Rößler Austria is a small, family-run gun manufacturer, founded a quarter of a century ago. The core of today's production in Kufstein is the Rößler Titan 6 bolt-action rifle, which Erich Rößler developed together with his son Walter. The Titan series is based on a bolt made of steel with a 60-degree bolt throw; the lugs lock directly into the barrel. The low opening angle is due to the lugs arrangement. In the case of the Rößler Titan 6, there are three pairs of lugs, each arranged in a double row. The extractor claw of the Rößler Titan 6 is located in one of the three upper locking lugs, the spring-loaded ejector is located in the bolt face.
Two screws provide the clamping connection between the receiver and the barrel. For a caliber change, ideally it is only necessary to remove the action unscrewing the two screws and to exchange the barrels after loosening the connection. Otherwise, as usual, depending on the caliber, a suitable magazine and possibly also a corresponding second bolt must be added. And then, of course, you also have to keep an eye on different barrel contours: a beefy match barrel with a 19 mm muzzle diameter will not fit into a forend cut out for a slender hunting barrel. The other way around would work, but then there would be a lot of air between the stock and the barrel. The slide safety on the stock wrist blocks the trigger, sear and bolt. The Austrian manufacturer has recently improved the corrosion protection: the velvet-matte ceramic-blasted barrels are now protected from rust and scratches by a nitrided finish, while the aluminum actions are anodized in a matching color.
Configurator for the Rößler Titan 6 offers more than 100,000 possible combinations
Rößler consistently relies on the individual composition of the personal rifle of choice according to the modular principle; over 100,000 combinations are possible. Customers can put together their rifle using the configurator on the Rößler company website – where the respective list prices and waiting times are also quantified for all individual components. With the complete offer as a printout, he then goes to the gun dealer he trusts. The dealer then submits an individual price offer. If all parties agree, the dealer orders the rifle configured to his liking through the sales department. According to the list, prices for a Rößler Titan 6 start at just over 1,400 euros. That would be a basic model with a single-stage trigger in a common caliber and barrel configuration, without sights or muzzle thread, with a Dural action, and a polymer trigger guard and hunting stock. But there's more: Rößler also manufactures the action alternatively in steel and as a left-hand version, details such as the trigger guard are also available in aluminum, the magazine base in steel instead of polymer, Picatinny rails in Dural or steel, the latter also with a forward tilt.
In the case of the stocks alone, the buyer can choose the right stock from 17 types, either sporting or hunting, polymer, wood in various grades, adjustable sporting stocks or chassis stocks. There are also several options for the triggers, including a backstop, the bolt handle, rear and front sights, and of course the barrel configuration according to caliber, length, diameter, muzzle thread and various special requests. This is also where (sometimes considerably) longer waiting times are most likely to be expected. Rößler Waffen GmbH, also known as Röwa, naturally tries to keep the most common barrel configurations and calibers in stock. However, if you have decided on a fluted 70 cm barrel in 6.5-284 Norma with a 17 mm muzzle diameter and a special twist, you will have to be patient.
As for the caliber range: Rößler offers a rich selection of even less common varieties, starting with the small calibers such as .222 Remington and 5.6x50 Magnum and moving up to magnums such as 8x68 mm S and .375 Ruger. What does the composition look like in detail for this test sample? This .308 Roessler Titan 6 is based on a right-hand action in light alloy together with an aluminum trigger guard, standard bolt handle stock and a fine trigger (here adjusted to 630 g). The carbon thumbhole stock contributes to the low weight, as does the thin, fluted 510-mm barrel with 16 mm muzzle diameter and muzzle thread. A one-piece Picatinny rail made of light alloy serves as the interface for optics here, and the single-stack sheet metal magazine represents the standard version with a plastic base for three cartridges. Admittedly, this configuration costs considerably more than a basic Rößler without any extras. In this case, the lion's share of the additional costs compared to a more simply equipped version is accounted for by the expensive carbon fiber stock and the fluting of the barrel.
