Blaser R8 - Too Many Parts or Just A Stupid Operator?

[Tra3]

I am not sure what the problem is, or more specifically I am not sure that there is a R8 problem here...

To be specific, let us resume the situation: standard cases were fired from a magnum bolt. Consequence, the standard cases were not extracted.

From a technical perspective, does this damage the gun? Answer: no. The locking of the bolt in the barrel is independent from the internal diameter of the bolt head.

From an analytical / philosophical perspective, this is strictly operator error. Answer: do not make the error. There is not much more to be said...

To me, discussing bringing the wrong bolt head is like discussing bringing the wrong ammo... The same could be said about using the wrong magazine insert..., or forgetting to bring the Blaser T wrench to bolt the barrels to the stock..., or forgetting to bring binoculars..., or forgetting to bring a spare battery for the laser rangefinder... etc. etc. This is what written checklists are made for.

I do not mean to be disrespectful, but there is a point where there is not much to discuss in a situation. As everyone essentially said so far, live and learn, but this has fundamentally nothing to do with the R8.



PS: I will add nonetheless that selecting chamberings for my own R8 African battery that require as few different parts as possible was part of my thinking: .257 Wby, .300 Wby, .375 H&H, .458 Lott all use the same bolt head, and the rifle is somewhat usable (but not perfect) with cross-walking the magazine inserts. But yes, I am very, very, very peculiar when I pack, physically crossing line after line on a printed checklist, down to the smallest details, as I pack. Everything, I mean everything, that goes in the gun case or suitcase is listed on the checklist. It does make it over a hundred lines long, but so what...

PS2: if it can make you feel better, my own most memorable one, a long time ago, was shooting 7 mm Rem Mag ammo in a .300 Win Mag rifle.................................................... No damage done, but I just could not understand why I kept missing, until I accidentally saw an empty shell with almost zero neck. At that moment the bulb finally turned on.................................

I’ve sent a .270 win down a 7mm mag barrel.
No harm done. But I learned to be much more fastidious about what is on the shooting bench at the same time.

I am in the minority here in that I’m happy to carry an extra bolt head on the standard size to fit a .270 win, but that has been for my kids or sister to shoot. Now, with a .375, 9.3x62 and .270 win, I’m taking two anyways. And a left handed bolt and bolt face in standard. Gotta love the versatility.

 

[Red Leg]

What do you use the 300 for? I ask because I was perfectly happy to hunt plains game with my 30-06 until I shot some with my 404 then my 375. Since then, I haven’t had any desire to use anything smaller than my 375.

I ask because you have proven to be very thoughtful so if anyone will have a good reason it will be you.

Seems very popular to bring a heavier and lighter cartridge but for the life of me I can’t see any reason for the lighter one. Perhaps because I rarely if ever shoot over 150 yards at game and am relatively recoil-insensitive, I just don’t have a reason.

To be perfectly honest - the only time I brought an additional barrel was with my S2 and in 30-06. I probably should have been more grammatically correct and said "were I to go to Africa with a R8 and two barrels ......." As you note, the .375 does it all and is the only barrel I have taken to Africa with the R8.

 

[Tra3]

To be perfectly honest - the only time I brought an additional barrel was with my S2 and in 30-06. I probably should have been more grammatically correct and said "were I to go to Africa with a R8 and two barrels ......." As you note, the .375 does it all and is the only barrel I have taken to Africa with the R8.

In that case, can I rent-to-own your .404 barrel?

The gear junkie in me says take 3 barrels. But, the guy who wakes up in the morning puts his shorts on and only takes the .375. (Until he runs out of ammo and uses the 9.3)

 

[Red Leg]

In that case, can I rent-to-own your .404 barrel?

The gear junkie in me says take 3 barrels. But, the guy who wakes up in the morning puts his shorts on and only takes the .375. (Until he runs out of ammo and uses the 9.3)

The .300 has become my go to nilgai configuration and the .257 my go to long range deer combination. The .375 is perfect for Africa when DG is included. When not, I take what the spirit moves me. My last pure PG hunt in Zambia was with my Rigby .275. There are very few truly wrong answers.

 

[Daggaboy375]

I have found one problem with a list.

After making sure that I have everything on my list I unpack at my destination and realize I forgot to put said item on the list.

