By Terry Wieland
Austria has a long and storied history with straight-pull bolt-action rifles. Although one can’t say with any certainty that Ferdinand von Mannlicher originated the concept, he undeniably designed the first truly successful model.
Von Mannlicher’s Model 1895 became the infantry rifle of the Austro-Hungarian army and served in various capacities and countries right through 1945. Although contemporary with the Mauser 98 and arguably almost as successful, it’s not as well-known because it’s not as versatile. It cannot, for example, be reworked into a stunning custom big-game rifle, and it has few descendants, military or civilian.
The idea of a straight-pull bolt still appeals in some circles, and for particular reasons. The main one is the speed of operation. With only two motions — back and forward — compared to four for a turnbolt, a straight-pull rifle can be operated at incredible speed.
This is a major concern in Europe, where hunting-driven big game, especially wild boar, is a favorite form of hunting. When the boar comes at you in packs, you want a rifle with a fast action and a fistful of cartridges in reserve.
This kind of hunting takes practice, both with your rifle and the psychological demands of dealing with a tight, fast-moving situation.
I was on a stand in Germany a few years ago, waiting for something to come. It could have been anything: red stag, roe deer, even a mouflon. What I got was a classic boar sounder running straight across a hillside at about 75 yards.
A big sow was in the lead, followed by seven or eight young ones, and a medium-sized beast was bringing up the rear — all in a straight line at a dead run, like ducks in a shooting gallery. This is exactly what you see in pictures and exactly what you are told to expect in the “perfect” situation.
You are also warned, however, not to shoot the lead sow. She needs to teach the little ones the ropes, otherwise, where will you find boars to shoot next year?
(You’ll notice I said “shoot at.”) Any of the little ones are fair game, though, as is the second-in-command at the back. So now you hear the drumming of trotters in the distance, dogs barking, the drone of a hunting horn and here they come!
My rifle was a straight-pull Blaser R8 in .30-06, topped with a fantastic piece of Zeiss glass that was total overkill for such close-in work. I had it turned way down, so that was something.
Now, here’s what I should have done, based on eight subsequent years of lying awake nights, second-guessing: I should have laid the crosshair directly on the lead sow, knowing the bullet would hit the third or fourth little piggy, coolly worked the bolt and shot again into the middle of the line, and then placed a third shot ahead of the last one, giving myself a fighting chance of bringing her down.
The hoped-for result: Two dead piglets and the medium-sized one, for a total of three.
The actual result: the smaller one dead, nailed in the heart (never discount the value of sheer luck), who ran on as if unhurt and breathed his last farther along the hill, where one of the dog guys found him and laid him by the road for the game cart.
Now, you can see the value of a straight-pull.
Recently, I had a chance to try a Strasser RS 14 Evolution. Strasser is an Austrian company founded after 1945 specializing in precision metal work. Its current CEO, Mathias Strasser, is a Ferlach-certified gunmaker (it gets no better) and, being from a family of passionate hunters, decided to branch out into hunting rifles. In the past, he’s collaborated with other rifle makers, producing various parts.
The RS 14 is a switch-barrel rifle as well as a straight pull, as ingenious and precisely, beautifully, made as one would expect. One model, specifically for driven boar, has an extended magazine, but I have only seen pictures.
My test rifle had both a 6.5 Creedmoor and a .222 Remington barrel, and I tried three shots of rapid fire with each. I won’t say I would have dropped three running boars, but at least they would have known I was there.
Terry Wieland is a writer specializing in fine firearms. He has hunted on four continents, including 14 trips to Africa, and has written for Safari Times for 27 years.
