Okay, I have now had my Blaser S2 .470 for about six weeks. I have run about sixty rounds through it. I just got back from the range again this morning and I wanted to pass some final observations on to you.

1. The gun is heavy. It weighs in at 11.66 pounds but in the .470 I think that is a good thing, at least for me anyway. I shoot better with less recoil and the weight really helps tame the recoil. If you are an elephant hunter who plans on walking 15 miles a day, this might not be the gun for you but my 15 mile days are long past.

2. I don't have enough expertise to tell you about the balance. It seems a bit barrel heavy to me but this is only the second double I have owned and only about the sixth one I have shot. To be honest, being a bolt guy, all doubles feel barrel heavy to me. The S2 seems less barrel heavy than my friends Heym .500 NE but I did not have a chance to shoot them side-by-side. If the aim is to keep the weight between the hands, Blaser has at least succeeded in that regard.

3. I have not found the hood over the action to be an issue. Like any other extractor rifle, I simply tilt the barrels up a bit and the empties fall right out in my hand. If you are right handed, it is easy to pluck the case from the right barrel, more difficult to pluck the case from the left.

4. Is is indeed easier to "flick" off a conventional safety than it is to "cock" a Blaser and I understand why some, particularly a PH, might take issue with this. However, like anything else, cocking the gun and re-cocking it upon reloading is a skill that can be easily acquired and this should not be an issue for the visiting hunter.

5. This gun was regulated with WR Ammunition and 500 grain Woodleighs, not the Federal stuff. It did not regulate at 2150 fps but more closely to the Kynoch window. In my 24.5 inch barrel, it came into regulation with 100 grains of IMR 4831 which was running around 2040 fps. With that load, it is very, very accurate.

Now, please do me a favor. I really like this rifle so please, don't write in and tell me that it is a piece of shit. I have heard all the arguments before.. "It's not a gun for dangerous game, built buy a committee", etc. I just don't share those views. I have an R93 as well and I think it is terrific too. I think a Heym is a superb rifle too. I just can't afford one. At around $8,000 for a .470 or .500, I think the S2 is a steal!

Good luck and good hunting

My buddy's PH in Tanzania used a Blaser S-2 in .470 and it worked fine for him. Just use it and enjoy it and let all the internet gurus cool their heels.

Dave

2040fps with a 500gr bullet is plenty good enough.

My 450 No2 is fairly heavy, it even has 28" barrels. I like it just the way it is. It is very comfortable to shoot.

Carrying it on long walks has not been a problem.

I use R 93,s and several different Blaser combo guns that operate just like the S2.

Once you get trained on the cocking system is is a nonissue to me.

The one thing I would recommend to you is to work up a load with the 400gr Hornady XTP and use it for deer, pigs etc.

Use your S2 as much as possible.

Dave, We're hunters, not PHs. What should matter to us is accuracy, reliability, "feel", and cost. From a practical hunter's standpoint, it's very hard to beat a Blaser S2. Buy one, and use the rest of the money you would have spent on a "proper" British double to go on 4 or 5 safaris and actually use the rifle.
For those that envision themselves needing to fend off attacking Lions and Tigers and Bear (Oh My!), Buff, and Jumbos at arm's length at every turn in the jess, mortgage the house and get an H&H Royal....or get real.

Dave: I like your assessment; enjoy the rifle ......

Dave,
I am not a fan of the current, of the shelf doubles but the weight of your rifle does make it more comfortable to shoot. This is especially true if you are shooting the rifle from a bench. One of my complaints of the "new" double rifles is that they are built far to light in weight. A Kreighoff 500 actually weighs around 10 pounds which is far to light in my opinion. Have fun.

quote:

I don't have enough expertise to tell you about the balance

Dave, I have been following your "journey" with some interest. It has been similar to mine. I have two double rifles (SXS) and one OU. I have NO idea how a "good double" should balance and to be honest I have reservations how any 10-11 pound gun can "handle like a shotgun" like some of the experts say they do. Perhaps one day I will get to handle one of these for myself! I shoot skeet and I can tell you that even the Rem 3200 aficianados will admit that it handles like a railroad tie! Meanwhile, my K gun in 500/416 will have to do. It IS heavy, and it IS muzzle heavy. Not surprising when you remember how much it weighs. These are NOT shotguns! My MK Owen in 450x3 1/4 is even heavier and I am GLAD. It recoils less than my 500/416! I do not plan on shooting skeet with either of these guns. I do plan on shooting ele or buff with one of them.
Incidentally my K gun has a cocker/decocker similar to yours. Yes I know it stays cocked on opening/closing, but I feel VERY comfortable with this feature.
Peter.

