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| Shawn Joyce on the Sticks in Germany with the Heym SR21 |
I contacted Thomas Wolkmann, CEO of Heym AG which is located
in the town of Gleichamberg, Germany. I described my upcoming hunt plans to
Thomas and also my desire to use and review the Heym SR21 bolt action rifle. Thomas
had his craftsman build an SR21 for me and contacted Leica optics to obtain a
scope and mounts to complete the package. I have utilized Leica binoculars and range finders for many years. I had never used a Leica scope before so I
was looking forward to the opportunity. The Heym SR21 was also new to me.
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| SR21 (middle) Built for my Review and Hunts in Northern Germany |
Heym is well known for its big game double and bolt
action rifles. Just like a new car first impressions of a rifle are always
worth mentioning. At first glance, the Heym SR21 struck me as a really good
looking rifle. It also left the same impression on the lease holders and other hunters
I shared the rifle with during my hunts.
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| Heiko Besser, Lease Holder & Hunter, Examining the SR21 |
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| Ottmar Dielefeld, Lease Holder & Hunter, with the SR21 |
Depending on how a rifle will be used, the overall weight
may need to be ultra-light for mountain hunting or can trend heavier for other
applications. The weight of the SR21 left me with the feeling of being just
right for a stalking rifle. It does not seem too heavy or too light in the
hand. Stock checkering is nicely done and properly serves its intended purpose.
Hand-checkered panels are on the fore-end and pistol grip. The SR21 feels very
nice in the hand thanks to a well-designed stock and great balance. The stock
design also keeps recoil comfortable and manageable.
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| Hand-Checkered Panels on Fore-end and Pistol Grip |
The rifle safety is located on the top/right side of the
bolt sleeve of the right handed action. It is located on the left side of a
left handed action. The safety is a three position wing-type design. The actual
safety catch does not protrude out toward the bolt handle as far as I am
accustomed. That being said, I found that the shorter safety lever worked fine
once I familiarized myself with its location and functionality. For me, the
safety is best manipulated with slight downward thumb pressure as opposed to
being manipulated from the side. What I like about the safety is it isn’t prone
to snagging and is less likely to be moved accidentally by brushing against
clothing, packs, or natural obstacles.
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| Three Position Safety |
The bolt is a 3 lug design with a plunger ejector and
claw extractor. Heym notes that the bolt
offers a rapid 60 degree opening angle. The bolt is fluted and cycles extremely
smoothly and has a very solid feel. A large cocking indicator is located at the
rear of the bolt assembly. Cartridges are ejected to the right on right hand
action rifles and to the left on the left hand action rifles.
Cartridges are held in a detachable magazine. My rifle
came with two three-round magazines at my request. A five-round magazine is
also available. The magazine is dropped by firmly depressing a large magazine latch
recessed on the bolt side of the rifle near the magazine well edge. The
magazine is released under pressure when the catch is depressed and will jump
out slightly from the stock when released. The catch is very positive in
engagement and also release. It does not protrude excessively and takes just a
little practice to master the manipulation required to release the magazine.
The magazine is an all metal single stack design. In the hand it feels
substantial and solidly constructed.
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| View of Magazine Latch |
The barrel and action are finished in a beautiful deep bluing.
The receiver is drilled and tapped for scope mounts and is aesthetically very
pleasing to the eye with the angular milled surface. The trigger is a combination trigger. The
trigger can be operated normally or as a set trigger that can be activated by
pressing the trigger shoe forward from the rear with your thumb. Normal trigger
pull was measured at 3.5 pounds with no detectable creep. The trigger can
easily be adjusted. The set trigger pull weight was not measured. Set triggers
can be set-off by vibrations or jolting of a rifle. For this reason, Heym
recommends that when not able to immediately fire the rifle with the set
trigger activated it should be pointed in a safe direction and the safety engaged.
The set trigger automatically uncocks when the safety is engaged or if the bolt
is opened.
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| Rear Sight |
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| Front Sight |
To disassemble the rifle you will need a 4 mm Allen
wrench. The trigger guard, trigger assembly, and magazine well pull out from
the stock as a single assembly. This means that the barrel and receiver
assembly can easily be exchanged for a different caliber should you wish to do
so. This can only be done within the same group of regular or magnum calibers and
will require the proper caliber magazine.
The barrel of the rifle is free floating. The stock has
aluminum pillars and the recoil lug slot is bedded. The action recoil lug seats
in the bedded lug receiver slot.
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| Barrel Band Sling Attachment |
The proper and safest way to load the SR21 is to insert
a full magazine, lift the bolt handle to cock the rifle, move the safety to the
middle position to block the firing pin, feed a cartridge into the chamber by
cycling the bolt and closing it. The safety should then be moved to the rear
safe position. Rifle accuracy was very good. In the case of my rifle accuracy
was sub-MOA with factory Hornady ammunition that was provided.
When purchasing a Heym rifle you can order it just the
way you want it. Wood grade can be specified just as engraving and other
embellishments can be requested. If you prefer a synthetic stock that is also available
and you can also have your rifle built in a left hand action and left hand
stock.
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| Heym Allows Upgrades of Wood and Many Other Options |
In summary, I found the SR21 to be a beautifully
crafted, reliable, and accurate stalking rifle. It is a detachable magazine
rifle constructed with a well-designed stock. I highly recommend that you
handle an SR21 if you are considering a new rifle purchase. If you live in the
United States or travel to the United States be sure to attend the Safari Club
International Convention or Dallas Safari Club Convention and handle all of the
great Heym rifles including the Heym SR21. If you live in Europe, the Heym factory
is located in Gleichamberg, Germany. Heym is happy to show you what they have
available. Be sure to schedule an appointment with the factory. For the very
best deal be sure to tell them Shawn sent you.
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| Peter Segeler, Lease Holder & Hunter, Pictured with the SR21 |
The focus of this short article is to provide a review of
the SR21 and is not intended to present a detailed review of the Leica scope. I
would like to take a moment to publicly thank Leica for providing this scope
for my use while hunting in Germany and reviewing the SR21.
I own Zeiss binoculars and scopes in addition to my personal
Leica range finders and binoculars. I have used many other great scopes such as
Swarovski and Schmidt and Bender. The Leica ER 3.5–14x42 scope was everything
that I expected it would be. The optical clarity was superb and on par with the
other Leica products that I personally own and use around the world from Africa
to Alaska. Since my intention was not to provide a detailed scope review I will
simply say that the optics were spectacular as I have found my other Leica
optics to be.
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| Shawn Joyce Pictured with his Roe Buck Killed Using the Heym SR21 |
The only area that I would change for my application is
the fine center crosshairs. These were excellent on the range and also during
normal light conditions but I needed more during extreme low light levels. For
my eyes they were too difficult to see in these situations. This would easily
be remedied with an illuminated reticle which would be my choice as the perfect
option for this incredible hunting scope. It will be how I order mine. I will be adding
a Leica scope to my inventory soon.
