Is Blaser Trying To Price Themselves Out Of The American Market???

[Altitude sickness]

Pertaining to countries that limit how many firearms a person can own. If you own an R8 and 6 barrels. Is that one rifle? Or 6?

That would be a huge incentive if in those countries an R8 is not registered by its barrels and different calibers

 

[UpNorthMI]

Upnorth, when the Cove Creek says in the ad “choose caliber” so they have that many calibers in stock? Or will that order it?

What is the largest caliber an R8 comes in ?

My first order included .308 win, 300WM, 338WM, 9.3x62 & 375 H&H with sights, all in stock except .338WM which arrived maybe 2 weeks later. Several bolt heads and scope mounts all in stock.

My second order for my son was for a LH rifle in .308 win, 300WM and 375 H&H with sights, all in stock. Several bolt heads and scope mounts all in stock.

I'm guessing that they have most barrels in stock and if not they can get one fairly quickly.

 

[Red Leg]

I have to believe that the ownership group for Blaser, and the other brands, is simply making a luxury goods gambit to see how high they can push prices without destroying demand. There's a belief in some quarters that luxury goods are largely immune from economic cycles because the people who buy luxury are insulated, to a very large degree, from the economic forces that impact everyone else. Check out some of the luxury stocks, like LVMH, which is buying loads of luxe brands and shoving them into a holding company structure.

I simply do not see a Blaser as a luxury goods product. Yes, it is not targeted for the Mossberg or Savage market, but it is hardly a bespoke Westley Richards or Rigby either. It is a production rifle aimed in the US market at hunters like those who make up much of the membership of this site. These people have the disposable income to hunt internationally, but typically aren't breathing the same air as Elon Musk or even Donald Trump Jr. That is target group which is a subset of the larger US market. That subset represents most of the European market.

They seem to be doing a pretty good job both in market assessment and delivering a product with unique characteristics that would appeal to it. The base models are even well below high end production rifles like the Highland Stalker.

They also are trying very hard to maintain new options for configuration. Much of the appeal of the rifle is the ability to tailor it by the owner - much the same appeal as the AR platform holds for many.

Yes, I am sure they are trying their best to maximize profits while maintaining the quality of their product. They are a business enterprise not a charity.

Again, I have purchased and recommend the rifle because it offers unique characteristics not yet available on any other in this price range.

 

[UpNorthMI]

Pertaining to countries that limit how many firearms a person can own. If you own an R8 and 6 barrels. Is that one rifle? Or 6?

That would be a huge incentive if in those countries an R8 is not registered by its barrels and different calibers

I think this is certainly a consideration, In the UK, additional actions, bolts and barrels all require prior permission to buy on your Firearm Certificate, I believe that one thought of the police is that if your guns are stolen, it is effectively only one gun. Storage security has to be approved and the more guns you have they look for increased security.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

I simply do not see a Blaser as a luxury goods product. Yes, it is not targeted for the Mossberg or Savage market, but it is hardly a bespoke Westley Richards or Rigby either. It is a production rifle aimed in the US market at hunters like those who make up much of the membership of this site. These people have the disposable income to hunt internationally, but typically aren't breathing the same air as Elon Musk or even Donald Trump Jr. That is target group which is a subset of the larger US market. That subset represents most of the European market.

They seem to be doing a pretty good job both in market assessment and delivering a product with unique characteristics that would appeal to it. The base models are even well below high end production rifles like the Highland Stalker.

They also are trying very hard to maintain new options for configuration. Much of the appeal of the rifle is the ability to tailor it by the owner - much the same appeal as the AR platform holds for many.

Yes, I am sure they are trying their best to maximize profits while maintaining the quality of their product. They are a business enterprise not a charity.

Again, I have purchased and recommend the rifle because it offers unique characteristics not yet available on any other in this price range.

Agreed. My Blaser is basically my “beater” rifle. Not every situation calls for my bespoke rifle.

In full disclosure, if I’d have tried an R8 before I had my 404 built, I wouldn’t have had it built. It is beautiful, a functional work of art, and I am glad I had it made if for no other reason than the arts need patrons. But the advantages of the Blaser are significant. Contrary to popular belief, the march of progress did not end in 1898

 

[TOBY458]

I worked for Blaser for a bit,....they don't sell as many R8's as all you fellas think. There are gobbs of R8's and Rigby's for sale right now, and the same ones are for sale forever it seems to me.

