EXPRESS
Well-Known Member
I have nearly 30 guns, most of them rifles.
Of these I regularly use just a couple. One is usually a favourite, and that would be the one that was most recently built/upgraded.
Where I live, the best I can do for an LR rig is buy a Remington, get it trued and buy components from the US. But shipping, and the time needed gets in the way of this, and as a result I have incomplete rifles, and rifles that never shoot well because the LR smiths here are inconsistent. Just consider that getting a Jewel trigger, is either going to cost you $500 from a local guy, who will have to order it from the States anyway, or you get it yourself, but have to go through all the frigmarole of import. Same goes for rings, scopes etc.
So I could have gone for an out of the box rifle, consider that we only just got Savage a few years ago, and they cost almost as much as a custom rifle does in the US, that leaves Tikka, Sako, CZ, others, and last, but not least, Blaser. I've always disliked the Blasers, but I have also always respected them, they shoot as well as anything else out there, with the expeption of BR and top end top end custom rigs.
Well, I am feeling like getting rid of all my mixed bag of rifles, most of which only tend to gather dust. I even have two real nice left handed rifles, that belonged to my brother who went on one hunt and quit. I kept them thinking he might want to try again or I might have a left handed guest. How stupid.
So anyway, my idea is to get a Blaser R8 platform and go with barrels. The calibers are somewhat limited, but at least that means you stay with readily available ammo. They now come with a great stock for shooting prone, need no trigger work, they actually have a trigger with two settings, match and hunting! I don't like the mounts, but they work.
I'm thinking of a 6.5x55 for everything up to elk/red deer and a .338 win mag for everything above. I can put a Swaro 1.7-10 Z6 scope on one set of rings for the .338 which is great for low light, driven or other "normal" European hunting and a Kahles k624i on another set of rings for the long range stuff. They reliably come off and go back on without losing zero. I didn't believe it, but it's the truth.
The 6.5x55 would inherit a Mk4 6.5-20 and be used for everything from foxes to deer, as well as steel.
Both rifles come with a 23" barrel, which is fine and handy, I am a hunter, not a target shooter, and I have discovered I don't get much joy out of shooting a dedicated target rifle at long range if I can't also use it hunting.
I have a private range with targets out to 1360 yards, and honestly I hardly every shoot reliably past the 760 gong, which is well within the energy limits of both calibers for hunting.
The biggest factor that led me to improving my shooting was simplifying all my gear as much as possible, and just shooting more. Having a go to battery of just two rifles I use a lot would be a great step in that direction, at least so I'm thinking now.
Am I talking myself into a decision or does this make sense? I realize that Blaser rifles in the US are a bit controversial but just give me the benefit of the doubt on that part of it.
Of these I regularly use just a couple. One is usually a favourite, and that would be the one that was most recently built/upgraded.
Where I live, the best I can do for an LR rig is buy a Remington, get it trued and buy components from the US. But shipping, and the time needed gets in the way of this, and as a result I have incomplete rifles, and rifles that never shoot well because the LR smiths here are inconsistent. Just consider that getting a Jewel trigger, is either going to cost you $500 from a local guy, who will have to order it from the States anyway, or you get it yourself, but have to go through all the frigmarole of import. Same goes for rings, scopes etc.
So I could have gone for an out of the box rifle, consider that we only just got Savage a few years ago, and they cost almost as much as a custom rifle does in the US, that leaves Tikka, Sako, CZ, others, and last, but not least, Blaser. I've always disliked the Blasers, but I have also always respected them, they shoot as well as anything else out there, with the expeption of BR and top end top end custom rigs.
Well, I am feeling like getting rid of all my mixed bag of rifles, most of which only tend to gather dust. I even have two real nice left handed rifles, that belonged to my brother who went on one hunt and quit. I kept them thinking he might want to try again or I might have a left handed guest. How stupid.
So anyway, my idea is to get a Blaser R8 platform and go with barrels. The calibers are somewhat limited, but at least that means you stay with readily available ammo. They now come with a great stock for shooting prone, need no trigger work, they actually have a trigger with two settings, match and hunting! I don't like the mounts, but they work.
I'm thinking of a 6.5x55 for everything up to elk/red deer and a .338 win mag for everything above. I can put a Swaro 1.7-10 Z6 scope on one set of rings for the .338 which is great for low light, driven or other "normal" European hunting and a Kahles k624i on another set of rings for the long range stuff. They reliably come off and go back on without losing zero. I didn't believe it, but it's the truth.
The 6.5x55 would inherit a Mk4 6.5-20 and be used for everything from foxes to deer, as well as steel.
Both rifles come with a 23" barrel, which is fine and handy, I am a hunter, not a target shooter, and I have discovered I don't get much joy out of shooting a dedicated target rifle at long range if I can't also use it hunting.
I have a private range with targets out to 1360 yards, and honestly I hardly every shoot reliably past the 760 gong, which is well within the energy limits of both calibers for hunting.
The biggest factor that led me to improving my shooting was simplifying all my gear as much as possible, and just shooting more. Having a go to battery of just two rifles I use a lot would be a great step in that direction, at least so I'm thinking now.
Am I talking myself into a decision or does this make sense? I realize that Blaser rifles in the US are a bit controversial but just give me the benefit of the doubt on that part of it.
