It feels odd to call a $6,600 gun a “price point” model, although, on one hand, that's what Blaser's F16 is. It sells for much less than the high-end F3, and it’s intended as a gun for those who want a Blaser without spending F3 money. On the other hand, the F16 is a high-end gun in its own right. It's also is a lot of gun for that money, and the new Pro version that I have been shooting, and loving, recently, includes several extras added to the basic F16 Sporter without raising the price. The result is a great clay-breaker. Soft-shooting and balanced to feel lighter than it is, the F16 Pro is a natural pointer due to its low-profile frame. Here's my full review.
Blaser F16 Pro Sporting Specs
Length: 49.5 inches (with 32-inch barrels)
Weight: 8.5 pounds in 12-gauge with 32-inch barrels
Barrel: 30- or 32-inch (tested), vent rib, Rhino ports, two Rhino chokes, small fiber-optic bead
Action: Break-action O/U
Trigger: 5 pounds
Capacity: 2
Finish: Metallic gray
Stock: Gloss-finished grade 4 walnut, Kick-Eez pad, adjustable comb
Chambering: 3-inch 12-gauge
Price: $6,675
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Blaser F16 Pro Sporing Overview
The basic F16, which comes in both Sporter and Field models, has a lot going for it besides the sleek, low-profile action. It features Blaser’s unique ball-ejector system that cocks the ejectors when the action opens, reducing wear and making it close more easily. It has a crisp, clean 5-pound trigger, and it comes with balancing kits that let you add weight fore and aft to tune the gun’s handling.
I also happen to think it’s good-looking, in a stripped-down way. The Blaser receiver is unadorned and sleek, and the wood is very well-figured, as you’d expect from the Grade 4 walnut that’s standard on the F16. It comes with 30- or 32-inch barrels, and the metal is finished in a muted metallic gray.
The new Pro model came about as a result of a partnership between Blaser and Rhino chokes, both of whom sponsor two-time NSCA national champion shooter Cory Kruse, who was trying to reduce the recoil of his wife’s F16. The Pro model adds a Kick-Eez pad to the butt of the F16. And the pitch (angle of the butt) is recut from the standard 2 degrees to 0 degrees. It seems like a small change, but that altered pitch helps the gun fit better into your shoulder pocket if you lean forward slightly, as most clay competitors do. That better fit means the entire pad makes contact, not just a small part of it, spreading the recoil over a larger area so it's less of a punch and more of a push.
The Pro Sporting has an adjustable comb with excellent hardware, and it comes with three handled Allen wrenches to make adjustments easily. It has weights in the stock and beneath the forend, lengthened forcing cones, and Rhino ports, as well as a pair of ported Rhino choke tubes. While it’s a heavy gun at 8 ½-pounds, that added weights make the gun balance on the hingepin, so it feels lighter than it is, yet still has enough heft to soak up recoil.
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Blaser F16 Pro Sporting Range Review
Pros
Low recoil
Good balance
Extra features for the money
Cons
Ports and ported tubes require a little extra cleaning
Some people don’t believe ports reduce recoil, and they don’t, technically. They do dampen muzzle rise, which does redirect recoil away from your face and into your body, where you can better absorb it. That reduced muzzle rise also helps you get back on target quickly. I certainly found that to be true when I shot the F16 Pro at skeet and 5-stand.
Even with heavy 3-dram, 1 1/8-ounce target loads, the gun was pleasant to shoot. It had great heft (I like heavier target guns) without being nose-heavy. The ports, especially the ported tubes, did add a bit of cleaning time as they spewed burned powder residue on the muzzle area. The gun only comes with two chokes, a .007 and .017, which are more or less an open Improved Cylinder/Light Modified combination. That’s a good pairing for most courses, and rather than include chokes you might not want, Blaser leaves it at two and gives you the option to buy more if you want to. I am not a choke-changer, and I’d stick with these, which left smoke-balls in their wake when I shot the gun straight.
In all, the gun carries about $1,200 worth of extras in its pad, pitch adjustment, adjustable comb, weight kit (the stock weights are standard on F16 but the front weights are an option), porting, and aftermarket chokes—but the price is around the same as the original F16 Sporting, which remains in the line. It seems like part of the idea behind the F16 Pro is to get serious shooters to take another look at this very good clay gun.
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