Blaser R8 for Dangerous Game

[BeeMaa]

As promised, Mrs BeeMaa now has her very own travel case.
It showed up yesterday and she was psyched.
Sorry at @Tra3, no picture of us in the middle this time.

Blaser Rifles in Pelican Cases

• BeeMaa
• May 16, 2020

Blaser Rifles in Pelican Cases
As promised, Mrs BeeMaa now has her very own travel case.

 

[Tra3]

Very nice! It is not too late for a picture. I suppose you could always sneak a photo in the scope caps.

Have you weighed the full case(s) yet?

 

[Red Leg]

As promised, Mrs BeeMaa now has her very own travel case.
It showed up yesterday and she was psyched.
Sorry at @Tra3, no picture of us in the middle this time.

Blaser Rifles in Pelican Cases

• BeeMaa
• May 16, 2020

Blaser Rifles in Pelican Cases
As promised, Mrs BeeMaa now has her very own travel case.

Still pimping that fine rifle with that ugly and impractical shell holder I see ......

Your lovely bride appears to have a very nice set-up.

 

[BeeMaa]

Very nice! It is not too late for a picture. I suppose you could always sneak a photo in the scope caps.

Have you weighed the full case(s) yet?

My rifle (with the ugly and impractical shell holder) and case weigh 37.6#.
That includes the rifle, 2 Selous barrels, 2 scopes, rifle sling and 2 locks for the case.
More than enough wiggle room to make it under the 50# limit.

Hers will be a bit lighter because she only has one barrel in her case.
Plus the aluminum receiver on hers makes it lighter as well.

All in all, we are very happy with the setup.
Not the most clandestine method of transporting firearms...(see @Ed Lally case)
But compact and light enough for each of us to carry our own luggage.

 

[One Day...]

Still pimping that fine rifle with that ugly and impractical shell holder I see ......
Your lovely bride appears to have a very nice set-up.

BeeMaa, good friend, if speed is what you had in mind (otherwise I really do not see what other motivation could exist?), since you have a willing and competent hunting wife, she will understand your need and gladly help. Ask her to get her iPhone in stopwatch mode and to clock you reloading from that mexican bandito appendage that disgraces your R8, then reloading from a sensible ammo slide positioned between your right hip and belt buckle. You will be surprised to discover which is faster...

 

[Red Leg]

BeeMaa, good friend, if speed is what you had in mind (otherwise I really do not see what other motivation could exist?), since you have a willing and competent hunting wife, she will understand your need and gladly help. Ask her to get her iPhone in stopwatch mode and to clock you reloading from that mexican bandito appendage that disgraces your R8, then reloading from a sensible ammo slide positioned between your right hip and belt buckle. You will be surprised to discover which is faster...

Yep. Not even close.

 

[Tanks]

... Ask her to get her iPhone in stopwatch mode and to clock you reloading from that mexican bandito appendage that disgraces your R8, then reloading from a sensible ammo slide positioned between your right hip and belt buckle. You will be surprised to discover which is faster...

I have a feeling it is the convenience rather than speed is the reasoning behind that particular carrier. Depending on the caliber his bolt action holds at least 3 rounds, if he has to speed load after expanding all the rounds he is in big trouble regardless where the ammo is stored.

 

[BeeMaa]

You would think I put a muzzle brake on this thing...

Lighten up fellas.
I appreciate your thoughts.
I know it's because you really care for...THE RIFLE and not me.

If it's crap and doesn't work or I don't like it...I'll be the first to admit it.
It won't be the first time I tried something and didn't like it, but I'm gonna try it.
Fair enough?

 

[Tra3]

As I seem to have 24 days in June and July that I will not be hunting in Namibia, now I am interested to practice quickly reloading. In my hunting party some of us carry a spare mag, some have a buttstock shell holder, none use a belt holder. For $500 I can get a second trigger/mag assembly for the R8... Why not do that? It seems like a good idea anyway for redundancy.

