Type Hunting rifle Designed 1993 Produced 1993–2016 | Place of origin Germany Manufacturer Blaser Variants Blaser 93 Tactical | |
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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:
Design Features
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. The Blaser R93 is a truly modular system with 11 barrels of 22" length available in calibers from .222 Rem to .416 Rem Magnum. The Blaser is unique because the scope mounts on the barrel instead of the receiver. A Scope/barrel assembly can be removed and replaced with no change in zero
Bychanging an insert in the magazine, the barrel and bolt head, a multitude of calibers can be used in an R93 chassis.
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). 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").
Production of complete R93 Rifles ceased in 2016.
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.