Blaser R8 question

[dchamp]

I have seen Blaser scoped mounts able to mount on a couple of barrels without adjustment but quite often they don’t and expecting them to have and hold zero for two different barrels and calibers would be a bit much to expect. I don’t think any manufacturer would make such a claim.

There are alternatives to Blaser mounts. I also use innomount. They are less expensive and I like them a lot. Innomount also makes a Piccatinney mount for Blasers. Innomount uses Torx screws which I like. I get mine from Titanium Gun Works out of Germany.

If you get a Blaser mount be sure to get their tensioning screwdriver also. It is very thin and you will need it. When mounting a Blaser mount loosen the two tension screws, then mount and close the swivel levers. Once that is done start adjusting the tension screws with the thin screw driver. I go one 6th of a turn at a time for each tension screw and stop when I feel a light snugness on both of the swivel levers.

In my mind I would rather have to different scopes for two completely different calibers, but that’s just me.

My question is are you planning on getting a Rail scope and mount, they look the cleanest in my opinion, or a tubeler ring mount, or there is always the versidle Picatinney.

Good Luck, Blaser is a good platform which ever way you go.

 

[Tra3]

I have 7 barrels and have not found that the scope mounts transfer between rifles very well. The tolerances, while very, very close, are not exact. Adjusting the mount will change the POI.

If you have ample ammo and time, it will work. It is much, much easier to have dedicated scopes for each barrel.

Note: the redundancy of having 2 barrels and 2 scopes is if you do have a problem with a scope, you can swap and go through the scope adjustment process. Even if I had two barrels that are very close to exact, I would still bring two scopes.
The point of the R8 system, for me, has been to get a rifle setup that I use for everything. I don’t use any other rifles in my gun case now. It would be easy to just pull a scope from a different rifle and add a $400 mount. You probably won’t use the other rifles much anymore!

 

[TOBY458]

I have 7 barrels and have not found that the scope mounts transfer between rifles very well. The tolerances, while very, very close, are not exact. Adjusting the mount will change the POI.

If you have ample ammo and time, it will work. It is much, much easier to have dedicated scopes for each barrel.

Note: the redundancy of having 2 barrels and 2 scopes is if you do have a problem with a scope, you can swap and go through the scope adjustment process. Even if I had two barrels that are very close to exact, I would still bring two scopes.
The point of the R8 system, for me, has been to get a rifle setup that I use for everything. I don’t use any other rifles in my gun case now. It would be easy to just pull a scope from a different rifle and add a $400 mount. You probably won’t use the other rifles much anymore!

I’ve had the same experience. All of my factory Blaser mounts need adjustment when going from one barrel to another. It may be minor, but it still needs to be adjusted to get the proper tension. That’s the reason I dedicate each scope mount to a particular barrel. I’ve even gone a step further and now have three separate Blaser R8 rifles with their own scopes.

 

[One Day...]

Thinking about taking the plunge and buying a Blaser R8. I know how terrific rifle they are but my question is scope repeatability with different barrels. If I have a scope mounted with a Blaser quick detach mount that is zeroed and switch to a different barrel will that barrel also be zeroed? Example if I have a 300 win mag zeroed at 200 yards and switch to 375 will the 375 be zeroed? This is a big deal as could save thousands on a multiple barrel set up.

If your intent jimbo is to take only one barrel on each safari e.g. PG safari with .300 this year and DG safari with the .375 next year, then you can stop reading right here: one scope / one mount is fine, assuming you are wise enough NOT to buy an astronomical scope that would be useless and actually dangerous on a DG hunt. You will just resight when training for the upcoming safari.

On the other hand, if your intent jimbo is to take both barrels on the same safari, you will need to be able to swap the scope from one to the other at night in camp (you could also conceivably swap it during the day hunt in the truck, but I recommend against it: too many opportunities for Murphy to invite himself to the party...), and the following will apply.