@Red Leg and @One Day... which belt holder do you use?
I presume a belt holder is for a double rifle and wouldn’t be faster that a magazine swap. Does anyone have experience with this?

 

[Red Leg]

As I seem to have 24 days in June and July that I will not be hunting in Namibia, now I am interested to practice quickly reloading. In my hunting party some of us carry a spare mag, some have a buttstock shell holder, none use a belt holder. For $500 I can get a second trigger/mag assembly for the R8... Why not do that? It seems like a good idea anyway for redundancy.

@Red Leg and @One Day... which belt holder do you use?
I presume a belt holder is for a double rifle and wouldn’t be faster that a magazine swap. Does anyone have experience with this?

I don't anticipate ever being in a firefight where I need to switch magazine/trigger groups in my R8. Four rounds instantly available is a lot short of a L-shaped ambush. I have used a Murray ammunition belt for a decade. It carries ammunition and my knife. For me at least, it is perfection in a single, double, or bolt action.

 

[mark-hunter]

@Red Leg,
Out of curiosity, did you use this set up for buffalo hunt, including Leica Scope?

 

[One Day...]

Here is my hunting belt (De Santis):

In addition to:

- a shell carrier (either a Rigby "Elasticated" for either .270 Win, .300 Wby, .375 H&H or 416 Rigby; or a Murray "6 pack" for .470 NE);
- a 4" Puma "Hunter's Pal" knife;​

because I like to walk long and far, and stay for the last best 5 minutes of light, I often use on the way back to the truck:

- a mini Maglite upgraded with a LED bulb (100 lumens, 145 yards, 9 hours);​

because I like pictures of landscapes and people (not just trophies), I always carry:

- the best compact camera money can buy (Sony RX 100 - full 1" sensor size, 20 MP, RAW format);​

and because its uses are endless, and I now need glasses for anything up close, I always carry:

- a Victorinox Champion Swiss knife;
- a pair of folding reading glasses.​

The belt is really light and unobtrusive once on, and I always have on me everything I may need regardless of whether I peel layers or not (this fixes the issue of things in pockets never on hand once the jacket is removed...). This has worked great for me for about 30 years, with the Mag-Lite being upgraded to LED, the camera being upgraded from film to digital, and the reading glasses being added a couple years ago (sigh....).

 

[Newby]

OK - I'll keep the thread creep going. Just quickly - I hate B/S shell holders too. (pun intended)

Now that's done with, One Day has unfortunately reignited my dormant interest in photography.

I haven't kept up to date and thought, apparently incorrectly, that the ubiquitous, phone camera had killed progress and interest in compact cameras.

Obviously not so, as Google confirms. Significant developments have been made, it appears. I bought my Fuji Fine Pix F20 many years ago for the same reason touted, correctly, as a big benefit of the Sony RX100 - a BIG, GOOD QUALITY sensor. At the time I bought my Fuji, the superior sensor did not appear to have sufficient market appeal to the masses. I am both pleased and saddened to learn that such benefits are now appreciated and commercially successful.

Pleased because it means that development is ongoing and good stuff is still available.

Saddened because i think my savings may take another hit.

 

[sierraone]

Between @One Day... and @Newby , I am much closer to One Day, especially when in Africa. But, One Day, you are definitely better organized than I am. I have considered a belt such as yours or @Red Leg 's just haven't been nudged that far yet!

 

[sierraone]

Saddened because i think my savings may take another hit.

Agree...it is so hard to maintain savings and maintain a membership on this forum!

 

[Tanks]

...
Now that's done with, One Day has unfortunately reignited my dormant interest in photography.
...
Pleased because it means that development is ongoing and good stuff is still available.

Saddened because i think my savings may take another hit.

