Blaser R93
Blaser R93 | |
---|---|
Type | Hunting rifle |
Place of origin | Germany |
Production history | |
Designed | 1993 |
Manufacturer | Blaser |
Produced | 1993–present |
Variants | Blaser 93 Tactical |
Specifications | |
Caliber | Various; see |
Action | Straight-pull bolt-action |
Feed system | 3- or 4- round internal box magazine |
Sights | Aperture-type iron sights or telescopic sight |
The Blaser R93 is a German hunting rifle offered in a multitude of calibers and barrel lengths.
Designed by Blaser in 1993, it had a number of features rare on modern hunting rifles:
- Manual cocking system
- Straight-pull bolt action
- Direct trigger
- Original Blaser saddle mount
Characteristics
Its straight-pull bolt action locks by a 14-lug radial collet and is designed to withstand pressures significantly exceeding the Mauser 98–type bolt-action rifles. The Blaser R93 displays a locking surface of 66 mm2 (0.102 in2) compared to 56 mm2 (0.087 in2) for the Mauser 98. The manual cocking system, or "de-cocking safety", enables the shooter to securely carry the weapon, only cocking the rifle just before the shot.
To avoid accidents with set triggers, Blaser offers the R93 only with a direct trigger.
Blaser has also constructed its own design of scope mount, the Saddle mount, in which removable mounts are held by two specially formed holes in the receiver and can be removed and refitted without the rifle losing zero.
By changing an insert in the magazine, the barrel and bolt head, a multitude of calibers can be used in an R93 chassis.
After a shooting accident near Koblenz in 1994, the R93 was criticised, with claims that it could not withstand high pressures, and the bolt would unlock when excessive pressures were generated. An investigation by the DEVA concluded that the handloaded ammunition had been used that greatly exceeded the maximum safe gas pressure for the round.[1]
The R93 was upgraded to the Blaser R8 which has a detachable box magazine/trigger combination. The Blaser R8 displays an enlarged locking surface of 96 mm2 (0.149 in2).[2] Parts for the R93 do not fit the R8 series rifles.
In 2009, Blaser and Carl Zeiss AG began offering a scope that switches on a red dot when the R93/R8 are cocked ("Zeiss Illumination Control/iC").
References
- ↑ Blaser R93 accident, lawers cooperation (Rechtsanwaltsaktiengesellschaft) Nieding + Barth (German)
- ↑ Jagdfregatte R8 {German}
External links
- http://www.blaser.de/R93-Characteristics.119.0.html?&L=1
- https://web.archive.org/web/20110718203223/http://www.blaser.de/uploads/media/R93_modularsystem_en_07.pdf