Folks, I posted this last week, under big bores, but got no replies. Maybe, someone here can help me.
I had a chance to examine a Colt Sauer Alaskan in 375 H&H today. Gorgeous piece of wood and the bolt slides like the old Mannlicher Schoenauers. Sauer usually over engineers everthing, but this appeals to my Teutonic heritage. Anyway, to the question at hand. I have seen a bunch of these rifles over the years, both the Colt-Sauer and Sauer Variant, but I have never laid eyes on one in 375. Is this rifle a rarity? In other words, should I grab it while I can? Thanks, Stoney

Hello Stomeybroke - I was in the gunshop when the owner opened the package that contained the first Sauer 80 to arrive in Cape Town. That bolt, that smoooothness - almost as good as my .280 Ross rifle. The way that those sexy little steel "flights" popped in and out, the huge bolt diameter, the ease of using the set trigger ...

The mechanical engineer in me went bananas "I want one, I want one too" it screamed.

A couple of years later I broke open my piggy bank and ordered one in 8x68S - together with ammo and enpty brass cases.

That Sauer and a Korth revolver are the only two weapons that I have stripped and found that there was absolutely nothing for me to "improve"!

I've just pulled out the pamphlet from which I ordered my rifle and in 1977 they were offering the following calibres

Short action: 22-250, 243 W, 308 W

Std. action: 7x64, 30-06, 270 W

Magnum action: 6.5x68, 8x68S, 7 Rem Mag, 300 W, 300 Weatherby, 375 H&H, 9.3x64

Don't hesitate - it's a joy to use. Later you could buy a second barrel in 6.5x68 and go play on the 1000 yd range. Check out the ballistics.

Changing barrels is an easy as

i) remove the action from the stock
ii) slacken off two allen screws in the recoil lug
iii) spin out the barrel with your fingers
iv) screw in the new barrel until the witness marks are in line
v) tighten up the allen screws
vi) refit to stock.

Took almost longer to type than to do it.

That barrel clamping system is probably the best one that I have seen. They spit the recoil lug and use it to clamp the barrel into position. Easy to adjust headspace too.

good shooting - edi

Edi:

Thanks for the information, I wasn't aware of the barrel changing feature. Unfortunately, I think spare barrels might be harder to find than the rifles.

I've got a couple of Colt Sauers, one in .243 and one in .25-06(which was not on your list, possibly an American variation). I've never seen one in .375, but it sounds like a nice rifle.

Stoneybroke,

I used one in 1980. Shot some feral cattle here in Southern Illinois, plus a Lichtenstein hartebeest, and a Cape Buffalo in Zambia. It was a bit light in weight for a .375 H&H. I had a hard time finding a scope mounting system that got enough eye relief. Tried the vaious Redfield types, Pachmayer swingover, Buehler, etc. Finally settled on a 2.5 X Leupold compact in the Buehler Mt's. The stock just never fit me right. It was a beautiful, well made gun but I traded it off. In retrospect, I shoulda kept it.

Rich Elliott

Not sure how rare, compared to other Colt-Sauers, every one of which is pretty rare, regardless of cal. Grab 'um it quick!!

[ 05-18-2003, 23:08: Message edited by: eldeguello ]

Hi Gatogordo and Rich,

In the late 70s I saw a factory cased Sauer 80 that came with three barrels. Unfortunately I can't recall what calibres they were.

As for the stock fitting - a couple of weeks after ordering the rifle I received a single page on which there was this little figure of a Bavarian hunter. My wife had to help me measure things like centre-of-eye to shoulder (both vertical and horizontal), length of forearm. length of wrist to finger tips, armpit to armpit ....

My immediate thoughts were what a load of b-s - but what good marketing.

The rifle arrived and we assembled it. After drooling over it a bit I mounted it. Surprise, surprise - I guess I should have realised that since Sauers had been in the game for over 250 years they must have learnt something. You looked at the target brought the rifle to your shoulder and the sights were on! No fine adjustment needed - they were lined up exactly where you were looking.

