Re-Loading for a Blaser R93

Soap

Well-Known Member
Has anyone had trouble with reloads for a Blaser?
I am having problems with rounds for my .30-06, I find the shoulder of the fired case moves forward even after one use and this stops the reloaded round from firing (the bolt does not go forward quite enough) and shows a light primer strike............if I throw the bolt forward with a bit more force all the rounds fire!
Is this my rifle or common problem?
 
Really? :-| I thought the idea of "fire forming" made the cartidge almost a custom fit for your chamber??? (don't shoot me down I don't claim to be any sort of expert :rolleyes:)

Would love to know why you would have to full size the case after every firing in a Blazer when you normally dont have to in a bolt action ?;)
 
I don't have a Blaser myself but I think that this subject has been mentioned before so there may be previous postings on the subject. If memory serves me correctly some stated that the problem was because of the design of the Blaser locking system which doesn't cam the bolt closed in the same positive way as more conventional bolt action rifles. Operating the bolt rapidly and forcefully seemed to be the solution if I recall correctly.

As regards the benefits of full length resizing I have a similar problem with my break action rifles. The lack of positive caming action makes full length resizing beneficial in fact essential, as much as I would simply like to neck size using a collet die it just doesn't work with my rifles.
 
I've been reloading for my Blaser in 308W for about 5 years now. At first I did have a faulty neck sizing die and so had some problems with neck sizing. Once I got that resolved and started using the Lee collet neck sizing die I haven't looked back. I have some cases that must be on a minimum of 5 firings and are maybe closer to 10 that haven't been full length sized. They still cycle and fire perfectly. Based upon my direct experience over around 2000 rounds it is simply untrue to say that you must full length size for a Blaser.

You need to be fairly positive on closing the bolt on a Blaser and many people, especially those new to the Blaser have the problem of not getting the bolt fully closed and getting the light strikes and failures to fire.

Have you checked the length of your cases? Just a thought but maybe they are slightly too long in total length, rather than to the shoulder, and need a bit of a trim?

Also were these cases new, or fired in another rifle before you got them? If they were fired in another rifle then i guess they might need the shoulder bumped back. I've always used Lapua brass and with new brass I just load it up and fire it and have never had any problems other than that one load I have uses a lot of powder which will not fit in a new case until it's been fired once.
 
You have to full length size all brass used in a blaser.
+ 1 I used to have this problem until I f/l sized, Blaser chambers are made to tight tolerences and the bolt is designed not to fire unless it is fully locked. fire forming cases for Blaser r93 & r8 is not needed to get accuracy as in a B/A. The technical explanation is posted elsewhere, may be on here or it might have been on "Blaserbuds" I can't remember for sure.
atb Tim
 
Would love to know why you would have to full size the case after every firing in a Blazer when you normally dont have to in a bolt action ?;)

I believe the reason is the free-floating bolt head in the Blaser, unlike in a normal bolt-action.

But then I don't claim to be an expert......and neither do I really care ;)

willie_gunn
 
Doubtless if we leave this a few minutes someone will post saying "Blasers are over-engineered cr*p, shouldn't have to full-length re-size, horrible Teutonic rattle-boxes, etc" :D

willie_gunn
 
Doubtless if we leave this a few minutes someone will post saying "Blasers are over-engineered cr*p, shouldn't have to full-length re-size, horrible Teutonic rattle-boxes, etc" :D

willie_gunn
Inevitable, there are a small number of contributers to SD that react remarkably childishly when someone asks a perfectly valid question about Blasers. I was interested in what Caorach had to say, it is a while since I tried neck sizing, I will try doing some more to see if they perform ok. atb Tim
 
it is a while since I tried neck sizing, I will try doing some more to see if they perform ok. atb Tim

Get yourself one of the Lee Collet neck sizing dies, they aren't expensive, and give it a try.

When I first started reloading I had a nightmare with neck sizing and eventually came to the conclusion that either the die I was using was faulty or I was doing something really stupid wrong even though I believed I was following the instructions.

I bought the Lee die more on a whim and haven't used anything else since. I did once full length size a small batch of my brass as I thought maybe one of my reloads required a bit more force than usual to close the bolt. However, I have other brass that must have a lot more loadings on it that has never been full length sized so maybe this was me looking for a problem rather than a real event.

I'd heard that I would have to full length size every 4 - 5 loadings but apart from that one incident I haven't found that to be true. I don't count the reloadings on my brass and so am not totally sure but I know how many primers I have gone through and that I've only recently added some new brass to my original lot of 100 Lapua and the numbers tell me that on average my brass must have 10 reloads on it, though some got used more than others. It is several years since the full length die was last out of the box and even then it was only a small batch that it was used on so at the very least I must have brass with over 5 neck sizing events without full length sizing on it and I'd be pretty sure there is some brass in there that most be over 10.

