Blaser R8 in .375 H&H Magnum

[jcnelsn1]

I am considering a Blaser R8 in .375 H&H Magnum (with a .223 for more practice). I have never shot that heavy of a caliber rifle. A .300 wing mag is biggest I have shot and didn’t particularly care for it. My regular deer gun is a .30-06 in a Winchester m70. Perfectly comfortable to me.

my concern with the Blaser is it seems relatively light in weight. Those with the .375 do you have the semi weighted barrel? The available recoil reducer?

thanks

 

[Tra3]

My son has a recoil reducer in a professional stock. It weighs right about 10 lbs with the .375 and a swaro z6 2.5-15.
I use an R8 in the ultimate thumbhole stock with the .375. It is 9 lbs 8 Oz with a swaro 1.25-4x scope. There is a recoil pad system, but no added weight in that rifle.
The .375 is a good amount of recoil, but not violent recoil like a fast magnum. After 50 rounds you will get used to it. After 150 rounds you will be pretty comfortable. Avoid the bench.
I find the .300 win mag barrel to be less recoil than the .375, but more abrupt. I’d rather shoot the .375.
Plan to shoot a lot with it and you will like it. I don’t reload, so it is a commitment to burn some money on ammo. $1000 in practice ammo is a lot cheaper than the trigger pull on game that you plan to shoot with it.

 

[nomspc]

I have shot .375 H&H Blaser R8’s with semi-weight and safari barrels and they are too heavy. I spend more time carrying the rifle than shooting it. My personal rifle is a Professional and all my barrels are standard contour. After zeroing, I don’t shoot .375 off a bench, just field positions and sticks and it is just fine. While I have a 16 oz. kickstop, I never use it as it makes the rifle butt heavy and seems unnecessary for the .375.

 

[jcnelsn1]

Thanks guys. Good info. Sounds like standard contour is the way to go. I am leaning to a professional success with the recoil reducer or the ultimate with the adjustable comb and recoil reduction system.

Tra3 is your son’s gun noticeably butt heavy with the recoil reducer?

 

[Tra3]

Thanks guys. Good info. Sounds like standard contour is the way to go. I am leaning to a professional success with the recoil reducer or the ultimate with the adjustable comb and recoil reduction system.

Tra3 is your son’s gun noticeably butt heavy with the recoil reducer?

No, i find the recoil reducer does not negatively impact the handling of the rifle. It actually feels more balanced to me.

I wish I could at least test a 12 Oz reducer in my ultimate. The recoil system the ultimate uses does work quite well though.

I just finished packing the two rifles and 3 barrels into a pelican 1700 for an elk hunt I leave for tomorrow morning. I’m bringing the .22 Lr barrel also for some squirrel hunting too.

 

[One Day...]

The lightest scoped & slinged .375 H&H R8 configuration is 4,282 grams, or 9 lbs. 7 oz. This involves alloy receiver with polymer trigger group, standard 17 mm 25.6" barrel, no kickstop, and typical 30 mm 1-6x24 scope. Many like it that way

I personally find that the "12 oz." kickstop balances the rifle very well, to the point that I have one in my .223 configuration. This is certainly not for recoil, but for balance, and I really do not mind the additional 10 oz. (mine does not weight at quite 12 oz.).

With the .375 standard barrel this makes the rifle just an ounce over 10 lbs., which has always been the benchmark for a .375 in the good old days, with reason I believe.

Sure, we carry a lot more than we shoot, but a bit of heft really stabilizes the rifle in field positions, and some uncertain field positions have a way to turn into a scope bite all too easily

My own preferred .375 R8 configuration involves a steel receiver, a steel trigger group, and a semi weight barrel. Sure, it makes the rifle weigh in at 11 lbs. but it is so easy to shoot that I group the .350 gr .375 slugs at max load within a sub inch cloverleaf, and since I cannot tell if I have 9, 10 or 11 lbs. slung on my shoulder, it really works for me

Besides, carrying an 11 lbs. double rifle 12 hours per day, days on end, while tracking elephant is considered perfectly fine, so I kind of miss the point why carrying a 10 lbs. or 11 lbs. .375 would be bad

 

[Challer]

Anyone can be trained to handle a 375. I have 2 R8 in everything from .22 to 416. If you must add a recoil reducer. Mount it tight and you’ll be fine. If you don’t plan on stalking, the heavy barrels are fine. If stalking, the standard weight is heavy enough. The 375 is the best do anything cartridge.

