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Blaser’s K95 - King of The Kipplaufs?

  • By Pete Moore
  • Last updated: 11/11/2024
  • Review
Blaser’s K95 - King of The Kipplaufs?

For most Brits, the name Blaser is associated with possibly the most successful and modern straight-pull rifle to date - the R93 and later R8. However, they also offer several combination guns (rifle/shotgun combined) and both double and single rifles, and it is the last I’m looking at in the form of their K95.

The challenge
The generic term for a single-shot, break-barrel hunting rifle is a Kipplauf, which translates into English as ‘tilt run’, which makes little sense. In essence, it’s a light and handy design that’s easy to carry and demands the highest standards of marksmanship and handling to accomplish the kill with a single well-placed shot.
I’ve tested and hunted with Kipplaufs over the years, and apart from their sheer minimalism, they really sharpen the principles of marksmanship. And there’s the rub, as your fingers are the unloading and loading mechanism, which puts a lot of people off, especially if you primarily use a bolt-action repeater, where a backup shot on a wounded animal is literally a flick of the wrist away.

Competing designs
Most of the European rifle makers offer a Kipplauf-type, but Germany and Austria are the names most associated with the design. Merkel’s K3 and K5 and Krieghoff’s Hubertus, are great examples. Blaser, never one to miss a trick, launched their K95 in 1995. It more closely follows the Merkel with its Suhl-style locking block than the Hubertus, which shows a more shotgun-type action. Regardless, all are hammerless and use a cocker/de-cocker (kickspanner) in place of a conventional safety catch.

Non-traditional
Typically, the guns are very traditional in build, with superior wood, decoration, and iron sights. Blaser followed this route and still does, even down to offering a full-length, Stutzen-stocked option. However, a few years ago they also launched their Ultimate version, which said: “To hell with tradition, I want a modern Kipplauf”. A bold move, but it worked for them.
Made of a tough polymer, the Ultimate stock offers a modern thumbhole layout based on their original R8 Professional Success furniture. This furniture is offered in several options, including standard, adjustable comb, adjustable length of pull/recoil pad, and a recoil module. My tester was the basic, fixed version, which in itself was very shootable, certainly with a length of pull (LOP) measuring 14.7”.
Identical, apart from stock materials, is the Ultimate Carbon, with carbon-fibre furniture and leather inserts at the comb, pistol grip, and fore-end.

Not a shotgun
The break-barrel action is simple, and you might mistake it for a shotgun because it opens with a top lever and does not eject the shell. The fired case is only lifted slightly by the extractor, just enough for you to get your fingernail underneath and pull it out. It may sound primitive, and it is, but it works. However, you may need to adjust your technique a little.
Locking is very different and addresses the fact it’s a rifle and not a shotgun. The latter uses a standing breach that the base of the cartridge butts up against, as headspace is not such an issue. The K95’s removable Suhl block is L-shaped, and it locks into the chamber extension at the top and by a square lug underneath. As the action closes, the block butts up against the standing breach for a 100% secure engagement and consistent headspace.
On that point, it can be disassembled in seconds into three components: butt/action, barrel, and fore-end, creating a very compact package in Blaser’s dedicated lockable travel case. Additionally, spare barrels are available, allowing for easy calibre switching.

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De-cock or not?
Behind the top lever is the kickspanner. When pushed forward it sets the mechanism to fire, just like the R8, and pulls back to de-cock, as required. Opening the lever on a loaded/cocked action will automatically de-cock the gun. At the end of the day, the K95 is safe, fast and instinctive to shoot.
The speed of the unload and reload is the downside, as it requires manual extraction of the fired case, insertion of a live round, and re-setting of the de-cocker. If you mess up the shot and hit the deer, and it doesn’t go down but runs away, there’s a good chance it will hide in dense cover and be lost, or become a moving target, which is never easy to shoot at before you’ve reloaded. This is the main negative perception in the UK of any single-shot rifle.

