Blaser R8 - Opinions from owners

[Bruiser64]

Do we have many Blaser R8 owners on here? If you own one, are you happy with it? Do you have multiple barrels? Do you keep seperate mounts and scopes on the different barrels? Are they worth the money in your opinion? I am considering an R8 and a Sako quad in case the government here in the Soviet Socialist Sate of WA proceeds with their laws to limit us to 5 firearms. Don’t get e wrong, I will work to make sure this doesn’t happen. But I also like to have a plan B.

[Blr243]

Not me , I assume they are straight pull ? I have a browning straight pull Factory ammo ok , reloads ok as long as full length sizing , Partial sizing or bump sizing and I have unreliable chambering / lock up

[Bazz]

Some interesting platforms you've nominated and I see your aim in skirting the new laws. With that said (happy to be proven otherwise) I'd imagine your different barrels / actions would need to be registered separately if they were for different calibres other than the original. Otherwise you wouldn't be permitted to buy ammunition here in WA if you didn't have something else in that calibre already on your licence. So it would boil down to are you happy essentially owning 2 x rifles (R8 & Sako) and 3 different barrels to get you up to the 5 limit.

The above is the same as getting a .22 conversion kit for a 9mm. You still need to get the conversion kit registered (in WA) which counts as a second firearm on your licence.

Cheers

[Bruiser64]

Some interesting platforms you've nominated and I see your aim in skirting the new laws. With that said (happy to be proven otherwise) I'd imagine your different barrels / actions would need to be registered separately if they were for different calibres other than the original. Otherwise you wouldn't be permitted to buy ammunition here in WA if you didn't have something else in that calibre already on your licence. So it would boil down to are you happy essentially owning 2 x rifles (R8 & Sako) and 3 different barrels to get you up to the 5 limit.

The above is the same as getting a .22 conversion kit for a 9mm. You still need to get the conversion kit registered (in WA) which counts as a second firearm on your licence.

Cheers

My understanding is that if you owned a switch barrel rifle like the Blaser R8, the additional barrel’s don’t count as additional rifles. I realise they would all need to be registered, but it is a way of getting more than 5 calibres whilst staying within the five firearm limit. Which is why I am considering switch barrel rifle options such as the BlaserR8 for centrefires and either the Sako Quad or the CZ 457 for rimfires. I would want to have the five registered firearms but have 2 of them as switch barrels that cover multiple calibres.

[johncz]

My stuff and thoughts as an invested Blaser owner of three years.

I have sold almost all of my rifles after buying my first Blaser. First one is a Ulrich Makura Takedown R93 w/ grade 10 walnut and engraved receiver, S&B 6x42 Klassik scope on MAK mount, Blaser Type A single rifle case. I also have a synthetic Blaser R93 Professional however I have sold my R93 barrels, 375H&H, 7mmRemMag and 25-06Rem, and upgraded to the R8 system as R93 is no longer made and parts are hard to find. The R93 is an awesome rifle and in my opinion the smaller size then the R8 is probably better in standard cartridges. The R93 Professional stock/system is currently for sale.

After selling a lot of other cheaper but quality rifles and some of my R93 gear I bought a Blaser R8 Success as standard with grade 4 walnut in 30-06 and I added a 6.5x55 barrel. I have two Innomounts with Zeiss Victory HT 2.5-10x50 scopes and a type C Blaser case. Exceptional package out of the box!
I will add a 9.3x62 that I have an Aimpoint H2 and mount for and a 222Rem barrel that I have a Zeiss Victory HT 3-12x56 on MAK mount.
Reason for this, having a European wife we are moving there for a while an I can take just two rifles, the Blaser works for this very well. So my final get out is a 222, 6.5x55, 30-06 and 9.3x62, 3 x Zeiss Victory HT scopes and an Aimpoint H2, all packaged in Blaser attache´ cases that are easy to travel with.
To get the 222Rem I will likely buy an R8 Professional giving me a second bolt slide and a synthetic stock option for all of my barrels and optics.

OPINION AS AN INVESTED OWNER - Blaser rifles shoot superbly, accuracy out of the box with factory ammo is sub 0.5 MOA with multiple loadings, yes they are expensive and worth every cent in MY opinion. Now other shooters will have a different opinion and that is fine, most have not shot one let alone owned and hunted with one. Ask a Blaser OWNER and they all seem to be huge fans of the brand for a reason.

WARNING - Don't shoot one and definitely don't buy one if you are trying to save money.

