Heym SR 21. Features of design, operation and repair

Hunting rifle Heym SR-21

The Heym company's variety of weapons has long been known to many hunters and shooters in our country. The SR-21 rifle is a bright representative of the company, as usual - it is of good quality, without excesses in finishing, and all this is wrapped in a price tag that is acceptable for our hunter. Although Heym's products are not distinguished by constant technological updates of their models and do not stand out with any special features, they nevertheless have a large circle of fans of high-quality weapons.

The manufacturer's conservatism is in some ways good; there is no obvious consumer goods, which other arms companies shine with. Heym does not use plastic in its designs, does not use new light alloys, their weapons have not become cheaper or more accessible, but they have remained at the high level of quality and reliability that the buyer requires.

So, the sample in question is the Heym SR-21 rifle, a worthy successor to previous models. The rifle still has a modular design, consisting of a trigger mechanism, a replaceable barrel with a receiver, and a magazine. It is immediately obvious that having interchangeable barrels and elements responsible for the ability to shoot from other calibers, it is clear that when purchasing such a rifle, you automatically buy several of them. This is very practical and convenient, you can go hunting or travel somewhere far away, taking a couple of guns with you, without particularly straining yourself with a trunk with an arsenal.

Inspection of Heym SR-21

Despite its simplicity and classic appearance, the rifle is pleasant in the hands, the butt of the Monte Carlo model has a cheekpiece, a small and comfortable stock with a very practical pistol grip, no frills with sights, the sight here is mechanical. The location of the swivels is the most common for our rifles, on the butt and fore-end. For ease of holding, there is a fine notch on the wooden elements, which can be felt on the fore-end and pistol grip. The quality of the external and internal finishing is simply excellent, both the wood and metal are of very good quality, there are no errors or visible flaws even on the trunks of the cheapest models. You will not notice any problems between the joining of metal and wood; in fact, the technology of interchangeable barrels itself suggests that each part is made well and with a margin of safety.

A variety of methods are used in finishing metal parts: bluing, matte finish or nickel plating, everyone can choose according to their taste. Matte metal is good because it does not give any reflection in the sun. For example, for hunters who constantly shoot in difficult climatic conditions in frost and humidity, you can purchase stainless models. In such rifles, all external parts and main components are made of stainless steel; also, similar types of rifles will be convenient for travelers or those who do not often get around to cleaning the rifle.

For ease of shooting from different calibers, a rubber shock absorber is carefully installed on the back of the butt to soften recoil. For example, different versions of SR-21 rifles with different calibers and with interchangeable barrels with a receiver were evaluated; it must be said that their performance is at the highest level.

The safety is made in the form of a convenient flag, which is located on the right side of the bolt; it has three positions: blocking the trigger and bolt, firing and simply blocking the trigger. An arc trajectory is used for switching, and no special effort is required to switch, but independent switching of the fuse is also excluded due to the reliability of the design.

At the extreme part of the bolt there is a cocking indicator, which allows you to see the condition of the mainspring. The bolt has three front lugs with a decent locking area, making the barrel bore locking system very reliable. The handle has an inclination angle of 60 degrees, so it is very convenient to work with the bolt.

Longitudinal grooves are created on the bolt stem, which allow the bolt to be cleaned of dirt on its own; in addition, the bolt moves very smoothly, because there is practically no friction on the box. The shutter handle is very comfortable with a curve and a ball at the end.

The trigger mechanism is adjusted with a screw; it is located on the trigger guard; the trigger itself is very reliable, practical, and most importantly simple. The arrangement of cartridges in the magazine is in one row, the latch is on the right and is made in the form of a button, which has a rough notch. The design of the rifle is simple, so even a non-specialist can disassemble it in a minute. After removing the bolt, you need to unscrew the hex screws that secure the barrel and receiver, as well as the magazine and trigger mechanism.

Considering that the trigger mechanism is indeed very original and has a special design, a concern arises: could an arbitrary release occur during disassembly? But you should not be determined by the features; you need to remember that the rifle should not be disassembled when loaded, but for practical understanding it was disassembled. At the moment when the trigger was cocked, the safety was removed and the rifle was at the disassembly stage, the firing pin could not resist and fell off the cock, however, with the safety installed, this did not happen.

The sight of the Heym SR-21 rifle, as already mentioned, is mechanical; it consists of a spring-loaded front sight and rear sight. The front sight itself is visible even in the dark, because on the hunter's side it is coated with a special yellow metal and gives a good reflection.

The rifle also has a bracket for an optical sight; it is located on the receiver; if the receiver is removed, the optics are also removed. This position allows you to avoid zeroing after the barrels have been changed; it is definitely more convenient than replacing a barrel without a receiver, although this is the case on many modular barrels.

Technical characteristics of Heym SR-21

The main data of the rifle is described below:

• the bolt has three lugs, the handle is at an angle of 60 degrees;
• The fuse is mounted on the shutter, the switching system is arc and has three positions. The reliability of ejection of the cartridge case is due to a spring-loaded reflector, which is triggered at any rate of retraction of the shutter;
• the stock is made of wood in all models, the manufacturer also takes care of those who shoot with the left hand, you can purchase a stock for your side. For a mass-produced rifle, there is a very high-quality recoil stop; it is molded with a special compound. The bolt group mount has metal bushings on which the barrel hangs;
• Heym does not use third-party assistants, and forges the barrels itself using the rotational forging method, using high-quality Krupov steel;
• as already mentioned, the rifle is made as a modular one, has a barrel with a receiver, a magazine and a trigger, all separately. The barrels are replaced very quickly; the trigger has a screw adjustment;
• If desired, you can purchase barrels of any caliber from the following: .338 WinMag, 308 Win, 22-250 Rem, .270 Win, .25-06, 8x64S, 7×57, .243 Win, .300 WinMag, 6.5× 55 SM, 9.3×62, 7 mm RemMag., 7×64, 6.5×57, 6.5×65 RWS. 8X68S, .30-06, 8x57IS, 6x62 Freres.

