For more than a decade, Blaser has seen its F3 shotgun line soar in popularity. And its favor with smoothbore fans continues to grow with the introduction of a lady's model.
It’s fair to say that for the better part of Blaser’s existence it’s filled a unique place in the firearms world.
The German manufacturer built its reputation in Europe and beyond producing versatile over-under rifle/shotguns. The company then expanded to equally as niche single-shot rifles.
Blaser, however, has come light years from its namesake’s – Horst Blaser – original visions. While the gun maker still produces its renowned original guns, it’s expanded its catalog to included highly touted bolt-action rifles and much celebrated over-under shotguns.
The latter, the Blaser F3 shotgun, has been among the company’s most popular lines. It has grown since its introduction in 2003 to fill nearly every role in the realm of smoothbores.
And the line continues to find new shooters, with the release of the Ladies F3 model this summer. The shotgun is outfitted with all the design refinements that made previous iterations popular, but is made to conform to a woman’s frame.
The biggest asset the competition over-under shotgun has in adapting to its shooter is its adjustable butt stock.
The Ladies F3 boasts an adjustable comb, with both the drop and cast modifiable for a tight cheek weld and intuitive point. Its pad can be tweaked in drop, cast and pitch, for a comfortable and solid mount, no matter how long a lady is at the range.
Finally, the over-under shotgun’s length of pull can be adjusted from 13 ½ inches to 14 5/8 inches.
Like earlier editions of the F3, the model’s balance can also be adjusted. This is done through a weight system – Blaser Balancer – in the stock and forend. This allows the shotgun to be modified to enhance any shooter’s style, whether they swing through on their clays, have a maintained lead or what have you.
The Ladies F3 is outfitted with the same trigger as earlier models, which is a big selling point on the gun. The trigger break is crisp and clean at 1,500 grams with an extremely short travel.
The barrel selector is thoughtfully situated just in front of the trigger. The purely mechanical, selective single trigger function is independent from recoil. And it has a lightning fast lock time, between 16 and 18 millionths of a second.
The shotgun features Blaser’s IBS anti-doubling system to prevent fan firing. And it is outfitted with the company’s EBS ejecting system. The system activates when the gun is fired and cocks the ejecting spring when the gun is opened, keeping resistance to a minimum.
Blaser didn’t turn its back on the safety features it has always made a priority. The new F3 has the same mechanical safety common to the line, with a thumb control engaging a safety that both blocks the trigger and sears.
The shotgun also comes standard with Briley Extended Spectrum Choke Tubes and key. The firearm has a number of other aesthetic and functional features that for the sake of brevity aren’t listed here.
While the Ladies F3 won’t break the bank when it comes to competition shotguns, Blaser isn’t exactly giving its German engineering away. The MSRP for the new over-under shotgun is $7,995.
