Blaser R8 Jaeger Safari 458 Win Mag. Sumo Wrestler In A Dress

But will be priceless when you bolt a .300 barrel that does not have a barrel-band front swivel mount and on which you may want to occasionally use a bipod :)

Additionally, I like the Pro S. The non detachable firing group/magazine is impossible to loose accidentally...

PS: this is when the 18 oz. kickstop may make sense ;)
I agree. The Pro S is actually preferable to me. I never use the detachable feature on my standard Professional. I have a 7mm Rem Mag barrel that will probably be used on this stock as well. So the bipod stud may come in handy at some point.
As for the kickstop, I may put a 12oz stop in it to bring my 458 weight up to 9lbs, but if I use a scope, I doubt I will want the increased weight.
 
In an unplanned turn of events, I ended up with a Pro S stock that also fits my 458 Barrel. I got a good deal on it, thinking it was a standard contour. When I got it I found it's already been opened up for safari contour. Whoever did the work did an excellent job, so now I have a synthetic stock that fits all my barrels. Will make it extremely easy to travel with both a 458 and something lesser. And I can keep my Jaeger stock all nice and pristine.
Only weighs 8lbs 4oz, so should be lively!

View attachment 490726

In an unplanned turn of events, I ended up with a Pro S stock that also fits my 458 Barrel. I got a good deal on it, thinking it was a standard contour. When I got it I found it's already been opened up for safari contour. Whoever did the work did an excellent job, so now I have a synthetic stock that fits all my barrels. Will make it extremely easy to travel with both a 458 and something lesser. And I can keep my Jaeger stock all nice and pristine.
Only weighs 8lbs 4oz, so should be lively!

View attachment 490726
What's in the Ruger box in the background? Is it waiting it's turn for display on the "runway" (kitchen island)? LOL
 
It didn't take long to make it to showcase...bidders get ready.

On a side note while cutting my grass today I decided that R8's really aren't that bad when compared on the overpriced crap coming out of the other factories nowadays. Not a bad purchase really. I must've been drinking.
 
I did some testing with my R8 458 WM today. I found that by seating the bullets out to 458 Lott length, I can duplicate the lott in power with absolutely no difficulty. The rounds fit easily in the long magazine of the R8, and it actually works better to seat the bullets out long. This way I can shoot 458 Winchester factory loads or standard handloads, and I can also shoot Lott level loads as well. No loss at all by going with the shorter, 458 Win Mag cartridge. A 450 gr TSX at 2250 fps should get the attention of most anything that needs attention. And recoil is very mild at this level. I don't know if it's the kickstop, or the stock dimensions, but this is the softest shooting 458 I've ever shot.
Have been very impressed with my 458Lott in the R8. Was not sure about the recoil, shooting the 450TSX @ 2350. I'm happy mine came with the barrels it did.

Congratulations on another good score!
 
With the rifle on that kitchen countertop, my first thought was that you are putting the rifle up for sale!!

I had the exact same thought. This cannot be, [USER]@Toby458[/USER] barely got the Africa dust of it and is selling it already!
 
Well that .416 is on the chopping block...I'd say there's a mild disgruntlement there.
Not disgruntled with the 416. Just swapping over to R8 for International travel. Anything I'd hunt in the USA wouldn't require a 416, so I figure an R8 in 375 and 458 would make an effective combo for most anything I'd hunt in Africa. If I were to find a good deal on a 416 R8 barrel, I'd probably jump on it. Need something to shoot up all this 416 ammo laying around! Lol!
 
After all the discussion on the tactical DG thread about the R8 and now reading this thread I am thinking more and more about just going the R8 route. I may sell the Sako 416 and the Sako 500 Jeffrey and just get an R8 with a 500 Jeffrey barrel and something smaller to go along with the double rifle. I wish they made the blaser in 416 rigby. I have a ton of brass and projectiles. I could go 416 Rem I guess. I also have 458 Lott dies and brass. The switch barrel rifles really are nice. My long range rig is a switch barrel. I have a 28" 338 lapua Ackley improved, 24" 300 norma, and 21" 338 lapua for close up work. I like the safety/cocking lever on the Krieghoff double I have, if I understand it right the blaser cocking lever is very similar?
 