My small game rifle is a CZ457, 22lr and 22wmr, awesome little rifle with a S&B 6x42 Klassik.

[johncz]

My stuff and thoughts as an invested Blaser owner of three years.

I have sold almost all of my rifles after buying my first Blaser. First one is a Ulrich Makura Takedown R93 w/ grade 10 walnut and engraved receiver, S&B 6x42 Klassik scope on MAK mount, Blaser Type A single rifle case. I also have a synthetic Blaser R93 Professional however I have sold my R93 barrels, 375H&H, 7mmRemMag and 25-06Rem, and upgraded to the R8 system as R93 is no longer made and parts are hard to find. The R93 is an awesome rifle and in my opinion the smaller size then the R8 is probably better in standard cartridges. The R93 Professional stock/system is currently for sale.

After selling a lot of other cheaper but quality rifles and some of my R93 gear I bought a Blaser R8 Success as standard with grade 4 walnut in 30-06 and I added a 6.5x55 barrel. I have two Innomounts with Zeiss Victory HT 2.5-10x50 scopes and a type C Blaser case. Exceptional package out of the box!
I will add a 9.3x62 that I have an Aimpoint H2 and mount for and a 222Rem barrel that I have a Zeiss Victory HT 3-12x56 on MAK mount.
Reason for this, having a European wife we are moving there for a while an I can take just two rifles, the Blaser works for this very well. So my final get out is a 222, 6.5x55, 30-06 and 9.3x62, 3 x Zeiss Victory HT scopes and an Aimpoint H2, all packaged in Blaser attache´ cases that are easy to travel with.
To get the 222Rem I will likely buy an R8 Professional giving me a second bolt slide and a synthetic stock option for all of my barrels and optics.

OPINION AS AN INVESTED OWNER - Blaser rifles shoot superbly, accuracy out of the box with factory ammo is sub 0.5 MOA with multiple loadings, yes they are expensive and worth every cent in MY opinion. Now other shooters will have a different opinion and that is fine, most have not shot one let alone owned and hunted with one. Ask a Blaser OWNER and they all seem to be huge fans of the brand for a reason.

WARNING - Don't shoot one and definitely don't buy one if you are trying to save money.

[deanp100]

My stuff and thoughts as an invested Blaser owner of three years.

I have sold almost all of my rifles after buying my first Blaser. First one is a Ulrich Makura Takedown R93 w/ grade 10 walnut and engraved receiver, S&B 6x42 Klassik scope on MAK mount, Blaser Type A single rifle case. I also have a synthetic Blaser R93 Professional however I have sold my R93 barrels, 375H&H, 7mmRemMag and 25-06Rem, and upgraded to the R8 system as R93 is no longer made and parts are hard to find. The R93 is an awesome rifle and in my opinion the smaller size then the R8 is probably better in standard cartridges. The R93 Professional stock/system is currently for sale.

After selling a lot of other cheaper but quality rifles and some of my R93 gear I bought a Blaser R8 Success as standard with grade 4 walnut in 30-06 and I added a 6.5x55 barrel. I have two Innomounts with Zeiss Victory HT 2.5-10x50 scopes and a type C Blaser case. Exceptional package out of the box!
I will add a 9.3x62 that I have an Aimpoint H2 and mount for and a 222Rem barrel that I have a Zeiss Victory HT 3-12x56 on MAK mount.
Reason for this, having a European wife we are moving there for a while an I can take just two rifles, the Blaser works for this very well. So my final get out is a 222, 6.5x55, 30-06 and 9.3x62, 3 x Zeiss Victory HT scopes and an Aimpoint H2, all packaged in Blaser attache´ cases that are easy to travel with.
To get the 222Rem I will likely buy an R8 Professional giving me a second bolt slide and a synthetic stock option for all of my barrels and optics.

OPINION AS AN INVESTED OWNER - Blaser rifles shoot superbly, accuracy out of the box with factory ammo is sub 0.5 MOA with multiple loadings, yes they are expensive and worth every cent in MY opinion. Now other shooters will have a different opinion and that is fine, most have not shot one let alone owned and hunted with one. Ask a Blaser OWNER and they all seem to be huge fans of the brand for a reason.

WARNING - Don't shoot one and definitely don't buy one if you are trying to save money.

My small game rifle is a CZ457, 22lr and 22wmr, awesome little rifle with a S&B 6x42 Klassik.