View of the cycling and operation of the Rößler Titan 6
The fact that the Rößler Titan 6 can be purchased for a very reasonable starting price is not apparent from the test sample. There were no small smudges on the case that would make you think "this should be different". The gaps were fine and even, and the surfaces all looked carefully polished. The bolt ran smoothly and without snugs, the three-position safety catch clicked neatly – and also audibly when operated with a lot of momentum. For silent operation, it took a bit of feeling in the thumb for the slide not to change position with an audible click. The trigger scored points for its crisp characteristics and moderate pull weight. If you prefer a single set trigger instead of a single-stage trigger, no problem. And recently, the set trigger has also been combined with the three-position safety – previously, there was only a two-position safety here. A small deduction in the B grade: the thin rubber recoil plate and its polymer intermediate layer did not fit perfectly on the carbon fiber stock of this rifle. There were no problems whatsoever with the removable magazine. Cartridges sat in without rattling, it fell out after pressing the release buttons on both sides of the action, and was easy to reload. Of course, Rößler also offers magazines with a higher capacity for driven hunting.
How the Rößler Titan 6 with carbon stock performed on the shooting range
Functionally, there were no problems whatsoever, as is to be expected from a well-engineered bolt-action. All tested ammunition types fed smoothly, fired reliably and the spent cases were ejected from the ejection port with verve. The light, crisp single-stage trigger also left nothing to be desired. The very good-natured firing behavior in relation to the weight surprised the testers. Recoil can be calculated, but how pleasant or annoying you perceive it is a rather subjective matter. And purely subjectively, the rifle, which weighs around 2.6 kilos without the scope, shot amazingly pleasantly in .308 Winchester, even without the SK156 MKII silencer from Hausken, which was included with the test rifle. The .308 Winchester pushed heartily but never painfully into the shoulder. Perhaps the well-fitting stock shape and the material structure of the carbon stock contribute a bit to this. But felt recoil remained soft enough, and we had no problems even with the conventional cartridge varieties with heavy, jacketed lead bullets. Purely for shooting comfort, the hunter would not need to resort to extra-light bullets made of copper or brass on the carbon-fiber-stocked ultralight model from Rößler, and the silencer primarily protected hearing on the Rößler Titan 6 tested here; it would not be needed for the reduced recoil. The offset of the hit position with and without suppressor in the test was around six centimeters at a distance of 100 meters in windage and elevation – with the suppressor mounted the groups moved to the upper right. There was also nothing to criticize about the good accuracy. The test rifle did not get along so well with the two loads from Sellier & Bellot and Browning. But with the three other types of ammunition, three-centimeter groups and smaller were no problem, regardless of whether lead-free bullets or jacketed bullets were used. The best grouping was delivered by the HIT Evo Green from RWS with 23 millimeters at 100 meters.
Rößler Titan 6 with carbon fiber stock specs and price
| Model: | Rößler Titan 6 Carbon |
| Price: | 2,999 euro |
| Caliber: | .308 Winchester |
| Magazine Capacity: | 3 + 1 rounds |
| Overall Length: | 1040 mm |
| Barrel Length: | 510 mm |
| Twist Rate: | 1:12" (305 mm) |
| Trigger Pull Weight: | 630 g |
| Weight: | 2,596 g |
| Left/Right Version: | Left version available |
| Features: | Six-lug bolt-action, direct trigger, M14x1 muzzle thread,
Picatinny rail, fluted barrel, titanium-nitrided barrel, removable magazine. |
Our conclusion on the Rößler Titan 6 bolt-action rifle
Modern design, accuracy, clean workmanship and a moderate price, depending on the number and type of special wishes of the buyer, make the Titan 6 a practical and high-quality impression. The special delicacy is, of course, precisely the individual design options provided by the configurator, with the help of which one can individually tailor one's Rößler Titan 6.
More information about the Rößler Titan 6 can be found on the Rößler website.