So, it is worth giving it a go. For me I love not having to mess about with lube on the cases, and then cleaning it off and that makes neck sizing worthwhile.
 
Get yourself one of the Lee Collet neck sizing dies, they aren't expensive, and give it a try.

When I first started reloading I had a nightmare with neck sizing and eventually came to the conclusion that either the die I was using was faulty or I was doing something really stupid wrong even though I believed I was following the instructions.

I bought the Lee die more on a whim and haven't used anything else since. I did once full length size a small batch of my brass as I thought maybe one of my reloads required a bit more force than usual to close the bolt. However, I have other brass that must have a lot more loadings on it that has never been full length sized so maybe this was me looking for a problem rather than a real event.

I'd heard that I would have to full length size every 4 - 5 loadings but apart from that one incident I haven't found that to be true. I don't count the reloadings on my brass and so am not totally sure but I know how many primers I have gone through and that I've only recently added some new brass to my original lot of 100 Lapua and the numbers tell me that on average my brass must have 10 reloads on it, though some got used more than others. It is several years since the full length die was last out of the box and even then it was only a small batch that it was used on so at the very least I must have brass with over 5 neck sizing events without full length sizing on it and I'd be pretty sure there is some brass in there that most be over 10.

So, it is worth giving it a go. For me I love not having to mess about with lube on the cases, and then cleaning it off and that makes neck sizing worthwhile.
I have the Lee collet neck die so that should be no problem, hopefully I shall be able to make a few to try this weekend. atb Tim
 
I'm using a Lee collet die for mine in .243.
I started with S/H brass so full length sized it all, once fired I neck sized it and it was ok, if a little tight to chamber.
I have now added a redding body die, and a set of competition shell holders, the +.006" one bumps the shoulder back just on .0015" from a twice fired case.

Neil. :)
 
Thanks for all your input!
I have reloaded a few and made sure I hit the full length die down well so as to bump the shoulder............all good now, no soft strikes on the primer.
I will be careful what questions I ask the forum in future!
cheers.
 
I will be careful what questions I ask the forum in future!
cheers.

I wouldn't worry about it. For some reason Blasers seem to attract some people who love them and will hear no wrong about them and some who at the very mention of the word Blaser jump in with stories of doom and destruction. Given this any thread that mentions a Blaser, and especially any that mention the possibility that something might go wrong with one, seem to turn into all out war on how good/bad Blasers are. What other people think can't possibly be your fault so if I were you I'd ask any question I wanted, well except ones about bow hunting and pistols for shooting deer :)
 
Only problem I have had with the bolt not closing properly was when my cases grew to long and that was my fault had wrong case length written down.:oops:
 
I tried neck sizing as Caorach suggests. I fired 3 rounds off the bench at 100m from a cold barrel, no misfire/ light strike problems and the grouping speaks for itself. The target is a spare one from the fun shoot. :D atb Tim


12-E54DC450-1391966-1280-100.jpg
 
You're the only one to hit the bull more than once :) OK so maybe off the bench isn't a simulated stalking position, but even so...

I hope you have the success with neck sizing I did and that you get as many loadings as I've been getting, If you are at all worried I guess you could run the 3 rounds through the loading process a few times just to confirm that it works for you and works in your rifle.

I think, and this might be totally wrong, that the "must neck size for a Blaser" myth came from someone innocently suggesting that as the Blaser has no caming action so if the brass were to get bigger and bigger on each firing pulling the bolt straight back might not have the "strength" to pull the case out of the chamber. The logical fault in this, of course, is that the chamber is a fixed size and no matter how many times you fire the brass it isn't going to get any bigger than this and it will spring back by a fixed amount on each firing. This story went around the internet and was discussed and it soon became "Blasers can't extract neck sized brass because the bolt isn't up to the job." The story then seemed to progress "you must neck size for a Blaser or your rifle just won't work and if you shoot a rabbit and can't chamber another round all the rabbit's friends will come out of their holes and kill you." By the end of another month 50% of people on the internet knew someone, or were related to someone, who had suffered a terrible death because they used neck sized brass in their Blaser.
 
I also have an R93 in 30-06 and neck size only using a lee collet die and Lapur cases never had a problem with it, but had a bit of a problem with my .243 doing the same thing i spoke to the blaser rep at the game fair about it and he said dont be kind to it be positive with the bolt and i must say not had a problem since although i do full length resize the .243
 
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