Blaser R8 for Dangerous Game

[BeeMaa]

WOW! Congratulations! I just showed this picture to my wife. She wonders why she needs her own R8 when she's perfectly happy with her custom stock Browning A bolt in .243 and "my" Browning Bolt Action in 30-06. HELP!

Sorry @BigSteve57 , you are on your own with that one.
Tempt the devil and this is what happens...Mrs BeeMaa saw that grade 4 wood and it was OVER!
Good thing I told them to keep the grade 7 wood in the warehouse.

And my excuse for looking at a R8 375 and 416 for DG?
I have no excuse except to thank the enablers at AH.
You know who you are...

 

[Red Leg]

After spending several hours going over the various configurations of the R8, I came away learing a few things.
One of them particularly interesting if you plan on hunting dangerous game...

First the good...
1. The options are almost endless, we must have tried about 20 different configurations and we didn't scratch the surface.
2. The wood options are beautiful.
3. The engineering is everything I've been told it would be.
4. Tolerances are tight and wood to metal fit is extremely good.

Now the not so good...
1. Some of those options you may want...you could be waiting to have them made, waiting for 3-6 months.
2. If you want a LOP of less than 13 5/8" it will be a special order (again waiting) or a gunsmith/DIY project.
3. There is no top loading of the magazine with the magazine installed, it must be removed.

That last one surprised me, both in the fact that I had never heard it mentioned before and the fact it can't be done.
I had 375H&H snap caps that I brought with me to try to do so, no luck...I had to remove it from the rifle to load.
The way they slide into the magazine and the proximity to the barrel don't allow it.
Add to this that I didn't have a scope mounted which would further hinder the operation.
The only option I could find is to have a spare "fire control group" with a "magazine insert" already loaded and in your pocket.
This will facilitate the fastest possible reloads, along with the redundancy of having a spare fire control group...but at a price.
I won't get into the specifics of the pricing, but let's just say that it's not cheap.
At the same time from what I've read, most R8 owners carry a spare fire control and magazine anyway...just in case.

Is this enough to turn me off the R8 for use with DG, no it's not a deal breaker for me...but I thought others should be informed as well.

Partner who was helping you with that R8?!? Of course you can load it from the top. I currently have three set up in three calibers (yeah, I know - and two more caliber barrels - ugly sickness) and all can be loaded or topped off from an open magazine. Heck, just did it on two of them - one a .375 - to make sure I wasn’t suffering from heat stroke last time I hunted it. And I never carry a second magazine group.

The manual of arms is the same as detached. Start the bullet at a slight angle at the rear. Very quick once you do it a couple of times.

 

[Opposite Pole]

There is no top loading of the magazine with the magazine installed, it must be removed.

They can be top loaded. You can also lock the magazine/trigger group and turn it into non removable setup. It can be loaded from top. Also, there are versions of R8 with non removable magazines, how do you think they work? Loaded at the factory only?

 

[Opposite Pole]

Can a video be posted here?

 

[BeeMaa]

Can a video be posted here?

I've posted several times from YouTube.

Love to see a video of reloading from the top, because apparently I don't know Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
Tried several time to no avail.

 

[Opposite Pole]

I've posted several times from YouTube.

Love to see a video of reloading from the top, because apparently I don't know Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
Tried several time to no avail.

Here it is, 375H&H in this particular case. Keep in mind I was holding the rifle in between my legs and filming with one hand so it was bit harder than usual:

 

[Red Leg]

Here it is, 375H&H in this particular case. Keep in mind I was holding the rifle in between my legs and filming with one hand so it was bit harder than usual:

Exactly.

 

[Opposite Pole]

I've posted several times from YouTube.

Love to see a video of reloading from the top, because apparently I don't know Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
Tried several time to no avail.

This may be a stupid question but are you sure the rifle had the correct magazine insert for the calibre? It really is very simple.

 

[BeeMaa]

Damn it!
You can do it one handed, while filming with the other hand and I couldn't hit water if I fell out of a boat.

