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By Ron Dan
If you’re like me, your safe is full of guns for all different occasions and scenarios. Maritime defense? I’ve got a Mossberg just for that. You want to shoot a giraffe this afternoon? I’ve got a Sauer built for just that. You want to do a driven hunt in Sweden? Well, I didn’t have a straight pull rifle for that until I recently found one of the best designs out there.
I had the opportunity to spend time in Germany with Walther and they unveiled their brand new RS3 rifle. The brainchild of the same man responsible for leading the development team on the gold standard of straight pulls, the RS3 is the next evolution in straight-pull rifles and tailors its design to a modern era where suppressor use is the norm. After some time on the range and in the field with the accurate RS3, it might be the most perfect straight-pull design.
The name RS3 stands for Rifle: Short, Safe, Silent. With an almost 23-inch barrel, the RS3 is still only 41 inches in overall length—with a sizable suppressor on it. The grip-engaged safety mechanism gives the gun all the safety assurances you would need while still allowing for the use to be fast and intuitive. Lastly, you have the silent portion. I’m not sure what the final suppressor arrangement will be for this rifle in the states, but it’s designed to take all reasonable .30-caliber cans without losing balance.
The Walther RS3 addresses a couple of design challenges really well—length and weight.
First, the length of rifles can get out of hand when you add a suppressor. With a lot of our traditional rifle designs, you’ll see us going to shorter barrel lengths to accommodate for cans. Some suppressor companies are even coming out with great “Over The Barrel” designs to help reduce added length, like the new Dead Air Nomad Ti OTB. With the RS3, you are still able to have a conventional suppressor attached without losing your ability to maneuver through tighter blinds or bushes.
For weight, the RS3 puts the center of balance closer to your chest than any conventional design could. With or without a suppressor, this rifle isn’t necessarily lighter than other rifle designs, but it allows you to move it around very comfortably in a shooting position with even just one arm available.
Overall, this is an innovative take on a modern hunting rifle, and we love innovation. Pricing, availability, and configurations are still to be determined for the U.S. market, but you should keep your eyes open for this when it hits dealer shelves. Although the RS3 won’t be for everyone, it will certainly take the spot in a safe for some of those who appreciate and use straight-pull rifles.
Price and U.S. availability: TBD.
Pros: You will not find a hunting rifle with better balance, faster operation, and smoother bolt operation than the RS3. If you want a hunting rifle that will be small and nimble with a full-length barrel, look no further.
Cons: The Walther RS3 is not cheap. We don’t have the same restrictions in the U.S. as they have in Europe. Straight-pull rifles aren’t as popular here because we can use semi-autos in a lot of states.
The post Straight Killer — The Walther RS3 appeared first on Field Ethos.
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If you’re like me, your safe is full of guns for all different occasions and scenarios. Maritime defense? I’ve got a Mossberg just for that. You want to shoot a giraffe this afternoon? I’ve got a Sauer built for just that. You want to do a driven hunt in Sweden? Well, I didn’t have a straight pull rifle for that until I recently found one of the best designs out there.
I had the opportunity to spend time in Germany with Walther and they unveiled their brand new RS3 rifle. The brainchild of the same man responsible for leading the development team on the gold standard of straight pulls, the RS3 is the next evolution in straight-pull rifles and tailors its design to a modern era where suppressor use is the norm. After some time on the range and in the field with the accurate RS3, it might be the most perfect straight-pull design.
Walther RS3 Details
The name RS3 stands for Rifle: Short, Safe, Silent. With an almost 23-inch barrel, the RS3 is still only 41 inches in overall length—with a sizable suppressor on it. The grip-engaged safety mechanism gives the gun all the safety assurances you would need while still allowing for the use to be fast and intuitive. Lastly, you have the silent portion. I’m not sure what the final suppressor arrangement will be for this rifle in the states, but it’s designed to take all reasonable .30-caliber cans without losing balance.
The Walther RS3 addresses a couple of design challenges really well—length and weight.
First, the length of rifles can get out of hand when you add a suppressor. With a lot of our traditional rifle designs, you’ll see us going to shorter barrel lengths to accommodate for cans. Some suppressor companies are even coming out with great “Over The Barrel” designs to help reduce added length, like the new Dead Air Nomad Ti OTB. With the RS3, you are still able to have a conventional suppressor attached without losing your ability to maneuver through tighter blinds or bushes.
For weight, the RS3 puts the center of balance closer to your chest than any conventional design could. With or without a suppressor, this rifle isn’t necessarily lighter than other rifle designs, but it allows you to move it around very comfortably in a shooting position with even just one arm available.
Ron’s Take
Overall, this is an innovative take on a modern hunting rifle, and we love innovation. Pricing, availability, and configurations are still to be determined for the U.S. market, but you should keep your eyes open for this when it hits dealer shelves. Although the RS3 won’t be for everyone, it will certainly take the spot in a safe for some of those who appreciate and use straight-pull rifles.
Price and U.S. availability: TBD.
Pros: You will not find a hunting rifle with better balance, faster operation, and smoother bolt operation than the RS3. If you want a hunting rifle that will be small and nimble with a full-length barrel, look no further.
Cons: The Walther RS3 is not cheap. We don’t have the same restrictions in the U.S. as they have in Europe. Straight-pull rifles aren’t as popular here because we can use semi-autos in a lot of states.
The post Straight Killer — The Walther RS3 appeared first on Field Ethos.
Continue reading...
