I have an open slot on my certificate for a 6.5 x 55 but I cant make up my mind what to get. I had come up with a list of requirements and nice to have features. Which has narrowed the list of what is available.
Requirement:
Manual cocking system
Adjustable comb height
Short barrel (20" preferably)
Nice to have:
Switch Barrel
Return to zero scope mounts
At the shooting show I got to look at the Sauer 404, Blaser R8, Merkel RX Helix and the Mauser M03. All of these rifles pretty much tick all the boxes, however to get the configuration I wanted would cost £3k+ which is a lot of money. I know the R8 has a lot of fans but I wasn't keen on the straight pull actions on either the Blaser or the Merkel.
Of all of these rifles the Mauser M03 really did it for me. The synthetic stock felt great. The manual cocking was simple and felt much easier to engage than the others. I was chatting to the rep (can't remember his name but he was very helpful) on the stand and went through all this with him and he asked whether I had considered the M12. I had looked at it but as it used a traditional safety I had discounted it. He then informed me that Mauser have just produced an update to the M12 in the way of a manual cocking device similar to the M03. I had a look at the M12 MAX with the thumb-hole stock and it was very nice. It also weighs in at about half the cost of the M03.
So my quandary now is, do I save up and get an M03, or go for an M12 accepting that it isn't a switch barrel, and with the money I save buy better glass for it?
Does anybody have experience of either (or even better, both) rifles? Which would you go for and why?
Requirement:
Manual cocking system
Adjustable comb height
Short barrel (20" preferably)
Nice to have:
Switch Barrel
Return to zero scope mounts
At the shooting show I got to look at the Sauer 404, Blaser R8, Merkel RX Helix and the Mauser M03. All of these rifles pretty much tick all the boxes, however to get the configuration I wanted would cost £3k+ which is a lot of money. I know the R8 has a lot of fans but I wasn't keen on the straight pull actions on either the Blaser or the Merkel.
Of all of these rifles the Mauser M03 really did it for me. The synthetic stock felt great. The manual cocking was simple and felt much easier to engage than the others. I was chatting to the rep (can't remember his name but he was very helpful) on the stand and went through all this with him and he asked whether I had considered the M12. I had looked at it but as it used a traditional safety I had discounted it. He then informed me that Mauser have just produced an update to the M12 in the way of a manual cocking device similar to the M03. I had a look at the M12 MAX with the thumb-hole stock and it was very nice. It also weighs in at about half the cost of the M03.
So my quandary now is, do I save up and get an M03, or go for an M12 accepting that it isn't a switch barrel, and with the money I save buy better glass for it?
Does anybody have experience of either (or even better, both) rifles? Which would you go for and why?