I did a lot of research on this, and have been testing the new Fujifilm X100V, have been happy with it so far. Review here.
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilm-x100v-review

Now, all I need to do is find a 5"x2.5"x3" (internal dimensions) leather case similar to what @One Day... has on his belt. I do have a black 5.11 pouch that works I can repurpose so not crucial, but a leather case would be nice.

 

[BeeMaa]

As far as the butt stock shell holder and a few things I like about it...

I like how the leather feels against my cheek when shooting, better than the stock alone.
It also acts as a minor shim to raise my cheek weld a bit for better scope alignment.
Also as @Tanks mentioned, it is convenient to carry ammo there.

For speedy reloads, I'm shooting a Blaser R8...arguably the fastest bolt action available.
With 3+1 available in the firearm, I should be more than reasonably safe for initial contact.
With the PH and Mrs BeeMaa and their fully loaded firepower...backup is covered as well.
Yes, I understand tactical magazine reloads and running & reloading...etc.
But I seriously doubt the difference between a belt and stock ammo carrier is gonna make a hill of beans difference.
If the SHTF, I won't be thinking "man, I sure wish I had a belt mounted carrier instead of this stupid stock thing".
More likely is my PH calling me a dumbass for making a crap first shot.

As for the aesthetics of it...well let's just say that not everyone is a fan.
And thats OK as well.
Maybe if it was all leather it would be better?

I have a Galco Safari Five belt ammo carrier I used on my last safari.
Having all our cartridges based on the 375H&H makes it an easy fit for all.
And I'm considering cutting the top flap and bottom latch off to make it an open top.
Mrs BeeMaa has shown an interest in using it, but doesn't want to maul the beautiful leather.

If I do go with another belt style, I prefer the belt with loops already installed.
Having a complete rig like @Red Leg is very tempting.
The open top belt slide would be the other option I'm considering.
My go to leather would be Dick Murray.
His leather goods are amazing and very reasonably priced.

 

[Tanks]

I keep only what I will use during the hunt and wish to have immediate access on my belt. So, no tools, flashlights, skinning knives etc.. Folding SOG knife goes where it goes as a part of my EDC, clipped to a pants pocket. On belt I have an ammo carrier, camera and a small Leica range finder pouch. The rest of the stuff goes in the day pack. If I have time to fiddle with a tool I have time to grab it from there, same for a flashlight and/or headlamp.

I prefer to have an ammo slide carrier as opposed to a belt with loops built in as I can just swap ammo carriers based on caliber. I switched to Els & Co. belts and carriers sometime ago and have been happy with them.

 

[Red Leg]

I keep only what I will use during the hunt and wish to have immediate access on my belt. So, no tools, flashlights, skinning knives etc.. Folding SOG knife goes where it goes as a part of my EDC, clipped to a pants pocket. On belt I have an ammo carrier, camera and a small Leica range finder pouch. The rest of the stuff goes in the day pack. If I have time to fiddle with a tool I have time to grab it from there, same for a flashlight and/or headlamp.

I prefer to have an ammo slide carrier as opposed to a belt with loops built in as I can just swap ammo carriers based on caliber. I switched to Els & Co. belts and carriers sometime ago and have been happy with them.

Els makes very nice products. Murray works for me because I don’t normally carry multiple calibers to Africa. Plus, it just gets better and more comfortable with age. I have a Stateside rig (multiple potential calibers) on an Els canvas belt that holds Els slides. I don’t carry a separate range finder, but @One Day... ’s leather camera case might be the way to go. My surefire and camera currently go in a pants pocket. Can’t stand carrying a pack in Africa - probably wore one to work too much.

 

[Tanks]

...@One Day... ’s leather camera case might be the way to go. My surefire and camera currently go in a pants pocket. Can’t stand carrying a pack in Africa - probably wore one to work too much.

It looks like an Els "possibles pouch", would work for me but it is .7 inches less deep than I need. I might send a picture of it to a leathermaker I use with the internal dimensions I need.

https://www.africansportingcreations.com/possibles-pouch.html