Haha. I know who you are. I thought this sounded familiar. I may have spoken to you just a few days ago.
Cheers
Deano

[johncz]

My stuff and thoughts as an invested Blaser owner of three years.

I have sold almost all of my rifles after buying my first Blaser. First one is a Ulrich Makura Takedown R93 w/ grade 10 walnut and engraved receiver, S&B 6x42 Klassik scope on MAK mount, Blaser Type A single rifle case. I also have a synthetic Blaser R93 Professional however I have sold my R93 barrels, 375H&H, 7mmRemMag and 25-06Rem, and upgraded to the R8 system as R93 is no longer made and parts are hard to find. The R93 is an awesome rifle and in my opinion the smaller size then the R8 is probably better in standard cartridges. The R93 Professional stock/system is currently for sale.

After selling a lot of other cheaper but quality rifles and some of my R93 gear I bought a Blaser R8 Success as standard with grade 4 walnut in 30-06 and I added a 6.5x55 barrel. I have two Innomounts with Zeiss Victory HT 2.5-10x50 scopes and a type C Blaser case. Exceptional package out of the box!
I will add a 9.3x62 that I have an Aimpoint H2 and mount for and a 222Rem barrel that I have a Zeiss Victory HT 3-12x56 on MAK mount.
Reason for this, having a European wife we are moving there for a while an I can take just two rifles, the Blaser works for this very well. So my final get out is a 222, 6.5x55, 30-06 and 9.3x62, 3 x Zeiss Victory HT scopes and an Aimpoint H2, all packaged in Blaser attache´ cases that are easy to travel with.
To get the 222Rem I will likely buy an R8 Professional giving me a second bolt slide and a synthetic stock option for all of my barrels and optics.

OPINION AS AN INVESTED OWNER - Blaser rifles shoot superbly, accuracy out of the box with factory ammo is sub 0.5 MOA with multiple loadings, yes they are expensive and worth every cent in MY opinion. Now other shooters will have a different opinion and that is fine, most have not shot one let alone owned and hunted with one. Ask a Blaser OWNER and they all seem to be huge fans of the brand for a reason.

WARNING - Don't shoot one and definitely don't buy one if you are trying to save money.

My small game rifle is a CZ457, 22lr and 22wmr, awesome little rifle with a S&B 6x42 Klassik.

Haha. I know who you are. I thought this sounded familiar. I may have spoken to you just a few days ago.
Cheers
Deano

Good stuff Deano, their isn't that many of us
Thought I'd throw my 2c worth in and why, everyone usually has an opinion but has never even shot them
Cheers
John

[9.3x64]

My stuff and thoughts as an invested Blaser owner of three years.

I have sold almost all of my rifles after buying my first Blaser. First one is a Ulrich Makura Takedown R93 w/ grade 10 walnut and engraved receiver, S&B 6x42 Klassik scope on MAK mount, Blaser Type A single rifle case. I also have a synthetic Blaser R93 Professional however I have sold my R93 barrels, 375H&H, 7mmRemMag and 25-06Rem, and upgraded to the R8 system as R93 is no longer made and parts are hard to find. The R93 is an awesome rifle and in my opinion the smaller size then the R8 is probably better in standard cartridges. The R93 Professional stock/system is currently for sale.

After selling a lot of other cheaper but quality rifles and some of my R93 gear I bought a Blaser R8 Success as standard with grade 4 walnut in 30-06 and I added a 6.5x55 barrel. I have two Innomounts with Zeiss Victory HT 2.5-10x50 scopes and a type C Blaser case. Exceptional package out of the box!
I will add a 9.3x62 that I have an Aimpoint H2 and mount for and a 222Rem barrel that I have a Zeiss Victory HT 3-12x56 on MAK mount.
Reason for this, having a European wife we are moving there for a while an I can take just two rifles, the Blaser works for this very well. So my final get out is a 222, 6.5x55, 30-06 and 9.3x62, 3 x Zeiss Victory HT scopes and an Aimpoint H2, all packaged in Blaser attache´ cases that are easy to travel with.
To get the 222Rem I will likely buy an R8 Professional giving me a second bolt slide and a synthetic stock option for all of my barrels and optics.

OPINION AS AN INVESTED OWNER - Blaser rifles shoot superbly, accuracy out of the box with factory ammo is sub 0.5 MOA with multiple loadings, yes they are expensive and worth every cent in MY opinion. Now other shooters will have a different opinion and that is fine, most have not shot one let alone owned and hunted with one. Ask a Blaser OWNER and they all seem to be huge fans of the brand for a reason.

