R93 Rifle .308

RWC2010

Well-Known Member
Looking at purchasing an R93 Professional......pro's and con's from people who own one.

Thanks in advance
 
I have an R93 off road which is the plastic stock without the inserts so pretty close, my take on it:

Cons:
Price of rifle and mounts etc.
Rather unique action may not suit everyone or be to their taste.
I guess if it ever needs any work done only the offical Blaser agent will work on it.
A bit on the ugly side if you ask me.
Had a reputation for having the occasional mis-fire which was mostly due to bolt not being closed but there is no doubt in my mind that this was an occasional fault with some rifles.

Pros:
Easy to live with.
Great reputation for accuracy and mine shoots most factory ammo into an inch at most.
Great barrel life with repuation for steel being harder than any other rifle.
Very weather proof - mine has gone into the case soaking wet and sat there for some time with no rust etc.
Easy to travel with which is a big plus for me.
QD scope mounts etc. always return to zero after being removed.
Holds its value - could probably sell mine for more than I paid for it.
easy to have any combination of left hand or right hand with only one rifle but different bolt options - I'm left handed.

Now I'm not much of a "gun freak" and very much enjoy the rifle because of what it lets me do so my take is based on viewing it as a tool to let me go stalking. Clearly people into their guns as well as their stalking might have a different perspective.
 
I have an R8 professional
The advantage over the R93 is it has a detachable mag.
Shoots very well putting my homeloads through the same hole at 100yds
 
thanks Grant, looked at the R8 but could not justify an extra £800 to have a detachable mag. Did you have a R93 before the R8?
 
Perhaps something I could add is that it just works out of the box. A lot of people I see commenting that their rifle works as well as a Blaser (Or Sauer or other quality European rifle) then go on to admit that they've fitted a new stock, and an after market trigger, and a custom barrel and... It is like Triggers broom from "Only Fools and Horses" which was years old and had a number of new shafts and heads in that time! I guess what I'm saying is that Blaser is a rifle for people who expect high standards out of the box and who have no interest in messing about with modifications.

For some reason Blaser owners can attract a lot of, for want of a better word, aggression from owners of some other rifles though this problem is very much confined to the internet. It is also the case that there are a few internet forums dedicated to Blasers where if you say a word out of place your post or thread will vanish and they very much follow the line that "Blaser can do no wrong." As with any other mass produced item Blasers have their problems and, for some people, just don't suit them at all. So, be careful when reading some of the internet Blaser forums as you may find that any post suggesting a fault, problem or issue has been deleted. I've no idea why this whacky "fanboi" thing has evolved but it isn't healthy and certainly will not help your research.

Mine is in 308 and I really don't think I will ever need another rifle - though what I might "want" might be a different matter :)
 
Caorach, thank you very much for the info

Anybody else have views??

I'd endorse the comments already made above.

I now have R93's in both .243 and .308 - collecting Blasers does seem to become a habit for many owners.

I've put a variety of different rounds through the .308, from Privi to homeloads, and they all seem to group well regardless. This is in marked contrast to my old Sako 75, which was much more fussy, even before the original barrel was knackered.

I have only put Norma 100gr through the .243 and can see no reason to homeload, though I have all the necessary kit to do so.....one day maybe.

The Point of Impact doesn't seem to change no matter who is behind the trigger either.

Blasers are well engineered (some will say over-engineered), accurate and compact. The ability to take-down and reassemble without change of POI is useful, as is the ability to easily swap scopes, though only you can say if these are important to you.

On the downside, I have found that the .308 can be temperamental when it comes to brass. The answer has been to always full-length resize.

The straight pull, though undoubtedly fast, does sound like a staple gun ;).

