I stopped in a gun shop on the way home from a culling trip,they had three Blaser rifles.

I like the idea of one rifle for everything, i could cover any animal on the planet with 22-250 300 WINAMG 416 REMMAG barrels.

Coming to Australia,i could bring 300,416 barrels culling ferals and buffalo,this should work for Africa too.

Does anyone here have a Blaser for this reason???

All input welcome

A mate just picked up a as new(looks unfired Sauer .270 with a Vari-X 111.

I know Johan hates the Blasers,I think Nitro does?

As an alternative to the Blaser (and a much better option, IMHO) is the Merkel KR1. Have a look at this link, or go to the Merkel website: Merkel KR1

Had a hell of a job opening the bolt, first time I picked one up, till someone told me ya pull it back and not up.
Bloody nice guns, and shoot damn well. Don't have one yet, but have my eye on a R93 professional in 300 WSM.

I use a BLASER in 9.x62 , 7X64 and 6.5x57 and use it on everything fom Rabbits and Ibex to Lion and Buffalo.
The MAUSER 03 is a good alternative to the R93 with similar features but in a more traditional Bolt action style.
ozhunter

quote:

Originally posted by Easy_Rollins:
A mate just picked up a as new(looks unfired Sauer .270 with a Vari-X 111.

I know Johan hates the Blasers,I think Nitro does?

I am of mixed opinion on the Blasers and think safety with them may be suspect.

I much prefer the Sauer 202 and would buy one of them. The Takedown model is also nice.

Been shooting one for ten year Mate, Never had a problem . I think when guns in general have a problem no mater who makes it people jump on the band wagon and say everyone hates this gun it's bad.
all guns have people who don't like them and people who love them.It's all in what you like.
Try one you will love it.

Wonderful rifle. I borrowed one from a friend when I hunted in Australia on two different occasions. If I was younger and did not already have too many rifles, I would start with the Blaser and finish with it.

I was pleasantly surprised at how we could take it down and fit it into a small case. Put it back together, replace the scope, and it was dead on time and time again. Accuracy was excellent.

Its a fuuny thing how advents can form an oppinion on certain subjects. I've never owned a Blazer but often thought i would very much like to. that was before a good friend of mine had his split the barrell like a peeled banana on a Mt Goat hunt in SE Alaska a few yrs back.
That was it for me, coupled with the *!*! response from the blazer agents in respect to an explanation.
There fore I base my oppinion on that experience and would never OWN a Blazer. There are better rifles out there that do the same job, a couple of them are mentioned above.
Once bitten, twice shy

I have used my Blaser in Australia for the last 5 years, with no problems, i have seen the photos of the rifle mentioned with the split barrel, it seems that why it happened still remains a mystery, what rifle does the NZ gentleman use now his Blaser is no more,
I have had good luck with mine, but all rifles have had failures for a number of reason not just blaser. cheers Davo

I have used and shot the Blaser R 93 quite a bit. I like them. They are my favorite bolt action.

I have hunted them in snow, rain [lots of rain] and dusty conditions with no problems.

They need no additional gunsmith work out of the box.

the best alternative to the blaser that i know of is a real rifle

[QUOTE]Originally posted by highlander:
Its a fuuny thing how advents can form an oppinion on certain subjects. I've never owned a Blazer but often thought i would very much like to. that was before a good friend of mine had his split the barrell like a peeled banana on a Mt Goat hunt in SE Alaska a few yrs back.

The fact that the rifle action held together has to be a good thing.
I have seen a photo of another Barrel which peeled apart in the same way as the Blaser 300wetherby did. This was due to the fact that a bore sighter was left in the Barrel.
May be there was an obstruction in the 300wetherbys barrel ??
ozhunter

FWIW, I had a Blaser I used to use as a company loaner for about 10 years. Although I didn't like to look of it as I prefer wood stocks, it was a great rifle for it's purpose. Tough as hell and very accurate - BUT it suddenly developed a fault where it would A/D. Blaser fixed it FOC and guaranteed it again, but I got rid of it anyway for the obvious reason..... and replaced it with a traditional bolt action.