The big R
On a rimless cartridge like .308 Win, there’s a sprung detent in the extractor claw that engages with the cannelure in the case head to hold it secure, hence the need to physically pull it free. This, as I discovered, causes some problems, especially when wearing gloves, as access to the case head is limited.
However, picking a rimmed (R) calibre speeds things up a bit, as there’s no detent, and on opening, you can simply raise the barrel and the empty will fall out. With that in mind, I’d probably go for either 6.5x57R or 7x57R. With speed in mind, I attached a 5-round ammo slider to the butt, keeping everything near the chamber and quicker to access.

Light and handy
My tester came in .308 Win, with a light/medium 21” barrel. Bare-backed, it was just 5.64lbs. Depending on what moderator or scope you fit, it’s still a light rifle. It feels lovely, is easy to carry, and handles like a willow wand. For the test, the importers (Blaser Group) also supplied one of Sauer’s Fryer & Devik reflex moderators and Blaser’s latest scope from their B2 (2nd focal plane) range; the 1.7-10x41 with illumination control. I attached it using the same QD saddle mount that Blaser uses on their R8.
I picked two loads, the first being a light recipe because I thought the K95 might be a bit kicky. I used Sako’s 123gr GameHead soft point. For the second round, I chose Norma’s 170gr TipStrike ballistic tip. As it happened, both shot well, with the Norma being quite pleasant in terms of felt recoil.

Ammo up
With both loads, I expected a reduction in velocity due to the K95’s shorter barrel, and that was the case. However, it was good enough for most needs.
The velocity drop was perhaps a tad more than I expected, but both were sub-MOA. In the end, I picked the Norma due to its better energy and group size. I ended up zeroing it for 160 yards, with a maximum range of 300, which gave me +1” @ 110, -2” @ 200, and - 13” @ 300. The energy at these three distances was 2024, 1690 and 1484 ft/lbs respectively.

A brace of Munties
I took the K95 hunting, and it proved its capability by successfully bagging a couple of Muntjacs, demonstrating its true worth in real-life scenarios. I was in a small plantation on the farm, up a high seat, and ranges were short. My first was a buck at 50 yards, and with the scope wound down to the minimum (x1.7) with the dot on, it was a simple matter of point-and-shoot in the post-dawn light. The second, a doe, was a tad longer at 75 yards, and I wound the mag to x4. It was a more awkward shot as she was in heavier cover, meaning it was not easy to get a decent sight picture, but I prevailed.

Mantra
Practising my reloads on the range improved my loading drills. However, to achieve a fast and efficient reload, I did not wear a glove on my shooting hand. This, on any hunting rifle, even when the quarry goes down, is a good habit to adopt. Regardless, you are painfully aware of the process. However, Americans have a saying for these occasions: ‘Slow is smooth and smooth is fast’, which became my mantra with the K95.

Sweet little rifle
Being in essence a switch barrel, I had to strip it down for cleaning (barrel off/scope off), and on reassembly, it was still shooting cock on, which is very reassuring. There’s no doubt that I’ve fallen in love with the K95, as it’s an absolute honey. I’m down with its single-shot, break-barrel action and can cope with the load/unload process pretty well. Accuracy is assured with the right ammo, and general handling is sweet and more importantly, instinctive. Also, I like the challenge it offers, as it makes you consider the shot, perhaps more than with a repeater.
The price kills me, however. The basic version of the Ultimate costs £5035, and you’ll need an additional £359 for the scope mount. Don’t ask about the Ultimate Carbon! Saying that, if I had the money, I would get one tomorrow!
My thanks to Frederic Hanner (CEO) of Blaser Group UK for the loan. It was an absolute pleasure.

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gun
features

  • Name: : Blaser K95, Ultimate Stock
  • Calibre:: .308 on test
  • Barrel Length:: 21”
  • Overall Length: : 37”
  • Weight: : 5.64lbs (unscoped)
  • Length of Pull:: 14.7” (tested)
  • Price: : £5035
  • Contact:: Blaser Group – www.blaser-group.com
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