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

[bowjijohn]

No difference

Each rifle or calibre or 'spare barrel' has to registered as a 'firearm' in its own right and a justification made as to what 'good reason' you have to possess it.

Good reasons include

Target shooting
Deer stalking and or vermin control
Foreign use

You are expected to justify why the calibre of choice is the right one for the 'good reason' you have given.

If it is assessed that you already have a suitable calibre for that stated use (e.g. you have 308 for deer and ask for a 30 06 for deer) your application might be denied

 

[Adrian]

As bowjijohn says, it makes no difference and you will likely be denied certain calibres if another one can do the job.

I have a .22lr, .243, 30-06, .300WinMag and a .375H&H on my licence.

I was granted the latter two calibres for my Mauser M03 because I wanted to use them abroad, my one gun, two barrel travel rifle and it was granted for use abroad but not in the UK except for zeroing at an appropriate range and I can't travel with that rifle unless to a rifle range or to and from a port or airport.

When my licence was renewed just last month I applied for it and sent a very reasoned letter explaining that I would like the restrictions to be lifted because I would like to be able to be field familiar with my rifle prior to any dangerous game situation.

It was denied because I already have a .243 and 30-06 approved for use in the UK and those two calibres would suffice.

For sure, a potential Blaser owner might apply for some of those calibres, have some approved and some denied or all approved with restrictions on some.

The advantage that person has would be they will get to use their rifle in the field with the unrestricted calibres and therefore know their rifle before travelling abroad with the one for use abroad only.

 

[1dirthawker]

I can't speak for anyone else but here goes,

as a brown bear guide (only part time) one reason the R-8 is not used, because it is a fairly rare gun. I have only seen one used by anyone hunting bears. It was a blue/wood 375 h & h. I thought it was a cool rifle but knew very little about it. After being on this site a while, i have heard more about it.

it IS and expensive rifle, depending on caliber and how tricked out it is. MOST the guides that I know are not wealthy in any way and i think the price tag on the rifle is prohibitive.

It is wood/blued. when hunting brown bears, the weather is typically wet or snowy and...you are usually close to the ocean. the salt water and constant rain will do a real number on wood/blued rifles. it's even pretty hard on stainless guns, but one does have more time to deal with corrosion.

I think they are a pretty cool rifle. the biggest stumbling block for me would be the cost, but the blue wood gun is a pretty big deal too. i have seen rifles destroyed on a single 10 day hunt. my 2 cents

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Quite a few PH's have seen mine and none have reported any bad experiences with others. And they have guided people like Gerald Mcraney, Chris Dorsey, Tony Makris (who now uses a R8 almost exclusively), that Boddington fellow, and many others. So what?

What I and several others can and have tried to offer is pretty extensive personal testimony about how the rifle performs in the field under a wide range of conditions. In my experience with the rifle and in the experience of others who I know who use the R8, it doesn't jam, it is extremely accurate, it has superb ergonomics, and the best factory trigger I have ever used. That is all based on extensive use of the rifle in a lot of different places and under a lot of different conditions.

It is a little like the 35 Whelen isn't it? I can hear it waved off around campfires all over the world. But when I really want to learn something about it and its capabilities, your posts are invaluable. You have actual experience.

I have no meaningful current experience living with European gun ownership restrictions, though in SA each barrel is treated as another rifle.

What I do again have is significant personal experience travelling internationally with firearms. Nothing I have ever owned but a double is easier to carry than a R8. And I think we all have enough knowledge with doubles to agree they aren't quite as versatile as the R8 on the arrival end. I don't enjoy dragging big wheeled cases with multiple rifles, and if one's destination has a charter plane waiting at the airport, the big case can become a problem for everyone.

I have other rifles and use them. I will be bringing my .275 to Zambia in August to hunt PG with @spike.t. But not because it is a "better" choice than the R8 with the 300 Win Mag barrel, but because he and I appreciate a Rigby. I took my last whitetail a few weeks ago with a Bradshaw single shot in 7x65R. It is a lovely elegant rifle that I truly love.

