Guys, I have been looking really hard at a Blaser R93 Safari in .375 H&H. Does anyone have any experience with the Blaser R93's and if so, how do you like them?

Dave

Please go easy on this thread gentlemen, he is after all new!

Dave
Welcome to AR.
Your first post is sure going to stir the pot.

People either love or hate the Blaser R 93.

I have been using them for several years.
While I prefer double rifles for most uses, my favorite bolt hunting rifle is the Blaser R 93.
I have 3 recievers and 9 barrels incliding a 28ga bbl.
I also have a 400 H&H bbl on order.

The R 93 is the only Magnum bolt rifle I have found to be 100% reliable.

The scope mounts go on and off with no loss of zero.
The Blaser mounts are the best factory mounts bar none.

The barrels go on and off with no loss or shift of zero. When you take them apart and put them back together the first shot goes where it is supposed to.

The triggers are very good, the bbls very accurate.

In short I really like the Blaser R 93.

Also check out www.blaserpro.com

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Bush:
Guys, I have been looking really hard at a Blaser R93 Safari in .375 H&H. Does anyone have any experience with the Blaser R93's and if so, how do you like them?

Dave

I have some experience with a Blaser R93 in 375. I would recommend the regular barrel, not the safari barrel. At 6 pounds it is a joy to carry and recoil is still modest. However, I would recommend the plastic stock with the grippy things at the pistol grip and forearm as the low end plastic stock is very slippery.

For a good deal contact: www.heritagerms.net

With the regular stock and sights I think they were $2300 last time I checked.

I have fired a Blaser R 93 with a Safari bbl muzzle break, Blaser recoil reducer in the stock, side by side with a regular [skinny] bbl with Magna-Port and Blaser recoil reducer in the stock. Both were synthentic stocks.

The Safari bbl gun had very slightly less comeback, but the Magna-Port gun had less muzzle rise.
Both were not bad to shoot.
I like the Iron sights on the Safari bbl better.

My Blaser 375 is the Magna-Ported bbl. I like it a lot. It is lighter.
I remove the recoil reducer when hunting.
I also have a 375 H&H Tracker [19 3/4"] bbl with out any brake. It is a little stout off the bench but not bad in the field.

Handle both and get the one you like the best.
Both of my synthentic stocks are "pure plastic".
I just may have to get the one 500Grains talks about [with the rubber inserts] when I get my 400 H&H bbl.

That is the beauty about the Blaser, you can mix and match.
It is GREAT system.

With my 28ga bbl I have taken ducks [bismuth shot] quail, and turkey in Texas and grouse in Idaho.

Aleko at Heritage Arms is GREAT to do business with.

So Dan, you are finally out of the closet.
Tell me about you "Blaser 375 H&H experience".

I also have Blaser 8x68 experience - missed a scrawny deer with one.

500grains

8x68???? Dang, you have gone totally Blaser Esoteric...
Your Born Again Hard.

You are Destioned for Double Rifles, and Blasers....
Its not a bad life.

They are well made rifles that are beautiful. I wouldn't take one on a safari though if that is your idea. All the PHs I have ever had have a disdain for them. A small speck of dirt will make them inopearable, not what you want in a DGR.

Jeff

So far so good with my R93 Attache 9.3X62.
Warning! I have found on hot weather Safari's that the screws in both the forend and butt stock come loose, so make sure you have a large screw driver and allen keys.
A Butter knife can be used for the Butt stock screw .
ozhunter

Jeff
With all due respect have you ever used a Blaser R 93???

My wife and I have used them in TX riding around for several days on an ATV in heavy dusty conditions... I have carried one in AK in heavy rain, in Canada as well, and in Zimbabwe...

I have several friends that have used them in rough conditions as well with no problems.

I have let the R 93 go longer with out cleaning than any other rifle I have used, "testing" it to the extreme.

I have never had any problems.

I have the Safari model R93 in 416 Rem with a second 300 Win mag bbl. It has the regular plastic stock. The 416 shoots under an inch with the 400 grain triple shock bullets and Varget powder. The 300 will shoot well under an inch with the North Fork 200 grain bullet pushed with almost any powder.

I just got a 375 regular model with the professional stock and I prefer this stock. I also got a 30/06 tracker bbl. I can tell you that the 375 is going to shoot. It likes the 300 grain triple shock and H4895. I believe I am going to like the regular configuration slightly better as compared to the safari model because it is so light and handy.

My Blasers have been reliable and I have faith in them. The zero doesn't change when you remove and replace scopes and barrels. The first shot from a cold bbl hits in the group. Everything works.

Blasers do require some getting used to. They feel funny at first. After a trip or three to the range, however, your other rifles just don't feel right.


I bought everything from Heritage Arms and you can't do better.


Llano Jim

/

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Bush:
Does anyone have any experience with the Blaser R93's and if so, how do you like them?

Dave

Yes, I do have some experience with blaser R-93 and I don’t like them at all...... Mauser’s are far superior in every aspect.

