Here's Mauser's new video on their entry into the 'Best Hamburger With The Lot' competition - the Mauser M03 Expert. For many Mauser fans this will be the ideal setup for stalking or running game. It comes with a solid profile barrel, which means Africa barrels can drop straight in to the stock - no need for adjusting the barrel channel. Same goes for Match barrels.
It's got me thinking. A synthetic one would be perfect for the rough forest hunting that will be adding character to my nice wood stocks. :-) Hmmm.
Sunday, 9 March 2014
Saturday, 8 March 2014
Reticles - First Focal Plane vs Second Focal Plane
"Why on earth would I want the reticle to get thicker when I zoom in?"
I had that thought more than thirty years ago when I read about the funny riflescopes that a little company called Schmidt & Bender was making in Germany. Apparently their scopes were really good. Apparently, having a zooming obelisk for a reticle was normal there. What I was clear about was that their scopes were eye blinkingly expensive. It all sounded like a disease, but it did make me curious. "There's got to be something in this," thought the penniless student. However, I had no option but to archive the thought.
When the archive was opened in mid 2012 I found that the rest of the world was paying more attention to European scope designers. More scopes were being offered with reticles in the first focal plane. Reticles that grow! Here's how that works.
Light from the sun or another source falls onto a scene in front of us and hits objects which absorb some of it. The rest reflects off in all directions. Objects that have absorbed hardly any of the light appear white to our eyes. Their colour is a mix of nearly all the light in the visible spectrum. Objects that are black have absorbed most of the light in the visible spectrum.
Imagine an object that is tiny; as small as the eye can see. A spec of pollen sitting on the surface of a large oil painting. It's a landscape painting. Light scatters off the pollen in all directions. Imagine standing one hundred meters away from the painting, spying at it through an aluminium tube. Draw lines in the air from the spec of pollen to the hole at the front of the tube. Draw enough of those lines and the shape of a long, narrow, solid cone will be formed. Think of this as a cone of light rays that have reflected from the pollen and have reached the tube.
Now put a group of lenses inside the front of the tube. These lenses allow the cone of light rays to pass through into the tube but bend each ray inwards so that the cone rapidly but smoothly collapses back down to a point. Let's say that the lenses we've chosen cause the cone of light rays to collapse to a point after travelling about 15cm into the tube.
Here's the tricky part. Look back out at the big painting, a hundred meters away. Visualise how the entire painting around the spec of pollen is made up of a billion other tiny light reflectors. A cone of light comes from each of these points, reaches the lenses at the front of the tube, goes through them and collapses down to its own point. All of these points end up arranged in perfect order to form an image of the oil painting. The place inside the tube where this image is formed is called the first focal plane.
Take a thin disk of clear glass and scratch some lines on it. Make a cross in the middle. Put this disk of glass in the tube where the image is formed and we have a reticle positioned in the first focal plane.
*****
Why is it called a focal plane?
The painting is a plane, perpendicular to our direction of view. The image of the painting formed inside the tube is a plane of focussed points of light. We've chosen our lenses well and all of the cones of light coming from the painting have been brought down to points, nicely focussed, at the first focal plane.
The painting has been standing in a three dimensional woodland scene, out in the real world. When the painting is taken away, only the parts of the scene that lie in the real world plane that it occupied will be shown in perfect focus in the image at the first focal plane. Perhaps the grass it was standing on or the tree it was leaning against. Objects in front of or behind the real world plane will be out of focus at the first focal plane, to some degree, depending on how far from the real world plane they are. They're out of focus because the cones of light coming from them collapse down to their points before or after reaching the first focal plane. When these cones of light reach the first focal plane their cross section is a disk of light, rather than a point of light. This makes them blurry at the first focal plane. The further an object is from the real world plane, the larger the disks of light coming from it will be at the first focal plane and the blurrier the object will appear to be in the image at the first focal plane.
*****
The cones of light rays coming from the scene go through the lenses as directly as they can, bending only as much as the lenses make them. The light from an object at the bottom left of the scene ends up at the top right of the image formed at the first focal plane. Light from the top centre of the scene ends up at bottom centre of the image. The image at the first focal plane is upside down and left to right. Good luck trying to hunt with that!
After a cone of light rays goes through the front lens and comes to a point inside the tube, the rays keep going. The light rays that make up the cone that has collapsed to its point cross over and continue on, creating a new cone that starts opening out. This happens with all the cones of light that have come from the scene and have gone into the tube.
We want our image of the woodland scene, now with our first focal plane reticle included, to be the right way up and the right way around. To achieve this, put a new group of lenses in the tube, a little further along from the first focal plane. These lenses stop the cones of light from expanding and send them along the tube shaped more like cylindrical beams. They also direct the beams towards and across the centreline of the tube. Put another group of lenses further along, shaped so that the cylindrical beams that pass through them are changed back into collapsing cones, which tighten down to points even further along the tube. The place where all of these cones of light become points of light, arranged into an image of the scene, is called the second focal plane.
Because the beams and cones of light have been moved across the centreline of the tube, the image at the second focal plane is now the right way up and the right way around. To look right the image has been erected, so let's call the lenses that did this the erecting optics.
Not only do we want the image the right way up, we want variable magnification. OK then, we'll need a shorter, narrower tube that fits neatly inside the main tube. Put the erecting optics at the front and rear ends of this internal tube and slide it back and forth. This makes the image at the second focal plane zoom in and out. And here comes the clincher. Because the reticle at the first focal plane has already been mixed in with the rays of light before they reach the erecting optics (which are now also the zooming optics) the reticle zooms in and out as well. When the zoom ring is turned, the first focal plane reticle grows and shrinks together with the image of the real world that is formed at the second focal plane.
Right. Nice to know. But why is that useful?
It's going to get a bit technical so I have to use italics.
If a variable power riflescope has its reticle located in the first focal plane, when the zoom ring is turned the reticle grows or shrinks together with the scene being viewed. Markings on the reticle will stay in proportion with the scene when they zoom together. The markings on the reticle can be accurately etched so that an interval between them corresponds with a particular angle of view in the real world, say, one thousandth of a radian. Because the markings and the scene stay together as they are zoomed, the angle of view defined by the markings will remain constant, regardless of the zoom setting.
The scope can be designed so that the angle of view defined by particular markings is matched to a certain number of clicks with the turrets. For example, the design could be that it takes 10 clicks to move the scene one thousandth of a radian past the reticle. This is a common design in Europe. It's also common to call one thousandth of a radian a 'milliradian', or even a 'mil'.
So now, when using the scope on a rifle, if the first bullet lands one milliradian to the left of the target, the turret can be turned 10 clicks to move the image to the right and the next shot will hit (provided an accurate rifle like a Mauser M03 is being used ;-) ). This will work with any zoom setting and at any range.
Let's read that last sentence again. 'This will work with any zoom setting and at any range.' Now that's useful.
Second Focal Plane.
If the reticle is placed at the second focal plane, its size and shape remains fixed when the image is zoomed. This is because the light beams have already passed through the erecting optics tube and are already zoomed in or out before the reticle interferes with them and becomes part of the image.
What are the advantages of having the reticle in the second focal plane? Well, for general hunting, when quick shots are often needed, it's good to know that the reticle will look exactly like it did last time, regardless of what has been done with the zoom setting since. It also ensures that the designer's choice of 'momma bear' thickness for the crosshair - thickness that is 'just right' - will apply at all zoom settings. The crosshair won't appear to be too thin at low magnification or too thick at high magnification.
