What problems have you encountered with your Blaser R8?

[R eight]

Other than a couple of “operator errors “ , that I encountered in my first few weeks of ownership, I’ve never had a problem with my R8’s.

Anyway, here’s an opportunity for anyone who has owned or used an R8 to post up any tales of woe.

In the interest of keeping this thread concise let’s just keep the discussion on FAULTS only. And faults experienced by your mate’s, second cousin twice removed, father -in-laws second best mate don’t count.

And finally, “being too bloody expensive “ doesn’t count as a fault.

Cheers

 

[JohnCZ]

I have a Blaser R8 Success (timber) and a one Makura Ulrich Takedown R93 and had a Blaser R93 Professional, zero problems encountered. I have owned many different rifles and would put the Blaser right up there with the best of them.

 

[375Fox]

I’ve always dry fired on an empty. I never fired the gun on 375 barrel before and put in an empty fired in another rifle. The bolt closed up easily and dry fired but would not release. It would cock and dry fire again but still would not release. I tried until I got tired that evening. The next day it released easily after a few attempts and ejected the round. I don’t have an explanation but I lost some confidence in the R8 after that. A standard bolt action rifle you have options but with an R8 you just have to trust the engineering. I still really like the rifle as a rental rifle on hunts but I don’t think it will ever replace my conventional bolt action rifles as a first choice for my hunts after that.

 

[meigsbucks]

I don’t have a ton of experience with the R8. Probably ~700 rds out three barrels. Never a glitch. For me there was a little bit of a learning curve on decocking, but that was me, not the rifle. Goes bang ever time and ejects just as well.

 

[BeeMaa]

We have had Blaser R8's for five years now and have only come up with one major problem...it's boring.

Boringly accurate, boringly reliable, with boringly repeatable results.

Never been happier with a rifle system over a period of time like these.

 

[Red Leg]

Never an issue in any caliber, in any terrain, in any weather, in any country or state.

 

[Certus]

Those who don’t like em…have never owned one. Seems everyone who has one likes it. Would love one some day in .45 Blaser (cute little round).

 

[R eight]

I’ve always dry fired on an empty. I never fired the gun on 375 barrel before and put in an empty fired in another rifle. The bolt closed up easily and dry fired but would not release. It would cock and dry fire again but still would not release. I tried until I got tired that evening. The next day it released easily after a few attempts and ejected the round. I don’t have an explanation but I lost some confidence in the R8 after that. A standard bolt action rifle you have options but with an R8 you just have to trust the engineering. I still really like the rifle as a rental rifle on hunts but I don’t think it will ever replace my conventional bolt action rifles as a first choice for my hunts after that.

Do you reckon operator error may have been the primary issue?

 

[JohnCZ]

I’ve always dry fired on an empty. I never fired the gun on 375 barrel before and put in an empty fired in another rifle. The bolt closed up easily and dry fired but would not release. It would cock and dry fire again but still would not release. I tried until I got tired that evening. The next day it released easily after a few attempts and ejected the round. I don’t have an explanation but I lost some confidence in the R8 after that. A standard bolt action rifle you have options but with an R8 you just have to trust the engineering. I still really like the rifle as a rental rifle on hunts but I don’t think it will ever replace my conventional bolt action rifles as a first choice for my hunts after that.

May be a stupid question - Was it a MA bolt head or an ST bolt head fitted when you had the problem? I was advised to ALWAYS ensure that thy are matching. MA/MA or ST/ST etc. or problems may arise.
Cheers
John

 

[BeeMaa]

Those who don’t like em…have never owned one. Seems everyone who has one likes it. Would love one some day in .45 Blaser (cute little round).

@HWL had a R93 in 45BLASER a few years ago with two barrels, one with iron sights and the other shortened, threaded & suppressed. I've not seen an R8 chambered in that cartridge.

