TargetTalk

Hi

Just wondering if anyone has ever heard of any problems / accidents with Bleiker 300m actions?? I recently contacted a supplier .. and was informed that they no longer sold them due to incidents- accidents with them?? Can someone fill me in please.. as Im thinking seriously of buying one.

Thanks.

Bleiker has had a couple of safety recalls in the last four or five years. Both of them relating to bolt failures. One happened four or five years ago and the other one this last year. Both bolt failures happened on handloaded ammunition, if that makes any difference to you. My personal Bleiker has had both recall modifications done to it. I have no idea if the 2nd failure was on a modified or unmodified bolt from the first recall. I've only shot factory Norma ammo through my rifle, and I haven't lost of wink of sleep over shooting it.

Hope this helps,
Eric

Hi

Appreciate the info.

When you say bolt failures.. sounds serious. Was anyone injured? Ive googled Bleiker problems - and Bleiker recalls and the like - but all searches have come back zilch.

I would prefer to handload over buying factory.. but would also like to have confidence in what Im shooting.

Another thing about Bleikers Id really like to know is regarding - barrels. Is it possible to use other branded barrels in they're actions? - and are they a special order? With regard to pitch and thread etc.. Ive read that Aussie shooter Warren Potent uses "drop in" Liljas in his Bleiker.. I was wondeirng if this also applied to the larger 300m action?

Ok. Thanks :)

I don't know all the answers to your questions.

I'm not sure if anyone was injured in either bolt failure. If anything like that happens with a firearm in Europe, the governments take over and a big investigation takes place, whether there is an injury or not. I talked to Mr. Bleiker last September at CISM in Sweden. He didn't indicate any kind of injury.

As far as barrels are concerned, the factory ones are good. The best hammer forged barrel you are likely to ever shoot. We do use aftermarket barrels on the AMU guns and they work fine. No, they aren't drop-in...you need a gunsmith to fit and chamber it. Lilja does have the Bleiker contour on file...that is what I'm shooting. Most of the other AMU guns have Krieger's.

You are probably fine with the reloading if you don't run them too hot. Of course, that applies to any reloading. Just keep in mind that the factory Norma claims a velocity of 2789fps with a moly coated Berger 105 LTB bullet (I have no idea what barrel length that is for). If you use Reloader 15 or Norma 203B and get your velocities in that neighborhood you will be as conservative as the factory ammo.

Good luck,
Eric

The government takes over? In Switzerland? I don't think so. I remember the first one - I'm no rifle shooter, but that made the headlines all over our small scene here. Shooter got a big bruise, but walked away from it - nothing serious. Rifle looked pretty bad, though. On the other hand, we've seen Blaser actions fall apart, too, and nobody made a big cry about it.

Hi,
one of our competitors in Bejing had recently a problem with a .22 Bleiker.
The lockingsystem inside the rifle(the two metalpieces looking the bolt) was broken! .No accident happened because he deiscovered it before he fired, but this should not happen!!

Harald

Eric U have you completed your actions yet and tested?
Are they as easy to use as the Bleiker rimfire?

I have one action completed and am shooting it as my primary rifle.

I've never tried loading a Bleiker, so don't know if it is as easy. Compared to Anschutz, it is both easier and harder to load. It is easier because the loading port is 2" closer to the shooter. It is harder because you can't just drop a round in the port and close the bolt. You actually have to guide the round into the chamber. It takes some getting used to. After shooting it for about three weeks, it is kind of hard for me to load my Anschutz now.

My new rifle is shooting very well...maybe better than my trusty old 1813. In my 3x40 training session last Friday, my last 30 shots prone had 29 inner tens, and the other shot was a 10.3. If you add those strings up by 10th's, they were 106.0, 105.9, and 106.1. I don't know if I ever shot my Anschutz that well. Mike McPhail tried my rifle last Wednesday, and I can honestly say I've never seen someone shoot that well. He shot 54 10's before losing a 9.9 on what he said was a bad shot. In that 54 shot string of 10's, he had one 10.0 and no more than three 10.1's and 10.2's. He said that if it were his rifle I'd never win another match. Good thing it is mine:)

There is still a lot of testing to go. My gunsmith is now assembling a second rifle with another Upta action. Hopefully that will be done within a month.

Eric U

Thanks for the response Eric; great shooting

Like the Bleiker it a gentle push of the round into the chamber is the way to go no miss feeds

Wish you success at International level with the Upta