One thing you need to consider as well. The scope mounts have to be adjusted to fit each individual barrel. So you can’t simply move your scope from barrel to barrel, without having to adjust the scope mount itself. You could possibly get lucky and have two barrels that would work with the same mount tension, but that’s very unlikely.

I have seen Blaser scoped mounts able to mount on a couple of barrels without adjustment but quite often they don’t and expecting them to have and hold zero for two different barrels and calibers would be a bit much to expect. I don’t think any manufacturer would make such a claim.

I have 7 barrels and have not found that the scope mounts transfer between rifles very well. The tolerances, while very, very close, are not exact. Adjusting the mount will change the POI.

No adjustment to the mounts
They are blaser qd mounts
Just release and put on next barrel
Then adjust scope for diff caliber and done

Hey @Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS, Thanks for your input on this. I'm awaiting delivery on an R8 with 257 WB Mag (lighter plains game and whitetail, etc. at home), 375 H&H (heavier plains game), and 416 Rem Mag (buffalo) barrels. I bought 2 scopes. I'm thinking I can leave one scope on the 257 barrel, and "share" one scope between the 375 and the 416 barrels. Those calibers have pretty similar trajectories, so once I've checked out the zero for each, I'm hoping I can keep note of how many clicks to adjust the scope, dial it in, quick range check, and off we go. Do you think that plan will work?

Not questioning your lucky experience Stuart, but you are lucky

I have only Blaser factory barrels: .458 Lott; .375 H&H; .300 Wby; .257 Wby; .223 Rem; .22 LR, and my wife also has only Blaser factory barrels: 9.3x62; .270 Win; .222 Rem. We have only Blaser factory bases. My experience has been opposite to yours: not one of our nine Blaser factory mounts will fit correctly on another Blaser factory barrel than the one for which the tightness of the base two back screws was adjusted.

This is actually one thing that has puzzled me from day one on the R8. I absolutely DID expect the machining of the scope bases notches to be as precise and consistent as any other machining on the Blaser rifle, but they are not. I do not know why.

There could be explanations e.g. are they heat or cold treating the barrels after their machining? I do not know, but consistent they generally are not: the clamps are sometime just too tight, or sometime just not tight enough, but between my .300 Wby barrel and my .257 Wby barrel, the base of one does not clamp on the other and conversely the base of the other is loose on the one even when clamped (I do not remember which is which).

Sure, randomly two barrels can certainly have exactly the same spacing between the two sets of right and left notches, and randomly such two barrels can certainly find their way to the same home, but it has not been the case for our 9 barrels.

Which means we have 9 bases and 9 scopes, and yes, I agree:

Just takes a really expensive set up to the extreme when you add $500+ per mount and $1500+ per scope per barrel

Based on Stuart's (Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS) experience, which I do not doubt, you could be lucky, jimbo, so you can try to buy the two barrels and start with only one scope base, and it may fit both barrels...

IF the one base fits perfectly two barrels (big IF in my own experience with 9 barrels) you will then be able to play the clicking game to move the scope from one barrel to the other, and I predict the following:

1. There is not telling what your situation may be. Because there is only one scope for two calibers, you cannot use a BDC turret and you will be sighting at MPBR distance for each caliber. At random, the two barrels could shoot the same group at 100 yards, or they could be a foot apart...
2. The groups could be close enough - a few clicks - that you could mark the white lines etched on the turrets with a fine red permanent marker for one caliber and a blue or green one for the other caliber. It works! I have such marks on the elevation turrets of two .22 LR rifes to move the zero from 100 to 150 yards.
3. Or, the groups could be far enough that you would need a half-or-more turn on the turrets, in which case the above tip of marking the white lines etched on the turrets does not work well because now you need to remember in which direction to turn the turrets. So, you will make "the card" that will remind you what to click when. It will work 100% in your house.
4. By the time you forget or loose "the card" once at the range, you will print 10 of them and leave one in every hunting shirt and a few spares in the rifle case.
5. By the time you clicked wrong and you now have no idea how to get back to zero, "the card" will serve no purpose.
6. In the end, you will buy a second scope and mount, and this will be good for you because you will have a DG scope (1-4 or 1-6 x 26 straight tube) on the .375 pipe, and a PG scope (3-12 or 4-16 x 40+ bell objective) on the .300 pipe, each adapted to their barrel, and each adapted to what you hunt them with.

