Why no 7x57 barrel for the R8?

[Dogcat]

Any idea why Blaser does not offer the 7x57 barrel and does offer the 6.5x55 Swede?

[Gamsjagd]

Because the 7x57 isn't popular in Germany. Blaser/Mauser/Sauer/Rigby also take pride in doing things different from one another. That is why you can get a Rigby or Mauser in 7x57 but not a Sauer or Blaser. I would imagine that most of the 7x57 Rigby and Mauser rifles are sold outside of Germany.

The most popular German cartridges are in order 308, 8x57, 30-06, 9,3x62, then popularity drops quite a bit followed by 7x64, 6.5x55, 6.5x57, then drops again 300 Win, 300 Weatherby, 9.3x64, 8x68s, and so on. Somewhere in the neither regions lurks the 7x57! The first 7 cartridges have the cheapest ammunition.

Germans have to take a special class to reload and have it added to their licenses, uncommon calibers are not pursued by most German hunters. That is why the 308, 8x57, 30-06, 9.3x62 are popular because they are cheap and available in both driven hunt loads and stalking loads. They also work with short barrels and silencers.

[ebrownw2]

My first R8 was a used green pro I bought on gunbroker. It came with a 7x57 barrel which I have often regretted selling. I have not seen one for sale since and that was 8 or 10 years ago. So, they made them at some point in time but seem to be quite rare.