TargetTalk

Does anyone have any hands-on experience with both rifles? Some day I might want one and would like to know the pro's and con's of each before I pursue either... Looking forward to the review of the Racer! I'm clueless on the details of the Bleiker...

Thanks,

tenring

I dont have any hands-on experience with the Bleiker, but I took a look at Nico Campriani's rifle when he visited my club.

Like the Racer, the Challenger has an ejector that can be switched on and off. Unlike the Racer, for which it is a built-in feature, the ejector is an add-on part on the Challenger.

There is no dry fire switch on the Bleiker. I suspect you need to swap out the firing pin as with most smallbore rifles, were you to undertake extensive dry firing. The dry fire switch is my favourite ergonomic feature with the Racer, and I'd hate to give it up.

The Challenger does have much more of a track record. Campriani is the current Olympic 3P champion, after all. At any World Cup final, you'll see several Bleikers. No Racer yet except for that of the prone silver medallist in London. Perhaps it's just a matter of time.

In general, the overall impression I get with Bleiker products is that they are very accurate, but the industrial design and fit/finish are inferior to G+E. A gentleman with whom I shoot high power matches bought a Bleiker 300m rifle--it shoots but he wasn't impressed with the choice of materials or the way the gun was assembled, which were much inferior to less expensive American rifles, and consequently he didn't feel that he got his money's worth.

Of course, that's talking about an entire rifle. A Challenger action in a G+E stock is a combo that's hard to beat.