Blaser R-93 Tactical Questions

[Sam Adams]

I recently saw an article about the Blaser R-93 Tactical bolt gun. The rifle, tricked out with a stock that seemed to have infinite variations so that everyone could find their best hold, and a Horus "tactical" scope, had incredible accuracy. We're talking about 1/2 M.O.A. as being expected. The rifle was about $3,500 as tested, though leaving off a few options could cut as much as $1,000. A few questions for any of you who know about the rifle and the scope:

1) Is the gun really that good, or was this a specially-tuned ringer?

2) If the answer to #1 is "yes, it is that good," is the extra accuracy over, say, a Remington 700 VS or Police worth the extra bucks? I suspect not, but I'd like to hear what others have to say.

3) The Horus scope seemed to be the co-star of the article, since it allowed the shooter to shoot incredibly well with any ammo very quickly - there are no adjustments to the scope itself, merely the point of aim after the first shot. The real question is: does this scope make the rifle, and would getting this scope for a cheaper but still very inherently accurate rifle produce nearly identical results?

4) Does anyone know what other scopes, preferably cheaper, do something similar to the Horus?

Thanks in advance for your response.

 

[Ullr]

I don't know about the "tactical" model, but their hunting rifles are... astonishing. I'm seriously considering selling all my long guns and investing in a Blaser R-93 Synthetic. One thing you can't (IIRC) do with the Tactical is swap calibers with interchangeable barrels. The hunting rifles are also somewhat less spendy.

Still spendy, but not $3,500 spendy (well, unless you go for all the fancy wood and engraving and...).

 

[Sactown]

No, Blaser rifles are that good. The stock is standard with the R93 Tactical, which is now the called the R93 LRS2. Shooting my R93 Tactical off of sandbags and trying to keep the thing rock solid, I have shot jagged one-hole groups at 100yds with handloads. The stock is super adjustable. I find it to be an excellent shooting platform. However, I have not gone out beyond 100yds, our local range max is 100yds. I may get out to another range, but not anytime soon. I also have a Rem700PSS that shoots really good too. Again, been only shooting at 100yds. I've seen the LRS2 locally for $2100 (which I think is a little pricier than else where) and the the Rem 700PSS for around $750. Is it worth it for the LRS2? I wouldn't spend $2100 for a rifle, but I purchased mine from a friend's buddy and couldn't pass up the homey discount. Personally I like my R93 better, the stock adjustment is better, the recoil is less, and I really like the straight pull. The R93 does group better for me than my PSS. Before I purchased the Blaser I was considering the AICS chasis for my Rem700 because the standard stock didn't fit me too well.

Never heard of Horus scopes, so no comment there.

This one is mine:

 

[BerettaNut92]

She's purrrrrrrdy...........

 

[Topgun]

Sactown...

Ain't you got rid of that piece of junk yet?

I"ll buy it and throw it away for you.

Silly looking bipod equipped straight pull goofy black thing.

 

[Chris Rhines]

I got a chance to shoot an LRS-2 in .300 Winchester Mag recently. You know it's a good day at the range when a gentleman you've never met before insists you try out his $3000 rifle.

It really was that good. I only shot it at 100 yards, but I was able to put five shots into a quarter-sized group, military prone with no sling, and I am a very average rifle shot. The rifle handled like a dream and was easy to operate. It kicked less than my FAL; you could almost feel the muzzle break pull the rifle forward. I would love to try an LRS-2 out at longer range, say out at 6-900 yards where wind really comes into play.

I don't know anything about the Horus scope; the one I shot had a Swarkovski 4.5-14x50.

- Chris

 

[Sactown]

Topgun,

You could always buy one of those Schmidt-Rubin K-31 surplus rifles and spray paint the wood stock tactical black.

 

[Schmit]

Know a little about the LSR2. Are they worth it? Never shot one but from the people I know that have (and know a little something about precision rifle) say it is every thing as advertised.

And, if you get the LRS2 in .338 LM you can swap down to the following calibers - .223, .308 & .300 WM. But you have to start with the "big" action. Can't swap up to .338.

I personally have some problems with the design myself. Not the action/barrel as it is undoubtedly, IMO, the finest action out there for modularability (I've also though of selling all my hunting rifles and getting a R93 Attache with numerous barrels & both bolts).

The problems I have are with the stock. The pistol grip is too straight for my tastes, it doesn't feel good. As viewed as a "Sniper" rifle it has way too many "hooks" on it (the adjustable cheek rest, 90 degree pistol grip, and that big ol forestock) that will grab on everything if you have to low crawl into a hide dragging your rifle.

The other thing I don't like is that it is set up for a Harris Bi-pod. Nothing wrong with a Harris but it adds another thing that can hange up. They should have mounted a Parker-Hale QD Bi-Bod on it, again - IMO.

 

[twoblink]

I want one!!

 

[Topgun]

Sactown

I already have the MOST accurate rifle in the world.

A 6.5 Mannlicher-Carcano carbine! I painted it black, jammed 2 icepicks in the stock for a bipod and one hole group at 100 yards was NO problem.

Deciding now on whether to shoot 2nd shot.

(goofy looking half-plastic straight pull abortion)

 

[Sam Adams]

Thanks to all of you for your comments. I suspect that I will concentrate on improving my skills by shooting more, rather than by spending lots of bucks on a gold-plated rifle.

The scope is a different matter - it is intriguing to know that there are scopes out there that will help you to shoot better at targets from unknown ranges.