*****
For completeness in constructing our riflescope, let's put some lenses at the rear of the tube. These will take the beams of light that have passed through the second focal plane and organise them nicely for our eyes. If we mount these in a tube that threads into the main tube we'll be able to screw them in and out so that we can adjust for our eyes and make sure the reticle is sharply focussed. If we are prepared to allow the reticle to be a little out of focus we can use this rear group to finely adjust the location of the focal plane to one side of the reticle or the other and hence adjust the location of the plane that will be in focus out in the real world. More on this in relation to the Zeiss Victory HT scopes later.
*****
As a example of how first focal plane reticles can be useful, imagine a father and son out shooting rabbits at 500 meters with Mauser M03s, in 243 Winchester and 6.5x55. Both rifles have first focal plane scopes with milliradian divisions on the reticles and turrets with 10 clicks to the milliradian. The son has adjusted his scope for the range and shoots with the 243 while the father watches through his scope on the 6.5. He sees the bullet impact the grass a little low and a little to the left. The rabbit crouches but doesn't run. The father measures the miss distance with his reticle and says, "2 clicks up and 2 clicks right." The son adjusts with a 'click-click' and a 'click-click' and the next shot hits. :-D
This video snippet shows Thomas Haugland quickly adjusting a scope that has the reticle in the first focal plane, to get shots on target.
I had that thought more than thirty years ago when I read about the funny riflescopes that a little company called Schmidt & Bender was making in Germany. Apparently their scopes were really good. Apparently, having a zooming obelisk for a reticle was normal there. What I was clear about was that their scopes were eye blinkingly expensive. It all sounded like a disease, but it did make me curious. "There's got to be something in this," thought the penniless student. However, I had no option but to archive the thought.
When the archive was opened in mid 2012 I found that the rest of the world was paying more attention to European scope designers. More scopes were being offered with reticles in the first focal plane. Reticles that grow! Here's how that works.
Light from the sun or another source falls onto a scene in front of us and hits objects which absorb some of it. The rest reflects off in all directions. Objects that have absorbed hardly any of the light appear white to our eyes. Their colour is a mix of nearly all the light in the visible spectrum. Objects that are black have absorbed most of the light in the visible spectrum.
Imagine an object that is tiny; as small as the eye can see. A spec of pollen sitting on the surface of a large oil painting. It's a landscape painting. Light scatters off the pollen in all directions. Imagine standing one hundred meters away from the painting, spying at it through an aluminium tube. Draw lines in the air from the spec of pollen to the hole at the front of the tube. Draw enough of those lines and the shape of a long, narrow, solid cone will be formed. Think of this as a cone of light rays that have reflected from the pollen and have reached the tube.
Now put a group of lenses inside the front of the tube. These lenses allow the cone of light rays to pass through into the tube but bend each ray inwards so that the cone rapidly but smoothly collapses back down to a point. Let's say that the lenses we've chosen cause the cone of light rays to collapse to a point after travelling about 15cm into the tube.
Here's the tricky part. Look back out at the big painting, a hundred meters away. Visualise how the entire painting around the spec of pollen is made up of a billion other tiny light reflectors. A cone of light comes from each of these points, reaches the lenses at the front of the tube, goes through them and collapses down to its own point. All of these points end up arranged in perfect order to form an image of the oil painting. The place inside the tube where this image is formed is called the first focal plane.
Take a thin disk of clear glass and scratch some lines on it. Make a cross in the middle. Put this disk of glass in the tube where the image is formed and we have a reticle positioned in the first focal plane.
 |
| This diagram shows the first and second focal planes. For this scope, the reticle is in the second focal plane. |
*****
Why is it called a focal plane?
The painting is a plane, perpendicular to our direction of view. The image of the painting formed inside the tube is a plane of focussed points of light. We've chosen our lenses well and all of the cones of light coming from the painting have been brought down to points, nicely focussed, at the first focal plane.
The painting has been standing in a three dimensional woodland scene, out in the real world. When the painting is taken away, only the parts of the scene that lie in the real world plane that it occupied will be shown in perfect focus in the image at the first focal plane. Perhaps the grass it was standing on or the tree it was leaning against. Objects in front of or behind the real world plane will be out of focus at the first focal plane, to some degree, depending on how far from the real world plane they are. They're out of focus because the cones of light coming from them collapse down to their points before or after reaching the first focal plane. When these cones of light reach the first focal plane their cross section is a disk of light, rather than a point of light. This makes them blurry at the first focal plane. The further an object is from the real world plane, the larger the disks of light coming from it will be at the first focal plane and the blurrier the object will appear to be in the image at the first focal plane.
*****
The cones of light rays coming from the scene go through the lenses as directly as they can, bending only as much as the lenses make them. The light from an object at the bottom left of the scene ends up at the top right of the image formed at the first focal plane. Light from the top centre of the scene ends up at bottom centre of the image. The image at the first focal plane is upside down and left to right. Good luck trying to hunt with that!
After a cone of light rays goes through the front lens and comes to a point inside the tube, the rays keep going. The light rays that make up the cone that has collapsed to its point cross over and continue on, creating a new cone that starts opening out. This happens with all the cones of light that have come from the scene and have gone into the tube.
We want our image of the woodland scene, now with our first focal plane reticle included, to be the right way up and the right way around. To achieve this, put a new group of lenses in the tube, a little further along from the first focal plane. These lenses stop the cones of light from expanding and send them along the tube shaped more like cylindrical beams. They also direct the beams towards and across the centreline of the tube. Put another group of lenses further along, shaped so that the cylindrical beams that pass through them are changed back into collapsing cones, which tighten down to points even further along the tube. The place where all of these cones of light become points of light, arranged into an image of the scene, is called the second focal plane.
Because the beams and cones of light have been moved across the centreline of the tube, the image at the second focal plane is now the right way up and the right way around. To look right the image has been erected, so let's call the lenses that did this the erecting optics.
Not only do we want the image the right way up, we want variable magnification. OK then, we'll need a shorter, narrower tube that fits neatly inside the main tube. Put the erecting optics at the front and rear ends of this internal tube and slide it back and forth. This makes the image at the second focal plane zoom in and out. And here comes the clincher. Because the reticle at the first focal plane has already been mixed in with the rays of light before they reach the erecting optics (which are now also the zooming optics) the reticle zooms in and out as well. When the zoom ring is turned, the first focal plane reticle grows and shrinks together with the image of the real world that is formed at the second focal plane.
Right. Nice to know. But why is that useful?
It's going to get a bit technical so I have to use italics.
If a variable power riflescope has its reticle located in the first focal plane, when the zoom ring is turned the reticle grows or shrinks together with the scene being viewed. Markings on the reticle will stay in proportion with the scene when they zoom together. The markings on the reticle can be accurately etched so that an interval between them corresponds with a particular angle of view in the real world, say, one thousandth of a radian. Because the markings and the scene stay together as they are zoomed, the angle of view defined by the markings will remain constant, regardless of the zoom setting.
The scope can be designed so that the angle of view defined by particular markings is matched to a certain number of clicks with the turrets. For example, the design could be that it takes 10 clicks to move the scene one thousandth of a radian past the reticle. This is a common design in Europe. It's also common to call one thousandth of a radian a 'milliradian', or even a 'mil'.
So now, when using the scope on a rifle, if the first bullet lands one milliradian to the left of the target, the turret can be turned 10 clicks to move the image to the right and the next shot will hit (provided an accurate rifle like a Mauser M03 is being used ;-) ). This will work with any zoom setting and at any range.
Let's read that last sentence again. 'This will work with any zoom setting and at any range.' Now that's useful.
Second Focal Plane.