WARNING - Don't shoot one and definitely don't buy one if you are trying to save money.

My small game rifle is a CZ457, 22lr and 22wmr, awesome little rifle with a S&B 6x42 Klassik.

Haha. I know who you are. I thought this sounded familiar. I may have spoken to you just a few days ago.
Cheers
Deano

Good stuff Deano, their isn't that many of us
Thought I'd throw my 2c worth in and why, everyone usually has an opinion but has never even shot them
Cheers
John

Ha, yes allegedly their isn’t many of us…
I sold a heap of Tikka, Sako, and one Remington twenty years ago at least.
I know have one R8 with eight barrels from 22 rimfire up to 500 Jeffery.
Best bloody thing I ever did.

However I still appreciate a fine Mauser or break action rifle or gun. Some are beautiful.

But it’s the R8 I grab first, if I actually want to hunt hard.

[9.3x64]

The biggest features I appreciate are the short overall length (3-4 inch’s). It makes a very compact weapon to handle. The accuracy out of the box is superb, even after removing the scope mount, barrel, trigger, between every shot while shooting a group.
Another big advantage in my eyes is when you buy them you don’t have to do a single thing to them, to make them shoot little groups.
No gunsmith bedding, floating, action trueing and smoothing, trigger tuning, fitting cross bolts, fitting decent sights, fitting a good safety, blah blah blah..
Yes they are expensive, but you just buy one, don’t touch it , and hang onto it.

But I still love to handle and admire fine Mauser or double..

[knowsnothin]

Blaser owner for 10 years.
The blaser r8 is an over engineered marvel. Easy to shoot. Easy to switch barrels.
Perfect zero when swapping scopes.
I don’t know that the PoPo are going to let you have more than 5 calibres
It would make sense if they did and I think a ton of shooters would change platforms . But that’s not the agenda.
Where in WA are you?

[johncz]

My stuff and thoughts as an invested Blaser owner of three years.

I have sold almost all of my rifles after buying my first Blaser. First one is a Ulrich Makura Takedown R93 w/ grade 10 walnut and engraved receiver, S&B 6x42 Klassik scope on MAK mount, Blaser Type A single rifle case. I also have a synthetic Blaser R93 Professional however I have sold my R93 barrels, 375H&H, 7mmRemMag and 25-06Rem, and upgraded to the R8 system as R93 is no longer made and parts are hard to find. The R93 is an awesome rifle and in my opinion the smaller size then the R8 is probably better in standard cartridges. The R93 Professional stock/system is currently for sale.

After selling a lot of other cheaper but quality rifles and some of my R93 gear I bought a Blaser R8 Success as standard with grade 4 walnut in 30-06 and I added a 6.5x55 barrel. I have two Innomounts with Zeiss Victory HT 2.5-10x50 scopes and a type C Blaser case. Exceptional package out of the box!
I will add a 9.3x62 that I have an Aimpoint H2 and mount for and a 222Rem barrel that I have a Zeiss Victory HT 3-12x56 on MAK mount.
Reason for this, having a European wife we are moving there for a while an I can take just two rifles, the Blaser works for this very well. So my final get out is a 222, 6.5x55, 30-06 and 9.3x62, 3 x Zeiss Victory HT scopes and an Aimpoint H2, all packaged in Blaser attache´ cases that are easy to travel with.
To get the 222Rem I will likely buy an R8 Professional giving me a second bolt slide and a synthetic stock option for all of my barrels and optics.

OPINION AS AN INVESTED OWNER - Blaser rifles shoot superbly, accuracy out of the box with factory ammo is sub 0.5 MOA with multiple loadings, yes they are expensive and worth every cent in MY opinion. Now other shooters will have a different opinion and that is fine, most have not shot one let alone owned and hunted with one. Ask a Blaser OWNER and they all seem to be huge fans of the brand for a reason.

WARNING - Don't shoot one and definitely don't buy one if you are trying to save money.

My small game rifle is a CZ457, 22lr and 22wmr, awesome little rifle with a S&B 6x42 Klassik.

Haha. I know who you are. I thought this sounded familiar. I may have spoken to you just a few days ago.
Cheers
Deano

Good stuff Deano, their isn't that many of us
Thought I'd throw my 2c worth in and why, everyone usually has an opinion but has never even shot them
Cheers
John

Ha, yes allegedly their isn’t many of us…
I sold a heap of Tikka, Sako, and one Remington twenty years ago at least.
I know have one R8 with eight barrels from 22 rimfire up to 500 Jeffery.
Best bloody thing I ever did.