That said, if I had the choice between a Blaser and a Sauer, I'd probably opt for the Blaser as although the Sauer is a very pretty and accurate rifle, it doesn't suit my needs and I've seen a lot of faults and (what I consider) bad design features on them.....

TOP,

To your original question; Yes, one of the reasons I started with Blaser was the "flexibility" aspect.

We're off over the Holidays and I'm packing my R93 OffRoad with the .222 Rem. & .30/06 Sprg. barrels for Deer & Wild Boar plus some night-time Fox potting thrown in for giggles - couldn't think of a more purpose suited combination; especially in the tailor made Blaser double barrel/scope guncase. One package & you're out the door!

Meanwhile I've 5 barrels; a .222 Rem, .223 Rem., 243 Win., .30/06 Sprg. & .375H&H barrels for my R93 chassis and that pretty much covers all the bases as far as I'm concerned. Every barrel I've got is a one holer as far as accuracy goes too - never seen a bad one!

Only thing I would venture as a bit of a negative is that the .416 Rem. barrel only comes in Safari weight and requires an additional forearm for the wooden stocked version or the barrel channel hogged out (the factory will do this job excellently) on the synthetics. The .375H&H barrel is available in both Standard & Safari weights, so all of mine fit the original OffRoad stock.

Also, I've shot the .416 Rem. in a standard weight R93 platform - the recoil will definately get your attention but on the Safari platform it's O.K.

I've the good fortune of owning many fine rifles but like billinthewild mentioned previously if I'd had the means and they had been available years ago I'd probably only own the one set and be done with it. As an aside it is also the easiest to convert Left-Right Bolt gun available, just slide the left/right bolt carrier assembly out and slide the opposite in. A real bonus for me & my wife (left-handed) and my son & other hunting guests (right-handed) to whom I loan it!

The Blaser is an excellent rifle. I own and R93 wood lux in 30-06 and it is a very accurate rifle. The modular system is definitely of benefit and the ability to take the rifle down, transport it, reassemble it and it is still smack on zero baffles some but it works without fail. Every rifle maker has problems, I think the Blaser stands out because it is not a system that everyone likes; each to their own I say, be a boring old world if we all shot the same rifle!

I have 5 stocks and 13?14? ish barrels.

Love em!

Last night I opened up the barrel channel of one of my synthetics with a rasp and it came out really nice. Now I can shoot my 6mm BR and 222 Match barrels out of it. I'll let you know after I get them shooting.

I bought a mauser 66 over 20 years ago. This was the first of the switch barrel rigs. Over the years I've acquired barrels from 243 to 458Win Mag. The benefit of doing your big game hunting with a the same stock, trigger, action etc as you used to shoot dozens of rabbits at 200 yards is enormous.

mike

I have used a Blaser almost exclusively since 2000. My favourite combo due to flexiblity is a .222 Rem, .308 WCF, .300 Win Mag, and a .375 H&H. I normally use all the barrels on my Attache' Super Lux frame. Accuracy, compact, durable, wonderful guns

Aleko

what about the safety? Because your actually compressing the firing pine it turn the safety off its quite hard to push forward.

I was in the gunshop with TP when he was lookng at the Blazers and tried to turn the safety off with the rifle on my sholder and it was very difficult.

I know what you mean that was my first impression too. I bought an R-93 Offroad Timber. It took all of about 5 minutes to get use to. Once you get the hang of it, its simple and natural. I when with one because the ease of break down and the clever way they make them.

NZV

The first time some one handles a Blaser it does seem hard to operate. However after you use one a short while it becomes natural.

What about when following up wounded dangerous game??

This would be a big move for me as i would sell some of my rifles.

Thanks for the input guys.

quote:

Originally posted by NZVarminter:
what about the safety? Because your actually compressing the firing pine it turn the safety off its quite hard to push forward.

I was in the gunshop with TP when he was lookng at the Blazers and tried to turn the safety off with the rifle on my sholder and it was very difficult.