If the reticle is placed at the second focal plane, its size and shape remains fixed when the image is zoomed. This is because the light beams have already passed through the erecting optics tube and are already zoomed in or out before the reticle interferes with them and becomes part of the image.
What are the advantages of having the reticle in the second focal plane? Well, for general hunting, when quick shots are often needed, it's good to know that the reticle will look exactly like it did last time, regardless of what has been done with the zoom setting since. It also ensures that the designer's choice of 'momma bear' thickness for the crosshair - thickness that is 'just right' - will apply at all zoom settings. The crosshair won't appear to be too thin at low magnification or too thick at high magnification.
*****
For completeness in constructing our riflescope, let's put some lenses at the rear of the tube. These will take the beams of light that have passed through the second focal plane and organise them nicely for our eyes. If we mount these in a tube that threads into the main tube we'll be able to screw them in and out so that we can adjust for our eyes and make sure the reticle is sharply focussed. If we are prepared to allow the reticle to be a little out of focus we can use this rear group to finely adjust the location of the focal plane to one side of the reticle or the other and hence adjust the location of the plane that will be in focus out in the real world. More on this in relation to the Zeiss Victory HT scopes later.
*****
As a example of how first focal plane reticles can be useful, imagine a father and son out shooting rabbits at 500 meters with Mauser M03s, in 243 Winchester and 6.5x55. Both rifles have first focal plane scopes with milliradian divisions on the reticles and turrets with 10 clicks to the milliradian. The son has adjusted his scope for the range and shoots with the 243 while the father watches through his scope on the 6.5. He sees the bullet impact the grass a little low and a little to the left. The rabbit crouches but doesn't run. The father measures the miss distance with his reticle and says, "2 clicks up and 2 clicks right." The son adjusts with a 'click-click' and a 'click-click' and the next shot hits. :-D
This video snippet shows Thomas Haugland quickly adjusting a scope that has the reticle in the first focal plane, to get shots on target.
Wednesday, 5 March 2014
Zeiss Victory HT Scopes on Mauser M03 Rifles
Scroll down for pictures.
For decades I've used the 'hold-over' method to adjust for range. Like most people who work at something for that long, I got to be reasonably good at it. I've enjoyed having to think about ballistics - what's the range and where will the projectile be relative to the line of sight? Whichever new scopes I bought to go with the Mausers, they'd be getting some use with hold-over hunting.
I was also keen to broaden my skills and use scopes with click-adjusting turrets, at least for some situations. That would be fun. Schmidt & Bender, Swarovski, Leica, Zeiss, Steiner, Kahles - I looked at all of these, comparing designs and features and working out what would matter the most for stalking, spotlighting and long range shooting. Maybe even for driven boar?
Sniping at rabbits and foxes with flat shooting and accurate varmint rifles has been a favourite discipline for me. A scope with clicking turrets would fit perfectly with this, especially if I moved beyond the 250 and 400 meter ranges I've shot to with fast .17 and .224 rifles. With adjustable turrets, even calibers that aren't scorchers become useable at longer ranges, provided the ballistics of an accurate load are well understood. The benefits will be less recoil, muzzle blast, barrel wear, cleaning and powder consumption and better case life. Probably better accuracy too. I have a match barrel in 6.5 x 55 being made for me by Mauser at the moment, as well as a 243 Winchester barrel in standard profile; these will go very well with clicking turrets. On my wish list are a mild shooting 222 Remington, then a 300 Winchester Magnum for bigger beasties at long range. Both will be in match profile.
For decades I've used the 'hold-over' method to adjust for range. Like most people who work at something for that long, I got to be reasonably good at it. I've enjoyed having to think about ballistics - what's the range and where will the projectile be relative to the line of sight? Whichever new scopes I bought to go with the Mausers, they'd be getting some use with hold-over hunting.
I was also keen to broaden my skills and use scopes with click-adjusting turrets, at least for some situations. That would be fun. Schmidt & Bender, Swarovski, Leica, Zeiss, Steiner, Kahles - I looked at all of these, comparing designs and features and working out what would matter the most for stalking, spotlighting and long range shooting. Maybe even for driven boar?
Sniping at rabbits and foxes with flat shooting and accurate varmint rifles has been a favourite discipline for me. A scope with clicking turrets would fit perfectly with this, especially if I moved beyond the 250 and 400 meter ranges I've shot to with fast .17 and .224 rifles. With adjustable turrets, even calibers that aren't scorchers become useable at longer ranges, provided the ballistics of an accurate load are well understood. The benefits will be less recoil, muzzle blast, barrel wear, cleaning and powder consumption and better case life. Probably better accuracy too. I have a match barrel in 6.5 x 55 being made for me by Mauser at the moment, as well as a 243 Winchester barrel in standard profile; these will go very well with clicking turrets. On my wish list are a mild shooting 222 Remington, then a 300 Winchester Magnum for bigger beasties at long range. Both will be in match profile.
As with camera lenses, the design of riflescopes is a complicated process of balancing optical and physical characteristics. Compromises have to be made. It's an engineering challenge which translates into a difficult decision for shooters. No riflescope will be a perfect solution, so the question becomes, which of the excellent products available has the fewest problematic design parameters given the intended application? Factors to consider in the optical space are light gathering, light transmission, centre resolution, edge resolution, distortion, objective field of view, subjective field of view, tunnel effect, field curvature, eye relief, exit pupil, diopter adjustment, parallax adjustment, zoom range, reticle style, reticle features and subtentions and reticle focal plane. In the physical space there's size, shape, weight, materials, tube diameter, tube length, mounting system and compatibility with a rifle, durability, weather resistance, hydrophobic lens coatings, position of controls, handling, availability of accessories, warranty and cost. For illumination there's which part of the reticle is lit up, how much of the target does it cover, is the adjustment stepped or continuous, by a dial or push buttons, is the range of brightness good for dark nights and sunny days, what's the activation method, automatic switch-off, battery life and battery changing. For the turrets there's diameter, profile, location on the tube, under-hang of the housing, elevation and windage range, click intervals, click tension and feel, rotation indicators, more tactile clicks, locking mechanisms, adjustable zero-stop, interchangeable range indicators, the markings and whether they're engraved or just painted. Phew! And there's still more.
When we pick up a scope we get to experience the designers' choices. Some of their decisions will make an immediate impression; others take much closer inspection to appreciate or understand.
My first look through a Leica ER scope was a real eye opener. How sharp is that! A typical Leica design; resolution and contrast were excellent but barrel distortion at low magnification was quite noticeable. Great eye relief, and the newer ERi scopes have illumination. The Magnus scopes also have illumination as well as six times zoom, thanks to an innovative optical design that Swarovski claim was stolen from them. A read of the legal proceedings in the UK is very interesting. I do wonder about the compromises that come with six power magnification though. I could be happy with a more conservative three or four times zoom.
Both the Leica Magnus and Swarovski Z6i scopes have push-button adjustments for brightness. They're slow to operate (the Magnus system is the better of the two) and are situated on rather awkward housings up on top of the ocular lenses. Like the ER and Magnus, the Z6i scopes made quite an impression; great optics, reticles, illumination and smooth adjusting zoom and diopter rings. The Swaros tended to be lighter than the others, which is good if that matters. Weight helps with recoil though and tends to come from thicker, stronger tubes.
The Schmidt & Bender hunting scopes I tried were good but didn't make the great impression I thought they would. At the time I was thinking about whether I wanted reticles in the first focal plane or second focal plane. I'll write a post on the difference between the two later. Watching the S&B front focal plane reticles disappear into the distance when the magnification was dialled down made me wonder how easy it would be to aim at a big, grumpy and fast moving animal I might meet up close. I concluded that second focal plane reticles are a good choice for general hunting, including stalking. A first focal plane scope with a fine reticle would be just the thing for longer range sniping.