However I still appreciate a fine Mauser or break action rifle or gun. Some are beautiful.

But it’s the R8 I grab first, if I actually want to hunt hard.

I still have a Mauser M12 Expert in 30-06 w/ Aimpoint 9000L, bloody nice piece of timber for grade 5 and typically great Mauser finish and shape. CZ557 full stock in 6.5x55 w/ Meopta R1r 3-12x56, Carl Gustaf 1900 in 308 w/ Leupold VX3HD. Just added another barrel to the R8, was going to go 222Rem but dived into a 22-250 instead. The cabinet looks bare these days
Cheers
John

[Bruiser64]

Blaser owner for 10 years.
The blaser r8 is an over engineered marvel. Easy to shoot. Easy to switch barrels.
Perfect zero when swapping scopes.
I don’t know that the PoPo are going to let you have more than 5 calibres
It would make sense if they did and I think a ton of shooters would change platforms . But that’s not the agenda.
Where in WA are you?

Hi, thanks for the reply. I live in the Great Southern. in relation to switch barrel rifles, they are currently regarded as one rifle, but you need to register each barrel. If that remains unchanged with the proposed laws, then switch barrel rifles become a very attractive proposition. I think there is a reasonable prospect that this may be the case as you can only use one calibre at a time. Whereas I can take a few rifles with me when I go out shooting depending what game presents itself. Last night, for example I took my .243 and my 17 hmr as I was primarily chasing foxes, but wanted the bunny gun, to target them as well. As it turned out, I only saw one fox (which I shot), but the bunnies were out in force. So the HMR got a workout and the 243 didn’t.

Your experience with the Blaser is unsurprising, as they have an excellent reputation for being a high quality firearm. It’s good to have it confirmed by an Australian owner that they are worth the spend. I am sure if I end up buying one that I will be a happy owner.

[Bruiser64]

My stuff and thoughts as an invested Blaser owner of three years.

I have sold almost all of my rifles after buying my first Blaser. First one is a Ulrich Makura Takedown R93 w/ grade 10 walnut and engraved receiver, S&B 6x42 Klassik scope on MAK mount, Blaser Type A single rifle case. I also have a synthetic Blaser R93 Professional however I have sold my R93 barrels, 375H&H, 7mmRemMag and 25-06Rem, and upgraded to the R8 system as R93 is no longer made and parts are hard to find. The R93 is an awesome rifle and in my opinion the smaller size then the R8 is probably better in standard cartridges. The R93 Professional stock/system is currently for sale.

After selling a lot of other cheaper but quality rifles and some of my R93 gear I bought a Blaser R8 Success as standard with grade 4 walnut in 30-06 and I added a 6.5x55 barrel. I have two Innomounts with Zeiss Victory HT 2.5-10x50 scopes and a type C Blaser case. Exceptional package out of the box!
I will add a 9.3x62 that I have an Aimpoint H2 and mount for and a 222Rem barrel that I have a Zeiss Victory HT 3-12x56 on MAK mount.
Reason for this, having a European wife we are moving there for a while an I can take just two rifles, the Blaser works for this very well. So my final get out is a 222, 6.5x55, 30-06 and 9.3x62, 3 x Zeiss Victory HT scopes and an Aimpoint H2, all packaged in Blaser attache´ cases that are easy to travel with.
To get the 222Rem I will likely buy an R8 Professional giving me a second bolt slide and a synthetic stock option for all of my barrels and optics.

OPINION AS AN INVESTED OWNER - Blaser rifles shoot superbly, accuracy out of the box with factory ammo is sub 0.5 MOA with multiple loadings, yes they are expensive and worth every cent in MY opinion. Now other shooters will have a different opinion and that is fine, most have not shot one let alone owned and hunted with one. Ask a Blaser OWNER and they all seem to be huge fans of the brand for a reason.

WARNING - Don't shoot one and definitely don't buy one if you are trying to save money.

My small game rifle is a CZ457, 22lr and 22wmr, awesome little rifle with a S&B 6x42 Klassik.

Thanks heaps for your detailed reply. It’s good to hear from a satisfied owner. They are clearly a premium product. Compared to the higher spec thermal scopes, they seem to be excellent value. I suspect a Blaser will hold its value a whole lot better than my Hik Micro Stellar.