Blaser R8 & Dangerous Game?

[Safariswestcam]

I have now taken 2 buffalo, an elephant, leopard, multiple plains game and Lord derby with my R8. It (probably) is the only rifle I will take to Africa. I simply don't own anything better or easier to carry.

Might I enquire about which caliber/calibers you prefer? I am looking to add a 300WM barrel to the kit along with the 458 Lott for a do all set up across Africa.

 

[Safariswestcam]

I think you are not aware what can of warms you are opening here on the forum!

Anyway, dont be too concerned.
DG has been hunted by blaser r8 by clients.

What you are actually going into, is the old never resolved debate: what is better CRF or PF rifle, now evolved to what is better CRF of Blaser R8?

Such debates are fun to read. And you can learn many aspects of the guns from it.
But they are without conclusion.

Just do it.

What a way to get started on here! I read through the recommended threads last night and boy howdy ..... did things escalate quickly!

 

[Red Leg]

What a way to get started on here! I read through the recommended threads last night and boy howdy ..... did things escalate quickly!

I particularly love debating the merits of the rifle with someone who has never fired one.

We have similar debates over on the politics thread.

Welcome to the site!

 

[Beck]

I have a Sauer and Sohn in .404 Jeffery. I believe both rifles use the same self cocking safety mechanism. Similar to my K-Gun double, the gun is not cocked until the safety is disengaged. The safety takes some getting used to, as it requires more force than a normal safety mechanism. I do find the safety takes longer to disengage, which I could see being an issue for a PH who may find himself in may harry situations. For the traveling hunter the extra safety provided probably outweighs the downside of slower operation. Bottom line practice a lot with your DG rifle, and you'll be just fine.

 

[bowjijohn]

My R8 pro success has recently been joined by a 404 Jeff barrel

I don't have too much experience with it in the 404 J guise, however I shot it at Bisley rifle range here in the UK on Sunday last

One of the 'courses of fire' is 8 rounds at 25m in 30 seconds with one compulsory reload

The R8 breezed it !

So I have no hesitation in using it in a tight corner

 

[Vintageguy]

You already have made your decision with your purchase. Now the only real question is the validity of your choice. Opinions of others are just that. Shoot your rifle a lot in practice. Run that sucker hard in reloading drills. That will answer the question for you better than anyone else. All models of firearms have goats amongst their ranks and only familiarizing yourself with it and testing it will you know whether it meets your needs or not.

 

[meigsbucks]

As I mentioned recently, I’ve owned an R8 in .375H&H for about seven months now and killed about six buffalo with it. I really like it.

Most buffalo hunts are straightforward, but my first with the R8 was a known troublemaker and inbound, a single 350 grain Woodleigh soft to the chest sorted him, and he made a fantastic rendang!

My second was a massive old bull that had strayed too close to town and was going nuts being attacked by dogs, quite a dangerous situation. At eight metres he was sorted.

Subsequent situations have been more usual.

Never heard of rendang before. Looked it up… Sounds YUMMERS!

 

[Rare Breed]

Blaser R8 - Why do African PH’s and Alaskan Bear Guides Choose Not To Use Blaser R8’s?
Hello and welcome to the forum! This link will take you to 24+pages of discussion as to the merits and detractors of the R8 for dangerous game. The summary I saw from this is if you actually own and shoot one, you understand the benefits of it. The majority of detractors are just repeating what someone said about them without actually owning or firing one. IF you have ever traveled with one, you immediately know the first benefit. The caliber, shot placement and choice of bullet are far more important than how fast your second or third shot are. You have a beautiful rifle and a fantastic hunt planned, enjoy the build-up to your trip!

Sounds like your gun maker wants to sell you something other than the R8. I am a traditionalist but I have phenominal respect for the R8 and it’s use for DG

 

[BeeMaa]

Might I enquire about which caliber/calibers you prefer? I am looking to add a 300WM barrel to the kit along with the 458 Lott for a do all set up across Africa.

300WM makes sense because it keeps you with the same MA bolt head. The addition of a 257WBY (again with the MA bolt head) and your current 458LOTT will have you sorted from pronghorn to elephant.

 

[Tanks]

Might I enquire about which caliber/calibers you prefer? I am looking to add a 300WM barrel to the kit along with the 458 Lott for a do all set up across Africa.

