Press Release - The Blaser F16 - a chance to win one!

[jasper]

It's half the price of an f3 so is it half the gun?? Time will tell. The build quality is far superior to a 692 just from looking at em both today. 

 

[chippy]

The more I read that the funnier it sounds  :lol:  who writes these things ?  :lol:

vic harker?

 

[paul b]

From the blaser catalogue.Alll i can say is if it proves as reliable as my original f3 (and i cant see why i shouldnt)then it will be a great gun for the money.

 

[Rupert]

I was shooting mine earlier and I was thinking if my shot pattern was homogenous .......

I believe an Homogenous pattern is worth more than a shell with high brass, imo.

 

[Salopian]

Sounds like the perfect gun for Will Hewland , built on a monocoque action with fast mechanics?

Down side is it isn't an average gun , and we all know how important averages are to Will.

 

[Will Hewland]

Sounds like the perfect gun for Will Hewland , built on a monocoque action with fast mechanics?

Down side is it isn't an average gun , and we all know how important averages are to Will.

can't be. Horne was on and I went elsewhere. What a fool.. ?

 

[Hamster]

Innovative, extremely flat forcing cone with an angle of 2.5°. The shot passes into the culindrical barrel as smooth as possible with minimal deformation and without any dangerous increase of pressure.“Overbore” inside diameter of 18.65mm (0.735″)

Surely it's extremely shallow angled not flat ? No dangerous pressure increases, so like every single make of gun ever made then. 

 

[bisondan]

Not as refined as the F3 - shivers uncontrollably.  :lol:  Any ideas as to the weight overall, barrel weights etc ? 

Are you feeling ok Hammy? 

I shouldn't take the pee out of their terminology really as they are fantastic guns and I'm lucky to own a top-end one.  

It looks like the internal mechanics is the same as it is on all their other models which is super reliable, plus you'll never need snap-caps with one.

 

[CharlesP]

So why would you buy an F3? It's almost the same thing by this description!

 

[Hamster]

Are you feeling ok Hammy? 

I shouldn't take the pee out of their terminology really as they are fantastic guns and I'm lucky to own a top-end one.  

It looks like the internal mechanics is the same as it is on all their other models which is super reliable, plus you'll never need snap-caps with one.

I appreciate Blasers have their good points ( I love their easy opening ) it's just that refined isn't the first thing that pops into mind when you see one. To me the standard F3 looks more utilitarian than most other guns in their price range. I have also never been able to get past the barrel bulge which accommodates the chokes, not when many other guns seem able to avoid it so I'm quite looking forward to finding out what the new F16 looks like.

 

[bisondan]

So why would you buy an F3? It's almost the same thing by this description!

There are differences between the F3 range.

The F3 Pro, Vantage, and Supersport are supplied with higher-grade wood, full set of weights, Briley chokes, and a deluxe case; which is really nice.

The F3 Sporter has a lower-grade wood, no barrel weights, and a more basic case.

 

[CharlesP]

It's the difference between the F3 Sporter and the F16 that interests me most.

 

[Ferret]

From what I gleaned from Robert today, main differences seem to be that the F16 isn't built to a modular design so barrels and actions aren't interchangeable off the shelf like the F3 is, also the F16 has reverted to conventional hammer design unlike the sliding hammer arrangement of the F3. Hammy, all the latest F3's have the choke bulge properly blended so don't have the horrendous step of the original design - that improvement was a very tiny reason why I took the plunge just over 12 months ago to buy the F3 Supersport - it doesn't help hitting anything one iota but sure as hell looks better to the eye. At the end of the day, beauty is in the eye of the beholder but I have no complaints with either looks, handling or engineering. It's far better than me at the end of the day.......

 

[Ferret]

Hamster, here's a picture that shows the lack of bulge that I referred to in my previous post....

 

[jasper]

It's the difference between the F3 Sporter and the F16 that interests me most.

£2500. In reality it like comparing a 692 to a dt11. Is the dt better ? Well yes but by how much. Is it enough to be double the price. Thats down to you. 692 may suit your needs better. So may an f16.

 

[CharlesP]

Thank you Jasper. I knew it was different but your explanation has greatly clarified things. An astute move from Blaser, providing a less expensive route to a Blaser ownership while preserving the f3 brand.

Im rather a fan of the minimalist look of the f3. If I can't have restrained and tasteful hand cut Purdey rose and scroll I am quite happy with impeccably finished plain surfaces. Shades of Jony Ive at Apple!

Your comparison between the two Beretta guns is a nice one. 

 

[Hamster]

An astute move from Blaser, providing a less expensive route to a Blaser ownership while preserving the f3 brand.

I'm a fan of astute marketing moves   and I have to agree this looks very promising as a concept, not just in terms of binging Blaser ownership into a far more affordable catchment but also as an opportunity to address certain failings or issues which like it or not have held back the make.

Some people (most ?) don't give a damn about so called modular designs that facilitate interchangeability, some (me !) may even interpret it as the reason why the make is such an easy opener and a little prone to looseness within a short few years, too slack tolerances ? Many owners said the barrel bulge thing simply didn't bother them, that's immaterial IF it bothered the potential buyers which it clearly did or they wouldn't have fixed the issue (manufacturers will always come up with big words and reasons why something has to stay) if it suited their bottom line. 

I personally have hated the whole extended choke thing in all its Halfords glory, all a bit "council"for me on any gun never mind a knurled abomination on the end of a £12k K80 or a multi coloured monstrosity on the end of a £6.5k DT11, so this reversion back to elegance suits my easily offended dapper requirements. 

The fact that they've also gone with low ribs in a pleasing spec, good weight and still offering barrel weights where required is all really adding up into quite a package, on paper at any rate because as clueless as I am as to what difference one system of hammer makes over the other "in practice", we just won't know until a few people with experience and skill get hold of them, time will tell but good marketing will involve biting the bullet and making rapid changes where necessary in order to refine the product (something many simply don't do and then wonder why the hell their quality guns sit on shelves and get a reputation for being hard to shift second hand, coughs with a strange Zoli din).

Believe it or not Blaser were initially intending to enter the market at the affordable 682 - Miroku G5 end of the market anyway, they just suddenly seemed to completely forget they were new comers and rapidly made guns that sat in the mid to high end without first serving any sort of apprenticeship to earn that place, so this move is kind of upside down but better late than never I suppose. I have been saying Zoli should be doing this for ages but hey. 

Well done Blaser, now drop the silly speak like homogenous patterns   and I'm pretty sure this is the making of a good/profitable move.

 

[CharlesP]

"Halfords Glory" .... "a bit 'council' for me" ..."knurled abomination"...

Love it!

 

[ExSCA]

I think Hamster is making a pitch to be THE gun reviewer.... excellent comments Hamid!

By the way - I think 'homogenous' has come from a translation from German to English (@shootkle can help us here) - we'd use 'consistent' or 'similar' - but I think the German word would be 'homogene'? 

 

[CharlesP]

My understanding of the Blaser hammer system is only based on what I've read or been told, but the company seem convinced that the design employed on the f3 is a superior one, and reviewers have commented on excellent trigger pulls. I don't know. 

I am one who loathes over-florid PR-speak and management-speak. Having worked in an environment where that sort of thing is rife I cringe when I hear "outcomes" or "empowerment".