Article 04
"Load Development and Field Testing the New R93 Varmint."
Cap-n-Dave Funk
Copyright © Dave Funk
My new R93 Varmint, after a long back order, has finally arrived. http://www.blaser.de/english/produkte/r93/varmint.htm. It’s a beauty: dark walnut with lots of figure, accessory rail equipped flat bottomed forearm with easy gripping edges, adjustable cheek-piece and matte black receiver.
Any semi-weight, Safari or Long Range Sporter (LRS) barrel will fit this stock assembly and remain comfortably free floated. This gun allows you to shoot all Blaser R93 barrels, and makes an outstanding bench testing platform for Blaser shooters.
My gun has been fitted with a 6mmBR Norma LRS barrel for field work and has allowed me do load development testing on my new 338 Winchester Magnum semi-weight barrel with a pure bench style stock. More on load testing results later.
Most of this site’s readers are familiar with the R93’s two screw, quick change aluminum or steel receivers allowing the interchanging of barrels in mere minutes, even in the field. A simple change of the bolt face allows jumping up or down in calibers between the mini’s (223 size) all the way to the magnums (WSM’s or 7MM-416mag, even 28 gauge and Remington Ultra magnum). I personally carry two complete bolt assemblies on prairie dog shoots, just in case. It’s too many miles back to Iowa from eastern Montana not to have a spare everything on a high volume prairie dog shoot.
The scope mounts and barrels are pure Blaser, instantly interchangeable, with return to zero consistencies that are uncanny. Mounts are available for one inch, thirty millimeter or rail style scope tubes. You can also get traditional hex head screws or quick release levers for the barrel mounts.
The adjustable cheek-piece uses two flat head screws, (they should be hex heads), allowing an additional one or so inch of upward adjustment. Not as quick as a thumb wheel, but secure and certainly field serviceable. I would prefer a slightly longer length of pull and currently, my stock assembly is back at Sig Arms in New Hampshire having a longer pad installed. The butt stock also has a push button release rear one inch sling swivel, a nice touch on a target/varmint rifle.
My R93 LRS 6mmBR Norma barrel is shooting the exact same groups, to the exact same point of aim as it had on my R93 Safari Offroad stock. I had changed out the scope to a Kahles ZF95-10x Mil-dot for the initial testing and the groups are in the same size range as I have previously published in my 6mmBR.com Gun of the Week article earlier this year. On a side note, if you are using 90-107gr bullets in the 6mmBR Norma, a 308 magazine insert will function just fine as long as you open the action sharply. However, with the shorter bullets (55-80gr sizes), the empty cases will fall down in front of the ready rounds in the magazine. From the bench, I use the Blaser 28 gauge shotgun insert to make single loading easier.
I know German engineers are very precise, but the proof was the instillation of a Leupold MK4, 4.5-14x50mm M1 Mil-dot illuminated scope. Out of the box with the factory centered reticle, mounted into brand new Blaser QD 30mm rings, it took two minutes of lateral adjustment to center the groups up at 100 yards with 77g Lapua factory ammo. Now that’s refreshing. Interestingly enough, I had the same experience with a Schmidt & Bender scope on my 338WM semi-weight barrels.
My favorite prairie dog loads for my 6mmBR Norma LRS barrel are the Lapua Factory 77GR Hp’s followed closely by my own handloads, made up from Lapua cases, Federal 205M primers, Sierra 70gr. BlitzKing’s and Varget powder. (I don’t like to publish my exact load data, as my rifle and yours can be very different, but it is a basic published load well within normal pressure limits.)
I hope to add a 6.5x55mm semi-weight barrel down the road, but that’s for another story….
Overall, the new R93 Varmint is an impressive rifle. It is good looking as well as a shooter. The straight pull allows the Blaser shooter to practice with his varmint rifle during the off season, preparing him or her for big game hunting in the fall. If you’re on a slightly tighter budget, the R93 Offroad Safari or R93 Professional Safari will allow you to use the semi-weight or LRS barrels for varmint shooting, providing a truly economical single receiver, multiple barrel combo rifle. But for the serious varmint shooter like me, the new R93 Varmint is the gun to have.
Now, if Blaser would just make an LRS barrel in 204 Ruger with a one in nine twist!