A visit to the Blaser factory in Germany resulted in being the first writer to review the then-new S2 double rifle, in the African classic .500 Nitro cartridge!
Forty years ago, I had the good fortune of finding the most incredible book I have ever read on African hunting. Hunter was written by John A. Hunter in the 1940’s. He began his hunting career in the early 1900’s, when Kenya truly was a hunter’s paradise. Eventually, he obtained a position with the game department and was called on to do some incredible control work. These areas were over-flowing with large and dangerous game that had to be culled due to the advancement of farming and ranching. In most all cases, Mr. Hunter’s weapon and caliber of choice was a double rifle in .500 Nitro. As he tells of his many harrowing stories, you truly feel as though you are right next to him, sneaking up on a rogue elephant, rhino, or buffalo.
Recently, while visiting the Blaser factory in Isny, Germany, I had the great pleasure to examine and test fire the very first S2 Safari in .500 Nitro. For over twenty years, I have dreamed of firing a big .500. Getting to put over four-dozen rounds through one while at Blaser was a great thrill indeed.
Chapter 1: S2 Safari details
The over-all length of the S2 Safari is about 47”, with a barrel length of 24.4”, and an approximate weight of around 11 lbs.
The rifle is based on the S2 line of side-by-side double rifles with a thicker stock, a straight comb with a classic-style check piece, and a 5/8” Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad. Quick detach sling swivels come standard. The butt stock includes a Kickstop recoil reducing tube; the forearm is of a semi-beavertail shape. Both pieces have fine lined checkering and a pleasant oil finish. I especially am very fond of the beautiful Circasian walnut from Turkey. Coming from the root portion of trees which are up to 300 years old, it is very strong and dense. This makes it ideal stock material for a large-caliber rifle. As with all Blaser rifles, wood upgrades and specific selection for grain style or color is available to the customer. Available grades are Standard, Luxus, Super Luxus, Exclusive, Super Exclusive, and Royal. The rifle used in this test was the high level Luxus grade, retailing for just over $12,000. The over-all length of the S2 Safari is about 47” with a barrel...
length of 24.4” and an approximate weight of around 11 lbs.
Chapter 2: Operation
The technology of the S2 is based on the double lock action as used on the drilling D99 and 97 combination guns. The receiver is made from Durall aluminum and supports
the key structural component of the action, the tilting block lock. Operation is very simple. The action top lever is pushed to the right with your thumb. This allows the
tilting block lock to disengage from the inside top of the monoblock. The monoblock is the rearmost portion of the barreled set which mates and supports the two barrels. On
the top of the monoblock, you will also find the integral Blaser-exclusive scope mounting base system composed simply of two pairs of precision machined mounting holes for their quick-detach scope mounts.
A unique feature of the Blaser S2 is that both barrels are free-floating. This allows them to expand freely of each other.
Two cartridges are inserted into the chambers, the action is closed smartly, and the top lever gets pulled slightly to center. The gun can be carried loaded with the hammers completely un-cocked. The familiar Blaser cocking slide is pushed forward to cock both barrels. The gun can be un-cocked by pushing down on the back end of the cocking
slide, and then letting it return back to the rear position. The front trigger fires the right barrel; the rear fires the left barrel. The trigger pull is around 3.5 lbs., breaking crisply
and cleanly. Upon opening the fired gun, the extractor presents the cases for removal by hand.
Chapter 3: Accuracy
A unique feature of the Blaser S2 is that both barrels are free-floating. This allows them to expand freely of each other. Heat-induced torque is a typical malady of conventionally constructed double rifles. No doubt resulting from trial and error, the barrels are soft-soldered together after regulating them to print to one point of aim. From the rear monoblock to the front double regulation collet, the barrels are free floating. This prevents the forces of firing and heat of one barrel from adversely affecting...
the other. Accuracy and speed of regulation are greatly improved over conventional designs. In addition to the Safari calibers of .375 H&H, .500/.416, .470 and .500, any other standard caliber barrel set of the S2 line can be installed on the S2 Safari. Of course, factory fitting is first required of any additional barrel sets. Changeover by the hunter is simple and quick.
