Author Topic: Blaser R93 (Read 1796 times)

nomad · « **on:** March 19, 2004, 07:24:34 AM »

Anyone heard of any of these failing? I recently heard that one came apart in Europe and injured the shooter. (I think it was an ammunition issue but, even so, it appears that the design didn't handle the problem as well as I would expect.)

Mikey · « **Reply #1 on:** March 19, 2004, 08:26:38 AM »

Nomad: I had not heard that. I wonder though because are those supposed to be simply a straight pull Mauser, or am I thinking of something else, like the (19)98 Mauser????? Mikey.

nomad · « **Reply #2 on:** March 19, 2004, 11:09:50 AM »

They're significantly different from the Mauser designs -- both the turnbolts like the '98 and the later 66.
As I understand it, the Blaser action locks via a series of ball-bearings which 'wedge' the bolt into lock and which, I'm being told, can unlock if a primer pierces or blows. Then the bolt becomes the projectile rather than the bullet. (This is NOT a good thing!)
Since a friend's son just bought one, I'm trying to discover whether what I'm being told is correct...

oldelkhunter · « **Reply #3 on:** April 21, 2004, 04:44:02 AM »

I think this is being overplayed quite a bit ..there has been a lot of blowups with even regular bolt actions and usually because of user carelessness. But once again hearsay runs amuck on the Internet. This is a tremendously strong action that relies on the collett system to lock up into the barrel assembly. The trigger is perhaps one of the finest I have ever touched off and the overall design of the rifle is incredible. A great rifle for the travelling sportsmen because of its breakdown and return to zero capability.

Lawdog · « **Reply #4 on:** April 21, 2004, 10:25:04 AM »

There was a recall on the Blaser R93 a while back. I though they had taken care of the problem but maybe this was one that got missed. Personally at their cost I would rather buy a Weatherby Mark V instead. Lawdog

Sigma · « **Reply #5 on:** April 24, 2004, 07:54:58 PM »

Nomad,

Apparently, there have been several accidents with the R93 in Europe.
According to the German Hunting Magazine, on January 10, 2004, 38 year old Albrecht Huf was critically injured when shooting a Blaser R93 in 300 Weatherby Magnum. The receiver exploded on the fifth shot and launched rearward underneath his eye through his cheek and came out under his jaw. His thumb was also fragmented. Not a good thing. According to the report, he was using original Weatherby ammunition. Here is the report in the magazine, albeit in German:
http://www.djz.de/artikelbeitrag/artikelbeitrag_26168.html

A knowledgeable shooter, Lutz Moeller from Germany has been researching safety issues with Blaser rifles. Here's a link to his site where he answers some questions regarding the Blaser R93. He is not thrilled with the R93 construction.

http://home.snafu.de/l.moeller/Zylinderverschluss/Zylinderverschluss.htm

I understand many don't read German, but you if you scroll down you will see a large sectional drawing of the R93 receiver which shows (in red) where in the event of a rupture, dangerous gases could lead to the effect described by you - i.e. the bolt and receiver becomes the projectile. Scroll further down and you will see a picture of Albrecht Huf and another unfortunate fellow, Jan Sorlie, from Norway, who lost his right eye and had part of his skull replaced with Titanium. Good thing these men are still alive.

Here's another link to the same magazine, dated 11/2000, regarding a recall of the Blaser R93:
http://www.deutsche-jagdzeitung.de/artikelbeitrag/artikelbeitrag_11127.html

If you scroll all the way down, you will see two pictures of a bolt assembly. The top one is from an actual accident, and the bottom one is from subsequent tests by Blaser. Similar results. Also at the bottom, is a picture of the exploded receiver during a test.

I would think that Blaser has addressed these issues, but I am not impressed with the security of the Blaser R93 design, and personally, I wouldn't own one.

Regards

grendel · « **Reply #6 on:** April 26, 2004, 07:33:30 PM »

Well I could not see asking my wife to translate all of that but I have a question about part of what I am seeing here. http://home.snafu.de/l.moeller/Zylinderverschluss/Zylinderverschluss.htm So a "weak" action causes a barrel to split open like a flower petal?

Grendel

Sigma · « **Reply #7 on:** April 27, 2004, 02:59:38 AM »

The picture of the R93 with the split barrel is a separate incident experienced by a fellow from New Zealand. That one's in english and speaks for itself. According to the author, Blaser at one time advised to moly-coat the bullets to solve problems with chambering.

On March 22, 2004 Lutz Moeller inquired with Blaser about the properties of Blaser barrels. Without going into much detail, Blaser's answer of April 1, 2004 was not too revealing citing "competitive reasons".

Regards