In addition to the available models, you can order a rifle according to your individual requirements.

Summing up

Considering that technologies in production, incl. and weapons abroad are constantly updated, there are still those manufacturers who try to focus not on technology, but on the consumer, although one way or another, they move with the times. But it is very important that manufacturers take into account the needs and wishes of their potential customers.

If you are a fan of classic performance, then the SR-21 will completely satisfy your taste, attention is paid to every detail, only reliable materials are used for production and without the pursuit of cheap raw materials. The quality of finishing is at a high level, external simplicity is just for those who do not value reliability rather than beautiful packaging.

Despite the seemingly classic design, there is an excellent modern and original bolt group. Considering that it is possible to change barrels without having to shoot, you should definitely purchase another replacement barrel of any caliber convenient for you, which, by the way, will not cost that much.

The price of a rifle should be compared not with domestic analogues, but with Austrian or German models, where you can appreciate high quality at a reasonable price.

Heym SR 21. Features of design, operation and repair

Heim SR 21

Part 1.

The HEYM SR 21 is a classic example of a hand-loading rifle with a Mauser-type bolt action, a replaceable single-stack magazine and a carbine-type stock.

This rifle, in fact, is a variant of another model - the SR 30, developed by the same company a little earlier. Both rifles have sliding bolts and differ only in the locking principle. The SR 30 has a “ball” type, which allows you to do without the traditional turning of the bolt by the handle.

Both rifles can be made in two lines of calibers: standard and magnum.

Both models have another important design feature - a somewhat unusual location of the trigger mechanism. Probably for the first time among rifles of its type, the trigger mechanisms are located in an isolated compartment of a powerful body part - the magazine-trigger box, where, in addition to the trigger mechanism, there is also a shaft for placing a replaceable magazine.

The magazine release box also has a latch for locking the replaceable magazine and a spring that makes it easier to remove the magazine.

The housing of the magazine release box SR 30 and SR 21 is found in at least two versions: steel casting, or milling of a light alloy based on aluminum. The first performance is typical for the SR30 and early parts of the SR21. In 2005, deliveries of the SR 21 model with a light alloy magazine release began.

The trigger mechanisms of both rifles have a trigger device; it can only be turned on when the shutter hammer is cocked - to cock the “schneller” you need to push the trigger forward all the way.

If we look at rifles from the lines of standard calibers, we can find that they have the same not only barrel lengths and external contours, but also the dimensions of the receivers. Moreover, even the largest bolt diameters are the same: the bolt from the SR 21 fits into the receiver channel of the SR 30 without difficulty.

There are the following versions of the SR 21 and SR 30 rifles supplied from Germany: by material - conventional (black bluing) or stainless steel; along the length of the barrel - a rifle or carbine. As a rule, the production of models for the left hand is mainly made to order.

Heym SR 21 Wild Boar

The main advantage of stainless steel barrels is their durability. Provided they are properly cared for, they will undoubtedly last a very long time.

Partial disassembly of Heym SR 21

It is unofficially accepted that for a “black” rifle barrel the maximum number of shots is 5000 (for standard calibers) and 2000 (for “magnum” calibers), after which the barrels are considered worn out. For stainless steel barrels, these figures increase to 6000 and 2500. This does not mean that the barrel is unsuitable after reaching the above limits. For each model, these indicators are individual and depend on a number of parameters (the speed of the bullet leaving the barrel; the material from which the bullet is made, etc.)

The stocks of the Heym SR 21 and SR 30 rifles and carbines differ from others in their enviable convenience, practicality and discreet beauty. It is surprising that people who bought these models, having completely different anthropometry, find these rifles and carbines very comfortable for themselves without any modifications.

In the central part of the stock, in front and behind the through groove for the magazine release box, there are through holes for the front and rear fastening screws. Steel bushings are screwed into these holes, reliably isolating the screws from the wooden part of the stock. The idea is extremely simple, but very useful. The bushing wall thickness is approximately 1.5 mm. The height of the bushings are not restrictive elements that facilitate the positioning of the magazine release and receiver relative to each other, since they are approximately 2 mm shorter than the length required for this. These bushings not only protect the fastening screws from distortions when assembling the weapon, but also reliably protect them from the same distortions when the damp wood of the stock swells .

Regardless of the caliber of the SR 21 rifle or carbine, the model’s bolt has 3 lugs located on the combat cylinder with a 120-degree rotation, the so-called “front” locking. The SR 30 also has a front one, but with six balls.

Despite the abundance of calibers and ammunition for which barrels are manufactured, the overall dimensions of all bolts for the Heym SR 21 are the same, only the dimensions of the groove for the bolt lock, the dimensions of the “cups” on the combat cylinders and the dimensions of the ejectors differ. There are three types of such ejectors, which differ only in size and not in design.

Heym SR 21 Montana

Each bolt has a rifle number printed on it electro-graphically. If the rifle is equipped with interchangeable barrel blocks located in the same caliber line, then one bolt serves 2-3 barrel blocks included in the kit of this weapon.

To be continued