And everything is relative. For the cost of either of those rifles, one can own a R8 and several sets of barrels - four rifles of extraordinary quality for cost of one. That is almost the definition of a bargain isn't it?

The best, most dependable travel rifle, particularly for Africa where multiple calibers may make sense? Based on my experiences, it is the R8 - hands down.

@Red Leg
I wasn't bagging the Blaser but merely giving the opinion of 2 PHs only based on what they have seen.
I do like the idea and versatility of the system.
All rifles can malfunction if not treated correctly. As you have pointed out if it didn't function it would not have been made.
It is good you have tested it extensively in a lot of different conditions and can give an experienced and nub i asked opinion of the weapon.
Once again I was giving the opinion of 2 people only. I have had NO experience with Blaser and probably never will because ot the price. This does not stop me liking the K95 and wanting one.
Bob

 

[wesheltonj]

Depends if he likes to get shot or not.

You beat me to it.

There is no way on earth would I ever hunt with her. I would be too afraid that the Craig would have to start selling his underwear again.

 

[CBH Australia]

You beat me to it.

There is no way on earth would I ever hunt with her. I would be too afraid that the Craig would have to start selling his underwear again.

I reckon hers might get more interest, that’s if you are into that sort of thing.

 

[Newby]

It just occurred to me that the thread title makes an assumption that the potential user group referred to CHOOSES not to use Blaser.

I don't think that is a correct assumption.

I doubt that such users ever seriously consider an R8, let alone consciously CHOOSE not to use one, because, as I and and others have pointed out, they have no need of the Blaser features, so why pay the greatly higher price for something that offers nothing to them. There is also the possibility, no matter how slight, of dust, rock flour, silt etc, causing problems.

Horses for courses.

 

[Felipe]

Soy Propietario de Mauser M03 en .404 y. .375 Jeffery.
¡¿Alguien puede opinar Mauser M03 vs R8?

 

[Felipe]

Un Heym .416 Rigby es mi favorito, pero de él no hablamos. Se ve en la foto

 

[Tanks]

OK. You guys convinced me.

So, this morning I finalized an order for...

Heym 88B SxS in 9x76R with claw mounts to be regulated with my Z6i 1.7 - 10x scope. (Federal ammo with A-frames).

To be delivered in June. It will be my bait and cat gun.

Now, I can break down my rifles just like the R8 guys like @Red Leg and travel light.

 

[BeeMaa]

Heym 88B SxS in 9x76R with claw mounts to be regulated with my Z6i 1.7 - 10x scope. (Federal ammo with A-frames).

First, allow me to say congratulations on the incoming Heym.
Second, did you mean 9.3x74R instead of 9x76R?

 

[Tra3]

The question about dust in an R8 has been mentioned a few times but no one has confirmed an actual problem. I used mine this fall in Idaho in September. The area I hunted had not seen rain for nearly 2 months. The dust was much more than past hunts. I had no issues. I even traveled with my gun on a backpack, on the back of an ATV. The rifle was regularly coated in dust (as was I) but no issues occurred. I would dry wipe the dust off in the evening, but did no other cleaning.
the dust was so significant that we cut fingers off a leather glove to make barrel covers to keep dust out of the barrel. No issues.
I’m curious if anyone has actually had a dust issue and can tell us about it.

I also brought a toothbrush in my backpack to wipe off the scope mount area before mounting the scope each day. Also no issues.

There is no perfect rifle. But I can say the R8 performs better than any other I have used.

I will report back more after July 2021 in Namibia.

@Tanks if you need someone to break in your Heym, I will volunteer to help.

 

[Newby]

OK. You guys convinced me.

So, this morning I finalized an order for...

Heym 88B SxS in 9x76R with claw mounts to be regulated with my Z6i 1.7 - 10x scope. (Federal ammo with A-frames).

To be delivered in June. It will be my bait and cat gun.

Now, I can break down my rifles just like the R8 guys like @Red Leg and travel light.

9x76 R ?? Never heard of that, not that I have heard of everything. Maybe you mean 9.3x74R ? Always fancied a nice double in 9.3x74.

Or maybe the post is a wind up - LOL ?

If you plan to use a 9.3 on small cats, 9,3 A-Frames may not be as good as something softer. Big cats maybe.