Custom rifles like G&H, Buehler, Lon Paul, Duane Weibe, the list goes on don't seem to ever depreciate. Problem you are seeing now is guys are trying to sell them for 20% + more than they paid for them 10-15 years ago and they are guns that have been shot and used. My experience dabbling in that market is you can enjoy owning and using one and pretty much get back what you got into it.

That was really the gist of my original post. It doesn't appear that most of them are selling at all, but they still keep raising the price. I've seen the exact same rifle sit on GB for years without selling, only to see them raise the price another $500 or more after it has sat for that long. Doesn't make since.

 

[Shako Badhan]

I recently watched and episode of Succession (S2 E3) where the billionaire Roy family goes on a driven boar hunt. I found it interesting that all rifles used by the characters were from the Blaser Group. One character even mentioned the brand by name in a way that struck me as clear product placement.

At least someone in the marketing department was looking to brand Blaser as luxury.

 

[MTA]

is it uncommon for blaser barrels to not be factory threaded? At that price they certainly should be. Outside of classic rifles, I wont even look at a rifle if its not threaded these days

 

[Daniel Cary]

I simply think these Blaser's look incredible. The R8 feels handy. The S2 .. the only double that stands out (for the best, imo). Everything starts to look the same after a while.

 

[SFRanger7GP]

I think they ask for a lot of money for that much ugly.

If I were still in my "I must try every gun" years of my life, I could not live without one. I really admire the concept and "Lego" available options. However, I have never been able to bond with plastic and modular firearms, more so since leaving the military. My heart prefers classic, traditional firearms.

There are a lot of Blaser haters. I am not one of them and my offer still stands, if someone wants to give me a Blaser and a safari, I will go to Africa and shoot it like I stole it. I still regret walking away from a DSC show special years ago. An R8, brown stock in 375 H&H and 300 win mag with all accessories for just under $4K. I remember looking at it hard and thinking this is one heck of a deal when Mama walked up holding her Rigby anniversary gift and said "En serio?! Rifle tan feo." (Seriously? That is an ugly rifle. )

Safe hunting.

 

[UpNorthMI]

I recently watched and episode of Succession (S2 E3) where the billionaire Roy family goes on a driven boar hunt. I found it interesting that all rifles used by the characters were from the Blaser Group. One character even mentioned the brand by name in a way that struck me as clear product placement.

At least someone in the marketing department was looking to brand Blaser as luxury.

Blaser straight pull rifles are "The Standard" in European driven boar hunting, it's the key reason I reluctantly purchased my first R8 two years ago. Now I'm getting used to the Blaser and appreciating some of it's good points, I decided to make it my standard for hunting while traveling.

 

[CoElkHunter]

The secret takeaway is that if you get into the R8 cult, and find you want to sell components or just get out later, there’s plenty of willing cult members to buy your stuff. I’ve bought and sold lots of R8 kit until I settled into my current setup.

Maybe. There is one member on here who posted he lost $4K when selling his R8 rifle including five or six barrels. MY limited firearms budget couldn't take a hit like that.

 

[Red Leg]

Maybe. There is one member on here who posted he lost $4K when selling his R8 rifle including five or six barrels. MY limited firearms budget couldn't take a hit like that.

In my experience, I think that is largely true of every new gun purchase. It is just a function of degree based upon original cost.

 

[TOBY458]

I've bought and sold several R8s and have never lost a dime. Actually made a decent profit at times. I guess that's the only good thing about prices continually going up. I've kind of taken it up as a hobby actually. Always perusing....

 

[CoElkHunter]

I have to believe that the ownership group for Blaser, and the other brands, is simply making a luxury goods gambit to see how high they can push prices without destroying demand. There's a belief in some quarters that luxury goods are largely immune from economic cycles because the people who buy luxury are insulated, to a very large degree, from the economic forces that impact everyone else. Check out some of the luxury stocks, like LVMH, which is buying loads of luxe brands and shoving them into a holding company structure.