Impressed me no end.

cheers edi

Stoneybroke
I'm not familiar with the Sauer model sold as "Colt/Sauer". From the previous discussion here, it sounds like this was the Sauer 80. If yes, then be aware that both the Sauer 80 and 90 are rear locking actions. They are exceptionally smooth, but some people say one has to watch out with magnum cartridges, as the bolt may flex during firing - presumably causing extraction problems??? I have met people with magnum chambered Sauer 80/90s, who experienced no problems. So I don't know if the above warning is merely hearsay??

- mike

Hi All - here is something that I posted in connection with the strength of the 8x68 cartridge case.

****

Here is a copy from a post from a German fellow enthusiast (L Moeller) re the 8x68 that speaks for itself.

"It’s great Cartridge, very strong, withstands the most Pressure from any Cartridges I know. Around 5.000 bar are handled well with Primers still stuck. I notices the 9,3x64 Brenneke, if blown out to with larger frontal Diameter in a specially reamed Chamber, holds about the same 5g Powder, as the 8x68S, but above about 4.500 bar pops Primers."

My experience bears out his statement - a load that completely flattened the primer - like there was no radius on the corner of the primer whatsoever, there was a shiny spot at the ejector groove that you could feel with your finger nail, every machining detail on the bolthead impressed into the back of the primer and case, the brass flowed up the chamber so that I had to trim over a millimeter to return it to standard length. That load left the imprint of 5 shots on my shoulder in the form of broken capillary vessels ..... the primers remained tight in the pockets.

How I wish that I had chronographed those loads.

Certainly the pressure exceeded the yield strength of the brass by a handsome margin.

****

Anyone shown the base of that cartridge would have bet on the rifle being hard to open. In actual fact the bolt handle lifted smoothly, without any signs of stiffness at all. My wife spotted the recoil bruises on my chest that evening while the flattened primers were only observed a week or so later on the reloading bench! I stripped and examined the bolt and peered down the receiver - found nothing to worry about.

The rifle was my Sauer 80 which I have owned since new (1977).

cheers edi

The only down side with them is the tooth pick barrels.....stuff all meat...they may be slick but shit ya need a bit of beef on the barrel, seen several here is Aussie in 375H&H...not a big seller...

Hello Les - what's wrong with toothpick barrels?

I have a 9.3x62 that only weighs 3.4 kg. I have carried it in the Namibian bush for whole days on end - mostly in one hand.

I also have a 22-250 that weighs 4.4 kg - crazy thick crowbar of a barrel. I can assure you that this rifle isn't going hunting - anytime - anywhere. So - soon it will be carrying a 0.243 Win toothpick. Normal weight reducing measure - bigger hole in a thinner stick.

I have plans that centre on having a go at making a sub-3kg 0.270 Win - there is some pretty wild country in the Eastern Cape that has some Mountain Reedbuck that I want to talk to...

It will certainly sport a "toothpick".

As a hunter I am very interested in a rifle's one-shot group - and for that I've found that a "toothpick" works just fine.

As for not being a big seller - neither are Roll Royces (or are they just re-badged BMWs now?)

What's the hunting like near you?

cheers edi

G`day edi, I like my barrels with a bit of weight in them (I`m a big bloke) apart from range shooting them, I find they shoulder better and I can hold them more steady, something I can`t do with a light weight fire poke of a barrel, and I can carry my rifles around all day, no problems.
I hunt (stalk) Sambar deer in our high country which is steep and usually bloody wet with thick bush it`s only a few hours drive from home and I use a Win. super express in 375H&H, bit of a overkill but they are big tough animals and 99% of the time the only shot you have is when it`s going full pelt up a gully and you have to angle the shot in from the rear but that`s what makes hunting Sambar exciting I reckon, you just never know how it`s going to present itself.
Apart from deer, I hunt pig,goat,roo and of course fox,rabbit and hares.
How about yourself Edi,,take it easy mate...Les