Wanted Blaser R8 Worn Out Barrel

[Konrad.inc]

Hello,

I’m looking for a worn out/ used up Blaser R8 barrel. Caliber is not important I want to try some machining tricks on a junk one before I do it to a new barrel. I’d be happy to pay shipping to get it to me.
Thanks,

 

[TOBY458]

Haven't you heard? An R8 is so good, the barrels can't be worn out!

 

[Konrad.inc]

That’s funny and I wish it were true. I wear out 2-3 barrels a year shooting Fclass and high power….. good barrels always seem to die young. What I’m really trying to do is see if I can make my own Blaser r8 barrels. I do all my own gunsmithing and would really need to do my own R8 barrels to afford the rest of the rifle at the rate I shoot. But I need a barrel measure and to see if I have enough tooling to do one myself.

 

[TOBY458]

Good luck with your project! Let us know how it turns out. Have you ever checked out any of the aftermarket makers?

 

[Konrad.inc]

I’ve looked at a couple. 1000$+ for a barrel is way too expensive since I can buy aftermarket stainless blanks for 300$ or a couple dollars less. Any caliber and any contour. Then it’s just my time and tooling.

 

[TOBY458]

Are you planning to cut off the barrel in front of the chamber, then bore and thread it for a barrel?

 

[ChrisG]

I’ve looked at a couple. 1000$+ for a barrel is way too expensive since I can buy aftermarket stainless blanks for 300$ or a couple dollars less. Any caliber and any contour. Then it’s just my time and tooling.

I dont know as you'll find too many a worn out blaser barrel. Most hunters aren't running them until they are glowing red or shooting thousands of rounds through a blaser per year. I could be wrong though. The other flip side to this is that blaser's barrels are made of tremendously strong steel alloy. Probably something with the strength of an vanadium/nickel HSLA or similar alloyed steel but with the properties of an abrasion resistant steel. They aren't your standard 4140 chrome molybdenum steel that normal barrels are made from. They hold up to lots of abuse and have been tested to 200,000psi and hold up just fine. My guess is that they arent easy to shoot out.

 

[Konrad.inc]

I’m more thinking I can stick a blank in a CNC and cut the recess for the bolt and flanged locking collar, plus with live tooling I can drill and tap holes for a pic rail as well as drill and tap for the studs that go into the stock all in one tool holding.
I also seriously doubt Blaser has come up with anything drastically new in the barrel material world. Hammer forged barrels have been around awhile, and barrel hardness only buys you so much. If Blaser barrels were markedly better than all other barrels then US shooters would be buying them by the truckload. In my experience hunters just shoot barrels much longer than target shooters since the accuracy expectations are not as high (exceptions do exsist). Same thing with chrome lined barrels in machine guns, I can’t remember the exact number but the military runs their 223 and 308 machine gun barrels past 30k rounds…….but I can guarantee you a 223 will not consistently hold 10ring (12in)at 600yds past 2000-4000 rounds (depending on brand, bullet used and how hot the load is). Fclass guns are lucky to make it to 2000 rounds but again the expectation of accuracy is higher.

 

[ChrisG]

I still think you'll have a hard time convincing someone to give you a $2,500 barrel, for the price of shipping, because it shoots a quarter at 100 yards rather than a dime.

A lot of guys on here, including myself, dont get overly worried about the "mechanical" accuracy of their rifles because it is a number that is insignificant when you are shooting at an elk off the top of a rock at 270 yards rather than trying to hit a piece of paper at way beyond hunting ranges.

But you might still get a bite. Ive definitely been wrong before.

If you have a CNC, why not just duplicate the shape of the part of a blaser barrel rather than practice in a real one? Still seems cheaper than even a used blaser barrel.

 

[Konrad.inc]

I’m hoping for one that shoots 6”. I’m not looking for anything serviceable. I just need dimensions off the back end. The bore could be completely smooth for all I care.

 

[ChrisG]

I’m more thinking I can stick a blank in a CNC and cut the recess for the bolt and flanged locking collar, plus with live tooling I can drill and tap holes for a pic rail as well as drill and tap for the studs that go into the stock all in one tool holding.
I also seriously doubt Blaser has come up with anything drastically new in the barrel material world. Hammer forged barrels have been around awhile, and barrel hardness only buys you so much. If Blaser barrels were markedly better than all other barrels then US shooters would be buying them by the truckload. In my experience hunters just shoot barrels much longer than target shooters since the accuracy expectations are not as high (exceptions do exsist). Same thing with chrome lined barrels in machine guns, I can’t remember the exact number but the military runs their 223 and 308 machine gun barrels past 30k rounds…….but I can guarantee you a 223 will not consistently hold 10ring (12in)at 600yds past 2000-4000 rounds (depending on brand, bullet used and how hot the load is). Fclass guns are lucky to make it to 2000 rounds but again the expectation of accuracy is higher.

As to whether they are better than other barrels... an overpriced item doesnt sell in a free market. It is too expensive for what people get, yet Americans still buy blaser barrels and rifles and those that have them, love them. I think this video speaks pretty well of the differences between american rifles built to a price point and European rifles built to a quality point. They don't let their sales team lead the engineers around by the nose. The engineers build the best product they can and then the marketing team has to sell it.

 

[ChrisG]

I’m hoping for one that shoots 6”. I’m not looking for anything serviceable. I just need dimensions off the back end. The bore could be completely smooth for all I care.

Ask someone who has a blaser R8 barrel and a micrometer to get you the dimensions. I don't have one but if I did, I could whip a drawing out in solidworks for you quick with the dimensions on it. someone here can likely help you out with dimensions.

Or better yet, email blaser nd see if they will give them to you.

 

[Konrad.inc]

If your comparing a Blaser or most other European rifles to a stock Remington, I couldn’t agree with you more. In most respects remingtons are junk. I’m comparing custom rifles to Blasers. Certainly wouldn’t be sporting to compare a 3000$ R8 to a 500-1000$ Remington, Ruger or Winchester. For the sake of this discussion I’m just talking barrels. At the end of the day, I still can buy top quality blanks for 300$ and do all the machine work myself for every rifle I currently own.

 

[Konrad.inc]

Talk to y’all later just departing Chicago for PDX.