And yes, everything with the word "Blaser" attached to is designed to make you wince at the price....much the same as the use of the words "Wedding" or "Apple".

willie_gunn
 
I have a R93 professional with Match barrel in 308win ,I bought it about 2 years ago now. It is my primary stalking rifle and I also use it for 4-5 local ftr-competitions per year ,its never going to beat the custom stuff, but I've been a runner up on a few occasions. It also meant I was able to sell the Sako TRG22 which was gathering dust in the cabinet.

There are many plus sides to the blaser system as mentioned by the others, for me the left handed action was very important. I have two separate scope/ mount combinations so I can swap depending on what I am doing, check zero and off I go.

Comparing sauer and blaser as modular units, swapping calibers, barrels, bolts and mags etc the blaser is a much slicker less compilcated option. There seems to be a few can't do's with the sauer.

On the missfire comment yes I have experienced this on a couple of occasions when the action was new, I think in all cases it was my fault the bolt was not lock home correctly.
I would like to try and pick up a match barrel in 6.5x55 at some point. I really liked this caliber for deer. My reflex T8 will then fit both barrels.

Overall very happy with it.
 
I can second all the positive comments on the R93. It does everything I need a rifle to do. Lightweight, compact, accurate. Its not nice to look at though and I think the high grade versions with high quality wood etc look wrong, but that's my opinion.

I can also add great after sales service. I asked on the Blaser stand if I they could tell me how to take off the rear sight on mine and was given a full explanation, followed by an e-mail and a number of blanking screws to fill the threaded hole that the rear sight screws into. They even sent me a take down key gratis.
 
I can second all the positive comments on the R93. It does everything I need a rifle to do. Lightweight, compact, accurate. Its not nice to look at though and I think the high grade versions with high quality wood etc look wrong, but that's my opinion.

I can also add great after sales service. I asked on the Blaser stand if I they could tell me how to take off the rear sight on mine and was given a full explanation, followed by an e-mail and a number of blanking screws to fill the threaded hole that the rear sight screws into. They even sent me a take down key gratis.

Thank you for posting this, as I have a .308 barrel with the rear sight fitted. I now find it needs to be removed as it fouls the Butler Creek cover on my scope, so your post is very timely:D.

Any chance you could post the instructions that Blaser sent? PM me if easier.

willie_gunn
 
Thank you to all for your input.

Going to collect a R93 Pro in a couple of weeks, will keep you posted.
 
Huntsman, you are a great shot and will get on with any rifle.:)

They handed me a R93 in 8x57 at a driven shoot in Germany. I wouldn't want one sorry.
Main problem is this unloading from the top which could be dangerous and plain stupid.
Then the jamming issues of the cartridge when cycling. Not up to my standard.
The biggest problem...one can't fix it.
I know Blaser as a company are good to deal with, pick up the phone and solve issues
quickly....just wouldn't want one of those aluminium clatterboxes.
edi
 
Dom, I just cut the bottom of the butler creek to miss the sight, taking them off requires the use of a chisel and hammer. Hope you're treating that .308 with the respect that its used to!
 
Dom, I just cut the bottom of the butler creek to miss the sight, taking them off requires the use of a chisel and hammer. Hope you're treating that .308 with the respect that its used to!

Gary

Certainly am! I even bought it a Zeiss scope in case it thought the IOR was a bit "below par" ;) Will be taking it up to Scotland to use it on the reds and will let you know how things go.

Thought I might cut off the Butler Creeks or I might take the angle grinder to the barrel :lol:

Dom
 
Thank you for posting this, as I have a .308 barrel with the rear sight fitted. I now find it needs to be removed as it fouls the Butler Creek cover on my scope, so your post is very timely:D.

Any chance you could post the instructions that Blaser sent? PM me if easier.

willie_gunn

PM on the way.
 
Reading this is interesting, but I had the impression that all Blasers, R93, R8 & K95 have 'Match Grade' barrels.......
Am I wrong?.....I also am given to understand these barrels are made/supplied by Sauer...a number of contacts I have in Europe say this is the case, but can anyone confirm this?
Cheers, :old:
 
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