Cue the entry of the Steiner Military 5-25x56 - an up-to-date technical tour de force. It's aimed at knocking the older Schmidt & Bender PM II 5-25x56 scopes off their perch and is making quite an impact, according to the knowledgeable folk at Finnaccuracy. Their site provides good information on the wonderful Multipurpose Sniper Reticle they have designed, which has been picked up by Schmidt & Bender and Steiner, as well as by Kahles for their 6-24x56.
So, I was warming to the idea of having scopes with a moderate zoom range and reticles in the second focal plane for stalking and a tactically oriented, first focal plane, higher power scope with clicking turrets for sniping. But which ones?
While doing my research I started picking up references to the new versions of Zeiss Victory HT scopes. Zeiss are bragging about achieving more than 95% light transmission with a new formulation of Schott glass. This would be very handy for the dawn, dusk and night shooting I do. I contacted some early adopters who reported they were very happy, particularly with performance in moonlight. And, the Victory HT scopes could be ordered with 'Absehenschnellverstellung'. I'll be calling that ASV. It's a system that allows the shooter to install graduated range marking scales onto the elevation turret, chosen to match the ballistic curve of the ammunition and projectile in use. Zeiss provide a computer program to help identify which scale to use. The latest Victory HT scopes have ASV+ and included in delivery are nine graduated rings, as well as a standard ring with an old fashioned linear scale. This one's for folk who prefer to do their ballistics in the field rather than before the event in their study at home. Folks like me; until I get the programming sorted out, that is.
The Zeiss Victory HT scopes also have illumination with a particularly fine dot. It's the same size as the thickness of the crosshair. It's adjusted by a continuously turning rheostat, from very dim to very bright and remembers its last setting. The Victory HT scopes provide four times zoom; that's momma bear territory in my book; not too little and not too much.
The highest power in the Victory HT scopes is a 3-12x56mm, meaning that Zeiss have designed these for a variety of general hunting purposes. It also explains why Zeiss have not included parallax adjustment. Their word on this would be that for general hunting the shooter will not want to, nor have time to, fiddle with a parallax control. As much as I appreciate parallax adjustment in a scope, I have to agree with Zeiss in this respect. A point of contrast can be seen with Leica's Magnus 2.5-16x56, which does have a parallax control, to cater for its higher magnification. The other Leica scopes, Magnus and ERi, have parallax fixed at 100 meters, just like the Victory HTs. I'll write more on parallax later.
Given the Zeiss Victory HT's excellent light transmission, the ideal illumination system, the ASV+ turret calibration and their clean lines, these are the scopes I chose. I had asked enough questions of contacts and sales staff ahead of time to be confident that the Mauser 30mm rings would provide enough clearance for the Victory HT 3-12x56mm. The photo below provides the proof. This is an ideal mounting.
The next photo shows the Zeiss Victory HT 2.5-10x50mm.
And this one is the Zeiss Victory HT 1.5-6x42mm.
Keen observers will have noticed that the blurry box in the background is not from Zeiss. Stay tuned for more on that.
When we pick up a scope we get to experience the designers' choices. Some of their decisions will make an immediate impression; others take much closer inspection to appreciate or understand.
My first look through a Leica ER scope was a real eye opener. How sharp is that! A typical Leica design; resolution and contrast were excellent but barrel distortion at low magnification was quite noticeable. Great eye relief, and the newer ERi scopes have illumination. The Magnus scopes also have illumination as well as six times zoom, thanks to an innovative optical design that Swarovski claim was stolen from them. A read of the legal proceedings in the UK is very interesting. I do wonder about the compromises that come with six power magnification though. I could be happy with a more conservative three or four times zoom.
Both the Leica Magnus and Swarovski Z6i scopes have push-button adjustments for brightness. They're slow to operate (the Magnus system is the better of the two) and are situated on rather awkward housings up on top of the ocular lenses. Like the ER and Magnus, the Z6i scopes made quite an impression; great optics, reticles, illumination and smooth adjusting zoom and diopter rings. The Swaros tended to be lighter than the others, which is good if that matters. Weight helps with recoil though and tends to come from thicker, stronger tubes.
The Schmidt & Bender hunting scopes I tried were good but didn't make the great impression I thought they would. At the time I was thinking about whether I wanted reticles in the first focal plane or second focal plane. I'll write a post on the difference between the two later. Watching the S&B front focal plane reticles disappear into the distance when the magnification was dialled down made me wonder how easy it would be to aim at a big, grumpy and fast moving animal I might meet up close. I concluded that second focal plane reticles are a good choice for general hunting, including stalking. A first focal plane scope with a fine reticle would be just the thing for longer range sniping.
Cue the entry of the Steiner Military 5-25x56 - an up-to-date technical tour de force. It's aimed at knocking the older Schmidt & Bender PM II 5-25x56 scopes off their perch and is making quite an impact, according to the knowledgeable folk at Finnaccuracy. Their site provides good information on the wonderful Multipurpose Sniper Reticle they have designed, which has been picked up by Schmidt & Bender and Steiner, as well as by Kahles for their 6-24x56.
So, I was warming to the idea of having scopes with a moderate zoom range and reticles in the second focal plane for stalking and a tactically oriented, first focal plane, higher power scope with clicking turrets for sniping. But which ones?
While doing my research I started picking up references to the new versions of Zeiss Victory HT scopes. Zeiss are bragging about achieving more than 95% light transmission with a new formulation of Schott glass. This would be very handy for the dawn, dusk and night shooting I do. I contacted some early adopters who reported they were very happy, particularly with performance in moonlight. And, the Victory HT scopes could be ordered with 'Absehenschnellverstellung'. I'll be calling that ASV. It's a system that allows the shooter to install graduated range marking scales onto the elevation turret, chosen to match the ballistic curve of the ammunition and projectile in use. Zeiss provide a computer program to help identify which scale to use. The latest Victory HT scopes have ASV+ and included in delivery are nine graduated rings, as well as a standard ring with an old fashioned linear scale. This one's for folk who prefer to do their ballistics in the field rather than before the event in their study at home. Folks like me; until I get the programming sorted out, that is.
The Zeiss Victory HT scopes also have illumination with a particularly fine dot. It's the same size as the thickness of the crosshair. It's adjusted by a continuously turning rheostat, from very dim to very bright and remembers its last setting. The Victory HT scopes provide four times zoom; that's momma bear territory in my book; not too little and not too much.
The highest power in the Victory HT scopes is a 3-12x56mm, meaning that Zeiss have designed these for a variety of general hunting purposes. It also explains why Zeiss have not included parallax adjustment. Their word on this would be that for general hunting the shooter will not want to, nor have time to, fiddle with a parallax control. As much as I appreciate parallax adjustment in a scope, I have to agree with Zeiss in this respect. A point of contrast can be seen with Leica's Magnus 2.5-16x56, which does have a parallax control, to cater for its higher magnification. The other Leica scopes, Magnus and ERi, have parallax fixed at 100 meters, just like the Victory HTs. I'll write more on parallax later.
