The small company Blaser Jagdwaffen, founded in the 50s of the last century, could not boast of a rich history. It produced expensive and high-quality weapons, but there was nothing in its lineup that could set the company apart and provide it with a worthy place in the history of weapons development.
The situation changed in 1993, when the Blaser R93 was presented to the public - a seemingly ordinary hunting carbine, the design of which contained a number of modern, unconventional solutions for this class of weapons. This rifle soon not only gained worldwide popularity - its “tactical” version was adopted by the military and police forces of a number of countries.
Description of design
An overview of the features of the Blaser R93 can begin with the shutter. The design of the rifle uses a straight action bolt - to reload, the shooter does not need to turn the bolt himself, just pull it back and push it forward. The system itself is not new, but it was rarely used even in repeating rifles for military purposes (one can name, for example, the Swiss K31).
Among hunting weapons (especially modern ones), such a solution has practically never been found. In this case, the barrel is locked not by turning the bolt, but by a sliding collet built into the bolt cylinder.
At the same time, the manufacturing processes were simplified, and the rifle became somewhat shorter and lighter than analogues with a barrel of the same length, but made according to the traditional design. The bolt is equipped with a so-called “shpanshiber” - a fuse that removes the firing pin from cocking and blocks the bolt. The firing pin is cocked when the “spangshiber” button is moved to the firing position.
Another feature of the Blaser R93 rifle is its modular design.
Firstly, quick-change barrels allow you to quickly switch to a cartridge of another caliber, if it has cartridge case dimensions similar to the “main” one. Secondly, not only the barrel, but also the bolt cylinder and even the built-in magazine change quickly.
Several “standard sizes” were produced. KK – for use of small caliber cartridges such as .22 LR.Mi – small caliber rifle cartridges, for example, .233 Remington. Blaser R93 ST is the so-called “standard”, using common normal caliber cartridges, including .308, .30-06 and Mauser 7.92x57.
The ME group includes more powerful cartridges, such as 8x68mm, while barrels and bolts of the “standard size” MA make it possible to shoot reinforced “magnums” up to .375 H&H. The dimensions of the built-in magazine do not change, and therefore its capacity drops from five “small” cartridges to two “magnums”. A bolt with a handle moved to the other side was also produced - for left-handed shooters.
Finally, the method of mounting the optical sight is unconventional. It is installed not on the side brackets, not on the Picatinny rail, but directly on the barrel. Accordingly, when replacing the barrel, the shooter does not need to bother with changing the sight, and there is no need to re-shoot the sight once attached to the barrel and sighted.
The receiver was made of aluminum alloys.
The butt of the rifle could be equipped with a compartment for four additional cartridges. Another option is a “Kickstop” recoil buffer filled with tungsten granules. The barrels could optionally be equipped with a muzzle brake-compensator, or cuts at the muzzle, reducing the jump of the weapon when firing. Barrels without open sights, lightweight and shortened were also available.
Since 2009, it has offered sights specifically for the R93, in which the reticle illumination was automatically turned on when the weapon was cocked. When the rifle was put on safety, the backlight also turned off.
Blaser R93 carbine: the story of a weapon breakthrough
The company's most famous creation is, of course, the Blaser R93, a premium hunting carbine developed in the early 90s. It immediately attracted the attention of specialists with its unusualness and bold technical solutions. The main feature of the weapon is its modular design, which makes it possible to quickly replace the magazine, barrel and bolt cylinder. Which, in turn, allows the use of cartridges of various calibers. The idea of having one rifle for all occasions appealed to many hunters.
The second “discovery” of the creators of this weapon was the Blaser R93 sliding bolt, which significantly increases its rate of fire. They say that this idea was proposed by Gerhard Blenk, an avid hunter and part-time managing director of the company. And it was brought to life by the brilliant designer Mainrad Tsey.
Since the start of mass production, more than 200 thousand Blaser R93 carbines have been sold, which is a very impressive figure for weapons in this price segment. This fact can be called the best proof of the quality and excellent characteristics of the carbine. For almost twenty years, the “ninety-third” has been the most popular weapon among professional hunters. This carbine is supplied to fifty countries of the world, including Russia. In subsequent years, the company released a large number of modifications of the R93.
