Blaser R8 - Why do African PH’s and Alaskan Bear Guides Choose Not To Use Blaser R8’s?

[Lobo]

The blaser bolt can be tapped slightly and fatally open by a branch etc.

If following up in thick brush maybe not such a great idea.

 

[Tra3]

The blaser bolt can be tapped slightly and fatally open by a branch etc.

If following up in thick brush maybe not such a great idea.

Only if the rifle is in the fire position. When the safety is on, the bolt cannot be tapped open by a branch. When the safety is off (and the gun ready to fire) you can open the bolt. I suggest that hunting with the rifle in the unsafe “fire” position is a bad idea.
I doubt you have hunting experience with an R8 for this type of inaccurate comment.

 

[spike.t]

I would also add that there are a lot of pushfeed rifles on the market that don't have a bolt locking safety. This is done in the name of added "safety" but in my mind it makes it very easy to have the bolt inadvertently open while walking around in thick brush. The R8 bolt is locked at all times except when the striker is cocked.
However I have heard some stories of the "Blaser click" whereas the bolt is not fully closed on a round in the chamber, and the gun fails to ignite the primer when fired. Not sure if this situation could also be caused by tapping the bolt handle rearward when the gun is in "safe" position, but I really don't see how it could with the bolt locked into place.

Ahhhh.....the blaser click.....

 

[Challer]

With the bolt closed on an R8 tap the bolt knob from the barrel end. It can dislodge enough not to go off in a DG situation. So if you are stalking in thick brush or you fall and your bolt is tapped/ hits something like a branch, that could render the rifle unusable in a hairy situation. An R8 is not a DG rifle. Excellent for everything else. Dont believe me... try it with your R8 and an empty chamber. Tap the bolt from the front of the rifle.. and fire.

I suppose we're all doing it wrong. Probably impossible to catch any other bolt on a branch such that you are out of battery. Seriously, don't walk around with your gun off safe. The R8 is an excellent DG rifle.

 

[MerlinMc]

In recent years, I have hunted exclusively with my Blaser and various barrels. This includes half a dozen DG animals and lots of PG, deer, etc. No issues with the rifle; it has worked perfectly every hunt. It's very accurate and can cycle rounds quickly when necessary. I have hunted with a PH in RSA who also used an R8 for years and has been very happy with it. No PH has ever expressed a concern about the Blaser. A few have insisted on me using the 375 barrel which is the largest caliber I own. Many of the PHs have asked to shoot the rifle.

 

[MerlinMc]

I've done it both ways. On one safari I took only my 375HH with 235gr and 350gr TSXs. On others I had either 7RM or 6.5CR but ALWAYS my 375. If I had to settle for one gun it would be my 375. Granted, the 6.5 and 7 give me more range if needed but I very seldom shoot beyond 300 yds. and only under perfect conditions. I try to stay under 250 yds. My 375HH is good to 300 plus if necessary but I like to stalk as close as possible. That's the fun of it.
If I knew I was going after lighter pg one day I would opt for the 6.5 or 7, depending on which one I had on that safari, because of the weight difference. 7 or 8 lbs is much handier than 11. On an eland or heavy pg day it would be the 375 for the sure kill.
I have no problem with the number of guns one has on a hunt--as long as he is proficient with all of them. It's the guys with the shoulder fired howitzers that they can't manage that irritate me. Recoil intolerance equals poor shooting equals wounded or lost animals.

Some places (Mozambique as one example) are more challenging to import rifles and ammunition. It's easier to bring one rifle. My 375 has always been my choice. It's comfortable for me to shoot without a brake as I don't like brakes for hunting.

 

[BeeMaa]

You stated this on 15 May 2021...

With the bolt closed on an R8 tap the bolt knob from the barrel end. It can dislodge enough not to go off in a DG situation. So if you are stalking in thick brush or you fall and your bolt is tapped/ hits something like a branch, that could render the rifle unusable in a hairy situation. An R8 is not a DG rifle. Excellent for everything else. Dont believe me... try it with your R8 and an empty chamber. Tap the bolt from the front of the rifle.. and fire.

And this today...

The blaser bolt can be tapped slightly and fatally open by a branch etc.

If following up in thick brush maybe not such a great idea.

I'm at a loss on whether you are daft or just trying to provoke a response.

 

[Tanks]

...

I'm at a loss on whether you are daft or just trying to provoke a response.

Probably a bit of both. With safety on I don't see how that bolt is going to move. My safety goes off as I am shouldering the rifle/shotgun (unless shooting sporting clays then always off).

 

[Red Leg]

The blaser bolt can be tapped slightly and fatally open by a branch etc.

If following up in thick brush maybe not such a great idea.

That is nonsense. The bolt can not be moved if the rifle has not been cocked or the bolt released. You obviously have never operated one. Like any other safe shooter and/or hunter will do with any other rifle, the safety, or in this case cocking spanner, is pushed forward as the rifle is shouldered.

