Can anybody comment on the Heym SR 21 rifles?

I am interested in buying a left handed rifle in 8mm mauser or 8*64 S for boar and moose if the Rem cdl 30-06 rifle i ordered doesent make it from the US!

Looks like a high quality rifles but are they worth the tree times the price of a new Rem cdl?

Ps wich 8mm cal is better suided for these kind of hunts and what about finding ammo in skandinavia?

Regards
Ben.

I can't see where a Heym SR21 is worth 3 times what a M700 CDL is worth.

I own a bunch of Blaser R93s and I don't think they are worth what they cost but I love them and I am a slave to the brand.

If you personally like the rifle, and you like the way it works that's all that matters.

Here in Spain a M700 CDL is almost E1000 and a SR21 is about E1500.

quote:

Originally posted by sako:
Ps wich 8mm cal is better suided for these kind of hunts and what about finding ammo in skandinavia?

Regards
Ben.

Ben, the 8x64S is one of the all time great calibers, that unfortunately (almost) died along the way. And what a great pity that is! As good as the 8x57IS is, the 8x64S is just a tad better in all aspects (except, that it recoils a bit more). So it should be a clear choice.... Except that it is still VERY hard to come by ammo and components for the 8x64S. Here in Central Europe, ammo is only available from Brenneke and Sellier & Bellot. The Brenneke ammo is probably of good quality, but the price... The S&B ammo is normally of so-so quality. All of this says nothing about availability and price in Scandinavia (let alone Iceland), but I would guess it is even more scarce than on the Continent?? Life qould get a lot easier if you could get hold of a decent supply of cases - or if you can be bothered to form cases from 7x64, say (not sure exactly what is involved).

The Heym is supposedly a good rifle. My gunsmith swears by them. It is kind of hard to compare European rifles with US manufactured ones - at least as far as price is concerned. I find that the Euro rifles (Heym, Blaser, Steyr, Sauer etc) are made a lot better than the US rifles (Rem M700, Win M70 etc). Are they worth the increase in price?? I guess only the buyer can really decide on that.

- mike

I will agree with MHO that the tolerances are tighter, the trigger is usually adjustable, and the barrels are of higher quality. ( I still don't believe in the 3 times cost for Heym, Steyr, and 4 times for Blaser). Also why is a Johannson magnum mauser or a Sig Mauser $11,000 while a simliar rifle from Empire is $5500? I think it cost quite a bit more in German countries to make a profit. That or the Germans are used to getting screwed on prices by gun companies.

But you have to like German engineering to want it. I do, I have a Steyr, a ton of Blasers, and an older Colt Sauer 458. The stocks are set up different, the style is different, and the way the triggers and safetys work is often totally different.

I am a rifle nut and as an American (granted one living in Spain), I have the ability to own as many guns as I want. I dont' know anything about Icelandic gun laws.

If there is a limit to the number you can own, make sure everyone you own is what you want.

A left handed Heym in 8x57. I used to own just such a rifle. I bought it specifically for Bushveld hunting/ driven game and it performed well for me. I have since rebarrelled it in 7x64 as that seems a more versatile calibre.

In the UK a new Heym costs £1200 and a new Rem &00 £500? To me the Heym is well worth the money.

I think that the Remington 700 would probably shoot as well as the Heym, but I prefer the quality of the craftsmanship found in European rifles. I take great pride in owning rifles of great craftsmanship so it is worth it to me to pay extra for them. The fit and finish of factory European rifles seems to be better than those from America. I have many friends who look at a rifle as a tool and nothing else and they do not care about fine craftsmanship as long as the thing will shoot. I think that both schools have merit and that it all comes down to personal preference (and budget). I too love an accurate rifle, and all of the European rifles have been great in that respect. I own both European and American rifles and love to shoot them all. But personally, I would rather save a little longer to become the proud owner of the Heym. My father (a coal miner who was by no means wealthy) gave me the advice of: "Buy the best rifle you can afford."

9.3,

You father was right, "buy the best you can afford" is always the best route.

The older I get the smarter my father is!

Sako, I own a left handed Heym SR21 in 375 H&H and love the gun. I've owned it for a long time. It's accurate and trouble free. Next year it will make it's first trip to Africa.

SINCE A FEW EUROPEAN RIFLE MAKERS HAVE BEEN MENTIONED , I HAVE A VOERE TITAN 2 , ANY COMMENTS AS TO HOW THIS RIFLE'S QUALITY stacks up to other european makes ?
sorry for the capitals

I haven't had any experience with the Rem CDL's, but from past experience with Rem products and several Heym's....the Heym's outclass Remmy any day. My uncle used to import the Heyms so I got to see alot of them. Without exception they were all tackdrivers. Mine was an SR21 270 with EAW pivot mounts and a 3x9 Ziess. I used to win bets at the range shooting for groups while taking the scope off and reinstalling it between shots. The double set triggers didn't hurt the groups, either! Those EAW mounts sure were high, though...

Sako,

I used to own a Rem 700 BDL DM in .243, and it worked fine, it was accurate on paper which gave me confidence, and always performed well in the field. It had a couple of drawbacks for me though, one was that high gloss stock, anouther was the mass produced finish to the wood and steel; both pride of ownership things. The only functional problem was that it could get hung up when chambering a round. The only other full bore rifle I owned at the time was a Carl Gustaf 6,5 x 55 M96, and that was well made, and chambered a round like the precission instrument it was.

I then changed the M96 for a Steyer Mannlicher stainless Pro-hunter still in 6,5 x 55, that was an improvement on quality over the Rem, and lead me to change the Rem to a better quality rifle. After a few months looking and compairing I settled on the Heym SR21 still n .243, in was the right weight, barrel length, had a detachable mag which I like, has a three position safety, has a quality adjustable trigger that can be used in set mode if required. It has just about all the qualities I was looking for in one very well put together package.

Would I buy another Rem? No, the one I owned served me well and I was pleased with it, but both the Steyr and the Heym are better rifles in my opinion, and of course you pay more for that better quality. The only feature missing from both of these that I could want is controled round feed, but that is available again on a quality rifle now that Mauser is marketing the original action again.

Regards,
ShooterBob

Thanks all for your replys here!

The reason i did order the Rem cdl is that its the ONLY rifle i could get as a left hand rifle at that time but now i can get a Heym custom ordered rifle too!
Costs a bit but seems to be wort it!

Regards

quote:

Originally posted by sako:
Can anybody comment on the Heym SR 21 rifles?

I am interested in buying a left handed rifle in 8mm mauser or 8*64 S for boar and moose if the Rem cdl 30-06 rifle i ordered doesent make it from the US!

Looks like a high quality rifles but are they worth the tree times the price of a new Rem cdl?

Ps wich 8mm cal is better suided for these kind of hunts and what about finding ammo in skandinavia?

Regards
Ben.

Hello!

Well old Heym RFifles have a problem with quality because the owners of that copany changed very often!

So the quality is different.

But the actual Heym- Program is on a top-Quality Level, not compareable with Blaser!

For example the Heym Express (light) are the better johannsens for less money in my oppinion.

The SR 21 is a very nice rifle. Not light but accurate and well made!