Given the Zeiss Victory HT's excellent light transmission, the ideal illumination system, the ASV+ turret calibration and their clean lines, these are the scopes I chose. I had asked enough questions of contacts and sales staff ahead of time to be confident that the Mauser 30mm rings would provide enough clearance for the Victory HT 3-12x56mm. The photo below provides the proof. This is an ideal mounting.
 |
| Zeiss Victory HT 3-12x56mm on Mauser M03 using Mauser 30mm steel rings |
The next photo shows the Zeiss Victory HT 2.5-10x50mm.
 |
| Zeiss Victory HT 2.5-10x50mm on Mauser M03 using Mauser 30mm steel rings |
And this one is the Zeiss Victory HT 1.5-6x42mm.
 |
| Zeiss Victory HT 1.5-6x42mm on Mauser M03 using Mauser 30mm steel rings |
Keen observers will have noticed that the blurry box in the background is not from Zeiss. Stay tuned for more on that.
Thursday, 27 February 2014
Cocking levers - why I like Mauser's
With the Mauser M03 the firing spring is cocked by pushing the lever at the rear of the bolt across to the right, to the Fire position. The soft, flat bottom of the thumb does the pushing. It also brakes the return of the lever when the action is being de-cocked. There's some effort involved but it's not uncomfortable because of the way the thumb is being used. The pictures and video snippet below show what I mean.
With the Blaser R8 and Merkel RX Helix, cocking requires the thumb to push a slide forwards and up the rear of the pistol grip. Again, there's a good amount of spring tension to overcome, but with these rifles it's where the tip of the thumb meets the fingernail that does the pushing, as per the picture below.
Whenever I go on hunting trips my fingers take a beating. I get splits in the skin at the tips of my thumbs, from the cold and the wet, from undoing and re-doing knots, tightening ropes, putting up tents and tarps - whatever. It'll happen in one day if I'm getting lots done. These splits are nasty and get worse if the skin keeps getting pulled on. They take a good while to heal and longer if I'm not careful.
Cocking an R8 or RX Helix puts exactly the kind of stress on the tip of my thumb that will be a problem if it's split. I noticed this the first time I pushed on those slides to cock and un-cocked them - a little warning bell went off.
Now I know, a good solution would be for me to drink a cup of concrete and toughen up a bit. Fair enough. If I had my heart set on buying a Blaser R8 or a Merkel RX Helix, I'd get around this problem one way or another. But as things stand, the Mauser M03's cocking lever is nice to my thumb and I'm happy about that. Works for me.
My video below provides another view of how the flat bottom of the thumb takes the load when cocking a Mauser M03.
With the Blaser R8 and Merkel RX Helix, cocking requires the thumb to push a slide forwards and up the rear of the pistol grip. Again, there's a good amount of spring tension to overcome, but with these rifles it's where the tip of the thumb meets the fingernail that does the pushing, as per the picture below.
Whenever I go on hunting trips my fingers take a beating. I get splits in the skin at the tips of my thumbs, from the cold and the wet, from undoing and re-doing knots, tightening ropes, putting up tents and tarps - whatever. It'll happen in one day if I'm getting lots done. These splits are nasty and get worse if the skin keeps getting pulled on. They take a good while to heal and longer if I'm not careful.
Cocking an R8 or RX Helix puts exactly the kind of stress on the tip of my thumb that will be a problem if it's split. I noticed this the first time I pushed on those slides to cock and un-cocked them - a little warning bell went off.
Now I know, a good solution would be for me to drink a cup of concrete and toughen up a bit. Fair enough. If I had my heart set on buying a Blaser R8 or a Merkel RX Helix, I'd get around this problem one way or another. But as things stand, the Mauser M03's cocking lever is nice to my thumb and I'm happy about that. Works for me.
My video below provides another view of how the flat bottom of the thumb takes the load when cocking a Mauser M03.
Tuesday, 25 February 2014
Recoil with the Mauser M03
Now that I've fired my new Mauser M03 rifles, in 270 Win and 30-06, with factory loads that are not holding back in the oomff department, I can report that recoil is very well controlled indeed. I've been shooting with a light weight rig, a much enjoyed Remington Mountain Rifle with a small Leupold scope, in 30-06 for a couple of decades. Over time I've become comfortable with the way that little rifle kicks - hard - when shooting for real. In a standing position is OK but I'll be honest and say I've never really enjoyed taking carefully aimed shots at paper with the Mountain Rifle. Nor prone shots at rabbits to check the sights are still on. Using the Mausers is going to be completely different.
Firstly, I find the weight of the Mauser M03 to be an ideal balance between solid heft for stability and recoil control, versus easy portability. Secondly, the grip of the M03, while still quite slim and sporty, fills my hand more fully than the Mountain Rifle and I think this helps. The straight butt-stock helps too and to my eye looks just right.
I factored good recoil control as a positive in my assessment of the Mauser M03 and I'm pleased to find that it performs exactly as expected.
Firstly, I find the weight of the Mauser M03 to be an ideal balance between solid heft for stability and recoil control, versus easy portability. Secondly, the grip of the M03, while still quite slim and sporty, fills my hand more fully than the Mountain Rifle and I think this helps. The straight butt-stock helps too and to my eye looks just right.
I factored good recoil control as a positive in my assessment of the Mauser M03 and I'm pleased to find that it performs exactly as expected.
Monday, 24 February 2014
Mauser M03 - 270 Win and 30-06. First shots.
Update in Feb 2016 - click this link to see how accurate my hand loads are in this 270 Win barrel. :-)
And click this link to see much better accuracy with my 30-06 barrel. The factory loads I tried with the post below were not an ideal match for the barrel.
**********
Here is a video showing the first few shots with our two new Mauser M03 rifles, in 270 Winchester and 30-06 Springfield. The annotations are showing up with Flash, but not HTML5.
The 270 was tested with Norma Kalahari Plains Game factory ammunition using 120gn (7.8 gram) projectiles. To try the 30-06 out I used some old Remington High Velocity factory ammo, loaded with their 180gn Pointed Soft Point - Core Lokt bullets.
The results show that acceptable accuracy for hunting can be achieved with factory ammunition. I'll be developing hand-loads for each barrel, aiming for half to three-quarter minute of angle performance. Stay tuned!
Side note: my son fired the first shot with the 270; a bore sighter to get the scope in the game. It hit closer to the middle of the panel than my first shot with the 30-06. He is now officially a better shot than me, he says. :-)
And click this link to see much better accuracy with my 30-06 barrel. The factory loads I tried with the post below were not an ideal match for the barrel.
**********
Here is a video showing the first few shots with our two new Mauser M03 rifles, in 270 Winchester and 30-06 Springfield. The annotations are showing up with Flash, but not HTML5.
The 270 was tested with Norma Kalahari Plains Game factory ammunition using 120gn (7.8 gram) projectiles. To try the 30-06 out I used some old Remington High Velocity factory ammo, loaded with their 180gn Pointed Soft Point - Core Lokt bullets.
The results show that acceptable accuracy for hunting can be achieved with factory ammunition. I'll be developing hand-loads for each barrel, aiming for half to three-quarter minute of angle performance. Stay tuned!
Side note: my son fired the first shot with the 270; a bore sighter to get the scope in the game. It hit closer to the middle of the panel than my first shot with the 30-06. He is now officially a better shot than me, he says. :-)
Sunday, 23 February 2014
Choosing a Mauser M03 or two
When Joel from Miall's Gun Shop told me that he had one of the Mauser M03 140th Anniversary edition rifles on display I looked up all I could find on these online. The Mauser site has a page with some good pics. Once I was in the shop I saw the display model in its glass cabinet, nicely lit and slowly revolving, with a pair of high grade Blaser R8s for company. It was a good look. Handling that particular M03 left me thinking, "Oh yes, I could enjoy one of these." Joel passed across a couple of very nice R8s for me to shoulder and again I thought how well put together the Blasers are. They do come up and point very well. But for me it was the Mauser M03 that ticked the technical boxes and made me smile with the way it looks and feels. My deliberately slow selection process had allowed time for head and heart to meet up.