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

I’ve always dry fired on an empty. I never fired the gun on 375 barrel before and put in an empty fired in another rifle. The bolt closed up easily and dry fired but would not release. It would cock and dry fire again but still would not release. I tried until I got tired that evening. The next day it released easily after a few attempts and ejected the round. I don’t have an explanation but...

@375Fox please do not loose confidence in your Blaser. It functions as designed.

Blaser's have tight (minimum tolerance) chambers compared to many other rifles. There is nothing loose or sloppy about Blasers! They are precision instruments designed and manufactured to something like aerospace specifications! A crawl through the mud of trench warfare Mauser 98 or AK-47 they are not.

It is highly likely that your empty fired cartridge case was fired in a rifle with a slightly larger chamber. That cartridge case expanded to fill the other rifle's chamber during firing. Then, it contracted enough to extract it from the chamber. Young's Modulus, "everything is a spring..." but the cartridge case did not return to it's previously unfired dimensions.

All cases expand when fired to fill the chamber. The larger the chamber the more the expansion. This is how we fire-form brass for wildcat cartridges like the Ackley Improved (AI) cartridges. Then, after firing, the brass contracts but not all the way to the unfired dimensions. Once again, a larger chamber will produce fired brass of larger dimensions than will a smaller chamber such as found in Blasers.

A "turn bolt" action rifle provides camming and de-camming power to chamber and de-chamber and extract. A straight-pull action does not have the same level of camming power to cycle rounds that are out of (too large) tolerance for a tight chamber.

FYI: I have a Blaser S-2 double in .375 H&H. It is finicky about chambering reloaded ammo, even if it is full length resized. One of the chambers is more forgiving than the other but still likes virgin or Blaser-only brass. The problem is clearly chambers cut to the minimum SAAMI or CIP standards. I strongly believe the oversize problem occurs in the "head" of the cartridge case... I've measured the cases that will not chamber and their case heads are slightly larger.

 

[Foxi]

"FYI: I have a Blaser S-2 double in .375 H&H. It is finicky about chambering reloaded ammo, even if it is full length resized. One of the chambers is more forgiving than the other but still likes virgin or Blaser-only brass. The problem is clearly chambers cut to the minimum SAAMI or CIP standards. I strongly believe the oversize problem occurs in the "head" of the cartridge case... I've measured the cases that will not chamber and their case heads are slightly larger."



Blaser can do many things.
What they can't do is build double rifles.
Although your problem may also occur with another manufacturer, to be fair.
In Germany Blaser double rifles are shelf warmer .

But R 8 is a big seller here.
Heavily used R 93 still cost a lot of money also.
Foxi

 

[Altitude sickness]

Foxi, please send me one of those German shelf warmers. It’s amazing. Very few like the S2 and I’m always looking for someone that hates theirs to give me a good price or trade

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

Blaser can do many things.
What they can't do is build double rifles.
Although your problem may also occur with another manufacturer, to be fair.
In Germany Blaser double rifles are shelf warmer .

Foxi

Hey @Foxi !
The problem is you Germans over-engineering everything! And I for one am very, very happy that Germans do that! Keep up the good work!

My Blaser S2 is not even close to a traditional double rifle.
It is large for caliber/chambering, somewhat harder to load.
My S2 accepts expensive, quick release scope mounts that do NOT change the rifle's regulation.
Blaser S2's provide for the owner to be able to regulate the barrels should they chose to do so.

I've only owned six double rifles from Heym, Blaser, Merkel, and Chapuis. Three of those in .375 H&H.
I've only fired and logged into a data book their performance for 950 rounds.
My Blaser S2 is accurate, darn accurate. It is a 200+ yard rifle. If necessary, I'd push that to 300 yards or as far as I would a bolt action .375 H&H.

Foxi, please send me one of those German shelf warmers. It’s amazing. Very few like the S2 and I’m always looking for someone that hates theirs to give me a good price or trade

As my friend above said, please help him and I connect with those who hate their S2's. I would love to buy a set of barrels for my S2 in a larger, more powerful caliber.

