HAENEL JAEGER 10 HUNTING RIFLE
German engineering and accuracy that’s affordable
CC.G. HAENEL IS well-known for manufacturing a range of large-calhunting ibre and sporting rifles, as well as precision rifles and machine guns for law enforcement and the military. The Suhl Company was founded in 1840 b yth e Prussian commissioner for firearms manufacturing, Carl Gottlieb Haenel. Under this historical brand, semi- and fully-automatic weapons were also produced, designed by Haenel and
Hugo Schmeisser, the latter being co-owner and general manager of the company. One such development was the MP44, or Sturmgewehr 44. Haenel produced barrels exclusively for Kalashnikov of the GDR People’s Army and allies. This process included hard chrome plating. Today the company is part of the Merkel group which in turn is a part of the Tawazun Holding (UAE).
Although not a familiar brand in South Africa, these rifles are popular, especially in Europe, and have a reputation for quality at a reasonable price. We tested the Jaeger 10 Standard model
chambered for the classic 6.5x55. Other calibres include .223 Rem, .243 Win, .270 Win, .30-06, .308 Win, 7×64, 8×57 IS, 9.3×62, and in belted magnum calibres 7mm Rem Mag and .300 Win Mag.
The Standard model is 110cm long overall, with a cold hammer-forged 22-inch barrel, and weighs only 3.2kg without a scope. The stock is Class 1 walnut, though the wood used for the test rifle appears to be a better grade. The barrel is contoured and fitted with Haenel’s detachable i-sight open sights. The rear sight is adjustable for drift and has three green dots in an upside down triangular formation. The red fibre front sight is height adjustable.
The tubular receiver, which saves on manufacturing costs, is drilled and tapped, and the test rifle was fitted with Leupold mounts and rings. Remington 700 (long) bases, which are probably stocked by every retailer countrywide, can be used. The push-feed 3-lug bolt head runs smoothly in the receiver and has an opening angle of 60 degrees. The receiver has a rather small ejection port, which makes for a more rigid action. The bolt shaft and locking lugs are 20mm in diameter and a single raceway prevents over-rotation when opening/closing the action. The bolt handle is slightly swept back and has a polymer knob that ensures a good grip when working the bolt.
THE TWO-POSITION side-safety is pushed forward to fire and back for safe, and also locks the bolt. A separate bolt release button, which is below the safety lever (when in the off position), allows the bolt to be opened/removed while the safety is on.
The 4-round magazine is steel with a polymer floor-plate. The trigger guard and mag release are also polymer. The release button is an ambidextrous paddle type, positioned on the front of the trigger guard (see photo). This is a departure from conventional designs, but works very well. The magazine dropped free every time the release was depressed. Also, the release button must be pressed downward, so the chances of accidentally releasing the magazine while using the rifle in the veld are slim. The magazine is of double-column configuration and rounds can be loaded from the top simply by pushing them straight down. With the magazine empty, dropping a cartridge through the ejection port onto the magazine follower and then chambering it, worked without any malfunctions. The only trouble I had with the magazine, which locks up front and back, was that the front end sometimes failed to clip into position. A firm push when seating solved this.
The magazine will accommodate handloads that are somewhat longer than standard COL specs. Federal’s 140gr Fusion factory ammo had 5mm to spare ahead of the tip, so handloaders wanting to seat bullets further out will have no problem doing so.
The rifle has a set trigger. Used in the normal setting it has slight creep, but breaks cleanly. The factory setting (3lbs) is adequate for hunting purposes. To set it on ‘hair’ the trigger must be pushed forward, which provides a feather-light release for precision shooting. It was simply too light for me, catching me by surprise every time, but another shooter was impressed by the way it improved his hit rate on gongs at 300m and further. An oddity is that once the set trigger breaks, it moves back about 10mm under force of a spring. I found this unsettling at first, but soon got used to it. The fact that the bolt can be opened with the rifle on SAFE is a comfort when using such a light trigger. For hunting I’d stick to the standard trigger as it worked well under field conditions. More on this later.
On the range I used 140gr Federal Fusion ammunition, which is quality hunting ammo that’s affordable and readily available. The average velocity was 2 435fps (factory claim is 2 530fps) and even when fired from the bench, recoil was mild. Using a rest, the first 3-shot group I fired at 100m, as rapidly as I could bring the cross-hair back on target, measured .94 inches (.82MOA) centre-to-centre (c-c). This included the cold bore shot. I tried this 3 more times, allowing the barrel to cool down only between strings, and the biggest group measured 1.16
inches (1.01MOA). With the last group I took my time and was rewarded with a group of .74 inches (.64MOA) c-c, of which two shots cut. All groups were shot with the standard trigger, so using the set trigger should improve this. However, there is no need for this as the performance with factory ammo was exceptional for an out-of-the-box hunting rifle.
I also shot at steel plates at 200m. I fired three shots, performed a magazine change and then fired another shot, all as quickly as possible. The result was four shots in 1.417 inches (.61MOA) c-c. This is outstanding for any factory rifle.
I tried the open sights at 50m. The dots are rather big, obscuring much of the target, but are very bright and clear – ideally suited for darker climes like Europe’s. When zeroing, only the front sight needed adjustment; I fired three shots standing and free hand at an A4 size target. All shots landed perfectly in line with just over an inch separating them. This is more than adequate for close-range shooting on driven hunts or for ambushing warthog, etc.
THE STOCK WAS designed for use with open sights, consequently, sans scope, the rifle handled more like a shotgun. Topped off with a lightweight scope it should be perfect for all day carry in tough terrain. However, the comb needs a cheekelevator, even with a low mounted scope.
Overall, the Haenel impressed. It is a quality rifle that handles well and seems very reliable. I fired only 40 shots, but cycled more than 100 rounds (slow and at speed) through the action, without the slightest hiccup.
Retailing for R28 000 it is good value for money. For stockists contact National Cartridge Company on 021-797-8787.