9.3 is where A- Frames become "heavy rifle bullets" or some such - slower to expand and smaller mushroom.

 

[dchamp]

Tanks are you jerking are chain or is 9X76R a typo.I am not familiar with that cartridge.

 

[Newby]

The dust question is interesting, and a lot of factors could come into play.

Owners with no gun savvy not being sufficiently careful. This flows particularly from countries where the culture is "leave it to the gunsmith". Many owners don't perform even the simplest of tasks on their firearms.

Maybe leaving the rifle in a rack with the bolt open, which is completely unnecessary from a safety perspective. The rifle is designed to have the bolt closed. If one chooses to remove the fire control, Blaser supply a cover to clip in its place to minimize the incursion of foreign matter.

Maybe slathering oil and grease all over to attract dust, which will be even worse if the bolt is left open.

Maybe being unaware that if gunk gets in the locking collet recess in the barrel, lockup won't be possible. Is this what some have called a jam, or failure to feed, because I am buggered if I can see how an R8 could fail to move a cartridge from the mag to the chamber. The mag design and the feeding is brilliant.

A little simple maintenance, awareness, and care should reduce the possibilities of this sort of thing to almost nothing.

What is indisputable is that the R8 is more susceptible to dust than simple turnbolts, and that if it is immerse in a glacial stream carrying rock flour it WILL enter the internals.

For me, as a travelling hunter (when covid allows) the need to take a little more care is well worth the benefits, (and I won't be wading rivers again any time soon).

 

[Ed Lally]

"Why do the PH’s who are hunting DG and the great bears chose not to use the Blaser R8’s?" Several OHs I spoke to, especially the younger ones, lusted after an R8 in .458 Lott or .500 Jeffrey, the older ones had several reasons why they were not overly interested and most have already been stated: the cost of an R8 or they have a functioning firearm they are comfortable with or they don't need the flexibility provided by the R8 system. I think that the OP is either looking for some overwhelming reason to purchase one or reasons to disparage the firearm. Probably the second given the sum of his posts. In my 60+ years of hunting, not as extensively as many and not as often to Africa as some, I have purchased, traded, gifted and sold many pistols, revolvers, shotguns and many, many firearms including .22s, single shots, pumps, many bolt rifles, a few R8s and a Krieghoff. Many I enjoyed, many I liked and several were or are truly special. They all performed the job they were designed to, some better than others. The same is true with other possessions I have been fortunate to have, whether boats, autos, or whatever; some were OK, some were good and some great. I am at that point in my life when I appreciate places, experiences and things from a number of perspectives and, just as I appreciate a nice glass of wine or a good conversation with friends, I appreciate the R8 for many reasons, all of which have been adequately stated above. My final word if advice to the OP, "If you don't like an R8, don't buy one."

 

[Tanks]

9x76 R ?? Never heard of that, not that I have heard of everything. Maybe you mean 9.3x74R ? Always fancied a nice double in 9.3x74.

Tanks are you jerking are chain or is 9X76R a typo.I am not familiar with that cartridge.

Yes, typo. Here are the specifics from the order form.

HEYM, Model 88B, Cal: 9.3x74R
Options Left-Hand Stock
Options Left-Hand Firing Order
Claw Mounts

@Tanks if you need someone to break in your Heym, I will volunteer to help.

Thanks. That (assuming it makes it to me by June) and the Heym .500 NE I already have are going to Zim for 21 days next August. It will get broken in then.

 

[WAB]

I heard around the campfire that a Blaser is so good that it would even kill buffalo with Hornady ammunition. one shot, every time.

You just can’t help yourself can you!

 

[WAB]

I would think a stainless synthetic R8 in 9.3x62 or .375 H&H would be a great guide rifle for brown bear. Perhaps a little pricey for most, but technically a great solution.

 

[Tanks]

I would think a stainless synthetic R8 in 9.3x62 or .375 H&H would be a great guide rifle for brown bear. Perhaps a little pricey for most, but technically a great solution.

When I was looking at Siberian bear hunts they did mention Blasers as being available as camp guns. Guess they do last.