German ammunition giant RWS collaborated with Blaser in the design and 1990 introduction of the .30R Blaser rifle cartridge. "R" stands for "rimmed" in European cartridge parlance. The .30R Blaser is a long, magnum-esque cartridge that substitutes a rim for the usual magnum belt. The .30R sports a sharp shoulder and short neck, common (if unfortunate) attributes of modern design.

The .30R uses normal .308" bullets. This is good for reloaders, as there are a plethora of .308" bullets available. Not so good is the almost total lack of reloading data for the cartridge, at least in North American reloading manuals. RWS publishes .30R reloading data for European reloaders, mostly using European powders that are largely unavailable in the U.S.

RWS factory loads using 150 grain bullets advertise a MV of 3085 fps and ME of 3165 ft. lbs. RWS factory loads with 180 grain bullets feature a MV of 2820 fps and ME of 3190 ft. lbs. This makes the ballistic performance of the .30R Blaser nearly identical to that of the wildcat .30-06 Ackley Improved cartridge, which has had a small but loyal following for over 60 years.

The .30R Blaser is based on a big case that measures 2.68" long. It has a rim diameter of .531", a head diameter of .480", shoulder diameter of .441". The overall cartridge length is 3.8".

It would be fair to say that any big game hunting you could do with the .30-06 Springfield, .30-06 Improved, .300 H&H, or for that matter the 8x60S, you could also do with the .30R Blaser. The .30R Blaser is a fine all-around rifle cartridge, but there is no shortage of established rifle cartridges offering this approximate level of performance.

Note: A full length article about the .30R Blaser can be found on the Rifle Cartridge Page.