I've held both of these rifles in a store setting ...just wondering how they compare in actual field use, pro,cons opinions?

Sorry, I haven't used either in the field, and can't report beyond what I've read in the gun rag articles (I'm sure you've read the same ones). But I'd be interested in hearing your comparison after handling them... something I haven't done?

Thanks,

i can't say anything about the merkel, but i do have a K95. its a very accurate lightweight rifle, only bad thing is that damn cocking safety.

I have handled both, and I prefer the looks and scope mount system of the Blaser K 95.

Also the K 95's have a reputation of great accuracy.

I have a K 95 Stutzen in 308.

It is one of the most accurate hunting rifles I have ever fired.

The more I use Blaser rifles, R 93, K 95 and the D99, the more I like the cocking system

Merkel= traditional German good looks with a reliable and accurate platform.

Blaser=20th century engineering, better scope mount and sub moa in every caliber.

I have a K95, you can read about it here; http://www.blaserpro.com/articles/article15.html

IMHO, the Blaser is the gun to get.

I too, am the proud owner of a Blaser K-95 Stuzen in 7x57R. I have nothing but glowing praise for this rifle which has become my "Grab Gun". If you're into, small, neat & tidy with fantastic accuracy and a huge dose of versitility; well, it just doesn't get any better than this package.

I've got a leather case that sorta looks like I'm toting a sawed-off Pool Cue with the broken-down rifle & scope inside. It invariably elicits, "Where's your Rifle?" queries when arriving at hunting venues.

Appears to be some Snob Factor involved here, too, but that sorta comes with the Territory as far as "expensive" Single Shots go. Can't speak for other Blaser K-95 owners but had to reach down pretty deep into the back recesses of my wallet to make it happen but I'm glad I did - truly a nice rifle.

I've handled & shot both Merkel & Blaser and IMO it's a matter of personal preference; both are very nice rifles. That I was already a R93 owner probably influenced my decision greatly. I've had no issues with the Cocking Button; an exact copy of the R93's. It's become pretty second-nature whne using Blaser rifles and without being cocked affords significant Peace-of-Mind when wandering about.

I bought dad "his" k95 for his 65th birthday we have barrels in 222, 243, an 30-06.

I am going to sell off a few R93s to buy another k95 for me with a barrel in 7mm Rem, 9.3x74R, and for nostaligia a 10.3x60R.

Eventually I will scrounge the funds for a 3rd one and 2 or 3 more barrels but this one will be an Attache stutzen.

I have handeled but not shot the Merkel it's a very nice gun, the scope mounting system isn't as different as the guys above will lead you to beleive. All in all it's probably just as nice a rifle for a little less money and with totally different options.

Krieghoff also makes a single shot, so does Chapuis. To my eye the Krieghoff is the nicest of all four brands.

The problem with all of them is if you go up much in grade you get to the point where you could have a Hagn single shot built by someone other than Hagn or in the top ends you they are priced over what a truly custom Ferlach or Suhl gun cost.

I like them all, but for different reasons:

There are some good deals on the Merkel, even some Swarovski scoped packages. That is nice, but I like the looks of the Merkel the least, particularly in the Stutzen. I have handled the Merkel quite a bit. Stamped engraving doesn't look as good as the Blaser.

I like the rib on the Krieghoff quite a bit. Wish that was available on the Blaser. I haven't handled one of these, but they sure look good in the catalog. Is it a tilting block like the Blaser?

I chose the Blaser Stutzen in 7X57 because I fell in love with the Stutzen stock coupled with the octagon barrel. Additional barrels reputedly need little or no fitting. The cocking/de-cocking mechanism is no big deal at all, particularly for a single shot.

That's my problem too.
Some months ago I decided for a single shot break down.

There are actually 4 rifles

Blaser K95
Merkel K1
Krieghoff Hubertus
Heym 44B

After testing all the four

my heart says Krieghoff
my brain Blaser

and the Heym is a really nice rifle too.

So I think I will finally go with the Blaser,
modern, a lot of different calibers (I would like to try the 6x62R Frères).

If I had the money I would take them all for


I LOVE RIFLES!!


Burkhard

I'm in the process of selling off some bolt rifles and will replace them with a Blaser K95. Haven't decided on a caliber yet but will most likely be a 308.

I have a K95 with 6.5x57R and 5.6x50Rmag barrels. Astonishingly accurate and beautiful to look at.

It's just about to have it's trigger adjusted to the European <1.5lb. IMHO it needs a light trigger as it is very light itself. My stock is the US straight comb version which is exceedingly well designed.

If there was one beef it is that the scope looks a little high if it's not got a 50mm objective.

1894mk2:

I'm listening to the siren call of a K95. I have two possibilities in mind, one with the US stock and one with the Euro version with the twin accents around the cheek piece. Have you shot the Euro stock, which do you like better?

Finally, I am dismayed by the costs of the Blaser scope mounting rings. The money is one thing, but the feeling that I'm getting screwed is the main thing. Is there an alternative?

I've shot the Blaser K95 (.308 Stutzen), Merkel in .30-06 and Krieghoff in 3 calibers.

All 3 are very nice rifles.

I preferred the Blaser initially. Accuracy, weight, scope mounting system that returns to exact zero every time and looks sold me on it.

Ended up hating the Euro style stock. Made that .308 slap me in the face every time.