 

[BeeMaa]

@Altitude sickness and @Mark A Ouellette...for your bidding pleasure.

Blaser S2 500/416NE

 

[Red Leg]

Hey @Foxi !
The problem is you Germans over-engineering everything! And I for one am very, very happy that Germans do that! Keep up the good work!

My Blaser S2 is not even close to a traditional double rifle.
It is large for caliber/chambering, somewhat harder to load.
My S2 accepts expensive, quick release scope mounts that do NOT change the rifle's regulation.
Blaser S2's provide for the owner to be able to regulate the barrels should they chose to do so.

I've only owned six double rifles from Heym, Blaser, Merkel, and Chapuis. Three of those in .375 H&H.
I've only fired and logged into a data book their performance for 950 rounds.
My Blaser S2 is accurate, darn accurate. It is a 200+ yard rifle. If necessary, I'd push that to 300 yards or as far as I would a bolt action .375 H&H.



As my friend above said, please help him and I connect with those who hate their S2's. I would love to buy a set of barrels for my S2 in a larger, more powerful caliber.

Love mine as well - all three barrel sets. Sub-MOA from all six barrels and nothing larger than 2.5 inch groups at 100 yards - not 50. I can shoot to the max PB range of all three chamberings. It is a brilliant design hated by the double crowd because it wasn’t traditional.

 

[bowjijohn]

I have an endless list of problems with the R8

I know this because these problems are regular featured by those who have yet to touch one ....

 

[nomspc]

In 2002, I was at **NOT**PERMITTED** where I saw Jeff Cooper’s personal R93 in .30-06 choke at the range. That gun was locked up tight and nobody could get the action open. It was finally taken to the Gunsmithy where they got the action open and reported minor damage to the bolt head. This is the only example of a Blaser malfunction I’ve witnessed. I had an R93 in .308 that happily fired many hundreds of rounds of military surplus and reloads with no issue. I did upgrade to the R8, primarily because of the improved bolt head. I’ve had a few R8’s and barrels in 8 different calibers, hunting on 3 continents, in some extreme conditions and never had a single malfunction. If I could have only one rifle, it would be my R8 Professional, and it would be an easy decision.

 

[Foxi]

Foxi, please send me one of those German shelf warmers. It’s amazing. Very few like the S2 and I’m always looking for someone that hates theirs to give me a good price or trade

I wanted to send an AH member a die for his very German calibre (.30 Blaser).
Unfortunately these wishes are without chance, everything that has to do with weapons, sorry guys.
Highly enriched uranium would have been easier to send .

@nomspc :
Many people don't want the R 93 because of this.
It is derided here as a "plastic gun"
But normal bolt actions have already blown up too

 

[Philip Glass]

Other than a couple of “operator errors “ , that I encountered in my first few weeks of ownership, I’ve never had a problem with my R8’s.

Anyway, here’s an opportunity for anyone who has owned or used an R8 to post up any tales of woe.

In the interest of keeping this thread concise let’s just keep the discussion on FAULTS only. And faults experienced by your mate’s, second cousin twice removed, father -in-laws second best mate don’t count.

And finally, “being too bloody expensive “ doesn’t count as a fault.

Cheers

My son and I both have an R8. His is the Pro S and mine is the Professional Success leather. I put the bipod adapter on his rifle a while back. This requires removing and replacing the fore end of the stock with the bipod enabled piece. It makes it accept the Spartan bipod and is a neat setup. When we were in South Africa Hunting with Frontier a couple years ago that fore end came apart which made the sling come loose and the rifle hit the ground. What a disappointment. Now y'all know why I am a fan of loctite! Seriously I don't know what I did wrong but evidently I needed to check that everything was tight after traveling.
The magnetic bipod adapter was lost and now it seems many R8 parts and accessories are out of stock. I am desperately needing the stock extender kit for my son since he has grown so much or at least the longer screws to extend his LOP.
I also wanted to put the bipod adapter on my rifle but I don't think you can with the leather model.