After all the discussion on the tactical DG thread about the R8 and now reading this thread I am thinking more and more about just going the R8 route. I may sell the Sako 416 and the Sako 500 Jeffrey and just get an R8 with a 500 Jeffrey barrel and something smaller to go along with the double rifle. I wish they made the blaser in 416 rigby. I have a ton of brass and projectiles. I could go 416 Rem I guess. I also have 458 Lott dies and brass. The switch barrel rifles really are nice. My long range rig is a switch barrel. I have a 28" 338 lapua Ackley improved, 24" 300 norma, and 21" 338 lapua for close up work. I like the safety/cocking lever on the Krieghoff double I have, if I understand it right the blaser cocking lever is very similar?
Excellent idea! With the R8, you can start with the 500 or 458 and work your way back down with other barrels/calibers. Not sure if you're looking for a wood stock or synthetic, but the Pro S rifles with the non detachable trigger/magazine are in my mind the best bang for the buck. No way to lose the magazine and pretty much fool proof. Mad Dog Guns currently have both the 500J and 458 Lott in stock.
But if you want a wood stock, look on Guns International and they have another rifle just like mine in 458 Win mag. You won't find a better deal than that. And it comes with a kickstop in the stock. Plus you can easily sell the barrel and buy a 500J barrel if you wanted to.
 
Excellent idea! With the R8, you can start with the 500 or 458 and work your way back down with other barrels/calibers. Not sure if you're looking for a wood stock or synthetic, but the Pro S rifles with the non detachable trigger/magazine are in my mind the best bang for the buck. No way to lose the magazine and pretty much fool proof. Mad Dog Guns currently have both the 500J and 458 Lott in stock.
But if you want a wood stock, look on Guns International and they have another rifle just like mine in 458 Win mag. You won't find a better deal than that. And it comes with a kickstop in the stock. Plus you can easily sell the barrel and buy a 500J barrel if you wanted to.
I may seriously look into one. The synthetic would be fine with me but I would really like to get the thumbhole. I am a big fan of the thumbhole stock. They give you a lot of extra control I think and also seem to really make heavier recoiling rifles a little more comfortable.
 
I may seriously look into one. The synthetic would be fine with me but I would really like to get the thumbhole. I am a big fan of the thumbhole stock. They give you a lot of extra control I think and also seem to really make heavier recoiling rifles a little more comfortable.
To each their own on the thumbhole stocks. I personally prefer the open grip of a regular stock for heavy recoil.
I was shooting my Pro S stock with the 458 Win Mag barrel today. Even at 8lbs 4oz, the rifle is easily controllable. I was shooting 450gr TSX at 2200fps. Not a heavy load, but more than enough for any buffalo that walks. I can pair those with a 450gr CEB solid and I'm set for anything.
My Winchester 70 458 has a 21 1/4" barrel, and this rifle with the 23.5" Selous barrel is a full inch shorter than the Winchester rifle. So it's a very handy little package.
 
When can we expect this to be listed for sale?
 
I like the safety/cocking lever on the Krieghoff double I have, if I understand it right the blaser cocking lever is very similar?
The cocking device on the Blaser is nearly identical to the Combi-Cocking device used on the Krieghoff. Although doing so with a thumbhole stock on the R8 makes it more difficult to reach.

I recently sold my synthetic R8 Professional Hunter with steel receiver, kickstop and 416RM barrel. Comfortable to shoot, but more than I really need. I'm sticking with a 375H&H for now.
 
