This was a turbulent year for Blaser. After almost 15 fantastic years of success, Gerhard Blenk decided to remove himself from the industry to concentrate on his own projects and above all dedicate some time to hunting. He resigned as Managing Director and sold the company to SIG.

Meinrad Zeh and Gerhard Kaufmann
Meinrad Zeh (left photo) and Gerhard Kaufmann (right) step in to take over as Managing Directors. Zeh is responsible for production and development and Kaufmann for sales and marketing. Naturally, both are avid hunters.

At IWA in March 2000 the D 99 Duo was introduced, a version of the Blaser Drilling with 2 rifle barrels. The system is identical to that of the D 99, therefore allowing the possibility of extra barrels to be fitted.

Thomas Ortmeier and Michael Lüke
Around the middle of the year, the directors of SIG decided to separate from the entire weapons division and concentrate on the core business of packaging technology.
The search was on for a buyer. Towards the end of the year, the private entrepreneurs and passionate hunters Michael Lüke and Thomas Ortmeier purchased the companies Blaser, Sauer, Hämmerli, Sigarms USA and the newly-founded Swiss Arms Neuhausen (SAN), all remaining  subsidiaries with separate identities complementing each other.