Carbine BLASER R93 Luxus Gravur 9.3×62
In 2010, at the IWA 2010 exhibition in Nuremberg, the Blaser R8 carbine was first presented to the general public, which some experts immediately called an improved and modified version of the R93. But this is not entirely fair: “Blazer P8”, rather, can be considered an evolutionary continuation of the already classic “ninety-third”. The new carbine retains the main advantages of its predecessor - the famous sliding bolt and modularity. The Blaser R8 barrel is made by cold forging.
It is curious that the release of this carbine to the market has nothing to do with a decrease in interest in the Blaser R93. On the contrary, the company's management called 2009 the most successful in terms of sales of "ninety-three." But it is likely that Blaser Jagdwaffen GmbH considers it necessary to constantly move forward in order to maintain its leadership position. The development of the Blaser R8 took the company five years...
The Blaser R93 Professional carbine is one of the most popular weapon modifications in Russia
Currently, the R8 is one of the most innovative and advanced representatives of its class of weapons.
Modifications
Although the main “configurator of Blasers” was the shooter himself, who purchased and replaced modules according to desires and needs, the company produced several basic versions of the hunting carbine, differing mainly in the material of the stock and the level of finishing. For example, the Blaser R93 Professional was produced with a durable polymer stock. The Blaser R93 Attache, on the contrary, was sold with a stock made of valuable wood and a lighter barrel due to flutes.
The Blaser R93 Tactical sniper rifle was created on the basis of a variant originally intended for sport shooting.
After acquiring the company, it was decided to expand the range and bring the R93 to the sniper weapon market.
The first sporting version differed from hunting carbines with a characteristic appearance of a plastic stock with an adjustable butt, a detachable ten-round magazine and a reinforced barrel. At the same time, all components remained interchangeable with the modules of the original “civilian” version.
They didn’t show much interest in the rifle, but the experience gained during operation made it possible to create an improved version of the LRS2 - with a reinforced design and a five-round magazine. It was this that was renamed “tactical”, and it has already become widespread. Based on it, an enlarged version was created, caliber .338 Lapua Magnum, but it was not very popular.
The latest generation - Blaser R93 Tactical 2 has become a kind of hybrid - the design is based on modification units of the .338 caliber, but the rifle can be converted to chamber .308, .300 Winchester Magnum and .223.
The “tactical” rifle is common mainly in police special forces, where they value the ability to covertly transport a disassembled rifle and the absence of the need to align the sight after assembly.
The main advantages of the Blaser R93 carbine
The R93 carbine is loved by hunters and sports shooting fans for its reliability, workmanship and excellent performance. Its undoubted advantages include the following:
- Relatively small weight and modest dimensions of the weapon;
- High level of ergonomics. The carbine is very convenient to use, transport and carry;
- Simplicity of the mechanism;
- High level of safety during use;
- Excellent accuracy and accuracy of weapon combat;
- “Soft” and comfortable trigger release;
- High reloading speed, which is practically not inferior to self-loading weapons;
- A wide range of carbine models, thanks to which anyone can choose a weapon to suit their taste and budget;
- The versatility of the carbine, which is due to the ability to quickly replace the barrel.
Characteristics
Here are the main parameters of the R93 sniper rifle in the standard .308 caliber and the most powerful - .338 Lapua Magnum.
| R93 .308 Win | R93.338LM | |
| Caliber, mm | 7.62x51 | 8.6x70 |
| Weight, kg | 5,4 | 5,8 |
| Barrel length, mm | 635 | 668 |
| Magazine capacity, cartridges | 5 | 4 |
Obviously, replacing modules made it possible to quickly and easily obtain weapons that were heavier and longer, but much more powerful and long-range.
A weight of more than 5 kg is, of course, large for a hunting weapon, but the options under consideration are “tactical” ones, not intended to be spent wandering through the forests with them for hours. And they are usually fired from a bipod.