I'd have to check to verify it was the correct magazine, I believe it was...but I can't be positive.
We were switching everything around so it could have easily been a 300WM magazine.
The store is 4 hours away (one way) so it's not like I'm going there just to check it out.

Thanks again.

 

[Red Leg]

Damn it!
You can do it one handed, while filming with the other hand and I couldn't hit water if I fell out of a boat.

I'd have to check to verify it was the correct magazine, I believe it was...but I can't be positive.
We were switching everything around so it could have easily been a 300WM magazine.
The store is 4 hours away (one way) so it's not like I'm going there just to check it out.

Thanks again.

.375 and 300 use the same mag. They are equally easy to load.

Terrible to see the lengths some will invent not to buy their spouse what they really want.........

 

[BeeMaa]

.375 and 300 use the same mag. They are equally easy to load.

Terrible to see the lengths some will invent not to buy their spouse what they really want.........

Magazine insert for the 375H&H is MPN C58408
Magazine insert for the 300WM is MPN C58406

It is possible that the 375H&H mag will work with 300WM ammo, but not the other way around.
Which is probably what I did.

But you are right, still a good excuse...

 

[Red Leg]

Magazine insert for the 375H&H is MPN C58408
Magazine insert for the 300WM is MPN C58406

It is possible that the 375H&H mag will work with 300WM ammo, but not the other way around.
Which is probably what I did.

But you are right, still a good excuse...

News to me. The magnum magazine insert holds the whole family from .257 Weatherby on up.

They are even listed on the side of the insert.

 

[Red Leg]

News to me. The magnum magazine insert holds the whole family from .257 Weatherby on up.

They are even listed on the side of the insert.

Oops! I am wrong, the .375 is a different inset from the other “standard” magnums. Could we’ll be what the problem was.

 

[One Day...]

I am with Red Leg and Opposite Pole on the loading question. Top loading worked for me too when I tried the R8. The difference in manipulation may have been BeeMaa that you tried to slide in the rounds from the front, which would be a pain indeed with the magazine insert in place. What you need to do is simply snap the rounds in place vertically. The plastic lips of the magazine have enough flexibility to do that.

A detail Opposite Pole, but since we are in the technical details we might as well point it out. You are correct that the R8 Pro S does NOT have a removable trigger guard / trigger system / magazine housing system, but it still has a removable magazine insert. Otherwise, it could not have the multiple barrels/calibers capability, right? . Could (I never tried it) the insert be loaded before being inserted in the non-removable trigger / magazine housing?

Conversely BeeMaa, I too was told that the .375 H&H and .300 Win magazine inserts are different. Not as relates to the cartridge head, of course, we all know they are the same, but in relation to the cartridge length. Specifically, I was told that the .300 Wby would not fit in a .300 Win mag insert and I would have to go to the .375 H&H insert (the .300 Wby is full length, while the .300 Win is not). Since I could not get the mid weight barrel I wanted in .300 Wby I never tested the configuration and I have no opinion whether a .300 Wby or a .375 H&H would fit in a .300 Win magazine insert, but that is what they told me too...

PS1: it would indeed be dang hard to shoehorn a .375 H&H in the rifle if you had a .300 Win insert that was too short for it, in place at the time

PS2: conversely, it is quite possible that the .300 Win feeds well enough from the .375 H&H insert to have led Red Leg to inadvertently and quite effectively only use the .375 H&H insert for both calibers...

 

[Red Leg]

I am with Red Leg and Opposite Pole on the loading question. It worked for me too when I tried the R8.
The difference in manipulation may have been BeeMaa that you tried to slide in the rounds from the front, which would be a pain indeed with the magazine insert in place. What you need to do is simply snap the rounds in place vertically. The plastic lips of the magazine have enough flexibility to do that.

A detail Opposite Pole, but since we are in the technical details we might as well point it out. You are correct that the R8 Pro S does NOT have a removable trigger guard / trigger system / magazine housing system, but it still has a removable magazine insert. Could (never tried it) the insert be loaded before being inserted in the non-removable trigger / magazine housing?