 

[R eight]

Thanks guys. Good info. Sounds like standard contour is the way to go. I am leaning to a professional success with the recoil reducer or the ultimate with the adjustable comb and recoil reduction system.

Tra3 is your son’s gun noticeably butt heavy with the recoil reducer?

Good thing about the R8 is that if you find the 375H&H is too much gun for your needs , then it's a simple matter of buying another barrel/caliber.

I've got a couple of R8's, both professional. Barrels in .22 LR, 223, 308, 30/06 and 9.3x62. all my barrels are standard profile and I don't have a recoil reducer.

The 9.3x62, whilst definitely Not a 375H&H, is pretty bloody close...actually very close. I'd happily hunt everything in North America and Australia with it.

If you do get a Blaser.....give it a week and a few rounds to get use to the platform and you'll probably love it.

 

[Red Leg]

I am considering a Blaser R8 in .375 H&H Magnum (with a .223 for more practice). I have never shot that heavy of a caliber rifle. A .300 wing mag is biggest I have shot and didn’t particularly care for it. My regular deer gun is a .30-06 in a Winchester m70. Perfectly comfortable to me.

my concern with the Blaser is it seems relatively light in weight. Those with the .375 do you have the semi weighted barrel? The available recoil reducer?

thanks

I have hunted extensively with the R8 and standard weight barrels. Mine in .375 has become my go to rifle for almost everything African. The ergonomics are exceptional, and I find the recoil a non-issue off the sticks. More importantly, it carries like your 30-06 during a long day in the field. The semi-weight barrels turn a delightful stalking rifle into a boat anchor.

This exquisite rifle has taken a couple of buffalo and several cruiser loads of plains game.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

I've got the professional, alloy receiver with a standard barrel that has iron sights on it. It is a fairly light rifle and it is perfectly comfortable to shoot just like that. I use a Z8i on it while hunting and want the benefits of a scope, but I'd like it even more if the scope and mount weighed nothing. It just doesn't need the extra weight of the scope to be comfortable to shoot. At least to me.

 

[jcnelsn1]

Good thing about the R8 is that if you find the 375H&H is too much gun for your needs , then it's a simple matter of buying another barrel/caliber.

I've got a couple of R8's, both professional. Barrels in .22 LR, 223, 308, 30/06 and 9.3x62. all my barrels are standard profile and I don't have a recoil reducer.

The 9.3x62, whilst definitely Not a 375H&H, is pretty bloody close...actually very close. I'd happily hunt everything in North America and Australia with it.

If you do get a Blaser.....give it a week and a few rounds to get use to the platform and you'll probably love it.

I am sure I am overthinking the recoil of the .375. I have shot thousands of 3 and 3.5 inch 12 gauge loads over the years without issue. Although I don’t shoot the 3.5s anymore. In any event, I will have to make it happen because it is the minimum caliber for buffalo where we are going!

 

[jcnelsn1]

I have hunted extensively with the R8 and standard weight barrels. Mine in .375 has become my go to rifle for almost everything African. The ergonomics are exceptional, and I find the recoil a non-issue off the sticks. More importantly, it carries like your 30-06 during a long day in the field. The semi-weight barrels turn a delightful stalking rifle into a boat anchor.

This exquisite rifle has taken a couple of buffalo and several cruiser loads of plains game.

Nice looking gun. My natural inclination is towards wood, especially for this first safari. Wood seems more appropriate. However I am thinking long and hard about a synthetic thumbhole

 

[Bert the Turtle]

Nice looking gun. My natural inclination is towards wood, especially for this first safari. Wood seems more appropriate. However I am thinking long and hard about a synthetic thumbhole

I’d try a thumb hole vs standard stock before buying. Based on my experience with a pistol-grip shotgun, I don’t want the recoil coming that directly into my thumb. That said, I’ve not tried the Blaser thumbholestock and based on everything else they do, it’s probably fine but I’d still try it first.

