Message edited by: Savage99 ]

GMaxson,

The main thing going for the Blaser is the barrel changing system. The scope is mounted on the barrel and this means that zero is retained when you change barrels.

The negative is that the bolt locks directly into the barrel so you are limited to their barrels.

I have seen a couple of them at our range and they shot well and were nice rifles if you like that style.

But if you want top accuracy, then your Weatherby or a Model 70 and Rem 700 offer more potential because the gunsmiths mentioned in the above post have more freedom than is the case with the Blaser. If there is one thing that everyone would agree on it is that the very core of accuracy is the barrel.

Mike

Sig products are first rate. I've owned several Sig 200s. As a production rifle the quality, fit, finish and engineering of the 200-202 series is head and shoulders above anything the big four American manufacturers have to offer.

I have not owned a Blaser 93 [I've handled them many times]. Everything I am about to relate is based only on what I have read and heard---and the reputation of Sig Sauer.

Several years ago the Blaser won a gunwriters award as the most innovative bolt-action of the centry [can't recall the specifics of the award]. The engineering and production are typically teutonic [read: "first rate"]. The Blaser action is significantly shorter 'bout four inches] than a conventional bolt action. The result is a shorter overall package, without sacrificing barrel length. Additionally, the action is slightly lighter than conventional bolt actions. Because the bolt locks up in the barrel, the need for an exceptionally strong action is eliminated [result: a lighter, shorter rifle] The bolt head is free-floating so it self-aligns into a concentric position relative to the bore. The bolt lock up is 360 degrees. The trigger design eliminates the need for a sear [and the attendant "creep"] The bolt throw is straight and thus cycles quicker. And of course you have the ability to interchange barrels.

I also like the fact that Sig barrels are cold hammer forged. I once had a 200 barrel tenon Rockwelled. It came out a 42 on the C scale. You'll not find a harder barrel anywhere. Indeed, there are some critics who would argue it is too hard. All of my 200 were exceptionally accurate for out of the box rifles.

My .02 worth.

Jordan

I have a Blaser R93 in .375 HH, but I have never had or even shot a Weatherby, so I won�t have an opinion whats best for you. However they seem to me to be two very different rifles. The Blaser is short and lightweight, probably with a wooden stock and a slender barrel, quite opposite of the Weatherby. I wouldn�t worry about accuracy though, I have never heard or read about an inaccurate Blaser. I was told by my gunsmith that the Norwegian bench rest national was taken by a Blaser rifle this year, shading all the special bench rest guns with custom actions, barrels and "cryptonite" for everything else. Both my Blasers are very accurate, and their barrels are so good you would not need or want a "custom" barrel.
Tron

if you have a good shooter and you are happy with it, hang on to it. you may spend 2500 and be unhappy.

I think GeorgeS probably summed it up best. I guess I'm always looking for a better mouse trap though.

I'm a one gun kind of guy and once I have my favorite the rest sit in the safe. For ducks it's the Super 90 and for a rifle it's the Accumark. I guess I'd rather have one rifle that I can use for everything. .375 barrel for Africa and .300 Wthby barrel for everything else.

GMaxon I have owned 5 Weatherby rifles in calibers 257, (2) 300's, 340 and 416. All were good rifles and shot good. I now use the Blaser system for my bolt actioned rifles. I have 223, 308, 300win mag. and a 375 H&H. I have shot other Blasers in 300wby (2), 375 H&H and a 416 REM mag. I really like the way the Blasers work. They are very accurate,triggers good, scope mounts fit and work great, you can take it off and put it back on with no zero loss. Same for the barrels. You can change from a 223 to a 375 H&H in about 5 minutes. [the 416 bbl is thicker than the others and requires a thicker bbl channel, you can change forends on the wood stock version, the synthentic must be ordered as a 416. My buddy has the wood version and he just leaves the big forend on all the time. If I did not use doubles for my big bore needs I would have a 416 bbl,may get one any way ]
I really like the take down feature, makes it easy to travel by plane or car, you can remove the scope and put it in your carry on. I have NEVER had any malfunctions of any kind. Just this weekend a couple of my hunting buddies shot my 308 Blaser Synthetic at the deer lease, both are thinking about getting one, they really liked it.
GeorgeS had a great idea, Keep your Wby and buy a Blaser [in a different caliber ] Maybe a 338 or a 375 for an Elk, Moose or Bear hunt, or a 270 for a light weight rifle for a Goat or Sheep hunt. If you find you like it way better that the Wby you can always get a 300Wby bbl. later. P.S. the Blaser in 223 makes a VERY fun, and afordable [mine shoots winchester white box 223 ball real good, even at 300 yds, it is the most accurate 223 "sporter bbl I have ever shot],varmint and turkey rifle.
If you try a Blaser you will like it. It takes a couple of "field plinking sessions" to get used to the bolt and fireing pin cocking system, but once you do that it becomes second nature.

NE 450 n02

Sounds like you definitely need to get a K95

And I also like to add that Blaser lists lightweight 26 inch fluted barrels in .300 weatherby and heavy fluted precision (needing a large forend) barrels in .300 Win Mag. for the R93, so its a very flexible system.

Tron

trb I have handled a couple of K95's and they are nice. I even saw one with the European quick release scope mount. I really liked the scope mount you could remove and reattach without tools.

NE 450 No2

Mine has the standard Blaser QR saddle mount, same as I use on the R93, and I take it you are familiar with the virtues of this system. Very handy rifle, brakes down in about 30 seconds to fit my backpack when packing the meat
This Blaser is very accurate too, probably on account of an excellent barrel. And if your�e a masochist you can get in .300 Weatherby (the rifle weighs appr. 5,5 pounds unscoped....)
Tron