My two Blasers R93 are gone, so it's time to start considering another modular rifle!

I like the design of the Sauer S202 rifle, its accuracy and in general the way it handles. The only drawback I can find on this rifle is the safety button location.
I would love to have the comments of users of this rifle, in order to help me to make up my mind.
And what about the Take Down version? Is it as accurate? Is it worth the extra cost?

Are there other modular rifles worth considering?

Thank you all in advance for the input.

B.Martins

B Martins

Not owner of a Sauer 202 but have used a friends Sauer on a few occasions. Safety buttons location on sauer 202 is a bit odd, I think it's what one is familiar with.

Take down version is quite heavy but rifle weight and length is matter of taste. I would have bought two S202, one in magnum and a second in non-magnum caliber.


What calibers are under consideration?

Cheers
/JOHAN

B Martins

I have a Sauer 202 and find the safety in the trigger guard no problem even with gloves on. In fact if the safety is in the trigger guard it should be harder to catch on things. When I am about to take a shot it is quick, quiet and positive.
My other rifle has a mauser action with three position safety but I do prefer the Sauer.
When unloading the rifle just be 100% positive where the muzzel is pointing if you are unsure of pulling the trigger when pressing the button in but thats the same for all rifles.

A friend of mine has a 202 in .300 Win Mag, and he likes it very much. I tried it at the range and I found it a very accurate and remarkable rifle. The bolt action is really smooth. The safety location is a bit unusual but my friend says that it's not a real problem. I cannot say anything about the take-down version.

B.martins,
I have a Sauer 202 take down. Sauer makes two versions. I have the one that comes apart in 5 seconds. Just release the forstock and the barrel pulls out.
I have both a 375 H&H and a 416 Rem Barrel for it and it couldn't be more accurate right out of the box. I have a scope for each barrel. I like the safety, it is noiseless and right next to the trigger. IMO Sauer makes a great Rifle, they pay a lot of attention to detail, fit and accuracy. If you don't mind the price you will not be disappointed. CHEERS

I bought my 202 in 7x64 ten years ago and after 996 shots, among which 24 heads of big game, never had to regret it. It shot .5 MOA right out of the box and is actually my most accurate factory rifle. Today, I'm contemplating buying an extra 9,3x62 bbl.

I bought my Sauer 200 (the predecessor of the 202 and almost identical) about 20 years ago. I have shot somewhere between 5.000 and 10.000 rounds trough it's 6,5x57 barrel and it's still capable of shooting sub MOA 5-shot groups.
Last year a small pin thats holds the firing pin broke, but that was the only time it needed a bit of gunsmithing (apart from the initial scope mounting).
The position of the safety is a somewhat unconventional, but it works smooth and silent and I never had any problems with it. If I were to buy a new rifle, I would most certainly be a Sauer 202.

BTW I'm thinking of buying a extra 9.3x62 barrel too, but I've already got a Sauer 90 in 338 Win in the gun cabinet for the bigger critters.

Bad excuse, I've got a .338 Win too + a K98 in 9,3x62 already, but no 202 in 9,3 yet

The two R93’s I sold were in .300 WM and 9,3x62 so I suppose I have a good excuse for buying the Sauer rifle with those two calibres!

How about the conventional S202? How difficult is it to change barrels? Is it something you can do in the field, if necessary?

B.Martins

I cannot see the point in a S202 takedown. The stock comes of the standard version in about 20 seconds if you need to shorten the rifle for shipping or air travel etc.

Barrel change takes about two minutes with an Allen key.

Repeatability on mine has been perfect. It will shoot anything to sub-MOA groups, all to roughly the same POI, and loads it likes shoot 0.5" groups every day.

I would save the money for the takedown and spend it on a higher grade of wood on a standard S202.

Regards
Brian

I'll second that, my regular 202 is so easy to take apart that I'd hesitate to complicate matters by going to the takedown version. KISS.

I have an odd, and customized take-down. It WAS a Japanese 7.7 paratrooper takedown carbine. But now it is a newly-barreled 30-06 with American walnut fore- and buttstocks, well-polished and deeply-blued metal, and absolutely mint. Takedown in instantaneous!!....by turning a large ringed screwhead on side of receiver, and pulling out a bolt to it's short limit.....the 2 sections just then pull apart.
It's an interesting piece.