Types of trunks
The manufacturing plant produces a wide range of replacement barrels, each of which has certain features and advantages:
- Jagdmatch - has longitudinal grooves, lacks an open sight, channel diameter - 2.2 cm. Total length - 62.7 cm;
- Safari - has an open sighting mechanism, channel diameter - 2.2 cm. There is only a round section. 300 grams heavier than standard. Length - 62.7 cm;
- Simple round - similar to the previous version, without an open sight. Dimensions saved;
- Barrel with Mag-na-port - equipped with a Mag-na-port compensator. There are several vertical cutouts near the muzzle that reduce recoil by 20%;
- Barrel with Dural-Brake - at the end there is a thread for installing a compensator attachment with several rows of round holes. Recoil is reduced by 35-50%, the muzzle flame becomes smaller, and the barrel does not throw up.
In popular culture
The rifle produced by Blaser in its tactical design has appeared quite often on film and television screens.
The number of films and TV series in which she appeared exceeds two dozen.
But the only character in popular culture quite strongly associated with the R93 was Agent 47, the hero of the computer game Hitman and its unsuccessful film adaptations. The standard hunting version of the R93 received virtually no media attention.
The original R93 was discontinued in 2016, followed by a “tactical” variant in 2022. In production, they were completely replaced by the R8 rifle, assembly of which began in 2008.
It retained the modular layout, but the bolt design was changed, and the barrel was strengthened for reliability.
Due to this, the weight of the weapon has increased, and the smoothness of the shutter has decreased. But the magazine became detachable, and even such powerful cartridges as .458 Lott and .500 Jeffrey appeared in the range of calibers. The only thing that may upset fans of the R93 is that the modules of the R8 and the previous rifle are not interchangeable.
Features of Blaser weapons
There are some features for which the consumer appreciates the product of the German company. The first is a modular system. Thanks to it, each hunter, based on the standard version, can assemble a unique weapon with unique features and advantages. You can replace not only the barrel, but also the stock. Installation of additional modules is available. This can be done while hunting.
Shpanshiber (external cocking of the mainspring) is rarely found in the design of guns. Thanks to it, rifles become more reliable and safer. The hunter cocks the mainspring with his own hands. If the shot is not made, he simply relaxes it to its original position. The probability of an accidental shot is zero.
The internal structure of the model is thought out to the smallest detail; engineers spent a lot of time working on it. The result is a product in which every node is in the place where it should be. This made it possible to achieve small dimensions; the standard length of the gun is 1,020 mm, and versions with short barrels are even shorter - 940 mm. The build quality of each item is at a high level.
Users[edit]
- Argentina: Used by Argentine law enforcement.
- Australia: Used by the Australian Defense Force [4] and various police tactical teams. [5] [6]
- Brazil: Used by the Federal Police Counter-Terrorism Force Comando de Operações Táticas (COT).
- Bulgaria: Used by special forces of the Bulgarian armed forces.
- Denmark: Used by the Danish AKS [Special Police].
- France: Used by a special unit of the Prefecture of Police de Paris called the Intervention Brigade.
- Germany: Used by the German police.
- Iceland: Used by the Icelandic police.
- Malaysia: Used by the Pasukan Khas Udara
(PASKAU) counter-terrorism force of the Royal Malaysian Air Force [7] - Netherlands: Used by the Dutch police.
- Poland: Used by the Polish Border Guard. [8]
- Russia: Used by the Federal Security Service and the FSB.
- Slovenia: Used by Slovenian police special forces.
- Ukraine: Used by the special unit of the Security Service of Ukraine "Group A".
- UK: Used by at least one UK police force, notably Avon and Somerset Police.
- United States: Used by the New Jersey State Police
Links[edit]
- ^ ab "Archive copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- [1]
- Handgun Hunter Magazine - Blaser R93 Handgun Hunting System
- https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2008/12/12/australian-snipers-using-blaser-tactical-2-rifles/
- https://www.flickr.com/photos//1335225773/sizes/l/in/photostream/
- https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/star-group-snipers-test-worlds-most-lethal-sniper-rifle/story-e6frea83-1225917673679
- "PASKAU Malaysian Special Air Service Weapons". Military plant. Archived from the original on May 7, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- https://www.altair.com.pl/news/view?news_id=13574