So I traded it away and ended up with a Krieghoff Hubertus that now has 6.5x57R, .30-06 and 9.3x74R barrels. It is heavier, does not have the shroud over the cartridge and a straight stock. Being a lefty, I did not like the placement of the extractor on the K95, it interfered with the way I removed the spent cartridge rom the chamber. Also, the extractor on the Hubertus is on the bottom, making it perfect for left or right handed shooters to pluck out a fired round.

I have also appreciated the extra weight of the Hubertus when shooting the 9.3x74R barrel. That load in a light rifle has some snort!

Chopperguy:

Which was the most accurate? Every evaluation I read of the Merkels indicate they are 1 to 1 1/2 MOA rifles. For me, for thousands of dollars that is not acceptable which is the main reason I'm leaning heavily towards the Blaser.

Before I plunk down any cash I'll have to do some more stock research, I've shot the CZ Euro styles with no problem.

For me, the Blaser and Krieghoff were most accurate.

NowI only had one range session with the Merkel that belonged to another shooter. It was the same caliber as my Krieghoff, same ammo did not shoot nearly as well. Group size with the Merkel was about twice the size of that fired through the Krieghoff. May have been a function of ammo, but the same stuff shoots just as well in my Blaser R93.

My Blaser was and my Krieghoff is a sub MOA rifle when I do my part. The Krieghoff shoots each caliber equally as well.

I know that I shoot a heavier rifle better. the K95 is sweet, but the extra weight of the Krieghoff makes it much more shootable/huntable for me. I don't like light for gauge shotguns either!

Well, I took the plunge, I've been thinking about a .308 K95 luxus stutzen that Hendershott's had for several months. I visited their site today and, wallah, said gun was in the "reduced" sale room. I couldn't stand it, should be here in a few days.

Where does a guy find a decent price on rings (not QR)for the blaser k-95?

As far as I can tell there ain't a decent price. Hendershot's has them discounted about $25-$30 or so and that's cheaper than anyone else I've found. I guess the Germans go on the theory that if you can afford the rifle they'll just rip you a new one on the rings too and since the market is so limited I don't know of anyone else who makes them.

BTW, if you don't want them, you don't want them, but the QD rings are pretty slick and really are no more "intrusive" looking than the regular rings.

FWIW, I was advised that the aluminum rings don't match the bluing as well as the steel ones. Also was told the steel ones weigh about 4 ounces more than the alum. That sounds like a lot of difference to me now that I've had the steel ones in my hand, but I don't have an alum. set to compare them with. Considering how light the rifle is, I decided I preferred the extra wt anyway. YMMV.

I like this one.

Either that beautiful rifle is dainty or that scope is huge...I love the metal carving...

Ditto, JUST what I was thinking, NICE gun, agreed!

Gatogordo

My K 95 Stutzen in 308 has never shot a 3 shot group at the range over one inch at 100 yards.

This was shooting prone off of my hunting pack.
I have shot 6 different factory loads and one handload in it if I remember correctly, I would have to look in my book.

I have been amazed at its accuracy.

This underlever job from Karl Hauptmann is interesting:



There's very little info on it in their web site.

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
Gatogordo

My K 95 Stutzen in 308 has never shot a 3 shot group at the range over one inch at 100 yards.

This was shooting prone off of my hunting pack.
I have shot 6 different factory loads and one handload in it if I remember correctly, I would have to look in my book.

I have been amazed at its accuracy.

I shot mine for the first time yesterday. Well, I shot it once before, but the grass had grown so high with our wet spring that I was shooting through grass tops to hit the 100 yd target so I quit and then came back and shredded the range a week or so back.

At any rate, I was shooting off a bench with a cheap old Hoppe's rest (I've got a much better heavier benchrest type rest but it is a pain in the butt to haul around so normally I use the Hoppe's). After getting it on paper, I tried 130 and 150 grain Factory Norma loads, could've been me, but it didn't like them much. Had some vertical stringing which I attributed to a lighter hold on the rifle. It is really light compared to most rifles I shoot and I found that a firmer hold seemed to shoot better for me. At any rate, a bit windy, but switched to some old red box Federal factory 180 gr SPs. 3 shot group was about .4 inch CTC so I called that good for the day. Will work up some better hunting loads later. Seems to prefer heavier bullets at first blush. I'll try to post pics later.

Gatogordo

I shot my K 95 off of my pack with a firm hold as if hunting, the same way i would shoot any rifle off of my pack at game.

I have been amazed at how well my K 95 shoots.

Like most all light and short rifles I have shot, the "harder" you hold them the better they shoot.

I'm saving my pennies for a K-95. Looks like I'll be a while...

I loaded ammo for a friend's K95 in .257 Weatherby, the Barnbes TSX 115 grain shoot under an inch at 100 meters, Ballistic tip into a tiny, single hole. From what I hear from friends with K95s and from my own experience with now 3 different barrels, it is difficult NOt to get a shooter.

Just a very beautifull, light AND accurate rifle. If I had to hunt with only one, it woudl be a K95.

K 95 before I die, which might be the day my wife finds out how much it cost!

The k95 is a good rifle and in 7x57R it's just great. I'll be taking mine for a walk over the next few days, the first outing since undergoing radical protate surgery, I hope I don't get too tired.