Sauer 404
This looks like a very interesting system. Lots of improvements over my M 03 Mauser.
Captioning is in German. I found it interesting.

What is fascinating about the European gun scene is their constant ability to innovate !

We may not like some but they certainly raise the bar especially as precision guns. They are definitely pushing the boundaries where others seem to be stuck in a rut of more of the same or regressing to cheaper and cheaper versions of the same. re Remington and Ruger.

If this Sauer is anything like the older models 200 and 202 I would buy one in a heartbeat !

Many of my more serious sheep hunting pals have gone with Sauer because of their accuracy ! Out the box these rifles are something else, no tweaking or off to some gun place to have it fiddled with !

Thanks for sharing Rusty!.

That is one heck of a fine rifle.

Is your M03 + 6 barrels on it´s way to the scrapyard now ?.

I can already sense the text in the obituary:

My M03 has laid to rest.
Course of death: Sauer 404.
Thanks for happy chappy memories while they lasted.
Rest in peace

That thing is so cool !
Any idea of the cost ! The scope ring set up the barrel switch , all of it is great ! but i think i would need to sell half my collection to buy one in one caliber...

quote:

Originally posted by tjroberts:
That thing is so cool !
Any idea of the cost ! The scope ring set up the barrel switch , all of it is great ! but i think i would need to sell half my collection to buy one in one caliber...

S 404 Classic ab 3496 Euro
S 404 Elegance ab 4111 Euro
S 404 Classic XT ab 2895 Euro
S 404 Synchro XT ab 3360 Euro
Die SUM Zielfernrohr- Montage gibt es ab 469 Euro.

Lots of new innovative ideas in a sporting rifle. The barrels change much like a Barrett MRAD, the front swivel mount comes out as a tool for disassembly, and the trigger can be moved to adjust LOP. Neat stuff.

Certainly the Europeans are innovators when it comes to modifying rifle design involving the modular system.

However I do not think the older and more straight-forward approach can be bettered, the 98 Mauser is without doubt the very best.

I do not know why Sauer and other companies continue trying to out-do a system which cannot be beaten. They would be far better off if they spent their time manufacturing modern 98's instead of wasting valuable resources on research and development of new modular rifle designs which in my opinion do not improve on what already exists.

I own two Sauer rifles, a Select in 9.3x62 and a Take-down model in 8x68S.

I used the 8x68S for a couple of weeks and took 11 animals with it and the forend became loose. I send it back to Sauer through my local agent and requested that the metal parts between the forend and the action be replaced.

The rifle was returned to me after six months wait and to date I have shot another 9 animals with it but the forend has come loose again !

There is beautiful wood in the rifle stock but it is not much good to me if I have to keep sending it back to Sauer to have the forend tightened.

This is the reason why I am not too fond of the modular system and I will not buy another Sauer rifle eventhough I am in the maket to purchase another rifle in a different calibre at present.

To highlight the differences; I bought a new Dumoulin 98 rifle from their Belgium factory 17 years ago and it has worked without fault and is still in perfect order after a great amount of shooting I done with it.

You just cannot improve on some things Viva the 98.

Needed to watch a couple of times to understand everything despite the language. In Europe prices are high because they have VAT and other taxes totalling about 20%. Wonder how much it will sell for if someone carries them in the US.

quote:

Originally posted by jens poulsen:
Thanks for sharing Rusty!.

That is one heck of a fine rifle.

Is your M03 + 6 barrels on it´s way to the scrapyard now ?.

I can already sense the text in the obituary:

My M03 has laid to rest.
Course of death: Sauer 404.
Thanks for happy chappy memories while they lasted.
Rest in peace

Cruel! Fair, but cruel!
I fear I will just have to make room in the safe!

I understand the resistance to change. I own custom made rifles and shotguns. I've spent a lot of money on fine custom rifles and shotguns. I have waited for years to get a custom rifle.

I have become a big fan of system rifles such as the M 03 and the Sauer and Blazer. Sauer, Blazer, and Mauser are three companies manufacturing rifles under the same factory roof in Germany.

