RöWa Signature: a look at the technology and a practical check of the first bolt-action rifle from Rössler with a manual cocking system

Founded in 1997 by Erich Rößler in Kufstein am Inn, the family business is still successfully run today by his two sons Walther and Philipp in the spirit of their father, who died in 2010. In order to comply with international conventions, the gunmaker, which also operates under the RöWa Austria brand, now prefers the spelling Rössler. Erich Rössler, as well as a spelling, also played the decisive role in the naming of the test rifle on which the report is based. The two Rössler sons chose the model designation "SIGNATUre", which is emblazoned on the receiver of the new hunting bolt-action rifle, as a tribute to their father. He was convinced that his company could only survive if production was constantly moving forward and improving. He laid down this company philosophy in an internal work instruction and signed it with "re", i.e. the first letters of his last and first name, albeit written in lower case. Now the two brothers want to continue their father's pioneering philosophy and success and have developed the manual cocking for the new rifle that he already had in mind for his bolt-actions. 

This is how the manual cocking system of the new Rössler Signature works

Essentially, the new Signature is a rifle that takes the tried-and-tested elements of the RöWa Titan 6 and adds the newly developed manual cocking mechanism. At first glance, it resembles the cocking mechanism of the Mauser M03, which is no longer in production, but this only applies to the external appearance and the actual cocking and decocking process. In terms of design and operation, there are differences, but cocking is done in the same way for both systems: the thumb is used to push the lever on the back of the bolt to the right. In both cases, a pushbutton below the axis of rotation of the cocking lever is used for decocking. When pressing this button, the thumb should also be in contact with the lever to ensure that the part, which otherwise swivels very quickly to the left, is returned silently. If you don't do this, you will quickly notice how much power the firing pin spring of the Signature has through an unpleasant slap on the thumb. When the lever is back in its left position, the rifle is decocked and the chamber is blocked. To open it, you have to push the lever a little further to the left on the Signature and you can lift the bolt handle. Unlike the M03, however, the Signature does not have a replaceable bolt head. When changing the barrel to a different caliber group, the entire bolt of the Signature must be replaced, as is the case with the Titan 6. However, this is still a long way off, since according to distributor RWS GmbH (formerly RUAG Ammotec), the Signature will initially only be available in .308 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield and 8x57 IS calibers. But more on that later. By the way, the manual cocking system cannot be retrofitted to existing Rössler Titan 6 systems. This should be more costly than manufacturing a new bolt. The matte black receiver of the Signature is made of hard anodized aluminum and leaves the factory with a pre-assembled steel Picatinny rail on top. 

Wholesaler RWS supplies the new Rössler Signature in various stock variants, barrel lengths and calibers – All details, all prices

Based on the Titan 6 series, the Signature will also come in the following stock variants: Allround (2,200 euros, synthetic stock), Luxus (2,495 euros, oiled walnut), Luxus hole stock (2,695 euros, oiled walnut) and Hunter (2,895 euros, laminated wood in brown with adjustable comb). Barrel length is 51 centimeters in .308 Winchester and 8x57 IS calibers, and 56 centimeters in .30-06 Springfield. Currently, sales partner RWS also has a limited edition complete set on offer. This consists of a Signature with 51 cm long barrel in .308 Winchester, a Leica Fortis 6 2-12x50 scope with L4-A illuminated reticle including mount, and a Hausken JD184 XTRM silencer specially marked with the RöWa logo. The special feature of this complete offer at a price of 4,999 euros (RRP) is the exclusive Rössler stock made of fine, oiled walnut wood. This is only available in this set for the new Signature manual cocking model. In the near future, there will also be a version specially designed for driven hunts called Driven Hunt with a barrel length of only 47 cm, based on the Allround version. All barrels are ceramic blasted at RöWa and then plasma nitrided. Like all Signature variants, the Driven Hunt will not feature open sights as standard. 

For the test, the Signature was joined by the JD184 XTRM silencer from Hausken and the GECO 3-18x56i riflescope 

To give us a first, deeper impression of the new Rössler Signature, RöWa importer RWS provided us with the Luxus thumbhole stock variant in .308 Winchester. The barrel is actually still about 17 mm thick in the muzzle area, but like all Signature models, it has an M15x1 thread to accommodate a silencer or muzzle brake. On the test gun, a Hausken JD184 XTRM MK II silencer was already screwed on here. Importer RWS also provided the test optic and had already mounted a GECO 3-18x561 riflescope with reticle 4 on the Picatinny rail of the Signature. Including the optics, the mounting rings from TierOne and the silencer, the Signature, which originally weighed only 3.2 kg, finally weighed 4.4 kg. Speaking of weight and trigger pull: on the test gun, the standard fine trigger was bone dry and broke as crisp as glass – regardless of whether it was cocked during repeating or by thumb – very evenly at a pull weight of around 840 g.

With the aforementioned test set, we then went to the 100-m indoor range of the Westerwald Shooting Sports Center. There, the new Signature performed perfectly in terms of both function and accuracy. All cartridges used in the test were fed flawlessly through the chamber, and ran absolutely smoothly through the action. Both unfired cartridges and the cases of spent cartridges were always safely extracted and ejected at the first attempt. The manual cocking system did not cause any problems either. However, the hunter should familiarize himself more intensively with this before the hunt, so that the control – as described above – can also be operated adequately. The Signature produced the best grouping with the 168-gr BTHP bullet cartridge from Hornady's Match line – used as reference ammunition – at 23 mm, closely followed by the lead-free 162-gr Sako Powerhead Blade at 26 mm. In the test shots with the silencer screwed on, the point of impact shifted significantly upward for all loads. The hunter should determine and take into account this deviation for his or her preferred loadings when shooting with or without the silencer.

Rössler Signature Luxus in .308 specs and price 

Our test conclusion on the new Rössler Signature

With the new Signature, Rössler continues the proven reliable Titan 6 series and delivers a rugged, very cleanly finished hunting rifle with a safe manual cocking system at a reasonable price. And this applies with regard to all offered variants of the Signature. The details (finishes, barrel lengths, prices) are mentioned above. Thanks to the wide range of different stocks and barrel lengths, anyone looking for a manual cocking system in one of the standard calibers offered so far (.308 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield and 8x57 IS) should be able to find the right model. In addition, there will probably still be the option in the future – as has already been the case with the Titan 6 – to fall back on an interchangeable barrel in a different caliber.

For more information on the Rössler Signature, visit the dedicated RöWa website. 

You can find out more about the manufacturer Rössler or RöWa here on the company website.