 

[Tanks]

@Red Leg and @BeeMaa, what is the best practice when going back to the truck with a loaded R8? Just drop the magazine and leave a round chambered or partially pull the bolt back, drop the magazine, eject the round and push the bolt forward and then load the magazine back up?

 

[Red Leg]

@Red Leg and @BeeMaa, what is the best practice when going back to the truck with a loaded R8? Just drop the magazine and leave a round chambered or partially pull the bolt back, drop the magazine, eject the round and push the bolt forward and then load the magazine back up?

Release the bolt with the thumb, slide it slowly back with the right index finger and as the round releases press it back into the magazine with fingers of the left hand as the action rests in the palm. Seconds.

 

[BeeMaa]

@Red Leg and @BeeMaa, what is the best practice when going back to the truck with a loaded R8? Just drop the magazine and leave a round chambered or partially pull the bolt back, drop the magazine, eject the round and push the bolt forward and then load the magazine back up?

Release the bolt with the thumb, slide it slowly back with the right index finger and as the round releases press it back into the magazine with fingers of the left hand as the action rests in the palm. Seconds.

Exactly. If you push the cocking lever slightly forward you can pull the bolt back and push the cartridge down into the magazine and remove it.

 

[Philip Glass]

I shot a nice buff in Namibia with my R8 in .375 H&H using an Aimpoint Hunting sight and 300gr Hornady DGS Ammo. A clean 1 shot kill right behind the right shoulder got the lungs and part of the heart. I had the second shot chambered and ready to go in less than 2 seconds. Used the second shot for insurance but the buff was dead already.
I planed on taking the R8 to Tanzania with the .375 and a .300WM barrel. I see no problem using the R8 on DG.

That is what I want to do when I get to Tanzania.

 

[Tanks]

Release the bolt with the thumb, slide it slowly back with the right index finger and as the round releases press it back into the magazine with fingers of the left hand as the action rests in the palm. Seconds.

OK. Tried it, that works. Guess not being CRF has its advantages.

 

[Tanks]

...
I planed on taking the R8 to Tanzania with the .375 and a .300WM barrel. I see no problem using the R8 on DG.

I see no issue with the calibers if you are comfortable with the .375 for DG. One possible issue, when combining PG and DG on a safari you do not know what you are going to encounter. So, you might be doing a lot of barrel switching.

The PG was the one that was more immediate with DG being more deliberate in my recent experience. So, might have to keep the .300WM on the gun and switch only when going after DG. Or follow the example of @Red Leg and just use .375 for everything.

 

[Red Leg]

OK. Tried it, that works. Guess not being CRF has its advantages.

Tried it?

Are you hiding something?

 

[Tanks]

My .300 RUM is an R8 in that sand colored stock, it was more timely than going a full lefty custom route and a tad less expensive. Plus, everyone needs a beater gun . I have nothing against Blaser rifles per se. Though I think their sporting clays shotguns are too light. My prejudices always have been in DG calibers regardless of the manufacturer.

 

[bowjijohn]

There is nothing remotely wrong with using the R8 in thick bush or against DG in my opinion

I carry a Mauser with closed bolt over empty chamber

However, with the R8 I am happy to carry it with a round in chamber and the cocking device on safe (actually it is depressurising the spring) - that, after all, was what it was designed for

With the de-cocker un-cocked you cannot take the rifle out of battery by knocking the bolt handle - you have to partially apply the cocking slide simultaneously in order to pull the bolt back.

For a fall or branch to knock the R8 out of battery you would have to have the rifle loaded and cocking device in 'fire'

I would have thought it ''inadvisable'' to wander through the bush with live round in chamber and safety off, except in the very last moments

De-cocking can be done either by thumb (quite hard work) or by simply dropping the trigger group out a bit and replacing it again

In the 4 years I've owned the R8 I have yet to find a single issue with its operation save perhaps top loading - I do find top loading a bit fiddly but then again it is not a drill I practice much with the R8

 

[ndumo HUNTING SAFARIS]

There are a few dangerous game PH's that use them. I would not hesitate to use them as well, if I had to start over tomorrow. My problem is that I love classics, big old M98 Mauser actions and double rifles. That being said, I did order 2x of the PH model in .375 H&H for loaner guns, as our European clients sometimes struggle with the "standard" actions on my other loaner guns.

 

[IvW]

The safety of any firearm is between the ears of the person who has the firearm in his hands.
If I have the mag loaded and an empty chamber I can shoulder and carry as I prefer, of course always having the muzzle in a safe direction irrespective.
When a round is chambered I have the rifle in my hands safety or not.
I use ZKK actioned DG rifles, having a round chambered and the rifle on safe the African carry is not on as any brush above can move it off safety....

Commin sense needs to prevail irrespective of type of firearm