Getting old is easy. Staying old is hard.

DB

 

[375Ruger416]

To be perfectly honest - the only time I brought an additional barrel was with my S2 and in 30-06. I probably should have been more grammatically correct and said "were I to go to Africa with a R8 and two barrels ......." As you note, the .375 does it all and is the only barrel I have taken to Africa with the R8.

That’s a problem alright. I just bought my new Blaser R8 375/6.5 PRC/223 and haven’t taken any game with it yet. Really only need the 375 for my hunt this fall (plains game including eland and kudu). In fact, pretty much all you need for hunting anything anywhere, but where’s the fun in that? At least going to take my 6.5 barrel as well or else my 300 prc rifle if I decide to put up with the weight of two rifles. My 300 was new last fall, but I didn’t have a chance to use it on game last year - took my moose and whitetail with my 7 RM that I’ve taken almost everything with. Seems like I should take the 300 to Africa too and give it a workout too. Guns are like kids, they’ve got to see the world, right?

An advantage of the Blaser R8 is its versatility, but when you chamber it in a cartridge that can do everything you need to…

 

[dogcat1]

This may sound odd, but I have two or three stocks for my R8. I set up one for magnums , one for regular and one for the smaller bolt head. I keep the bolt head that same for a "set" of barrels.
That works for me.

I have done it the way you are doing and I have a checklist to remind me.

I also struggle with scopes for the various barrels. I have yet to figure that out without re-sighting in each time I make a barrel change.

 

[dogcat1]

One thing I do that helps is I put a tag on each barrel stating the magazine insert and the bolt head to use. I will at the scope to that when I can figure out a good system.

 

[UpNorthMI]

One thing I do that helps is I put a tag on each barrel stating the magazine insert and the bolt head to use. I will at the scope to that when I can figure out a good system.

I eventually just moved to keeping a scope on each barrel, expensive but simple to use barrel without the need to rezero.

 

[BeeMaa]

I eventually just moved to keeping a scope on each barrel, expensive but simple to use barrel without the need to rezero.

That’s the best way to do it. Besides, you would have a scope for each rifle anyway.

 

[Daggaboy375]

Or you could retract the bolt 1" and look.

ST-MA = BAD

ST-ST = GOOD

Those crazy Germans.

DB

 

[One Day...]

I have found one problem with a list.

After making sure that I have everything on my list I unpack at my destination and realize I forgot to put said item on the list.

Getting old is easy. Staying old is hard.

DB

I hear you loud and clear

My own solution is to fully subscribe to the concept that preparing a safari is half the pleasure of the entire safari

I am fairly analytical, so I have a good mental projection capability, and I spend hours (days, months) before each new safari, running scenarios in my head with pen & paper at hand, making notes of what I need in my daydream hunt. It really works, and it is quite pleasant

Another way, I am not kidding, is to start naked, and gear up for your hunt, listing everything you put on as you get ready to "hunt". Then think bad weather (I got snow twice in the Karoo), then think game shot (e.g. camera), then think long day (e.g. flashlight), then think back to camp (e.g. lens cleaning kit), etc.

The downside, if any, is that I tend to be over-prepared and to overpack. I am the guy at the lodge that everyone comes to see become I have the Allen key for their scope mount, a spare battery for their rangefinder or illuminated reticle, the first aid item / medicine pill that they need, spare shoe laces when theirs brake, a proper lens cleaning kit (amazing how many folks forget this one and damage their optics with their shirt sleeve!), etc. etc. This is to the point that I generally do not use most of my "just in case" kit, but as long as the gun case and the suitcase each stay under 50 lbs. and the carry on fits the maximum dimensions, then why not...

For example, here are excerpts from the checklist for my last DG/PG safari:

Etc.


Yes, I have missed a few things here or then as my experience slowly grew, but my current checklist is the incremental umpteenth iteration of 40 years of hunting and it has been a long, long time since I missed something. Of course, it has to be on paper, and I find the Excel spreadsheet an excellent tool that allows both organization and iteration.

The same goes for fly fishing trips, with its own checklist, and even down to weekend family camping trips

...

I also struggle with scopes for the various barrels. I have yet to figure that out without re-sighting in each time I make a barrel change.