That is correct. You'll learn to operate it a bit differently. The cocking mechanism (or "safety", if you like) is a bit hard to cock once you have the rifle mounted. But it is really easy to cock before you get the rifle up there. Solution: you cock before (or while) you mount your gun. It really is not a big deal, you get used to it pretty quickly.

I use my Blaser quite a bit on driven game, and in those situations, you sometimes have to act really fast. Cocking and mounting the rifle must happen automatically. After a while, you don't even think of it any longer, it just becomes second nature doing so. I don't do a lot of follow-up on wounded game, but I'd imagine it would be much the same in those situations.

It is valid to discuss whether the cocking mechanism makes the Blaser slower to use than a regular bolt action carried cocked with the safety on. But after a while, you'll appreciate the ability of carrying the Blaser loaded in full safety (uncocked) so much it becomes hard to go back to the original system. At least that is what I have found, and which causes me to hunt with little else but my Blasers (or other guns with a manual cocking system).

Like most guns, the Blaser must be used and practiced with sufficiently in order for the safety and operating procedures to become second nature. Case in point, many people have difficulty easily opening the straight pull action when uncocked. When they have fired a shot they therefore simply pull back the bolt, because in this position of cocking lever there is no need to release the bolt lock mechanism. That is all well and good, but you then HAVE to remember that when you close your bolt on a fresh round, the rifle is now cocked. Fine if this what you want, not so fine if you forget. The safer option is to deliberately de-cock after the shot, and then chamber a new round. Demands a bit of discipline, but that is all. It is not per se any different to dealing with other rifles, but you have to use the Blaser to appreciate its idiosyncrasies.

- mike

quote:

Originally posted by TOP_PREDATOR:
I stopped in a gun shop on the way home from a culling trip,they had three Blaser rifles.

The photos I just posted on your thread inquiring about Cape York were of hogs taken with my "mates" Blaser in 7mm Mag.

I have a Blaser I bought years ago in a left hand verstion, three calibers 6.5X 68, 8 X68,
9.3X64 no problems.

Used my 93 for a few years now, both the 270 Win and the 9.3x62 BBLs. Both shoot very well, and have a return to zero when reassembled which is amazing. As mentioned, the rifles do not require any work out of the box to get them to shoot. Sprrd of follow up shots is, IMHO, second only to a double.
they do take some getting used to (the operation is very different to a turn bolt), to the extent that if you have both kinds of action (straight pull, and turn bolt) I would say, stick with one or the other, especially if DG is you goal. Otherwise you make the same mistake a moderately well known gun writer here in OZ did, and try really hard to snap off the bolt handle on his 93, thinking it was his Mauser 98. Funny to watch, sobering to realise if it was DG, he would likely be stomped or bitten.
The only concern I have is the method of locking the action shut. The collet is certainly very strong, moreso than many other actions. But it locks directly into the BBL , and if the BBL fails at the chamber or breech (rare, but it does happen), there is nothing holding the action closed.
Unlike a Mauser derivative, where the BBL is screwed into a receiver, which the bolt locks into. If there is a problem at the chamber, the action had a better chance of holding together.

It's up to you. I'm happy with mine, but then I only feed it my own handloads, so I know what is going into the chamber.
And I generally don't try to shoot a rifle with a BBL obstruction.

quote:

Originally posted by highlander:
Its a fuuny thing how advents can form an oppinion on certain subjects. I've never owned a Blazer but often thought i would very much like to. that was before a good friend of mine had his split the barrell like a peeled banana on a Mt Goat hunt in SE Alaska a few yrs back.
That was it for me, coupled with the *!*! response from the blazer agents in respect to an explanation.
There fore I base my oppinion on that experience and would never OWN a Blazer. There are better rifles out there that do the same job, a couple of them are mentioned above.
Once bitten, twice shy

Funny, I feel the same way about Remington...

