BLASER’S F16 SHOTGUN
JOHAN VAN WYK
Blaser, the German manufacturer, needs no introduction to South African hunters and shooters. Well-known for their accurate and uniquely-styled straight-pull rifles, Blaser introduced their first shotgun, the F3 over/under, more than a decade ago. It was aimed specifically at the high-end clay target shooting market. The F3 has sold reasonably well over the years but what was needed was a slightly less expensive alternative to the F3 to compete with a broader range of competitors, hence the birth of the Blaser F16, introduced in 2016.
The F16 is aimed specifically at the market segment that many Japanese and Italian gun manufacturers cater for. Blaser’s idea was to offer a reliable and wellmade over/under shotgun at a more competitive price – the F16 retails for about half of the F3’s price.
TRYING IT OUT
I was keen to try out the F16 and picked one up in Pretoria, supplied by the local Blaser
agent, L&O. The gun came in a sturdy and lockable foam-lined plastic case with compartments for the accessories that are provided with the gun. The model I tested was the so-called Game version and was fitted with 28-inch barrels, although 30-inch barrels are also available as an option. The other F16 model the Sporter, aimed at the clay shooting market comes with 30” barrels. The Sporter is available in various configurations to suit different clay target shooting disciplines such as Skeet, Trap and Sporting Clays.
The Game gun features silver lettering on the gunmetal grey action while the Sporter has red lettering. Multi-chokes are standard and the gun was supplied with three Briley chokes and a wrench for removal and cleaning purposes. For testing purposes I fitted the gun with the Improved Cylinder and Modified chokes. Sighting arrangements consisted of a single nickel silver bead upfront and a broad tapering rib (9mm at the chambers and 7mm at the muzzles).
As is standard with basically all of the newer generation over/under shotguns, the chamber length is 3” and according to Blaser the forcing cones in front of the chambers are longer than the norm and taper gradually to reduce felt recoil. The barrels carry a matte black finish that is not only attractive but very corrosion-resistant as well. Although non-traditional, the finish is very functional and I like it. When measured, the internal measurements of the barrels held no surprises. Barrel wall thickness was a more than ample 0.042” for the bottom barrel and a slightly thicker 0.044” for the top one. Bore diameter was a constant .730” with no internal taper. Even though plastic wads are almost universally loaded by all the major shotgun ammunition manufacturers these days, the F16 should have no trouble with fibre wads, and indeed, many shooting venues in the UK insist on fibre wads only these days to lessen plastic pollution. The F16’s barrels are also safe to use with steel shot.
Grade 2 wood is standard on the F16 Game gun as well as the Sporter and I have to admit that the test gun’s wood was rather plain and uninspiring. You have an option of upgrading though and that is something I would seriously consider. The pistol grip has a palm swell which I do not care for. Some European manufacturers are fond of palm swells but my hands are not big and I often find a palm swell a hassle. They are fine though for people with big hands. The stock’s length of pull (measured from the centre of the butt to the centre of the trigger) is 14¾” and, with the exception of the grip, the overall dimensions of the stock fitted me very well. The pistol grip and fore-end feature laser-cut chequering and as expected, there are no overruns or botched lines. Thankfully, the fore-end has a rounded finish and does not feature a schnabel, another feature that European manufacturers are fond of. Blaser gets a thumbs- up from me in this regard.
One of the most impressive features of the F16 is its excellent trigger. It broke clean and crisp at 3lbs and was a pleasure to use. A single-trigger mechanism is standard, as well as a barrel selector, located immediately in front of the trigger inside the trigger guard. The trigger is not adjustable for length of pull but that did not bother me. The safety catch is non-automatic. Ejectors are standard on the F16 and they flung empties from the gun without incident or mishap.
The overall weight of the test gun was a svelte 7lbs 3oz, just about ideal for a gun intended for field use. I was a little concerned though about the recoil – what would it be like with »
» proper 3-inch American field loads. I tend to stick to much lighter loads these days, so recoil isn’t much of a factor for me but many shooters insist on using the heavy stuff on game birds, so I suspect the Blaser may be a bit sprightly in the recoil department with heavy loads.
CONTEMPLATING THE ACTION
Action-wise the F16 had me thinking a bit. The action was obviously designed with ease of manufacture in mind. It has a shallow profile, is almost embarrassingly simple in design and appears to be closely based on what is known as the Italian Guild action. As the name implies, the Italian Guild action is a generic trigger-plate design that is turned out by a handful of factories in Italy. These are made up into complete guns and sold under different company names to those who either do not want to invest in or do not have their own manufactur- ing facilities. The level of embellishment on these guns is also entirely up to the customer.