Miall's had a handful of the 140th Anniversary of Mauser rifles in stock. I took a quick iPhone photo of the ones I liked best. 140 were made, using Grade 4 walnut, with special engraving on the bolt, trigger guard and magazine. After a kitchen conference back home we were agreed that my son and I would be able to make good use of number 52 and 48. The fact that they were in 30-06 and 270 Win was a bonus, though of course selecting other calibers from stock would have been possible, such is the flexibility of the Mauser M03 system.
I asked Joel to pull out a Mauser M03 Basic, which is pictured below. The tiger striping on this rifle was striking, so much so that other customers and salesmen commented on it. The stock number is shown in the photo if someone wants to be quick. Note that the light was warm and there is more colour in these pics than our eyes see. The background colour of the walnut is a touch lighter and cooler in reality.
Miall's had a handful of the 140th Anniversary of Mauser rifles in stock. I took a quick iPhone photo of the ones I liked best. 140 were made, using Grade 4 walnut, with special engraving on the bolt, trigger guard and magazine. After a kitchen conference back home we were agreed that my son and I would be able to make good use of number 52 and 48. The fact that they were in 30-06 and 270 Win was a bonus, though of course selecting other calibers from stock would have been possible, such is the flexibility of the Mauser M03 system.
I asked Joel to pull out a Mauser M03 Basic, which is pictured below. The tiger striping on this rifle was striking, so much so that other customers and salesmen commented on it. The stock number is shown in the photo if someone wants to be quick. Note that the light was warm and there is more colour in these pics than our eyes see. The background colour of the walnut is a touch lighter and cooler in reality.
Sunday, 16 February 2014
Blaser vs Mauser? Part 5. A Decision.
As I prepared to visit Miall's Gun Shop for the second time, a year after the first visit, I pretty well had my thoughts about the Blaser R8 and Mauser M03 lined up. About the Helix too. That means I had a clear understanding of how every aspect of each rifle system would influence how I used them. It doesn't mean my mind was entirely made up on what I would order, but I was getting close. Ah, the luxury of not needing to make a decision in a hurry. It's a rare thing in our busy lives these days. I had really enjoyed being able to take my time on this.
The day came and I spent an hour or so talking with the manager at Miall's, Joel, as well as with John Miall again, while handling a few different R8s and M03s and discussing all of the factors that were important to me. I visited again a few days later, this time ready to select a new rifle, if not two. Or possibly three. If it was to be only one, I'd decided it would be a Mauser M03. If more than one, then more Mauser M03s. I had a list of reasons why, which in rough order of importance looks like this:
- the trigger of the M03 is simply outstanding. I will have the Combi Trigger, a combination of a direct trigger and a set trigger. Every M03 I've tried has had a trigger that I've found to be perfect. It would be possible to have the two weights adjusted to match my preferences; 900gm for the direct trigger and 150gm for the set trigger. Both trigger weights have free play after the release so pulling the blade does not disturb the rifle. I could go on but these are the highlights of the M03's wonderful trigger - such an important part of a good rifle's human-machine interface.
- the action of the M03 is strong, reliable and unambiguous. When I close the bolt on a cartridge I will know that it's closed properly. As I prefer, the bolt can be closed slowly and quietly, without any risk that it won't fire. It will close on fire-formed and possibly tight reloads, enhancing the accuracy I'll be able to achieve. It will close even if grit or bits of forest get into the works. It will extract those tight cartridges without a problem - the bolt handle will give me all the leverage I need. The 60 degree bolt lift will keep the handle clear of the scope for faster and easier reloading than I'm used to. I'm not a soldier and I don't need lightning fast reloading. I'm happy taking a few seconds to reload while I scan the target area and beyond.
- the cocking/de-cocking lever on the M03 bolt is ideal for my needs. It makes the rifle so much safer than anything I've used before. I find it to be easy and quiet to operate. It doesn't interfere with my grip in any way, nor my thumb moving to the bolt handle and back. The bolt is locked closed when the firing spring is de-cocked, to avoid accidental opening or the handle lifting out of position. The use of the same lever to open the action avoids the need for another device for this. That lever is used again to enable removal of the bolt head. It's a very good design. This might irritate Blaser fans, but I find the M03 cocking lever to be easier to operate than the slide on the R8. Further, to open the action with the M03 the lever is pushed away from Fire and beyond Safe, whereas with the R8, to open the action the cocking slide is pushed towards Fire.
- the reputation for accuracy and repeatability of the Mauser M03 is solid. Extreme accuracy isn't important in some hunting situations but is very important in others and I'd always rather have it than not. I reload for all of my rifles and get great accuracy, even with my old Remington Mountain Rifle now. The barrel mounting method is via two longitudinally arranged screws into a V-block that is part of the steel receiver. This makes for strong barrel mounting and convenient barrel switching, which is quicker than many alternative systems and more accurate than quicker systems. I could not find a switch barrel system that provides better accuracy. It would not be unreasonable to suggest that the Mauser M03 is the most accurate switch barrel hunting rifle available.
- the barrel lengths offered as standard by Mauser are ideal for me. That is, 60cm for standard barrels instead of 56cm with the Merkel Helix or 58cm with the Blaser R8. Mauser's magnum barrels are 65cm long. Blaser's are the same; Merkel's are 61cm. I like the noisy end of the barrel to be far away and I like to get high bullet velocity from the powder I've paid for and carefully measured out.
Update in Nov 2016. In this newer post there is discussion of Mauser's new and shorter barrels for standard and magnum calibres. They are reduced from 60cm to 56cm for standard calibres and from 65cm to 62cm for magnum calibres. This matches the barrel lengths of M12 rifles.
- the magazine has the capacity of five standard or four magnum cartridges. With one more in the chamber, thanks to the de-cocking lever, I'll have six shots at a mob of pigs. That happens to equal the most shots I've fired before they've all rolled over or bolted out of sight. The magazine can be easily topped up in-situ or quickly removed for even easier filling. Or a spare can be quickly inserted. The magazine does not protrude so will not snag, get in the way or be uncomfortable with various carrying positions, including two favourites of mine - cradled in both hands in front of my belly or with the stock riding across my shoulder, the area in front of the trigger guard as the balance point. Anything other than a flush fitting magazine would literally be a pain. The magazine locks into the stock with a solid 'tung' sound, but it's not a precision fit, which means that any grit or gunk or coat pocket detritus that gets in the way won't be a problem.
- the rugged design concept mentioned above with the magazine applies more broadly to the whole of the M03. This is a Mauser in the full sense of what that name stands for. Ruggedness and functionality is fundamental to the design philosophy. This rifle will work in adverse environments, where sand or snow might be blown into the action. The mechanical advantage provided by the bolt handle means that cartridges will chamber successfully even if fragments of forest or bits of tree fern get caught up in the bolt lugs. They'll be crushed and pushed out of the way. I have before and will again hunt in conditions where my rifles get covered in all sorts of rubbish. It's been Mauser style actions that have kept going on those occasions. From now on it'll be a Mauser itself that keeps going. No bear or buffalo or cranky pig will ever get me for the reason that I chose a rifle that wasn't rugged enough. No hunting guide will ever need to tell me that my rifle is not permitted or up to the challenge.
- the M03's one piece walnut stock closely matches my visual and ergonomic preferences, with its straight butt stock being good for recoil management, while the pistol grip with its palm swell is ideal.
- the bolt head of an M03 is very solidly attached to the bolt body while being easily removable and exchangeable. It's really not a problem but the bolt head of a Blaser R8 is more difficult to remove and exchange, while the bolt head of an RX Helix can easily be removed without even intending to.