I worked in a gun shop for a few years, and sold quite a few of them. I wanted one, but had so many rifles (and being a practical owner of firearms, not a collector) resisted the temptation to own one, as I had so many calibres covered.
a few mates had them and loved them, and i secretly harboured the desire to own one as well.....then finally I saw a nice timber model second hand in 9.3 x 62 (i didn't have that calibre) at the right price and bought it!
They shoot fantastic, look great, exellent saftey/decocking system and most importantly a take down rifle that returns to ZERO EVERYTIME!!!
TP buy it, you want be sorry.

It is kinda funny, I used to chant the CRF mantra all the time until I actually used a Blaser. Everything worked and it's repeatable! I have had mine out in all conditions and it works. The thing I find too is the shootability of the gun just out of the box. No messing just assemble and go to the range. Also the handiness is a real plus too

Aleko

quote:

Originally posted by BwanaBob:
As an alternative to the Blaser (and a much better option, IMHO) is the Merkel KR1. Have a look at this link, or go to the Merkel website: Merkel KR1

I'm curious, no-one has made any comment about the Merkel KR1 that I suggested. Are these rifles simply unknown to the general shooting public or is there some prejudice against them that I am not aware of?

The KRap1? Saw it, and so shot it, not too impressed

Aleko

I have been to the Blaser factory in Isny, Germany (Deutschland) and was very impressed. I was on the ultimate rifle quest for 20 years...and then I found the Blaser R-93! I tried every brand, even some customs that I had built and sold at a substantial loss. Since 1999 I only own Blaser R-93s. Nothing shoots, handles or travels like a Blaser R-93. I've had mine all over the world, they are an amazing piece of German craftmanship!

If you want a great weapon...the Blaser will amaze you, if you give it the chance!

Dr. Tim

quote:

Originally posted by TOP_PREDATOR:
I stopped in a gun shop on the way home from a culling trip,they had three Blaser rifles.

I like the idea of one rifle for everything, i could cover any animal on the planet with 22-250 300 WINAMG 416 REMMAG barrels.

Coming to Australia,i could bring 300,416 barrels culling ferals and buffalo,this should work for Africa too.

Does anyone here have a Blaser for this reason???

All input welcome

YEP! Except telling the BIG FIVE to hold off plans of changing your anatomy while you change barrels, etc. Or you can ask a tracker for your big gun as plans changed for your PG hunt!

quote:

The KRap1? Saw it, and so shot it, not too impressed

At last someone has made a comment but it doesn't tell me much. What didn't impress you about it?

I have to confess that I've not shot either the Blaser or the KR1 but prefer, by a long shot, the fit, finish, feel and pointability of the KR1, so I am very curious as to what makes people choose the Blaser.

i have not shot a KR1 but to me they look like a cross between a Mauser 66 and a Blaser and a few other odd actions all thrown togther, the KR1 did get a good report in a couple of mags though, i will stick to my Blaser, i spent 5 years looking at Blasers before buying mine, wish i hadn't waited so long, i sold 2 sakos to buy mine, Cheers Dave

Bob

I have not handled the Merkel KR1 but it holds little appeal for me.

I don't find its styling attractive at all.

In theory I dislike the "slide" bolt as well.

I would like the opportunity to have a look at one however. Would there be one at the SCI Coffs Harbour show?

quote:

I would like the opportunity to have a look at one however. Would there be one at the SCI Coffs Harbour show?

Yes, there'll be a couple in different configurations.

Bwanabob, i too will check it out at Coffs, Bob can you run us thru some of the different models, do they make a synthetic stock version, cheers David

I'm surprised by the number of people here who have responded to T-P saying they have one, and all seem to like it.

Has re-opened my eyes.

Can I ask the gentlemen here, if you have an R93, how much shooting have you put through it? (ie if it has been shot a lot without any issues)

Does the low capacity of the magazine cause any problems?

Has anyone had a problem when the bolt is cocked, and they chamber a round, with the bolt not fully closing?
ie I have heard of instances where the round has been able to be fired even though the bolt isn't fully closed.

Not making any criticisms, just looking for real factual experience.