Peter:

My other double is .500/.416 K-gun so I know exactly what you are talking about. I love that gun too and especially like the caliber.

quote:

Originally posted by Peter:
.........
I have NO idea how a "good double" should balance and to be honest I have reservations how any 10-11 pound gun can "handle like a shotgun" like some of the experts say they do. Perhaps one day I will get to handle one of these for myself!
.......
Peter.

This would lead us back to the discussion of what makes a British Rifle special and why so many are rooting for the English Rigby.

Peter, and Dave also, I would suggest that the Krieghoff and the Blazer don't handle like shotguns. What you both need to do is try a prewar Holland or Rigby sidelock. You will be shocked at the difference in balance and if you are lucky enough to find one that fits you perfectly you will indeed see what all the halabaloo is about.

Gator1, agreed! So, who has one not too far from Jacksonville, Florida?
Peter.

Congrats, Dave!

Thanks Rusty.

Rusty, I tried Reloder 15 with a filler first but I got tired of messing with the filler so I switced over to IMR 4831. I am shooting right around 99-100 grains with a 500 grain Woodleigh. Although it doesn't quite fill the case, I have not found a filler to be necessary and it seems to shoot better.

Gator, I don't even want to see a prewar H&H or a Rigby. Then I would know what I was missing

quote:

Rusty, I tried Reloder 15 with a filler first but I got tired of messing with the filler so I switced over to IMR 4831. I am shooting right around 99-100 grains with a 500 grain Woodleigh. Although it doesn't quite fill the case, I have not found a filler to be necessary and it seems to shoot better.

Dave,

I have a Blaser S2 Safari in 470 NE. I settled on using Reloder 22. Almost fills the case and no filler needed. Gives average velocity of 2085 fps with 500 gn Woodleighs. Very accurate. I obtained the date from a bullet manufacture web site and it gives me good results.

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
Dave, We're hunters, not PHs. What should matter to us is accuracy, reliability, "feel", and cost. From a practical hunter's standpoint, it's very hard to beat a Blaser S2. Buy one, and use the rest of the money you would have spent on a "proper" British double to go on 4 or 5 safaris and actually use the rifle.
For those that envision themselves needing to fend off attacking Lions and Tigers and Bear (Oh My!), Buff, and Jumbos at arm's length at every turn in the jess, mortgage the house and get an H&H Royal....or get real.

+1

Congratulations Dave and thanks for sharing. Our paths seem to be running somewhat parallel as I have been testing and learning to shoot my 470 K-Gun, another non-traditional double. I am leaving in less than 60 days for my first elephant hunt.

quote:

Originally posted by JohnWKiely:

quote:

Rusty, I tried Reloder 15 with a filler first but I got tired of messing with the filler so I switced over to IMR 4831. I am shooting right around 99-100 grains with a 500 grain Woodleigh. Although it doesn't quite fill the case, I have not found a filler to be necessary and it seems to shoot better.

Dave,

I have a Blaser S2 Safari in 470 NE. I settled on using Reloder 22. Almost fills the case and no filler needed. Gives average velocity of 2085 fps with 500 gn Woodleighs. Very accurate. I obtained the date from a bullet manufacture web site and it gives me good results.

John:

PM sent.

Dave, if you shoot the rifle well and the feel is good to you, why let anyone question it? 1 pair of size 10 shoes won't necessarily fit the same on 2 different sets of size 10 feet. Shoot the pi$$ out of them babies.

Gary
DRSS
NRA Lifer
SCI
DSC

Dave,

As long as I don't get too arthritic, I found, like you, that the safety/cocker isn't that big a deal. Like you say just need to do it before or on the way to shoulder to get enough force on it.

An automatic "safety" isn't any different than all the double shotguns around.