- the weight of the M03 is the result of a number of design features that I value, including the bolt body, bolt head, receiver, barrel mount, trigger guard, magazine, sights, scope mount and rings all being made from steel. This makes a standard M03 weigh between 200 to 500 grams more than a standard Blaser R8 or Merkel RX Helix, which have a lot of aluminium alloy in their construction, including the receivers. While I will certainly notice this weight when I'm carrying an M03, I will definitely value it when I'm firing one. For years I've had the opposite with my Remington Mountain Rifle; I've valued its light weight for the carrying, but not for the shooting. Sure, I got used to the recoil, but I didn't enjoy it. The M03 will be better in this respect. Update: Three years on and after lots of carrying on long walks, up and down hills, I find the weight of the M03 to be just fine. For reference, I'm mid-fifties, reasonably fit (but no athlete!) and small and light in stature. The M03's weight and straight stock design works really well in taming recoil.
- standard barrels for M03s are 17mm at the muzzle while match and Africa barrels are 19mm. This difference is not so great as to make standard barrels look odd if mounted into a match or Africa stock. I plan to have a match stock and some match barrels; eventually I'll order an Africa barrel to go with it. From time to time I'll install a standard barrel in that match stock; it will look OK. With the Blaser R8, the match and Africa barrels are 22mm at the muzzle vs 17mm for standard barrels. This difference would be more noticeable; a narrow barrel in a wide channel.
- with the Mauser M03 match barrels being 19mm at the muzzle, the rifles remain balanced enough to still be huntable. I have a Sako varmint rifle with a 22mm barrel, like Blaser's match barrels, and its weight and balance is really not the best for active hunting. It's great for sniping from a fixed position, preferably right next to the car.
Some of the images in this post are screen shots I've taken from this video made by Mauser - an instruction guide for the M03 (embedded below). When I get a moment I'll see if I can take some pictures of my own showing more of the features mentioned.
I made this video to demonstrate how quietly the cocking lever can be operated.
This video shows Joel, the manager at Miall's Gun Shop, demonstrating a Mauser M03 at SSAA Shot Show 2013, starting at 15.09.
The day came and I spent an hour or so talking with the manager at Miall's, Joel, as well as with John Miall again, while handling a few different R8s and M03s and discussing all of the factors that were important to me. I visited again a few days later, this time ready to select a new rifle, if not two. Or possibly three. If it was to be only one, I'd decided it would be a Mauser M03. If more than one, then more Mauser M03s. I had a list of reasons why, which in rough order of importance looks like this:
- the trigger of the M03 is simply outstanding. I will have the Combi Trigger, a combination of a direct trigger and a set trigger. Every M03 I've tried has had a trigger that I've found to be perfect. It would be possible to have the two weights adjusted to match my preferences; 900gm for the direct trigger and 150gm for the set trigger. Both trigger weights have free play after the release so pulling the blade does not disturb the rifle. I could go on but these are the highlights of the M03's wonderful trigger - such an important part of a good rifle's human-machine interface.
- the action of the M03 is strong, reliable and unambiguous. When I close the bolt on a cartridge I will know that it's closed properly. As I prefer, the bolt can be closed slowly and quietly, without any risk that it won't fire. It will close on fire-formed and possibly tight reloads, enhancing the accuracy I'll be able to achieve. It will close even if grit or bits of forest get into the works. It will extract those tight cartridges without a problem - the bolt handle will give me all the leverage I need. The 60 degree bolt lift will keep the handle clear of the scope for faster and easier reloading than I'm used to. I'm not a soldier and I don't need lightning fast reloading. I'm happy taking a few seconds to reload while I scan the target area and beyond.
- the cocking/de-cocking lever on the M03 bolt is ideal for my needs. It makes the rifle so much safer than anything I've used before. I find it to be easy and quiet to operate. It doesn't interfere with my grip in any way, nor my thumb moving to the bolt handle and back. The bolt is locked closed when the firing spring is de-cocked, to avoid accidental opening or the handle lifting out of position. The use of the same lever to open the action avoids the need for another device for this. That lever is used again to enable removal of the bolt head. It's a very good design. This might irritate Blaser fans, but I find the M03 cocking lever to be easier to operate than the slide on the R8. Further, to open the action with the M03 the lever is pushed away from Fire and beyond Safe, whereas with the R8, to open the action the cocking slide is pushed towards Fire.
- the reputation for accuracy and repeatability of the Mauser M03 is solid. Extreme accuracy isn't important in some hunting situations but is very important in others and I'd always rather have it than not. I reload for all of my rifles and get great accuracy, even with my old Remington Mountain Rifle now. The barrel mounting method is via two longitudinally arranged screws into a V-block that is part of the steel receiver. This makes for strong barrel mounting and convenient barrel switching, which is quicker than many alternative systems and more accurate than quicker systems. I could not find a switch barrel system that provides better accuracy. It would not be unreasonable to suggest that the Mauser M03 is the most accurate switch barrel hunting rifle available.
- the barrel lengths offered as standard by Mauser are ideal for me. That is, 60cm for standard barrels instead of 56cm with the Merkel Helix or 58cm with the Blaser R8. Mauser's magnum barrels are 65cm long. Blaser's are the same; Merkel's are 61cm. I like the noisy end of the barrel to be far away and I like to get high bullet velocity from the powder I've paid for and carefully measured out.
Update in Nov 2016. In this newer post there is discussion of Mauser's new and shorter barrels for standard and magnum calibres. They are reduced from 60cm to 56cm for standard calibres and from 65cm to 62cm for magnum calibres. This matches the barrel lengths of M12 rifles.
- the magazine has the capacity of five standard or four magnum cartridges. With one more in the chamber, thanks to the de-cocking lever, I'll have six shots at a mob of pigs. That happens to equal the most shots I've fired before they've all rolled over or bolted out of sight. The magazine can be easily topped up in-situ or quickly removed for even easier filling. Or a spare can be quickly inserted. The magazine does not protrude so will not snag, get in the way or be uncomfortable with various carrying positions, including two favourites of mine - cradled in both hands in front of my belly or with the stock riding across my shoulder, the area in front of the trigger guard as the balance point. Anything other than a flush fitting magazine would literally be a pain. The magazine locks into the stock with a solid 'tung' sound, but it's not a precision fit, which means that any grit or gunk or coat pocket detritus that gets in the way won't be a problem.
- the rugged design concept mentioned above with the magazine applies more broadly to the whole of the M03. This is a Mauser in the full sense of what that name stands for. Ruggedness and functionality is fundamental to the design philosophy. This rifle will work in adverse environments, where sand or snow might be blown into the action. The mechanical advantage provided by the bolt handle means that cartridges will chamber successfully even if fragments of forest or bits of tree fern get caught up in the bolt lugs. They'll be crushed and pushed out of the way. I have before and will again hunt in conditions where my rifles get covered in all sorts of rubbish. It's been Mauser style actions that have kept going on those occasions. From now on it'll be a Mauser itself that keeps going. No bear or buffalo or cranky pig will ever get me for the reason that I chose a rifle that wasn't rugged enough. No hunting guide will ever need to tell me that my rifle is not permitted or up to the challenge.
- the M03's one piece walnut stock closely matches my visual and ergonomic preferences, with its straight butt stock being good for recoil management, while the pistol grip with its palm swell is ideal.
- the bolt head of an M03 is very solidly attached to the bolt body while being easily removable and exchangeable. It's really not a problem but the bolt head of a Blaser R8 is more difficult to remove and exchange, while the bolt head of an RX Helix can easily be removed without even intending to.