Here's some useless trivia for you (I'm a master at it). About six months ago, I read an article from a guru that tracks sales of luxury items. His research showed that some 40% of sales were to Millennials (20-30yoa). When you live in your parents' basement rent free and work at Taco Bell part time, I guess you have the funds to splurge? LOL

 

[smp005]

is it uncommon for blaser barrels to not be factory threaded? At that price they certainly should be. Outside of classic rifles, I wont even look at a rifle if its not threaded these days

So European Blaser barrels are threaded to Euro thread (Metric TPI) spec instead of our Imperial TPI spec. In chatting with Kevin Wistner at their SCI booth this year, he reminded me that Blaser barrels require special handling when threading. They have a gunsmith in Texas that they send all US R8 barrels to that can thread them and not invalidate the warranty or accuracy guarantee…. Since I use suppressors a lot, I order my barrels from Eurooptic and Blaser USA has them threaded before shipping them..

When looking at price comparisons of various rifles, if you set aside the straight pull and interchangeability for a moment and simply compare the price of any other takedown rifle to the R8, Blaser rifles are actually a better bang for the buck.. add in the ability for multiple barrels and return to zero scope mounts and I find its still a great deal.. ( I have 4 full R8s and numerous barrels) LOL..

For me, traveling with the small Blaser Pelican case is incredibly easier that a full length case - especially when hunting in Europe and Asia..

Admittedly they have gone up in price but what hasn’t :-(

 

[Goose Cracker]

I have not hunted with a R8 in the UK, but all the ones I have used on the Continent were unthreaded. In the States the vast majority of threaded rifles are for muzzle brakes. Suppressors are difficult to own legally and are thus very rare on hunting rifles. Though I am sure they are employed, I have also never used or even seen a suppressor in use on the Continent.

Both of the Blaser R8s I've hunted with in the UK were threaded and wore a suppressor. I also don't understand why threading isn't ubiquitous on the US barrels. I'd guess most folks who can afford a Blaser can (and have) negotiate(d) the suppressor acquisition process.

 

[Doug3006]

Are they trying to price themselves out of the US market? Not very likely. They’re charging exactly what they think the market will bear. If they’re right, then they’ll optimize their profits. If they’re wrong, then expect price reductions up to the point it no longer makes sense to sell them here.

I’m starting to look at new pickups. The type I want are listing at $80K and retailing at $70K. I don’t consider these as luxury trucks. Not Platinum or King Ranch outfits. Just well optioned trucks. I’m shocked at how much truck prices have increased in the last 5 years.

Which brings me to what a “luxury rifle” is. I suppose that’s open to debate. I define luxury items as those that command a premium price, for reasons of fit, finish, or panache, but that aren’t measurably superior in function. A Chevy gets you around town just as well as a Mercedes or a Bentley. A Remington, Ruger, Winchester or Savage are as accurate and reliable as higher priced alternatives. For most of my sporting life, I considered a Browning a luxury gun.

 

[Red Leg]

Both of the Blaser R8s I've hunted with in the UK were threaded and wore a suppressor. I also don't understand why threading isn't ubiquitous on the US barrels. I'd guess most folks who can afford a Blaser can (and have) negotiate(d) the suppressor acquisition process.

Suppressors are rarely used by hunters in the US. The permit process alone takes half a year, and the suppressors are themselves quite expensive. Secondly, for normal big game hunting, they are an unnecessary incumbrance to an otherwise perfectly balanced rifle. I hate them in that role. Where they do come into there own here is controlling animals such as feral hogs where a suppressor may allow the targeting of multiple animals - particularly at night with a thermal. They are particularly well suited in the minds of most here employed on an AR platform. I should also note sound abatement is not generally a consideration or concern.

The typical hunting rifle that is threaded in this country is threaded with a muzzle brake in mind and not a suppressor.

Home defense firearms are also often equipped with a suppressor. This is a Daniel Defense in 5.56.

But on a hunting rifle? I personally despise the things in that role almost as much as brake.

 

[Oldnerd]

Although I've always thought I'd like to try a Blaser, the cost doesn't seem worth it to me. I can get a rifle with a synthetic stock and my specs produced for less money than a Blaser if I plan ahead.