Blaser R8 & Dangerous Game?

[Wishfulthinker580]

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

I know. Just having a little fun

 

[ndumo HUNTING SAFARIS]

Yes, they work very well.

 

[bowjijohn]

I’d stand with an R8

I think

 

[BenKK]

Magnificent old bull for the dog today, first crack with my new Swaro glass, 1-6x30! A single 350 grain Woodleigh RNSN HD did the trick, and that was that. He even did the death bellow which is unusual but does happen. His right was busted off, a truly awesome old bull and greatly appreciated by us.

 

[Philip Glass]

The R8 is actually a superior DG rifle due to its super fast reloading. Most detractors have never owned one. I will bet you will not find one detractor who has owned and shot DG with one.
My Ruger malfunctioned in my only dangerous situation. This led me to the R8.
I have taken one Western Savannah Buffalo with it. Recently I've been hunting Buffalo with my double.

 

[AimSmall]

The R8 is great! Practicing with it until the cocking mechanism and bolt operation are fully ingrained is the only thing I see to add after all the other comments.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Blaser R-8s are absolutely fantastic rifles. I’ve hunted hartebeest with a .300 Winchester Magnum variant in 2019.

The controversy about the Blaser R-8 being an unreliable dangerous game rifle stemmed from a variant in .416 Remington Magnum which experienced a feeding issue with Remington factory ammunition (that was loaded the old unbanded Barnes Super Solids). This caliber of ammunition had been discontinued by Remington many years before the Blaser R-8 in .416 Remington Magnum had even hit the market (and was thus probably out of spec somehow). The rifle in question functioned perfectly with all other makes of factory ammunition.

Never trust a gunmaker when they tell you that another gun maker/ firm makes bad products. When I visited the James Purdey shop in London, the manager flatly claimed that Westley Richards built far more inferior firearms than them. Imagine that.

 

[AZDAVE]

The R8 is a great platform, I don't own one as I prefer doubles for DG. Every time I look at the R8's price My brain says a few more $$ and you can get a double. So at this point I will stick with my traditional bolt and double guns. But if I was a younger man and didn't have a safe full of old familiar rifles I would just get a R8 with several barrels and skip all the others.

 

[Safariswestcam]

I have been thrilled with my Blaser thus far. The idea is to add a 375 barrel to the kit, that coupled with my 458 Lott I currently have and looking to add a 450/400 double, and I will have a nice well rounded grab bag for Africa!

 

[Novice Huntress]

I have been thrilled with my Blaser thus far. The idea is to add a 375 barrel to the kit, that coupled with my 458 Lott I currently have and looking to add a 450/400 double, and I will have a nice well rounded grab bag for Africa!

I think I like that idea of "well rounded grab bag for Africa" my husband will be particularly jealous, perhaps make it a Heym double, that will make him feel really good!!!!

Hopefully you have had some decent practice with your set up, I will be trialling some Peregrine VR4 in 250g this week, we have found the R8 to be very Africa capable!!

 

[TOBY458]

For years now I have relied on "Africa Hunting" as an invaluable tool and resource to venture down many of the rabbit holes I tend to find chasing research in search of an education on various topics, but this is my first time contributing or posting for that matter.

I am booked on a buffalo hunt for later this year in Tanzania, of which I am indescribably excited about. My pursuit and planning for this trip started a few years ago and along the way decided it was time but mostly as an excuse to upgrade to, what for me is, a really nice rifle. A few months ago after lots of reading found a Blaser R8 Kilombero chambered in 458 Lott and bought it without hesitation. Since the transaction and continuing to finalize our hunt, I have found that there is quite the dichotomy out there of people who either "Love" or "Hate" the Blaser, but of the segment that dislike them I am yet to find evidence of why other than its not "traditional". I get the concept of that statement but I am of the mind set that I want the most efficient tool possible and that at some point in history even the mauser action and smokless powder was once considered "not traditional" by someone.

Most recently in a conversation with a renowned gunmaker he said without hesitation, "you don't want to take a Blaser to shoot a buffalo... its not a dangerous game rifle"?? Its compact, interchangeable and faster than any other rifle I have shot (with the exception of a double), so my question is before I head to chase buff, can anyone tell me good or bad, what experience they have had with a Blaser and its proficiency as a Dangerous Game rifle?

Thank you in advance for any help in either waning or gaining confidence in my purchase!

Cheers,
Cam

View attachment 520656

Did you ever go on this hunt? If so, how did it work out?