When everything is said and done, the ONLY real solution is one scope per barrel. To the best of my knowledge, ALL seasoned R8 users do this.

Yes, it is expensive and it takes volume/weight in the luggage when traveling, but the "one barrel / one scope / one load" is failproof.

 

[One Day...]

What do you use the 300 for? I ask because I was perfectly happy to hunt plains game with my 30-06 until I shot some with my 404 then my 375. Since then, I haven’t had any desire to use anything smaller than my 375.

I ask because you have proven to be very thoughtful so if anyone will have a good reason it will be you.

Seems very popular to bring a heavier and lighter cartridge but for the life of me I can’t see any reason for the lighter one. Perhaps because I rarely if ever shoot over 150 yards at game and am relatively recoil-insensitive, I just don’t have a reason.

To be perfectly honest - the only time I brought an additional barrel was with my S2 and in 30-06. I probably should have been more grammatically correct and said "were I to go to Africa with a R8 and two barrels ......." As you note, the .375 does it all and is the only barrel I have taken to Africa with the R8.

The limit to the concept is when you get into MG (mountain game). Yes, you can, and I am sure some folks do, hunt Vaal Rhebok, Mountain Reedbuck, Klipspringer on top of the Drakensberg or Sneeuberg in the Karoo with a .375 H&H, but this is where, to me, the R8 comes into its own by shedding the .375 H&H pipe and downing the .257 Wby pipe.

On top of the Sneeuberg, taking this small-bodied Vaal Rhebok around 400 yards (can't remember the exact distance) was what the .257 Wby barrel topped with a Zeiss BDC glass is designed to do.

I will also argue that if you are after a really, really good Eastern Cape Kudu, chances are the .375 H&H will run out of reach in the mountains and high plateaus of the Cape. This is where the .300 Wby shines.

One of my rare - very rare indeed - 500 yards shot (513 yards laser ranged to be specific) took this truly good Eastern Cape Kudu with the .300 Wby barrel topped with a Zeiss BDC glass at last light. This is what a .300 is designed for: massive killing power at long range over a flat trajectory.

I DO own a .375 H&H R8 barrel, because it will be one day the obvious PG choice (I am thinking Lord Derby Eland, and probably also Bongo, just to be on the safe side punching through dense vegetation...), and it is ideal for Lion, and even Leopard with a frangible soft (I am thinking 260 gr Nosler Partition) but I reckon that it is light as a stopper, and by the time PHs like Claude Kleynhans, Owain Lewis, Theunis Botha, Philip Smythe or Ian Gibson get killed by Buffalo or Elephant, you realize that there is, after all, a possibility that you, the client, might need stopping power too...

So, I also own a .458 Lott barrel, which means that for Elephant, Buffalo, Hippo on land, the .375 H&H tube stays at home.

Because I always combine, so far, MG (mountain game) with PG and/or DG when going to Africa, generally cumulating different hunts with different outfitters in different areas (I prefer to go less often, but longer), the single caliber concept does not work well for me. To me, the analytical reason to buy a R8 was 3 calibers to Africa in a <62" and <50 lbs. gun case, and I am happy to say that reality has lived up to the modeling:

.257 Wby / .300 Wby / .458 Lott

.257 Wby / .300 Wby / .375 H&H

 

[Bert the Turtle]

Makes perfect sense for the hunting you describe.

 

[TOBY458]

I recently purchased yet ANOTHER R8. This one being a standard professional in 300 Win Mag. I believe the 458,416,375/ 300 Win Mag approach is a very sound one. I realize that a single stock and bolt assembly would/could work with all of these calibers, but for some reason, I prefer to have complete rifles set up in each caliber. Last year I took two complete R8 rifles to Zim, and although I never used the 375 rifle, it was there for back up in the event something happened to my 458 set up. That said, I’ll probably just split the difference next year on my elephant hunt and only take my 416 Rem Mag R8. That should handle elephant nicely, and also work for the odd 200 yard shot on an Eland or Kudu.

As for the 300 WM, it pretty much covers any and all PG hunting. Just adjust bullets accordingly. Although I do plan to get a 257 barrel at some point just to play around with and maybe shoot deer with it.
And did you notice, every caliber I mentioned takes the same bolt head?