I am genuinely curious Stuart's (Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS), How do you deal with this? Are the two zeros close enough in your case that it is just a few clicks and you marked the turrets? Or are you swapping the scope seldom enough and for long a period enough that you just resight with a few shots?

 

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

Hey @Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS, Thanks for your input on this. I'm awaiting delivery on an R8 with 257 WB Mag (lighter plains game and whitetail, etc. at home), 375 H&H (heavier plains game), and 416 Rem Mag (buffalo) barrels. I bought 2 scopes. I'm thinking I can leave one scope on the 257 barrel, and "share" one scope between the 375 and the 416 barrels. Those calibers have pretty similar trajectories, so once I've checked out the zero for each, I'm hoping I can keep note of how many clicks to adjust the scope, dial it in, quick range check, and off we go. Do you think that plan will work?

I do believe that will work well

 

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

If your intent jimbo is to take only one barrel on each safari e.g. PG safari with .300 this year and DG safari with the .375 next year, then you can stop reading right here: one scope / one mount is fine, assuming you are wise enough NOT to buy an astronomical scope that would be useless and actually dangerous on a DG hunt. You will just resight when training for the upcoming safari.

On the other hand, if your intent jimbo is to take both barrels on the same safari, you will need to be able to swap the scope from one to the other at night in camp (you could also conceivably swap it during the day hunt in the truck, but I recommend against it: too many opportunities for Murphy to invite himself to the party...), and the following will apply.











Not questioning your lucky experience Stuart, but you are lucky

I have only Blaser factory barrels: .458 Lott; .375 H&H; .300 Wby; .257 Wby; .223 Rem; .22 LR, and my wife also has only Blaser factory barrels: 9.3x62; .270 Win; .222 Rem. We have only Blaser factory bases. My experience has been opposite to yours: not one of our nine Blaser factory mounts will fit correctly on another Blaser factory barrel than the one for which the tightness of the base two back screws was adjusted.

This is actually one thing that has puzzled me from day one on the R8. I absolutely DID expect the machining of the scope bases notches to be as precise and consistent as any other machining on the Blaser rifle, but they are not. I do not know why.

There could be explanations e.g. are they heat or cold treating the barrels after their machining? I do not know, but consistent they generally are not: the clamps are sometime just too tight, or sometime just not tight enough, but between my .300 Wby barrel and my .257 Wby barrel, the base of one does not clamp on the other and conversely the base of the other is loose on the one even when clamped (I do not remember which is which).

Sure, randomly two barrels can certainly have exactly the same spacing between the two sets of right and left notches, and randomly such two barrels can certainly find their way to the same home, but it has not been the case for our 9 barrels.

Which means we have 9 bases and 9 scopes, and yes, I agree:



Based on Stuart's (Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS) experience, which I do not doubt, you could be lucky, jimbo, so you can try to buy the two barrels and start with only one scope base, and it may fit both barrels...

IF the one base fits perfectly two barrels (big IF in my own experience with 9 barrels) you will then be able to play the clicking game to move the scope from one barrel to the other, and I predict the following:

