Blaser R8

track said:
Only a trifle of R93 had this issue. There has been no incident that I know of with the R8. The bolt assembly on the R8 is robust compared to the R93, case in point, the entire firearm is more robust.
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There is no issue. I'll be the first to admit that I had an R93 a few years back where the bolt assembly slid open partly after firing. A 375 H&H. However, everything was fine with the gun, though it did scare me a bit. The only thing I can come up with is that my hand must have done the opening on recoil.
There are literally thousands of these guns in various European countries. If there was an actual safety issue, they would've been off the market years ago. Pretty much every incident has happened because of improper reloading practices. The same catastrophic failure would happen with any rifle.
But if you read enough about it on the Net, as I did, you can convince yourself they're dangerous. I've since smartened up and decided that there's no way this rifle got this popular by being a Ford Pinto.
 
the r8 fixed the safety issue that had the r93. if you look on the internet you will find issues that happened and even the DEWA was involved. with all the incidents (from memories 8) it was found all the time about reloaded ammo not factory ones. there is nothing locking the bolt back in the r93 and they add some feature in the r8 so there is something. class action is not very used in europe and was not legal up to few years ...

the other issue was at the beginning the three springs issued for the trigger light they become only one and needed the approved gunsmith to change it if needed. with the lighter one you can choose when closing the bolt you can have in certain condition an AD.

the main reason the blaser or any modular system is: modular. in countries where you cannot own more than a certain amount of rifles the frame receiver count for one and the barrels for none. so if your limit is 6 rifles in the safe and not with the same calibers it is helping a lot plus the agressive commercial hype done in some countries by isny and you got the success.
sauer, blaser and mauser are now build in the same place but the blaser is the only one with the optic mount on the barrel. the two other need a check before using it not the blaser for that, that is clever.


in europe hunts is not done the same way and most of the hunters have higher income and need to show off what they have. never seen a bushnell or a leupold in any of the hunts i went or belongs too (i hunted in different countries and belongs to three hunting districts). for my night hunting scope it was a meopta and i was looked at like i was coming from another planet ...
 
I wonder how many incidents there are of Remingtons and Winchesters blowing up because of improper reloading techniques. I imagine there's a few......

Not all countries have limits on firearms possession . Germany, for instance, does not have any.

medvedqc said:
the r8 fixed the safety issue that had the r93. if you look on the internet you will find issues that happened and even the DEWA was involved. with all the incidents (from memories 8) it was found all the time about reloaded ammo not factory ones. there is nothing locking the bolt back in the r93 and they add some feature in the r8 so there is something.
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The system is the same. I've read that the R8 has a steeper angle on the collets. As for the bolt locking, it's the same. The system Blaser uses with the bolt collets locking into the barrel has actually been proven to handle more pressure than a conventional bolt with lugs. Extreme pressure actually forces the collets harder into the barrel. Many think that the lack of a rotating bolt handle is dangerous and causes the bolt to fly into someone's face, but there isn't a bolt handle on any firearm that will keep the bolt from flying back after the lugs shear off.
 
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bearkilr said:
I wonder how many incidents there are of Remingtons and Winchesters blowing up because of improper reloading techniques. I imagine there's a few......

Not all countries have limits on firearms possession . Germany, for instance, does not have any.



The system is the same. I've read that the R8 has a steeper angle on the collets. As for the bolt locking, it's the same. The system Blaser uses with the bolt collets locking into the barrel has actually been proven to handle more pressure than a conventional bolt with lugs. Extreme pressure actually forces the collets harder into the barrel. Many think that the lack of a rotating bolt handle is dangerous and causes the bolt to fly into someone's face, but there isn't a bolt handle on any firearm that will keep the bolt from flying back after the lugs shear off.
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well there is a difference in the bolt between the r8 and r93.

h t t p s ://www.africahunting.com/threads/safety-warning.14239/page-2

proof is in the pudding ....

in Germany after 6 rifles you need a different permit that is harder to get since they changed from the land or even the city to the federal system.

Sweden is 6 firearms.

you can believe what you want but the reason those rifles are selling there is not because they are better it is just because they are well marketed and they are accurate. but for that price you can that from most of the platforms.
 
The R93 and R8 are different enough that there are no interchangeable parts; a sore point for owners of the older R93, since barrels for the R8 do not fit. The basic design is certainly unchanged, and remains unique and distinct from all competitors.

