Blaser F16 Sporting 12/20

From our September/October 2025 Issue

Recently “the coolest gun in the shop” at Orvis Sandanona was a Blaser F16 Game 12-gauge with 30" barrels. Its shimmering gray finish, sleek lines, flawless fit and sublime balance garnered plenty of attention. Eventually I sold it to a fellow seeking a “perfect” 12-gauge for his first driven-bird hunt. In turn, I was thrilled to receive this month’s gun from Blaser Group USA: an F16 Sporting with 32" 12-gauge barrels and 30" 20-gauge Game barrels. List price is $7,175 for the F16 Sporting with the 12-gauge barrels plus $2,365 for the Game barrels. Given the exquisite execution of this sporting-and-field combo, the gun is priced right. Its understated elegance and performance will appeal to the clays shooter looking for more versatility from a dedicated sporting gun.

Blaser, founded in 1957 by Horst Blaser, is a relative newcomer in Germany’s revered gunmaking tradition; however, the company produces some of the world’s most-sought-after firearms. All components are produced at the Blaser facility in Insy im Allgäu, Germany.

The 32" 12-gauge barrels weighed 3 pounds 6 ounces on our scale, and the 30" 20-gauge barrels were a little taller than those on the 12-gauge tubes, to facilitate the fit of the barrels to the 12-gauge receiver. (The extra rib material accounts for the extra weight.) Some may not find the extra two ounces objectionable. More-fastidious shooters will notice, as we did when shooting clays.

The hammer-forged barrels are chrome lined and steel-shot proofed. Blaser’s bluing process creates a stunning flinty satin finish. The muzzles were excellent. The machine-filed, vented top ribs taper from 9mm to 7mm. The 20-gauge barrels have a silver front bead, while the 12-gauge barrels have a silver center post and an irritating glowing red front sight.

The mid-ribs on the 20-gauge extend the full length of the barrels, and the 12-gauge mid-ribs stop 20" before the monoblock. (Perhaps it might have been wise to truncate the 20-gauge mid-ribs to reduce weight?) A portion of the remaining gap to the monoblock on the 12 is occupied by a barrel-weight-fixing lug. (Blaser sells sets of 1½- and 2½-oz weights with screws and a key for shooters who want to add a little weight up front.) Jointures were pristine, and the seams at the monoblock were nearly indiscernible.

The top of the monoblock flows cursively to the portion that rests in the receiver. And here is a remarkable bit of engineering: The cuts for the hooks and bites are superb, and the ejector mechanisms are cleverly ensconced in milled channels. It is a marvel!

Blaser touts the F16’s “Triple Barrel Tech,” by which “three design features work together to optimize muzzle velocity,” make shot patterns uniform and mitigate recoil. I found features germane to most well-executed barrels: 3" chambers, 3" forcing cones and chokes. The 12-gauge barrels measured .732" (nominal is .729"), and the 20-gauge barrels measured a nominal .615".

Blaser partners with Briley for its chokes. For me, Briley is the benchmark for bore diameters and choke constriction, and these chokes were spot-on nominal. Our demo gun came with flush-fitting Improved Cylinder and Modified chokes for the 20-gauge barrels and two extended Improved Cylinder chokes for the 12-gauge tubes. New Blaser guns come with five standard chokes, and other constrictions are available from Briley.

The 2" 20-gauge chokes had cutouts and notches to identify constrictions. The 2¾" 12-gauge chokes had cutouts only. The shafts for each were etched with the constriction, “Blaser by Briley” and a distinct “Blaser” logo. The knurled colored extensions on the 12-gauge chokes were also etched with the constriction. All of the chokes threaded easily, seated perfectly and stayed put through lots of shooting.

The F16’s receiver is breathtaking. The slate-gray PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) finish contrasts ever so slightly with the barrels. PVD vaporizes a thin coating of metal in a vacuum and deposits it on the white steel of the receiver. It is durable and flawless in its application. The rest of the receiver is testament to “less is more.” There is nothing extraneous. There are no faux bolsters, imaginary fences, sharp lines or gratuitous engraving or brand call-outs. The muted, red, stylized “f16” on each side and “Blaser” on the bottom are statement enough.

The receiver begins as a block of high-quality steel and is milled to incorporate the top and bottom tangs into one piece. The receiver measures 1-5/8" wide and 2¼" tall. The milling for the walls, face, knuckle and lug cutouts was immaculate. A wide blued cocking bar sits tight in the well. On the face, a well-fit white steel plate is secured by Torx screws and allows access to the firing and ejector pins. The barrels pivot on stout replaceable pins at the knuckle. A bifurcated bolt grabs bites in the monoblock, and two lugs engage cutouts in the well. The gun closes with authority and a pleasing snap!