1. There is not telling what your situation may be. Because there is only one scope for two calibers, you cannot use a BDC turret and you will be sighting at MPBR distance for each caliber. At random, the two barrels could shoot the same group at 100 yards, or they could be a foot apart...
2. The groups could be close enough - a few clicks - that you could mark the white lines etched on the turrets with a fine red permanent marker for one caliber and a blue or green one for the other caliber. It works! I have such marks on the elevation turrets of two .22 LR rifes to move the zero from 100 to 150 yards.
3. Or, the groups could be far enough that you would need a half-or-more turn on the turrets, in which case the above tip of marking the white lines etched on the turrets does not work well because now you need to remember in which direction to turn the turrets. So, you will make "the card" that will remind you what to click when. It will work 100% in your house.
4. By the time you forget or loose "the card" once at the range, you will print 10 of them and leave one in every hunting shirt and a few spares in the rifle case.
5. By the time you clicked wrong and you now have no idea how to get back to zero, "the card" will serve no purpose.
6. In the end, you will buy a second scope and mount, and this will be good for you because you will have a DG scope (1-4 or 1-6 x 26 straight tube) on the .375 pipe, and a PG scope (3-12 or 4-16 x 40+ bell objective) on the .300 pipe, each adapted to their barrel, and each adapted to what you hunt them with.

I am genuinely curious Stuart's (Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS), How do you deal with this? Are the two zeros close enough in your case that it is just a few clicks and you marked the turrets? Or are you swapping the scope seldom enough and for long a period enough that you just resight with a few shots?

I have it noted down in the case with the barrel and scope

Its not that close i think 2 inches height and 3 inches windage more or less

And its always dead on yes i do take a shot or 2 to check the zero…always

 

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

So one barrel the scope will be zero zero
And then other one has adjustment

 

[Altitude sickness]

“This is actually one thing that has puzzled me from day one on the R8. I absolutely DID expect the machining of the scope bases notches to be as precise and consistent as any other machining on the Blaser rifle, but they are not. I do not know why.”

I do not own an R8. I am a fan of every other Blaser product I’ve used.

I did not know the scope mounting system is not uniform enough to change pre calibrated scopes onto the mounts of different barrels.

So either way it must be verified with a lazer or by shooting it.

A better mousetrap opportunity for the companies coming out with their versions of the R8. A more repeatable mounting system

 

[Borderer]

I have been thinking about using one scope on multiple Blaser barrels and there is a solution that seems to work well.

You can install a Dentler rail on each barrel. From what I have read, you install a fixed rail on the heaviest recoiling barrel, then an adjustable rail on the other barrels.

You install Dentler QD rings on the scope, zero on the fixed rail, then zero on the other barrels using the adjustable rail, from which you can set windage and elevation from the rail, without touching the scope.

All the reviews I have read are very positive.

 

[Borderer]

The only issue is the cost of the Dentler Rails. The fixed rail is £110, adjustable rails £400 and rings £100

Still less than multiple scopes

 

[BeeMaa]

I have been thinking about using one scope on multiple Blaser barrels and there is a solution that seems to work well.

You can install a Dentler rail on each barrel. From what I have read, you install a fixed mount on the heaviest recoiling barrel, then an adjustable rail on the other barrels.

You install Dentler QD rings on the scope, zero on the fixed rail, then zero on the other barrels using the adjustable rail, from which you can set windage and elevation from the rail, without touching the scope.

All the reviews I have read are very positive.

It sounds good in theory and because I've not tried it, I won't knock it. However I will voice some concerns.

Adding stuff like this is adding a potential failure point. The Blaser QD mount locks up like a bank vault with perfect return to zero every time. There is not a real good reason to mess with this kind of success IMO.

Add to this that most people don't want the same scope on multiple barrels. They bought a .30 caliber (or close to it) to use on PG and a .375 (and up) to use on DG. Using the same scope for both will hamstring you on one end or the other. There will be a major compromise either way. I will concede that if you had multiples of a certain caliber or cartridge...there could be a little benefit.

Another thing. You are now lifting the scope even further from the bore which will necessitate at least a riser on the comb to accommodate this. And this adjustable comb should be capable of being lowered easily to remove the bolt.

IMO - One scope per barrel is very reasonable, especially considering that you are saving money by not having to buy another stock. Too many negatives for me to even consider if I were getting started with the Blaser R8.

I wrote somewhere before that if you have a Blaser rifle, with a Blaser mount and Blaser scope...chances are nearly 100% that they are going to work very well together. Deviate too far from this formula and you invite Mr Murphy and his law to breakfast.