 

[Safariswestcam]

Did you ever go on this hunt? If so, how did it work out?

TANZANIA: Kilombero North Safaris 2023

TANZANIA: Kilombero North Safaris 2023

The idea for this trip began a little over two years ago when a dear friend and mentor had just started talking about the idea of doing a buffalo hunt. I have been fortunate for hunt South Africa over 6 safaris but really wanted to experience a truly wild concession, especially for my first...

r.tapatalk.com

We had an amazing hunt and the Blaser proved to be a great choice!

CK

 

[dogcat1]

Use your Blaser. The buff does not know what gun you have.

 

[UpNorthMI]

I own several R8’s, everything that I’ve pointed it at and pulled the trigger on is dead, my son and I will both be shooting R8’s in .375 for an upcoming buffalo cull trip, we are feeling pretty confident that our R8’s will do the business.

 

[Fastrig]

@Safariswestcam - take a look at a thread I started a few years ago on this very subject...

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/blaser-r8-for-dangerous-game.53390/

Hey BeeMaa,

Been gone from the boards here for quite a while, just getting back to hunting, finally. Glad to see you're still hanging around Bought my son an R8 for graduation from med school.....he loves it and would take it anywhere. Maybe I'll acquire one at some point, but have my Merkel RX Helix and love that thing....not as pretty as the R8's but it's light and accurate, would be hard to give up. Only problem is sourcing parts for it stateside as the authorized dealer for the states seems to block their rifle stuff in favor of their own line.

 

[Tanks]

A Blaser R8 in a .458 Lott chambering is perfect for a buffalo as you don't have it in a rat caliber like a .375.

 

[BeeMaa]

Hey BeeMaa,

Been gone from the boards here for quite a while, just getting back to hunting, finally. Glad to see you're still hanging around Bought my son an R8 for graduation from med school.....he loves it and would take it anywhere. Maybe I'll acquire one at some point, but have my Merkel RX Helix and love that thing....not as pretty as the R8's but it's light and accurate, would be hard to give up. Only problem is sourcing parts for it stateside as the authorized dealer for the states seems to block their rifle stuff in favor of their own line.

Welcome back and congratulations to your son on his graduation. Receiving a R8 as a gift must have been pretty great for him.

The Helix is a great platform. Shame there isn’t better support.

Are you planning a father/son safari? Might be just the motivation you need to switch over to the Blaser to maintain compatibility with your son’s new rig.

 

[Fastrig]

Welcome back and congratulations to your son on his graduation. Receiving a R8 as a gift must have been pretty great for him.

The Helix is a great platform. Shame there isn’t better support.

Are you planning a father/son safari? Might be just the motivation you need to switch over to the Blaser to maintain compatibility with your son’s new rig.

We've been talking about doing that some day, but he's in his surgical residency so he's working like a mad man. Going to be a few years before he'll be able to go. Maybe when he gets done I'll treat him to a trip

Glad to be back, hoping Africa for next year. Been trying to get there for a long time, but life keeps getting in the way. Good news is, it's less in the way than it has been the last couple years You still using the 416 Rem mag barrel on your R8 or have you got some other barrels now?

 

[Fastrig]

Welcome back and congratulations to your son on his graduation. Receiving a R8 as a gift must have been pretty great for him.

The Helix is a great platform. Shame there isn’t better support.

Are you planning a father/son safari? Might be just the motivation you need to switch over to the Blaser to maintain compatibility with your son’s new rig.

Well, some good news, just read that Merkel has a new US general importer, T&G German Gun Imports, and recommitting to the US Market.....not sure when that happened but going to call them today and see if I can get the parts I've needed. Fingers crossed.

SAVE THE FINE GUNS

www.save-the-fine-guns.com

 

[BeeMaa]

We've been talking about doing that some day, but he's in his surgical residency so he's working like a mad man. Going to be a few years before he'll be able to go. Maybe when he gets done I'll treat him to a trip

Glad to be back, hoping Africa for next year. Been trying to get there for a long time, but life keeps getting in the way. Good news is, it's less in the way than it has been the last couple years You still using the 416 Rem mag barrel on your R8 or have you got some other barrels now?

Sold the 416RM with the steel receiver and kickstop stock to another member. It was way too heavy for me to carry all day on a stalk.

Picked up an aluminum receiver stock with a 17mm profile 375H&H from the kitchen table of @TOBY458. Nice and light at 10 lbs with a 1-8x Swaro.