Brian & André,


Although I had the chance of shooting an S202 rifle I never had the chance of disassembling it, so your information is really very important to me, as I was under the impression that replacing a bbl on a normal S202 wasn’t that easy!
If so, then it doesn’t make much sense to pay a lot more for a take down, just to save a few seconds when changing bbl’s!
Better save the money and “invest†it on another barrel!?

B.Martins

It takes one screw to remove the forestock and three to unclamp the barrel on a 200; I think the 202 is the same. If you have the one-piece hex tool you are better off as the hex extentsion can get lost .

It is easily replaced for $4.00 with a 5mm extended allen wrench with one side of the T-handle cut off.

The whol process is not that fast though, about 3 minutes with some practice. As far as I can tell after 20 years and dozens of dismounts, there is no wear or creeping tolerances on the mechanism at all.

B Martins,

I have the regular 202 in 308 and and couldn't be happier.

A couple of things I would say about it are that:

The safety although unconventional is easy to get used to and when you do it feels very natural.

When choosing the barrels look into the shorter flurted barrels as found on the Outback model. The balance is good on the standard but gets better with the matt fluted option.

If you shoot with open sights at all there is a high visability short barreled version that I saw in the shop a few weeks ago. It is VERY impressive.

Barrel changing, although not instant takes a few minutes. However how often do yu not have 4-5mins to change the barrel? You can have complete faith in the retention of accuracy after changes though.

All in all I really like everything about this rifle. It took me a while to find a load that thhe rifle liked but now that has been sorted out by a friend, I have no problems at all.

Good luck

FB

Mr Martins. I am very sorry for misleading you.

Barrel changes take 3 to 5 minutes. Not 2. But you get the point.

Also, I had no problem with the safety. Once you have used it a few times it makes perfect sense.

Regards
Brian.

B. Martins

I will right in English so all the members of the forum can read the message.

I’ve hunted the last two seasons with a Sauer 202 Stutzen in 9.3x62mm, the overall quality of the rifle is some of the best I have seen in factory rifles. The bolt is smooth and it has a very good trigger.

Accuracy, with a bullet he likes, is excellent, in my case with RWS KS 247gr, the bullets make one ragged hole at 50m, I don’t have a longer shooting range to test the rifle.

The safety is really very practical and most important for the night stand hunts " esperas" completely silent.

As for the barrel change system it really is easy, the only disadvantage is that you need to carry along the Ex-keys and the one that removes the forend is fairly long.

The only two changes I needed to make to my rifle was to get a new recoil pad, because the factory supplied pad is very hard and I needed a longer stock. The other "improvement" was to change the open sights, I now have a 2.5mm fibber optic front sight, and a "hollow" rear sight with fibber optic insert, from Recknagel.
The open sights are now perfect for fast, close range, shooting at wild boars in our Montarias.


Hope it helps,
Cumprimentos

N. Rodrigues

Nsiro,

On this website, we all write in English.

thanks for doing so.

D99

Is the safety button in front or behind the trigger?

1984, its a large button in front of the trigger.

The safety is applied by pressing down on a button at the back of the bolt, similar in position to a shotgun safety. The safety is then released by pressing up on the button in front of the trigger. The button is about 10mm in diameter, and the upward travel to release the safe is also about 10mm.

It is perfectly straightforward.

Regards

Another plus is the single stack magazine system.

1. It controls the round until about halfway into the chamber and then the lips release the round. It makes this rifle about as dependable as one could ask. This is the same as on the Model 90 if you know that rifle.

2. They're much longer than the normal staggered box and you can really seat pointy bullets way out to reach the lands and still function.

1894,

As CD says the button is in front of the trigger. On paper it souds like a nightmare scenario but in practice it is very useful.

The button is far enough forward in the trigger guard that you can run your finger up the front of the trigger guard without going near the trigger and take the safety off while looking through the scope. Even with gloves. All the time the rifle is pointing where you want to shoot.

It definately takes some gettinng used to bbut after wards there is not a problem

FB