Haenel RS8

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Detachable Mounts

NV & Thermal Mounts

The History of Haenel Company

C.G. Haenel is a German manufacturer in the weapons industry, based in Suhl, a small city in the Free State of Thuringia. The company dates back to 1840 when it was founded by Carl Gottlieb Haenel, the Prussian commissioner for firearms manufacturing. They started out with the production of weapons and bicycles, which was quite common at the time as it goes hand in hand.

In 1887, a weapon designer named C.W. Aydt joined the company and designed the Aydt rifle and pistol. At the beginning of the 20th century, Haenel massively produced the Mauser Model 98 for the German Army, which was used during the First World War. In 1921, another weapon designer, Hugo Schmeisser, joined the company. Soon after that, they started producing submachine guns, based on his design, despite a ban by The Treaty of Versailles. In 1928, the company introduced the MP28, which was used by German law enforcement.

Even with Schmeisser’s success, Haenel went bankrupt several times during that period. They formed an association named the United Suhl-Zella-Mehlisser Arms Factories with several other arms manufacturers. They produced over ten thousand units of the Sturmgewehr 44 for the Nazis. Following their defeat in the Second World War and the occupation by the Soviet Union, arms production companies were hit by the war reparations. Later on, Haenel began producing air and hunting rifles by the brand name Haenel Suhl.

In 2008, the company was reinstated and renamed to its original name but under different ownership. They introduced plenty of new hunting rifle series, including Jaeger 8, Jaeger 9, bolt-action Jaeger 10, semi-auto SLB 2000+, and Jaeger 11 shotgun. They also designed a new Jaeger NXT straight-pull rifle in 2021.

Haenel RS8 Rifle Review

Haenel RS8 is a modern bolt-action sniper rifle, mainly developed for police and military use. The bolt has six locking lugs with a sixty-degree bolt lift and an extractor claw embedded into one of its lugs. Three-position safety behind the bolt handle can be set forward to fire, center for safe mode with an unlocked bolt, and rear with a locked bolt. The bolt can be removed using a catch positioned to the left of the action. The pull weight is adjustable between 1200 g (42.3 oz.) to 2250 g (79.4 oz.).

The detachable magazine holds up to ten rounds of the .308 Win. cartridges or five of the .300 Win. Mag. The cold-hammered barrel is free-floating for additional precision. The shoulder support is foldable and adjustable in length and height. The overall length of the rifle is 1120 mm (44.1-inch), while its barrel measures 600 mm (23.6-inch).

Haenel Jaeger RS8, chambered for .308 Win.

Figure 1: Haenel RS8, chambered for .308 Win. (Source: https://www.rs-waffen.de/shop/Waffen/Langwaffen/Haenel-RS8-Basic.html)

Haenel RS8 Calibers

Haenel RS8 is chambered for the following calibers:

.308 Win.
.300 Win. Mag.

Haenel RS8 Variants

Haenel RS8 is available in the following variants:

Basic
Compact
Subsonic

Haenel RS8 receiver comes with a NATO STANAG 4694/Picatinny rail for scope mounting purposes.

Haenel RS8, chambered for .308 Win.

Figure 2: Haenel RS8 receiver, chambered for .308 Win. (Source: https://www.rs-waffen.de/shop/Waffen/Langwaffen/Haenel-RS8-Basic.html)

Scope Mounts Interchangeable With Haenel RS8

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With Haenel RS8

For one-piece mounts to fit on a rifle, the mounting surfaces of these rifles must match in all dimensions. The following rifles are interchangeable:

All rifles with a NATO STANAG 4694/Picatinny rail

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Mounts Interchangeable With Haenel RS8

For two-piece mounts to fit on a rifle, mounting surfaces must match in all dimensions except the B distance. B distance can vary because two-piece mounts can be installed and adjusted closer or further apart. The following rifles are interchangeable:

All rifles with a NATO STANAG 4694/Picatinny rail

Best Scope Mounts for Haenel RS8

Fixed Scope Mounts for Haenel RS8:

We recommend the one-piece GEN-2 scope mount made by the trusted German manufacturer, ERA-TAC. It is made of aluminum and comes with a two-year warranty.

Repeatable Detachable Scope Mounts for Haenel RS8:

For easier detachment and repeatability, while also offering adjustable inclination, we recommend this ERA-TAC GEN-2 Adjustable Inclination scope mount. It is made of aluminum and comes with a two-year warranty.

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

If you happen to own this or any other rifle, we would appreciate it if you could help us expand our database by sending us some photos of the rifle receiver (the bare mounting surface of the rifle without the mounts installed). For your help, our company offers a fair return in terms of practical rewards.

Please send us an email for more information. You can contact us here: info@optics-trade.eu