And, certainly, the appeal of these guns is magnified for those whose governments have decreed they can only own a certain specified number of firearms. We're not there...yet...but there are other reasons that Blaser fans are convinced their guns are "better"...whatever that means.

My R93's (and also the R8's) can be taken down and re-assembled with no perceptible loss of zero. That includes removing and replacing the scope, barrel and bolt head assembly. They do this "better" than anything else I've tried. The triggers are as good as any factory trigger I've ever felt and "better" than most. They are shorter than any other repeating firearms with equal barrel lengths, though not quite as short as a single-shot. The straight pull bolt is faster than a standard turnbolt action; no matter how fast your skill level allows you to cycle a standard bolt, there is no denying that the same amount of practice will allow you to be faster with a straight-pull. The accuracy of Blaser barrels is usually outstanding. Their literature indicates that the metallurgy and finishing processes used will result in hugely increased barrel life; I can't speak to this one yet but when I corral a barrel in .308 the attempts to wear it out will begin.

Oh...let's not forget the de-cocking "safety". When the gun is on Safe, there is no tension on the firing pin spring; a round can be carried in the chamber with no danger. Dis-engaging the "safety" is actually cocking that spring and placing the gun into a state of readiness to fire. No silliness about hammer-blocking or trigger-blocking or transfer bars; when the gun is on Safe it is completely safe, uncocked and unable to fire.

What other system gives you this combination of features? The Merkel Helix sounds like it does, and adds the minor but enticing carrot of tool-free disassembly (the Blaser needs a hex key). It's been out for a few years now; I wonder how it's sales numbers look? If I were in the market today to enter into ownership of one of these systems, I'd probably go with the Merkel...or maybe not.

So...are they better? Well...yeah, I think they are. If I didn't think they were worth the money, I would have spent the money on a few other guns. After a few years of playing with them, I might have decided they were all hype, not worth the money, over-rated; if I had come to that conclusion, I would have sold them without hesitation. I didn't, and have no intention of doing so, because I still think they represent outstanding value for money. It's funny when others say that they could have spent the same money on an assortment of other rifles that do the same things; the way I see it, that's a bad thing, not a good one.
 
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medvedqc said:
in Germany after 6 rifles you need a different permit that is harder to get since they changed from the land or even the city to the federal system.
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Unless this is a very recent law, it's my understanding that this doesn't apply to hunters.

Regardless, some people don't like Blaser, I get that, to each their own, but they're certainly not an unsafe rifle. I personally don't see the hype surrounding pre 64 M70's or 1894's. Again, personal preferences.

I guess it's a good thing for Blaser that a lot of people do like them.


medvedqc said:
Sweden is 6 firearms.
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Partially correct. 6 long guns. They can also own hand guns. And yes, part of the appeal of the Blaser in Sweden is the interchangeable barrel system to own more cartridges and stay within the law, but also the fact they do a lot of driven hunts that require quick shots and they're restricted to a 2 round magazine for semi auto, so the quick action of the Blaser is popular.

Many European hunters don't own many guns anyhow, but rather a few high quality ones. The hunter with 40+ rifles is pretty much a North American thing.
 
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John,

i do not want to insult the owners of blasers do not take it wrong.
yes they are well engineered but more than the rest this is because of the details you spoke about that they are here ... do you remember the blaser 870?

i was even close to buy a r93 in left hand before moving to canada but there is but an accident happens with one of the gunsmith we knew in Nantes and he shot 375hh factory ammo and this case is documented....the bolt went trough his face, it may happens with other brand for sure but i can tell you it refresh me a lot ....

i liked the compact of the r93 and other features you mentionned but the new r8 has an issue for me. the weight ....
now im not on the market of that kind of guns but i wanted just to share the main reason they are selling well in europe ... the sauer 09 and 202 were better made but never reached the level of blaser because they have atop line salesman ....
 
medvedqc said:
in Germany after 6 rifles you need a different permit that is harder to get since they changed from the land or even the city to the federal system.
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Completely wrong. Some Internet "wisdom" taken out of context.

Cities or districts never had any say on gun legislation/regulation in modern Germany (FRG/BRD). A Bundesland also have/had never much say on these issues and the "6 guns rule" you are proclaiming is total bogus for hunters. Heck, they still can carry a handgun when out hunting.