Very much in keeping with the Guild action, the Blaser’s barrels pivot on two big, 14mm diameter trunnions on either side of the chambers and lockup is via a single, massive bolt that acts on a slot machined into the monobloc (Blaser calls it a “monocoque” in company literature) underneath the chambers. As mentioned, it is very simple but with good tolerances and good steel and more than strong enough. It is probably fair to assume that the powers that be at Blaser did adequate research into the toughness of the steel the action is made of, because all the longitudinal force that is produced upon firing is absorbed by the trunnion mentioned above. There is no extra bolting like the tapered shoulders found on Berettas, the lump through the bottom of the action as found on the Browning or SKB actions, or the load-bearing bifurcated lumps inspired by Boss and Woodward and used by top-end Italian makers such as Perazzi, Perugini & Visini and Gamba. I guess that time will reveal how good this setup is.
Something else about the F16’s action that had me scratching my head is the fact that the action lacks primary extraction. In a double, primary extraction occurs when the gun is opened after discharge and the extractors lift the empties partially out of the chambers. This is a vital part of the process with double rifles especially, as it ensures that the empties are freed from the chambers and may be ejected by the gun’s ejection system or removed by hand, whichever the case may be. With the F16, the Blaser engineers obviously decided that the vigorous ejectors are powerful enough by themselves to ensure that empty cartridges do not stay put when the gun is opened. This type of arrangement is workable with a shotgun where the chamber pressures generated are generally relatively modest. Primary extraction is a prerequisite though for success with any double rifle that fires high-pressure cartridges.
HOW DID IT FARE?
With the exception of the Wundhammer palm swell the F16 fitted me extremely well. The balance was nice and neutral unlike my favourite 30-inch-barrelled Browning that balances ever so slightly weight-forward, and I admit that this took some getting used to, as did the 28inch barrels (all my current shotguns, both side-by-side and over/under, have 30-inch barrels). So unless somebody objects I will not mention my score on the first round of clays with the Blaser! What did occur during the first outing with the Blaser, though, was a number of light strikes on the cartridge in the bottom barrel. The gun supplied to me was a test model
and had seen extensive use by a number of people before I received it. L&O confirmed that, somehow, the firing pin had been damaged. It was fixed quickly and the F16 was returned in no time at all.
Along with the gun L&O supplied a case of Blaser 24g, No 7½ Trap loads, and I was impressed with the ammunition. Over the years I have found that the more expensive competition ammunition tends to leave very little fouling in the barrel after discharge when compared to less expensive ammunition – the ammo most of us use due to budgetary constraints. More expensive ammunition is loaded with more expensive (better quality) wads and other components designed to deliver optimum performance. The Blaser ammunition left almost no debris/fouling in the barrels, was low in recoil and smashed clays convincingly. I can most heartily recommend it as a quality product.
In order to test the Blaser thoroughly, I decided to put the gun through its paces at the Wattlespring Gun Club outside Pretoria with the Blaser ammunition, shooting two rounds of Sporting Clays. It was a beautiful summer’s day in Gauteng and I deliberately went through the rounds as quickly as I could in order to test the Blaser thoroughly. I’m happy to report that both the gun and the ammunition functioned flawlessly, even when the barrels were almost too hot to touch. After ending the day with 49/50 I was a very happy man! If you miss a clay (or a bird) do not blame the Blaser F16.
MANY OPTIONS AVAILABLE
As is the case with almost all of Blaser’s product lines a host of custom options are available for the F16. These include better wood, different stock configurations and dimensions, barrel weights, stock balancers, an adjustable trigger, red fibre-optic bead, left-handed stock, and many, many more.
In South Africa the F16’s main competitors are the slightly higher-end guns offered by manufacturers such as Browning, Beretta and others. It is certainly a competitive market but the Blaser offers an interesting alternative to those who want something different. The F16 Game gun as tested retails for approximately R50 000 at present (remember that all prices are dictated by the Rand/Euro exchange rate). As mentioned, the local Blaser agent is the L&O Group SA in Pretoria. * For more information on Blaser shotguns contact them on 012-819-7800/7811 or e-mail: infosa@lo-int.com * To view Johan van Wyk’s test of the Blaser F16 go to: https://youtu.be/RXTlc3Hq_qM * To see all our videos search for SA JAGTER/HUNTER Magazine/Tydskrif on YouTube and visit our channel