.300WM will work. I use its bigger brother .300RUM as my PG barrel/gun combination for Africa and elsewhere. With those two barrels you really do not need anything else.

 

[Red Leg]

Might I enquire about which caliber/calibers you prefer? I am looking to add a 300WM barrel to the kit along with the 458 Lott for a do all set up across Africa.

I would suggest it would be almost blasphemous not to get a .375 barrel. I currently have .257 WBY, 6.5x55. .300 Win Mag, .375, and 404 barrels. What you will quickly discover is that you can leave the .458 and .300 at home and simply take the .375. I will brain an elephant, kill any buffalo that ever walked, and handle plains game from eland to suni.

 

[Safariswestcam]

I would suggest it would be almost blasphemous not to get a .375 barrel. I currently have .257 WBY, 6.5x55. .300 Win Mag, .375, and 404 barrels. What you will quickly discover is that you can leave the .458 and .300 at home and simply take the .375. I will brain an elephant, kill any buffalo that ever walked, and handle plains game from eland to suni.

That point is exactly why I was told not to get the 375….. as it will render my 458 lonely in the gun safe!

For leopard and masailand…. Would you still prefer your 375? Real question because this has been the internal battle about which barrel to order first.

 

[K-man]

Might I enquire about which caliber/calibers you prefer? I am looking to add a 300WM barrel to the kit along with the 458 Lott for a do all set up across Africa.

As stated already, the same bolt head will convert from your .458 to the .300 win mag. I also suggest just getting the .375 H&H. most versatile caliber made, especially for Africa. I have taken everything from duiker to elephant with it. Ammo is always available, everywhere. And yes, leopard and small game also the .375. Just used solids on the little ones and very soft bullets on the leopard.

 

[Red Leg]

That point is exactly why I was told not to get the 375….. as it will render my 458 lonely in the gun safe!

For leopard and masailand…. Would you still prefer your 375? Real question because this has been the internal battle about which barrel to order first.

I killed my leopard with a .338 Win Mag quite a few years ago. A .300 WM or .375 would have accomplished the same thing (or a .275, 30-06, .300 anything, or a .270). The nice thing about a R8 and a standard weight .375 barrel, is that you have an absolutely lethal African platform for everything in a package very close to a 30-06 (steel or alloy action drives the weight). Last two DG hunts were with the R8 in .375. Those hunts accounted for 2 buffalo and a host of PG from Livingstone Eland to duiker.

The Lott and .300 will do the same.

 

[BeeMaa]

That point is exactly why I was told not to get the 375….. as it will render my 458 lonely in the gun safe!

For leopard and masailand…. Would you still prefer your 375? Real question because this has been the internal battle about which barrel to order first.

As @Red Leg has said, a 375H&H is really all you need. But having a 458LOTT on a PH action could be a bit of a roller coaster for those new to the Blaser R8 or even just safari calibers. I'll explain myself.

The PH receiver is steel and adds a considerable amount of weight over the aluminum standard receiver. In addition to the steel receiver is a 12-16 oz kickstop in the butt of the rifle. This was done specifically to help mitigate the recoil of the larger calibers. I know that @One Day... has all the weights listed somewhere from when he was researching the R8. I believe it was in this one...

https://www.africahunting.com/threa...aser-r8-a-two-months-500-rounds-review.60483/

My first R8 was a Professional Hunter (synthetic stock) with the steel receiver and 16 oz kickstop. What I found after gaining some experience shooting calibers such as 375H&H and 416RM is that all I really needed was a 375H&H. I'm not a PH or desire to be one. I'm a traveling hunter and so I need a rifle that is fit to that specific task.

My personal experience lead me to selling the PH action and 416RM barrel in favor of an aluminum receiver R8 (no kickstop) with a standard weight 375H&H barrel that comes in at 10.2# ready to hunt.

This makes for a great rifle to carry and shoot in this caliber. When the scope and sling are off, it's a 7.75# rifle and still easy to shoot. The 416RM I had felt more like I was carrying a club and I don't regret selling it.