Check your sources before spreading bad info.
 
Not insulted at all, Phil, no worries. I can imagine that being associated closely with that sort of incident would tend to colour your thinking a bit. I'm not suicidal, but I look at it this way: if these documented incidents are all taken as a sign to stay away from something, I would never shoot a gun, ride a motorcycle, take a swig of moonshine, travel by air, pet a dog or kiss a woman. :)

There are people who look for those rare horror stories (second or third hand, doesn't matter...), and then clasp them to their breasts as though they were the original tablets with the ten commandments engraved on them. These guys trumpet about how they would never spend the cash for a Blaser, and explain that's why they bought a half-dozen Savage Axis/Tasco Scope combos instead...because otherwise, it would have been a tough choice for them.:rolleyes:
 
bearkilr said:
Unless this is a very recent law, it's my understanding that this doesn't apply to hunters.

Regardless, some people don't like Blaser, I get that, to each their own, but they're certainly not an unsafe rifle. I personally don't see the hype surrounding pre 64 M70's or 1894's. Again, personal preferences.

I guess it's a good thing for Blaser that a lot of people do like them.
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Agreed, they are a safe firearm, through my experiences and experiments. I've owned a S2 and R93 in the past and now an R8. I gave all three rifles a rigorous test with load development, case in point, I'll be at the gun club tomorrow morning with the R8 with further load development. Rigorous Test Meaning: Max load with .012 jump. I've never had any problems with the Blasers, they are marvelously engineered and safe.
 
If the story of a bolt from a blaser r93 shooting through a shooter's face is true, then any reasonable person should ask why that happened!
To brush off its significance by saying that all firearms can be dangerous so we should not be concerned is irresponsible
 
riversrest said:
Completely wrong. Some Internet "wisdom" taken out of context.

Cities or districts never had any say on gun legislation/regulation in modern Germany (FRG/BRD). A Bundesland also have/had never much say on these issues and the "6 guns rule" you are proclaiming is total bogus for hunters. Heck, they still can carry a handgun when out hunting.

Check your sources before spreading bad info.
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they can own two handguns. the gun registry they had was for every town or land now it is a federal one since 2016 .... try to get your hunting firearms from your uncle when he passed away even with the will, no more ....

that is still the local police giving you the right to own or purchase firearms even for hunting ... look that direction for firearms contaxct them and ask how it goes ...

h t t p ://www.zoll.de/SharedDocs/Boxen/EN/Fragen/0049_waffenrechtlich_zustaendige_verwaltungsbehoerden.html;jsessionid=9242357B786C320C12FDA018A5E98A22.live4402?nn=90760

when i hunted there i can only bring 3 firearms with me and the guys at the local hunting club told me their limit. it was 6 after that they need to apply for a different firearms permit under the local police authortiy. to make more clear it was in bavaria

the laws has changed and will change. hunters in germany are maybe 350 000 on a population of 90 millions .....
 
elker said:
If the story of a bolt from a blaser r93 shooting through a shooter's face is true, then any reasonable person should ask why that happened!
To brush off its significance by saying that all firearms can be dangerous so we should not be concerned is irresponsible
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follow the link i posted. im not an internet warrior and the data are for real ....
 
bearkilr said:
What does the German Customs website have to do with their gun laws? We're not talking import/export here.
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in that link i gave all the authoriteis in charges of their lands ... there is contact for each of them ....

man i do get that you do not like me but if im providing infos check please ...
 
medvedqc said:
in that link i gave all the authoriteis in charges of their lands ... there is contact for each of them ....

man i do get that you do not like me but if im providing infos check please ...
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I don't know why you'd say that, I have nothing against you personally, you're just spreading misinformation.

Post a link then that says hunters are restricted to 6 long guns in Germany.


elker said:
I think he was trying to make a point that in Europe there is a limit on the firearms one can own.
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Europe isn't a country. Gun laws vary from country to country, just like ours are different from Mexico and the USA, even though it's all North America.



Anyhow, sorry OP, I didn't mean to derail the thread. Back to Blaser.
 
Bearkilr,
Even though each country in Europe has different limit on the firearms one can own, the point that he was trying to make is still clear and correct that due to the limits on the firearms, selling a modular rifle which can have multiple calibers with one frame (stock and receiver) is a good marketing idea in Europe.
Don't pretend that you're not bullying an honest cgner.
 
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