The triggerplate action is a mechanical tour de force! All the major components are machine-forged white or blued steel, and the assembly is precise and compact. I could not find an errant machining mark with a magnifying glass. Thick vertical mainsprings sit below the hammers. Long firing pins sit deep in the receiver. The spurred hammers strike the firing pins, and the ejector trips when the gun is fired. The sear bar contains an over-travel screw that can be tweaked to adjust rearward travel of the trigger after the initial pull. The inertia system for the trigger is fascinating. After the trigger is pulled, it moves rearward from hammer force instead of recoil. Orvis Gunsmith Connor Carson declared it “a genius mechanical trigger” to prevent doubling. The safety spring is contained in a recess in the top tang, which protects the mechanism. It is a two-part safety that takes the trigger out of connection and activates a secondary hammer stop that holds back the hammers in case the gun is dropped. This is the nicest triggerplage action I have reviewed, and it embodies an ethos of function, reliability and safety.

The adjustable wide-blade trigger has a muted silver finish. Pulls were an exquisite 3 pounds for both barrels, and there was no detectable creep or take-up. The unadorned blued toplever’s smooth movement made opening and closing the gun effortless. The serrated manual safety was positive and precise. Similar to a Krieghoff, a barrel-selector toggle sits just in front of the trigger. I love this intuitive Teutonic touch.

The stock’s glorious cut of walnut had bold horizontal stripes, subtle dark undertones and attractive burls. The low-gloss oil finish did not fill all the pores and grain, but coverage was uniform. The head of the stock had received a generous coat of finish into the deepest recesses. The laser-cut checkering had keen, symmetrical borders and offered a secure grip. The right-hand palm swell was generous but not obnoxious. I also liked the angled knob, and the overall geometry, wrist and reach were agreeable. The length of pull measured 14¾" inches to the back of a ¾" rubber pad. The near-parallel comb measured 1½" to 1-7/8". There was a hint of cast-off and 4° of pitch. The buttpad attaches with machine screws that fit in brass inserts set in the wood, to prevent stripping and wood damage. This is next-level attention to detail that I admire. Additionally, the drawbolt incorportated a threaded stock-weight balancer that accommodates cylindrical 2¼-oz weights that are moved along the threaded rod to adjust weight and balance. This particular gun had four weights. My understanding is that the stock and barrel weights are all part of the Blaser Competition Balancing System.

Both sets of barrels share the same forearm. It is a trim, rounded affair that was comfortable in the hand, and the checkering and finish were commensurate with that on the stock. There was a generous coating of oil finish throughout. Blaser’s EBS ejector system situates the components in the monoblock and receiver, so there are no components in the forearm. There is simply a well-fit pushbutton release at the front and a forearm hook at the rear.

The shared forearm presents a conundrum, as there is a noticeable gap between the 20-gauge barrels and the forearm. Fortunately, there is no attendant play or looseness. I like the shared forearm. It is one less item to misplace. However, the gap might invite moisture and debris. I suppose this could be solved with a second forearm. But really, it is a minor quibble.

Shooting the F16 proved interesting and mostly gratifying. I gathered several folks at Orvis Sandanona and headed to the patterning board. Using Winchester Super Target 12-gauge 2¾" 1-oz 7½s at 1,250 fps and 20-gauge 2¾" 7/8-oz 7½s at 1,200 fps, both sets of barrels patterned 50/50 and converged perfectly. On the sporting clays course, however, things were not so straightforward.

We started with the 32" 12-gauge Sporting barrels. Fully assembled, the gun weighed 8 pounds 1 ounce. It balanced at the knuckle, and there was ideal weight distribution through the hands. We put the gun through its paces across a broad palette of targets: rabbits, high incomes, screaming crossers, lay-up straightaways and simo pairs. The accolades for the triggers were unanimous. The well-timed ejectors fired empties a good seven feet off the platform. The balance, effortless swing and negligible recoil made for an absolutely killer high-performance sporting gun. One shooter declared, “It is very responsive, and I just can’t miss!” While I can’t say I didn’t miss, I was impressed with just how nimble and pointable I found the gun. The graceful maneuverability on wonky pairs was astounding. And those triggers . . . . Wow!

When we switched to the 30" 20-gauge Game Barrels, the overall feel of the gun changed. While the 20-gauge weighed a mere 2 ounces more than the 12, it was simply not the same gun. It was not nearly as effortless to manipulate chasing clays. We all enjoyed a modicum of success on the same targets but had to wrangle the gun to do so. Additionally, there were several occasions when shells failed ot eject. I’m confident that this was an anomaly and not the norm for the 20-gauge tubes.

The Blaser F16 Sporting with 12-gauge barrels and 20-gauge Game barrels is an elegant gun that makes a statement right out of the case. The perfect shotgun might be a chimera, but this one comes close in its aesthetics, mechanics and assembly. The sporting incarnation is a gem. The performance of the 20-gauge ought not detract from this fine gun. While I like 30” field barrels, I cannot abide by an 8-pound upland gun. However, for driven birds or a leisurely walk-up hunt, the 20-gauge would certainly be a serviceable piece. Blaser does not make a dedicated 20-gauge receiver. So for now I will cherish my time with the F16 Sporting and encourage Blaser to mate those 20-gauge barrels with a proper frame. Now that would be something to behold!

For more information, visit blaser.de/en.