The factory sights the guns in at 50m (55 yards) with the steel open sights. All are then test-fired for accuracy with a scope at 100m (110 yards). You can expect groups using both barrels combined on the order of 2 ~ 2.75” at that distance. The caliber offerings in .375 H&H Magnum and even the newer .500/416 Nitro Express would both be suitable for scoping- truly offering the possibility of a one-gun safari.
Chapter 4: Handloading and Shooting the .500 Nitro
Not wanting to shoot up all of the factory ammo that Blaser had on hand, I brought along plenty of new handloads for the shooting test. Brass was provided by MAST Technologies, and RCBS dies were on loan from Barnes Bullets. They also sent me some of their blue-coated 570-grain solids and X-Bullets. A call to Johan Loubser, Ballistic Lab Manager at Accurate Arms Company, got me a recommendation to load with Accurate AA4350. Use 100-grains with either Barnes bullet. 100-grains! You should see how fast the powder level drops each time you dispense 100-grains into one of those 3” cases!
The first time I withdrew a newly loaded round from the Redding Ultramag press, I laughed out loud! It makes my .50 Alaskan round look like a .38 Special in comparison. Every person that I showed a loaded round also let out a roar at first glance. If you like to shoot cartridges that get you noticed, the .500 Nitro is for you!
I also tried a few lighter rounds with the Barnes 450-grain soft point Original. As this bullet had worked great for me in my .50 Alaskan, a load using 55-grains of Accurate 5744 was also taken along on my trip to Germany. More on that later
The important thing is to stop shooting, before the strong physical forces hamper your performance.
Factory loads, or...
full-power handloads, really get your attention when you fire them. Due to the balanced weight of the S2 Safari, the muzzle does not raise excessively. The simple laws of physics do indeed come into effect when you burn 100-grains of powder behind a 570-grain bullet launched at around 2,150 fps. The Blaser rep and I shot approximately 80 rounds in an afternoon, with myself shooting around 55 rounds.
When Blaser offered up a shooting vest with a thin shoulder pad, it was happily accepted. You should know that this vest, suitable for wearing in the field, was all it took to greatly ease the shooter’s discomfort. This vest enabled me to finish up all of the rounds that were brought.
Due to its considerable recoil, shooting a .500 Nitro double takes a lot of mental concentration in order to accurately place both shots. While frequent practicing to gain confidence and proficiency is recommended, it would be wise to limit your sessions to only one to two dozen shots at most. Your own limit may be less than that. The important thing is to stop shooting before the strong physical forces hamper your performance.
I really liked the look, feel and balance of the new Blaser S2 Safari. In no time at all, I felt confident of its operation and functioning.
Because the Blaser S2 does allow scoping (though not personally recommended on the .500 due to high recoil levels), I also looked forward to trying the aforementioned reduced loads with the 450-grain Barnes Original. Many owners might be interested in the possibility of being able to shoot loads that would work just fine on hogs or black bear. While it proved accurate enough at 50m with the open sights (1.5 ~ 2” three shot groups), the greatly reduced and slower rounds displayed a double-barreled grouping tendency that can be explained after some thought.
With a side-by-side gun, when the right barrel discharges, it causes the gun to begin to swing, or pivot off, to the right. This throws the bullet to the right. This is compensated by
having the right barrel initially pointed somewhat to the left. When the left...
barrel is fired, it too caused the gun to arch slightly to the outside (to the left). When full power, full-speed loads (factory or handload equivalents) are fired, the barrels are regulated so that they print together on target.
With the much slower speed of the reduced loads (perhaps 1,600 fps), the gun still pivots right and left, but as the barrel time of a slower bullet is longer, it leaves the barrel later in its outside arch. The result is that the bullet hits the target farther to the right or left than the faster full-power loads.
Because of this, the right and left barrel rounds struck about 1-3/8 inch apart left-to-right at 50m. While this does not make for practical double barreled hunting with light loads, a scope could be mounted to make use of the fine accuracy one barrel can provide. Want to take a feral hog with your Blaser .500 Nitro? Load it up with the 450-grain Barnes Originals and 55-grains of Accurate 5744. Mount a scope, and sight it in using only one barrel, then go out and slam a big one!
Chapter 5: Closing Impressions
I really liked the look, feel, and balance of the new Blaser S2 Safari. In no time at all, I felt confident of its operation and functioning. With the possibility of being able to scope the gun in the medium or smaller calibers, you truly have the potential of making a one-gun safari a reality.