Conversely BeeMaa, I too was told that the .375 H&H and .300 Win magazine inserts were different. Not as relates to the cartridge head, of course, we all know they are the same, but in relation to the cartridge length. Specifically I was told that the .300 Wby would not fit in a .300 Win mag insert and I would have to go to the .375 H&H insert (the .300 Wby is full length, while the .300 Win is not). Since I could not get the mid weight barrel I wanted in .300 Wby I never tested the configuration and I have no opinion whether a .300 Wby or a .375 H&H would fit in a .300 Win magazine insert, but that is what they told me too...

The .300 Wby uses the same insert as the .300 WM. Just looked - stamped on the insert. As BeeMaa notes, the .375 is different and shares an insert with the 8x68 and one other round. All the magnums use the magnum bolt head.

 

[One Day...]

Fascinating! Thanks for the answer Red Leg.
So much for sales "professionals" product knowledge...
Not the first time I was given the wrong technical answer by a salesman (although the cartridge length was a convincing explanation that I accepted at face value). As I said, my interest dropped before the stage of actually function-testing the .300 Wby configuration I wanted (mid weight) because they do not make it...

Not the last time I will be given the wrong technical answer by a salesman either I presume

If length is not the issue, since the .300 Win / .300 Wby have LESS tapper than the .375 H&H, one would intuitively think that a .375 would easily snap into a .300 Win/Wby insert... The 8×68mm S is pretty straight walled too if memory serves. Curious how different that .375 H&H / 8×68mm S insert is from the .300 Win/Wby etc. insert

 

[BeeMaa]

Fascinating! Thanks for the answer Red Leg.
So much for sales "professionals" product knowledge...
Not the first time I was given the wrong technical answer by a salesman (although the cartridge length was a convincing explanation that I accepted at face value). As I said, my interest dropped before the stage of actually function-testing the .300 Wby configuration I wanted (mid weight) because they do not make it...

Not the last time I will be given the wrong technical answer by a salesman either I presume

If length is not the issue, since the .300 Win / .300 Wby have LESS tapper than the .375 H&H, one would intuitively think that a .375 would easily snap into a .300 Win/Wby insert... The 8×68mm S is pretty straight walled too if memory serves. Curious how different that .375 H&H / 8×68mm S insert is from the .300 Win/Wby etc. insert

Sounds like you are just about ready to apply for a job in sales...

 

[One Day...]

Over my dead and stenchingly decaying body

Ask Red Leg, I am way too rational for that line of work . I would tell customers the truth and futilely try to convince them to buy NOT what they want but, what they need

Heck, I could even extol the virtues of the .257 Wby .300 Wby and .340 Wby Hint: the 25-06, .300 Win and .338 Win are for

I would undoubtedly starve myself and family (thank God we are empty nesters!) to death in no time

Case in point: I would take a certain BeeMaa, drag him behind the woodshed and beat him on the head with a 2x4 until he gets back to his senses and forget that foolishness about swapping his timeless and value-loaded AHR double square bridge magnum CZ .375 H&H for that bizarrely fashionable and cleverly marketed, outrageously overpriced R8

 

[Opposite Pole]

Opposite Pole, but since we are in the technical details we might as well point it out. You are correct that the R8 Pro S does NOT have a removable trigger guard / trigger system / magazine housing system, but it still has a removable magazine insert. Otherwise, it could not have the multiple barrels/calibers capability, right? . Could (I never tried it) the insert be loaded before being inserted in the non-removable trigger / magazine

Just tried it with the 375, it can be done.

 

[BeeMaa]

Case in point: I would take a certain BeeMaa, drag him behind the woodshed and beat him on the head with a 2x4 until he gets back to his senses and forget that foolishness about swapping his timeless and value-loaded AHR double square bridge magnum CZ .375 H&H for that bizarrely fashionable and cleverly marketed, outrageously overpriced R8

You make it so easy to poke the bear.
I will wait on your offer for the CZ.