I prefer the thumbhole stock for the .375 barrel. The different angle of the grip helps with recoil management. I haven’t noticed a slower safety motion from that position, and I’ve tried both. I think once you get used to the safety, it works very well. The first few tries it feels very heavy to switch the safety to the fire position, but then it become second nature and very easy.

I shot a croc from a prone position with the .375 and the thumbhole stock. Two rounds found their way into the croc’s scull with no apparent recoil.

As for second shot speed, last year got to watch my 15-year-old son fill his two antelope tags offhand at 150 yards with his R8. I was shocked how quickly it happened. I would estimate both shots were out of the barrel in barely over a second. It was a master class in shooting, taught by a kid. His face didn’t come off the stock and he placed two excellent shots. It was so impressive it was scary.
 
It seems the Blaser R8 is a source of much debate these days. Some positive, some negative. Those that own them seem to love them. Those that don't, seem to either be indifferent, or simply hate them. Not much middle ground.
It also is a fact that the 458 Winchester has garnered it's share of criticism over the years as well. But today, much like the R8, people either love or hate it. Not much middle ground.

While on my recent hunt in Zimbabwe, I had great succes with an R8 in 375 H&H. However, I didn't really get as much utility from it as I could have. Because, I also carried along a Winchester 70 416 Rem Mag, I limited myself to having to bring along a big, long, heavy rifle case, and henceforth not using the R8 to it's fullest potential.
You see, one of the beauties of the R8 is that it is easily taken down and can be carried in a very short, lightweight carry case. It is also very easy to add another barrel in a different caliber in this same short, lightweight carry case. On my recent trip, I did not gain this advantage, and had to lug 47lbs of guns and scopes in a huge hard sided case. We also had to load this monstrosity in a charter plane, with other huge, long, heavy gun cases that some of the other guys had. I thought, there has to be a better way! Trouble is, I knew there was a better way! Never again. Next time it will be an R8 with two barrels, if there is a call for both a medium and large bore on the same trip.

In walks the R8 Jaeger Safari 458 Winchester.

While perusing my favorite crack house, aka Gunbroker, I ran across a heck of a "deal" on a new R8 Jaeger Safari in 458 Winchester. Sure, I'd rather it was a Lott, but at this price I thought, what the heck, I can always have the barrel rechambered if I ever felt I NEEDED to. The gun is beautiful, and surprisingly short with it's 23.5" barrel. 9lbs on the dot, and with the kickstop in the butt, it balances quite nicely. Kind of proportioned like a sumo wrestler. Short and fat. The barrel band front and shallow V rear sight comes to point like a well fitted double gun. Beauty and function together in the same package.

The benefits of having a long magazine and using the 458 Win Mag to it's full potential is something that most do not discuss. For most 458 Winchesters don't have this feature. The Winchester 70 in this caliber comes with a block in the magazine that prevents the loading of ammunition longer than factory specs. And other rifles built on "medium" actions are quite the same. But, once you have a firearm that indeed does have a longer "magnum" length magazine, you can load the rounds to a longer OAL, which comes very close to the OAL of the 458 Lott. This allows us to taylor our ammo according to our needs. The current crop of copper and brass bullets come with several bands that can be used as crimping grooves. Barnes TSX, and CEB Raptors and Solids feature these bands. We can also use the Lee Factory Crimp Die to crimp a standard bullet in place at the desired OAL. By doing this, we are able to compete shoulder to shoulder with the Lott, and use longer bullets than can be comfortably seated at the factory OAL of the Win Mag. The 458 Win Mag has a longer throat in the chamber than does the Lott, so this in turn makes us able to easily match the Lott with the shorter 2.5" cartridge cases. Just load the bullets out a little longer and voila!

I'll do some load work up and chronograph testing, but I'm guessing I can get an easy 2350 fps with 450gr bullets and 2250 with 500 gr bullets, with no heavy powder compression.

So there you have it. A pig of a caliber dressed up as a beautiful lady. We'll see if she needs more lipstick.

The pics don't do it justice. The wood is much nicer than it looks here.

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