- the weight of the M03 is the result of a number of design features that I value, including the bolt body, bolt head, receiver, barrel mount, trigger guard, magazine, sights, scope mount and rings all being made from steel. This makes a standard M03 weigh between 200 to 500 grams more than a standard Blaser R8 or Merkel RX Helix, which have a lot of aluminium alloy in their construction, including the receivers. While I will certainly notice this weight when I'm carrying an M03, I will definitely value it when I'm firing one. For years I've had the opposite with my Remington Mountain Rifle; I've valued its light weight for the carrying, but not for the shooting. Sure, I got used to the recoil, but I didn't enjoy it. The M03 will be better in this respect. Update: Three years on and after lots of carrying on long walks, up and down hills, I find the weight of the M03 to be just fine. For reference, I'm mid-fifties, reasonably fit (but no athlete!) and small and light in stature. The M03's weight and straight stock design works really well in taming recoil.
- standard barrels for M03s are 17mm at the muzzle while match and Africa barrels are 19mm. This difference is not so great as to make standard barrels look odd if mounted into a match or Africa stock. I plan to have a match stock and some match barrels; eventually I'll order an Africa barrel to go with it. From time to time I'll install a standard barrel in that match stock; it will look OK. With the Blaser R8, the match and Africa barrels are 22mm at the muzzle vs 17mm for standard barrels. This difference would be more noticeable; a narrow barrel in a wide channel.
- with the Mauser M03 match barrels being 19mm at the muzzle, the rifles remain balanced enough to still be huntable. I have a Sako varmint rifle with a 22mm barrel, like Blaser's match barrels, and its weight and balance is really not the best for active hunting. It's great for sniping from a fixed position, preferably right next to the car.
Some of the images in this post are screen shots I've taken from this video made by Mauser - an instruction guide for the M03 (embedded below). When I get a moment I'll see if I can take some pictures of my own showing more of the features mentioned.
I made this video to demonstrate how quietly the cocking lever can be operated.
This video shows Joel, the manager at Miall's Gun Shop, demonstrating a Mauser M03 at SSAA Shot Show 2013, starting at 15.09.
Blaser vs Mauser? Part 4. Fresh eyes.
My first visit to Miall's Gun Shop had not turned out the way I thought it would. I'd gone in expecting that the qualities of the Mauser M03 relative to the Blaser R8 would cause me to dismiss the straight pull, straight away. However, while the Mauser was as good as I believed it would be, the Blaser was very impressive as well. I took a comfortably long time to uncover and then explore the differences that mattered to me, given how I would use the rifles over the next few decades. For much of the second half of 2013 I felt that the best approach would be to get one of each and use them to their strengths; the Mauser M03 as a heavier rifle for long range accurate shooting with match barrels and the Blaser R8 for lighter weight stalking and fast action. Not a bad idea.
Things changed in December 2013 when I asked my teenage son, now taller than me and a budding hunting partner for the years to come, which one he'd rather carry. Buying two similar rifles for us to use together was an option. "The Blaser of course, with a synthetic stock", is what I thought he'd say. Wrong again. With clarity that took me by surprise, what he actually said was, "It's easy. I think you should buy Mausers. That's what I want to use."
Thunk.
"Why?"
Over the years I've relied on my son to see things from an angle that is different enough from mine to be really valuable. I learned then that he'd been paying attention to the disconnected snippets I'd been dropping here and there. For him it was simple. It was about being confident that he was using the rifle properly and that nothing would go wrong. With the Mauser he would know that he had loaded it properly from the way the bolt closed, that it would fire when he meant it to and that it would be as safe as he wanted it to be. Nothing would go wrong.
My son had distilled the question down to the bare essentials. I had been focussing on the finer details of system design and operation. His reasons, that got to the core of the matter, were entirely applicable to me too. Thanks for the reminder son.
Things changed in December 2013 when I asked my teenage son, now taller than me and a budding hunting partner for the years to come, which one he'd rather carry. Buying two similar rifles for us to use together was an option. "The Blaser of course, with a synthetic stock", is what I thought he'd say. Wrong again. With clarity that took me by surprise, what he actually said was, "It's easy. I think you should buy Mausers. That's what I want to use."
Thunk.
"Why?"
Over the years I've relied on my son to see things from an angle that is different enough from mine to be really valuable. I learned then that he'd been paying attention to the disconnected snippets I'd been dropping here and there. For him it was simple. It was about being confident that he was using the rifle properly and that nothing would go wrong. With the Mauser he would know that he had loaded it properly from the way the bolt closed, that it would fire when he meant it to and that it would be as safe as he wanted it to be. Nothing would go wrong.
My son had distilled the question down to the bare essentials. I had been focussing on the finer details of system design and operation. His reasons, that got to the core of the matter, were entirely applicable to me too. Thanks for the reminder son.
Saturday, 15 February 2014
Once upon a time when the internet was broken
In late 2013 our internet was down for what turned out to be two months. !!! My children rediscovered books, playing cards and board games. Our family rediscovered conversation. No, my wife and I are not expecting a baby in 2014.
I took the opportunity to tackle some projects I'd had on the back burner for ages. The most interesting was doing a full bedding job on my old Remington 30-06, if only to see if that would fix its 'side of a barn' accuracy problems. This gave me an excuse to buy a really cool Dremel in a deluxe kit, the one with lots of tool bits and the flexible extension for DIY home dentistry.
As with the Dremel, I always read instructions carefully and did once more before mixing the DEVCON-A. I read them again several times during the days of preparation for the frightening moment when I would lower the barrelled action into the sticky goop of no return. I might have to write a separate blog about how that all went, but with a picture being worth a thousand words, here's the first group I fired, at 100m, with sub-optimal hand loads prepared years ago.
Yes, that's a three quarter inch group, or 19mm, centre to centre, from a light rifle with a skinny barrel, wearing the same old Loopy 2-7 that clearly has nothing wrong with it. Better still, the third hole is the middle one, made like the other two by 150gn Remington Core Lokt projectiles, which are great on game but not renowned for their accuracy.
I was justifiably proud of my efforts and promptly declared myself a rifle bedding genius, whereupon my wife, equally promptly, suggested that perhaps I didn't need a new rifle or scope after all. Hmmm … Strategic blunder. Tactical retreat. Go silent. Go deep.
I took the opportunity to tackle some projects I'd had on the back burner for ages. The most interesting was doing a full bedding job on my old Remington 30-06, if only to see if that would fix its 'side of a barn' accuracy problems. This gave me an excuse to buy a really cool Dremel in a deluxe kit, the one with lots of tool bits and the flexible extension for DIY home dentistry.
As with the Dremel, I always read instructions carefully and did once more before mixing the DEVCON-A. I read them again several times during the days of preparation for the frightening moment when I would lower the barrelled action into the sticky goop of no return. I might have to write a separate blog about how that all went, but with a picture being worth a thousand words, here's the first group I fired, at 100m, with sub-optimal hand loads prepared years ago.
Yes, that's a three quarter inch group, or 19mm, centre to centre, from a light rifle with a skinny barrel, wearing the same old Loopy 2-7 that clearly has nothing wrong with it. Better still, the third hole is the middle one, made like the other two by 150gn Remington Core Lokt projectiles, which are great on game but not renowned for their accuracy.
I was justifiably proud of my efforts and promptly declared myself a rifle bedding genius, whereupon my wife, equally promptly, suggested that perhaps I didn't need a new rifle or scope after all. Hmmm … Strategic blunder. Tactical retreat. Go silent. Go deep.
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