NE450No2, how come you brought the doubles to Zim and left the Ikea contraption at home Threats about tar and feathers from double rifle clan, or 8X68S is not exclusive for blaser, a fine old round that been around before ww2, most likely mausers were the first rifles chambered for the calibre

500grain, use a double or one of your mauser’s next time, what do you except from a push feed…..

Cheers
/JOHAN

The Blaser R93 is a superb rifle. I have 30 06 and .416 Rem. Mag barrels and have taken lion, leopard, and buffalo with it. I modified the synthetic stock by adding a Sims Limbsaver recoil pad and had the 24.69 inch shortened to 21 inches. Handles like a dream, exceptionally fast and accurate.

Tom

Johan
I just like hunting in Africa with a double better.
One reason is they are much easier to change between softs and solids, silently as well.

Hoever I did take a Blaser R 93 in 308 on my last trip.

The wife used it to take impala, 2 kudu, zebra, wildebeest, and giraffe.

I used it on a bushbuck, heyena, honeybadger and when hunting leopard.

I also used it on my Idaho bear/elk hunt, in 375H&H [Tracker].
The Blaser R 93 will be my rifle of choice this April on a grizz bear hunt in AK.

I have an R93 Synthetic in .375 and it's a great rifle - handy, compact, fast to operate, reliable (including in dusty conditions), essentially rustproof and accurate.

I have killed much game with it, including dangerous game, and cannot recommend any other rifle more highly than the R93.

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Bush:
Guys, I have been looking really hard at a Blaser R93 Safari in .375 H&H. Does anyone have any experience with the Blaser R93's and if so, how do you like them?

Dave

The man that got me interested in the 9.3x64 has an R93. He loves it. His last trip was out was cold, wind & rain 12 days out of 14. Not a hiccup to report.

I can say anthing that has not already been said I love them as do others.
I am suprised at the easy post this time ,it's good.



Blaser93

I'm a lefty and always had problems finding a lefty rifle. I was talked into one (R93), and am very happy. I just bought my second barrel from Aleko in a 9.3x62 should have in tomorrow.

Get one and I dont think you will look back.

505ED

I bought one back in August, Once you shoot it some it grows on you. I just gotten a 30-06 barrel for mine, and I will be hunting with it, in the morning. I hunted Montana last month and I have no complaints, carries well. Good trigger, with a little pratice you can get a second aimed shot off very quick. I still have some hunting left for Deer in CT, and there is Snow in the Forcast. Life is good.

This is a wonderful system. I bought a R93 at Heritage Arms in 375 H&H with a magna porta barrel. It is very easy to shoot from the bench. It is the only bolt action rifle I have ever purchused that has not made several trips to a gunsmith. It is highly accurate. With vision in my right eye becoming weaker, I bought an additional left handed bolt assembly and can shoot with the better left eye. The trigger is excellent, feed and extraction wonderful. Although a bit pricey, one gets good value for the money.

Guys, thanks for your help!

I noticed that a lot of the guys who responded had purchased the snythetic stock in .375 H&H. Hendershots has one of the "professional" models in .375. I called them as asked them to weigh it for me. They said it was six pounds, eleven ounces. I was thinking that was pretty light for a .375. What do you think? Would the "Safari" model be better? I am sure it is a bit heavier.

Dave

I had the 375 regular contour barrel magna ported in Germany and a recoil reducer placed in the synthetic stock in addtion to having a kick eze pad installed. It is the easiest 375 H&H to shoot at the bench of all the 375's I have ever owned. There is very little barrel rise with magna porting. With the regular synthetic stock, you can purchuse other calibers in the normal contour. I have a 30-06 barrel in addition to the 375. Great system and it is very accurate. Good luck!

if'n you get one watch out or some cop will arrest you for running around with a toy gun

Butchloc,

they said the same thing about the M16.

Rich
DRSS

I am still laughing about cowardly SLC version of "Francis the Talking Mule" dan & co.
ALF has just rendered him down to the pathetic stage with the data on the twist post.

Dave
For North American hunting I prefer the standard bbl 375 because it is lighter.

My friend has the Safari bbl with a vias muzzle break and the kick stop. My rifle has the standard bbl with Magna-Port and I installed a kick stop for this test. Both have the same scope.. We shot both rifles side by side.
Very little difference in recoil. His rifle was louder. My rifle came back just a touch harder, but had less muzzle rise.

If you like the handling of the heavier bbl get it.
Standard bbls will fit the Safari reciever, the bbl to stock gap is just a little bit bigger, it does not look bad at all.

The Safari contoured barrel is designed to go with the Kick-Stop recoil reducer installed in the buttstock.

What I mean is that, with the Safari barrel mounted on it, but without the Kick-Stop, the rifle will not balance properly between the hands - it will be muzzle heavy. With the Kick-Stop, it balances very well.

I set up my Synthetic R93, with its standard contoured .375 barrel, a little bit differently. I had the Kick-Stop installed in the buttstock and also had an old-style Answer Products recoil pad mounted. That made the rifle butt-heavy.