Every one of those rifle I have personally shot has been dead on accurate out of the box and stayed that way between barrel and scope changes! As ALF said you don't need to send it to a gunsmith to make them accurate and feed the way they are supposed to feed!

Perry Newman once told me that a man ought to own a custom made pair of boots, a custom hat and custom rifle. Looking back on that, money would be better spent getting an upgrade in wood and engraving on a system rifle.

Why wait a long time to get a custom rifle that may have to be tweaked to be accurate, when you can be shooting a great, extremely accurate system rifle and have the versatility of changing calibers to meet your needs.

No one likes change, but for the most part we are the better for those changes.

Now, if you will excuse me I have to go sharpen my stoned tipped spear and axe!

In my gun collection, one of my preferred rifles is a Sauer 202 in .30-06 & 7x64 (2 bbls.). In both calibers, it shoots <.5 MOA (5 shots) and it has become the rifle I instinctly grab for when going out stalking or stand hunting. However, that 404 description makes me wonder if excellence can still be bettered. I fear I already know the only way to find out : €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€...


Maybe, if I convince the "Mistress" that, considering I already own 3 Blaser R93's and that the new 404 uses the Blaser "saddle" scope mount, it might WILL be economical to buy the latter for it doesn't need an additional scope, thanks to the possibility of switching scopes between Sauer and Blaser. Well, I can always try...

quote:

Originally posted by Rusty:

quote:

Originally posted by jens poulsen:
Thanks for sharing Rusty!.

That is one heck of a fine rifle.

Is your M03 + 6 barrels on it´s way to the scrapyard now ?.

I can already sense the text in the obituary:

My M03 has laid to rest.
Course of death: Sauer 404.
Thanks for happy chappy memories while they lasted.
Rest in peace

Cruel! Fair, but cruel!
I fear I will just have to make room in the safe!

I understand the resistance to change. I own custom made rifles and shotguns. I've spent a lot of money on fine custom rifles and shotguns. I have waited for years to get a custom rifle.

I have become a big fan of system rifles such as the M 03 and the Sauer and Blazer. Sauer, Blazer, and Mauser are three companies manufacturing rifles under the same factory roof in Germany.

Every one of those rifle I have personally shot has been dead on accurate out of the box and stayed that way between barrel and scope changes! As ALF said you don't need to send it to a gunsmith to make them accurate and feed the way they are supposed to feed!

Perry Newman once told me that a man ought to own a custom made pair of boots, a custom hat and custom rifle. Looking back on that, money would be better spent getting an upgrade in wood and engraving on a system rifle.

Why wait a long time to get a custom rifle that may have to be tweaked to be accurate, when you can be shooting a great, extremely accurate system rifle and have the versatility of changing calibers to meet your needs.

No one likes change, but for the most part we are the better for those changes.

Now, if you will excuse me I have to go sharpen my stoned tipped spear and axe!

Well said Rusty! I couldn't agree more. 6 different Gunwerks rifles, Jarrett rifles or Sisk rifles, while great quality, will send you back a minimum of $30,000. A Sauer and 5 extra barrels and your into it for around $16,000.
Figures are not accurate, real world could be a lot more.

I have a 202 synthetic lightweight (aluminium receiver) in 308 and 9.3x62.

Nice rifle, my father thinks it is the nicest rifle I have ever bought. And he is the recipient from me of a K95 for his 65th birthday and a Steyr-Mannlicher Luxus for his 50th birthday.

None the less he thinks it is pretty neat.

The 404 looks pretty wonderful, has a lot of things that the 202 and MO3 should have been.

Probably not going to sell my 202 to buy a 404. I don't use the 9.3x62 barrel right now anyway, and dad used the 308 on his last moose so we are keeping this rifle until I am pushing up daisies.

I plan on one improvement when I pick the rifle up in a couple months. The synthetic thumbhole stock, if I can get www.triebel.de to send me one.