Assuming they are comfortable in 375, what advantage do they have over a standard synthetic stock? When I look at the Blaser thumbhole stock, I am transported back to the early ‘90’s and all I see is an AWB-compliance part. It would have to do something one hell of a lot better than a normal stock for me to be able to live with it.

 

[dchamp]

I like the .375H&H standard weight (17mm) barrel and wouldn't bother with the heavier stock or barrel.

If recoil is a concern since you're not familiar with recoil above a .300WM, why not get yourself a thick Past Recoil pad to help you get comfortable with it. Some lighter weight bullet ammunition may help too. I did that years ago when I first started shooting magnum calibers. I think it helped me.

 

[Tra3]

I’d try a thumb hole vs standard stock before buying. Based on my experience with a pistol-grip shotgun, I don’t want the recoil coming that directly into my thumb. That said, I’ve not tried the Blaser thumbholestock and based on everything else they do, it’s probably fine but I’d still try it first.

Assuming they are comfortable in 375, what advantage do they have over a standard synthetic stock? When I look at the Blaser thumbhole stock, I am transported back to the early ‘90’s and all I see is an AWB-compliance part. It would have to do something one hell of a lot better than a normal stock for me to be able to live with it.

I’m a blaser thumbhole stock fan. It fits and feels very natural to carry and point. It is a difference, though. I definitely do not notice recoil going into my hand/thumb in a negative way. The grip is more ergonomic, so my hand can absorb recoil in a comfortable position. My perception is the thumbhole design helps transfer recoil to more places rather than just the shoulder.

the pistol grip shotguns I’ve handled and shot are not as ergonomically designed.

full disclosure, I handled the thumbhole stock at SCI but never shot it before buying one. It was a small leap of faith that I am very glad to have done.

 

[Forrest Halley]

I’m a blaser thumbhole stock fan. It fits and feels very natural to carry and point. It is a difference, though. I definitely do not notice recoil going into my hand/thumb in a negative way. The grip is more ergonomic, so my hand can absorb recoil in a comfortable position. My perception is the thumbhole design helps transfer recoil to more places rather than just the shoulder.

the pistol grip shotguns I’ve handled and shot are not as ergonomically designed.

full disclosure, I handled the thumbhole stock at SCI but never shot it before buying one. It was a small leap of faith that I am very glad to have done.

One question:
How do you manipulate the safety/decocker with the thumbhole stock? Trigger finger? There is a definite reaction time for me with thumb holes and cocking a hammer or flipping off a safety that is tang mounted.

 

[Tra3]

One question:
How do you manipulate the safety/decocker with the thumbhole stock? Trigger finger? There is a definite reaction time for me with thumb holes and cocking a hammer or flipping off a safety that is tang mounted.

I use my thumb. I don’t find it cumbersome or particularly slow, just different. Having gotten used to it now, I don’t notice a time difference. I suspect it is slower that a safety on a regular stocked gun, but I have a hard time believing that would make a difference in any real life applications that I will encounter.

 

[Red Leg]

One question:
How do you manipulate the safety/decocker with the thumbhole stock? Trigger finger? There is a definite reaction time for me with thumb holes and cocking a hammer or flipping off a safety that is tang mounted.

With the thumb.

 

[Red Leg]

I am sure I am overthinking the recoil of the .375. I have shot thousands of 3 and 3.5 inch 12 gauge loads over the years without issue. Although I don’t shoot the 3.5s anymore. In any event, I will have to make it happen because it is the minimum caliber for buffalo where we are going!

The recoil of a 3" 12 bore 1 5/8 ounce load from a 7.5 lb gun is 52 ft lbs of energy. A 400 gr bullet from a 10 lb .416 Rem Mag generates 52.9 ft lbs. The 3 1/2 " shells are 500 Jeffery class. With your shotgun experience, I would not get too concerned about a .375 - particularly in the R8 format.

 

[jcnelsn1]

I am leaning towards the Swaro z8(i) 1-8x24 for the Blaser .375. Seems well regarded on this forum for what I would be using it for. Low power for close stuff with enough magnification for plains game I might encounter within my comfortable shooting range (couple hundred yards). Other option I am considering is the Swaro z6(i) 1.7-10x42. Thoughts?