Is 375 the ideal caliber for elephant, certainly not...but it is legal everywhere to do so and given the opportunity I'll load up solids and do it. My philosophy is to travel light and that means just one rifle and caliber (most of the time) for any specific hunting trip. Your journey will certainly be different than mine and I wish you the best of luck on it. Let me know if I can be of any assistance along the way.

 

[Tanks]

That point is exactly why I was told not to get the 375….. as it will render my 458 lonely in the gun safe!

For leopard and masailand…. Would you still prefer your 375? Real question because this has been the internal battle about which barrel to order first.

People have shot leopards with a .308 so a .300WM as the next barrel for leopard and bait would be perfect.

What I found after gaining some experience shooting calibers such as 375H&H and 416RM is that all I really needed was a 375H&H. I'm not a PH or desire to be one. I'm a traveling hunter and so I need a rifle that is fit to that specific task.

Having the right tool for the job does not mean one has to be a PH or a wanna be PH. A .375 is a great all-around caliber, but it is a compromise. Neither fish nor fowl.

He is going to Masailand. Pretty flat and shots can get longer for his bait. Having the right caliber like a .300WM for bait that can reach out will make it easier. He already has a .458 Lott for bigger DG that can also shoot .458WM rounds, if he doesn't need the extra oomph.

My philosophy is to travel light and that means just one rifle and caliber (most of the time) for any specific hunting trip.

I know people mention traveling light with just one rifle and caliber. I don't see it. Still one gun case and one hard ammo case. Yes, a few pounds heavier on the rifle case but other than the first flight of the trip where one will shlepp the luggage (with wheels) to the counter from the car, one will not handle any of the luggage ever again until arriving back home. Customs stuff adds just a few extra minutes, especially when it just an extra barrel.

 

[TOBY458]

I plan to bring both 375 and 458 barrels on my upcoming Elephant/Buffalo hunt. Like @Tanks said, I'm only adding a 3lb barrel, and a couple boxes of ammo to my overall weight. Still in the same, short carry case. I don't plan to hunt any PG, so the 375 Barrel and ammo is just for back up. I'm bringing two scopes and an RMR no matter if I bring one barrel or two. If PG were being hunted at longer ranges, I'd probably opt for a 300 or similar barrel instead of the 375. But, with all that said, I feel like I could handle everything on my hunt with either the 375 or the 458. Just more fun to have options.

 

[Novice Huntress]

Hi Safariswestcam,

Hopefully you've really enjoyed the feedback on this thread, there are a lot of users of the R8 system.
I'm very lucky the R8 is my rifle of choice.

I have taken it to Africa 5 times now, the last two times with the extra 375 H&H barrel, the last trip I was very lucky to be able to DG, the R8 worked extremely well.

I use 308w as my standard set up, so I can say choosing the 300 Win will be a easy win for your set up plus like others have said if you come across a 375H&H barrel certainly worth some considering.

Enjoy your set up get some practice in definitely get some practice on sticks that's a great skill for use in the african Bush.

Above welcome to the R8 club enjoy getting out there and using it!!!

 

[Tra3]

Hi Safariswestcam,

Hopefully you've really enjoyed the feedback on this thread, there are a lot of users of the R8 system.
I'm very lucky the R8 is my rifle of choice.

I have taken it to Africa 5 times now, the last two times with the extra 375 H&H barrel, the last trip I was very lucky to be able to DG, the R8 worked extremely well.

I use 308w as my standard set up, so I can say choosing the 300 Win will be a easy win for your set up plus like others have said if you come across a 375H&H barrel certainly worth some considering.

Enjoy your set up get some practice in definitely get some practice on sticks that's a great skill for use in the african Bush.

Above welcome to the R8 club enjoy getting out there and using it!!!

Novice may not accurately describe you anymore!!

do tell, what have you hunted with the R8? Any favorites?

My daughter will be using her R8 in June for hippo. The joy of hunting and traveling with her is that we create special memories together.

 

[Inline6]

It seems the main pros put forth by the R8’s users/defenders are ease of travel, speed and ergonomics. It does appear to be utterly reliable but there are many rifles that are and it still has limited capacity. It is a PF (whether or not that truly matters in this day in age is up for debate), I’m honestly split on that issue.

The R8’s speed on full display:

Just kidding.. That lion was close to start withI wouldn’t mind owning an R8 myself.

That has more to do with training and nerves than the rifle.