Modular, ergonomic, take-down, accurate, compact, durable, safe, precise, instantly available, and versatile. The saying you get what you pay for definitely applies here, though it might not be instantly available anymore.
I have had a Blaser R8 for a number of years, and though it was impressive from the start, I never really connected with it until recently. I started out with 308 and 6.5C barrels, on the lightest weight R8 available, the Profesional S. It has an integral trigger and magazine, whereas the standard models have a removable trigger/magazine assembly. It saves a few ounces on a fairly heavy gun in an attempt to make it light. A light R8 does not exist in nature, and saving a few ounces ended up not mattering in the least. Blaser has since discontinued that model. The R8 is not a heavy gun by any means, but coming from the sub-6 pound category, regular weight guns are heavy to me.
I’m sure I will cover the R8 in all its glory down the road, but today we are going to focus on the .458WM. Earlier this year I expanded my R8 to include 9.3X62, 375 H&H, and most recently, 458WM. The 9.3 is for my youngest daughter to hunt buffalo with (one day) and the 375 was supposed to be for me or my wife for buff or whatever. The 458 is actually a 458 Lott barrel, as that was what was available. Since the Lott chamber handles the WM as well, I grabbed it, intending only to shoot WM ammo through it.
I’ve been shooting the WM now for a while, and it is incredible. A true do-all cartridge, it can be loaded for deer out to 300 yards, or an angry Buffalo at 20 paces. Gunmagwarehouse.com was again kind enough to send some Federal 500-grain pills for the big gun. Not very useful for deer at 300, they are great for the angry buff at 20 paces. In my case, being a little short on angry buffalo right now, they are excellent for helping me develop my recoil control, as the big gun does recoil some. I would describe it as a bit heavier than a .22WMR, but not as earth-shaking as a .50BMG.
In all seriousness, it is obviously not a good cartridge to learn to shoot with. Once you can handle 6 lb. rifles in 350RM, or 7 lb. 375 H&H’s then you can move up to the 458’s. I’ve seen many videos of novice shooters using the WM for their Youtube videos. To each their own, but I don’t think any of those guys are helping their development.
To try to characterize a very subjective experience, would say that the R8 handles the WM recoil very well. The stock design of the R8 is about as good as it gets and that means less felt recoil and less muzzle rise for the shooter. My R8 weighs right about 10.5 lbs. empty, and almost 11 lbs. loaded with 4 rounds. That is right in line with the weights of the classic British double rifles in comparable calibers. The R8 gives you a nice shove when you burn 70-plus grains of powder behind a 400-500 grain bullet, but it doesn’t hurt. Nonetheless, it takes practice and experience to avoid a flinch with these big boomers, and if the gun doesn’t fit you or if you don’t handle it correctly, it can hurt you.
The bolt on the R8 is a straight pull. There is no faster bolt action, and I’m not sure there are any others that compare for overall safety either. The “safety” on the R8 is actually a cocking piece. It disengages the spring from the striker while at the same time locking the striker. The gun rests in an uncocked condition, and only when you push the safety off (forward), is the striker cocked and able to move forward. It sits in the middle, like the safety on a double barrel rifle or shotgun, and is ideal for right and left-handed shooters. A left-handed bolt can simply be dropped into the chassis for those who need it.
The gun cannot fire if the bolt head is not locked properly into the barrel extension (the chamber area of the barrel), so if you short-stroke it, it will not detonate out of battery. For precision rifle use, especially as a sniper, there are times when slow bolt manipulation is called for. Most of the time though, and especially for hunting dangerous game, you should work the bolt hard, both ways. If you do, then you will not have to worry about short-stroking.
The trigger is a unique arrangement that I admit I don’t fully understand. Suffice it to say, it is widely regarded as perhaps the best trigger out there, both for release qualities and durability and function under adverse conditions.
One aspect of rifle construction and shooting that remains a bit of a mystery is point of impact (POI) shift. Theoretically, a free-floated barrel should not shift its point of impact, regardless of how it is shot. If you read forums or even talk to some manufacturers, this is what you will most often be told. I have not found this to work out in actual use. Some guns will shoot great off a bipod or a ruck, but if you sling up with them, the POI shifts. Resting a gun on various surfaces can also cause POI shift based on how the gun recoils. Since I like to use shooting slings whenever possible, this is a real issue for me. Incidentally, if you don’t know how to use a modern, fast-acquisition shooting sling, you are missing out. It should be a part of every qualified rifleman’s repertoire.
The R8 does not shift its POI, regardless of how it is held, rested, or heated up. The bullets just keep going to the same spot. Very few rifles in my experience will actually do that and the ones that do are to be treasured. Incidentally, I have found that the Tikka T3X also does this, and while wearing the cheap factory plastic stocks to boot.
The video below, which I have shown before, was shot at about 20 yards on a B8 bullseye. Both rounds hit the black. I think that is pretty definitively a controllable gun. I would say that I can often replicate this performance, but certainly not every time.
It did not occur to me to show the target in the first video, so I figured I would make another video. I’m not perfect but at least I’m funny. To me anyway. The video below is one of a few runs I did for practice. I try not to shoot too much 458 ammo in one session as that amount of recoil does add up. The R8 is so much fun to shoot though, that it is easy to shoot too much ammo in one session. Better to accept that some practice sessions will go well, while others will not. In this case, even though I didn’t hit what I wanted to every time, I did get good practice on my first shot (the most important one, lol), recoil control, and of course, shot calling. My recoil control still needs work though, as you can see my toes coming up each shot. Either that or the camerawoman needs to raise her lens a bit!
We will continue looking at the great R8 at some point in the future, as well as the equally impressive K95.