So, I added about a half pound of weight to the fore end, in the form of a Break-O mercury tube that I screwed onto the front sling swivel stud and fixed in place with a lock washer.

Now, the rifle balances perfectly, and weighs a bit less than 10 pounds scoped. It is very comfortable to shoot.

Dave, to answer your question about the light 375 kicking, I would say that if you don't have experience with big bore rifles and don't shoot them regularly, you will be better off with the Safari model with the kick stop. Even this is not a heavy rifle and is very shootable.

I have the regular 375 with the professional stock and it kicks. It is best to use a lead sled or a recoil pad from the bench, at least for me. Shooting off hand, off sticks, and in the field, I don't find the light 375 recoil to be bad. It points and feels like a deer rifle, and is so easy to carry it's almost addictive, but is does kick.

Good luck with your decision.

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
Jeff
With all due respect have you ever used a Blaser R 93???
.

No i haven't. But I shared a camp at Kazuma with a Spanish client that was hunting elephant with a 416 Remington R93. It jammed on him constantly and both his PH and mine worked on it virtually every night. The straight pull with a expanding claw is not designed for dusty conditions. I have been to Zim 3 times with 4 different PHs and they have a universal disdain for them.

They are beautiful rifles though. I wouldn't bet an expensive hunt on one. Just my 2 cents worth.

Jeff
All I can say is that I have used my R 93 in some pretty dusty conditions including traveling a lot on an ATV including a 2 week hunt where the ATV did not have a gun rack where I wore the rifle on my back, which gets a lot more dusty than on a handlebar rack.

And on an Alaska hunt where it rained constantly, the rifle was wet 100% of the time for 15 days. I did dry out the inside of the bbl each night.

I have not had any problems with my R 93.
I have purposely let it go longer without maintance as a test than any other bolt rifle I have ever used.

Damn, what is the world coming to? A guy asks a questsion on the Blaser 93 and it's a big "love in". What is the world coming to? I might just start a thread on the 45/70 for DG!
Peter.

It's hard to figure how anyone could get so much dust into an R93's action from normal hunting to cause such a problem, or why a three man team would have to work on an R93 every night to keep it from jamming.

Too much oil or grease gumming things up could have been the problem, I suppose. Oil and dust don't mix very well in any rifle's action - or in the trigger mechanism either, for that matter. Dry lube is best when it's dusty.

But in my experience, under dirty or dusty conditions, a simple and straightforward cleaning, on an as needed basis, will do the trick for any rifle out there, including an R93.

If anyone wants to get one - more power to them.

I just (personally) don't think they are reliable. When you go to Reno this year, try this:

Pick any Zim PH you don't know,
Don't tell them you own a R93,
Tell them you are thinking of buying that or a Mauser or Model 70, etc,
See what a professional that has nothing to gain/lose thinks of R93s.

Jeff

I am also quite astonished by the low level of Blaser bashing in this thread.

I've always looked upon the Blaser as some sort of toy gun, but after reading all of this, I promise to have a serious look at them next time I go to the gun store.

Right now I have three rifles (308, 9,3x62, and 416 Wby), and have lately been wondering how to solve my "problem" regarding The Ultimate Rifle setup. Blaser might actually be a way to go.

I might go for plains game hunting in Africa sooner or later, but doubt that I'll ever afford to take any buffalo, so the Blaser won't be used for true dangerous game anyhow.

Nifty system when it comes to changing barrels etc. I'd like to thank Dave Bush for starting this topic

I have hunted all over with my Blaser and it works. Most proffessionals in the fields mentioned above take the oppisite from what I have read. I have heard two separte incidents where PH's told the client you should have brought a good gun like a Blaser. One was in SA, the other was Hungary. Some people like them, others hate them. Who cares! I like them, and shoot them very well, you can't go wrong with them! BTW I have owned a Blaser since 1993.

Aleko

Probably the handiest Blaser is the Tracker:




I wonder why they don't make the octogon in .375 H&H?

I have 2 Tracker bbls for my Blaser R 93, a 308 and a 375. They are very handy. I have taken game with both of them, just last weekend I shot 2 turkeys with the 308.
I have shot both on paper to 200 yards and a little on steel at 300. They are not finiky about the loads they shoot well and near as I can tell shoot just as good as their regular/longer bbled counterparts.

A Tracker in 9,3x62 would be a hard hunting gun to beat.


That octogon bbl looks neat.

I have 4 R93's and an assortment of barrels. Never had a problem. You can find PH's on both sides of a discussion. The PH's I know that have had clients with R93 on safari have no complaints. It the assumption by the unknowning that create the bad press you hear.
That is why we have chocalate and vanilla ice cream. Everybody has their own taste.
For me I can travel with two R93's and can change barrels, bolts, stocks, and scopes between the two guns and still be in business. This will not be possible with most other long guns out their.
Take time to learn to use it and it will become second nature. I am very fast with mine. It has become second nature to get it into play.