Last night I was looking at the auction sites researching my next rifle and ran across one of these which sorta peaked my interest. You don't see many Sig Sauer rifles in these parts, in fact I've only seen 2 and both of them were 202s, but man, they sure were slick rifles. The one I played with had NICE deep blueing and a bolt as smooth a butter! Based on that limited experience I know next to nothing about Colt Sauer rifles and a couple of google searches didn't turn up much either but I'm still interested and hope someone can help me with a few questions?
1 Does the Colt Sauer 90 have a 60 degree bolt?
2 A tang safety?
3 In 300win, whats the barrel length? In 30-06?
4 How much does one weigh?
5 How well made are these rifles?
6 How accurate do they shoot?
7 Pros and cons, the good, bad and ugly?

1. Yes, it is a Sauer 80. A few of the 90s may have come in as Colts because Colt got into financial trouble about that time, dropped the bolt actions, and Sauer and Mel Forbes went off on their own.

2. I don't remember on the Colt. Sauers have had them left and right side, very quiet.

3. 7.5 lbs Most have longer barrels. .30-06s and .270s are 24 inches.

4. Better made than any Winchester, Kimber or Remington.

5. Never saw one that wouldn't shoot factory ammo sub MOA.
My Sauer shoots match ammo into bugholes.

6. You can still get parts for them, and I would get a magazine spring, firing pin, extractor, etc if you plan to keep it.
I assume that the Sauer 90 barrels interchange, but never asked any owner.

The new 202s come in several grades. Look at what a Luxus would cost you new and used. That is what the Colt was in a 90, so see what you can find, in order to see if this price is in line. I see Sauer 90s going for $1,500 in nice wood, but some people trying to get $2,500. Be patient, but if it is less than $1,500 you had better quit looking further.

Thanks Lee!

How many rounds does the magazine hold?

How good is the triger? Adjustable?

I have not shot the Colt, but have shot other Sauers. All have very good triggers. I think all of them are adjustable. Mine is, but I have left it alone at 3 lbs because it breaks so cleanly. My magazine holds 4 standard and 3 magnum, but some have a straighter stack and hold less. The .375 H&H magazine is a straight stack that protrudes below the stock. That gives it more reliable feeding.

afaik,
There is no connection between the Colt Light Rifle and the Colt Sauer. The Cold Sauer, made by JP Sauer & Sohn, predated the Colt Light Rifle by a decade or so. Melvin Forbes was involved, to some extent, with the ill fated Colt Light Rifle and not the Sauer. fwiw & imho

Regards, Matt.

Is anyone out there confusing the JP Sauer rifles with the little Melvin Forbes things?

This is may Sauer 202 bought new about 3 years ago. This is a factory upgrade:



This rifle is very accurate. Bolt is smooth as silk. Trigger is crisp. Love it.

ClaretDabbler

That is a very beautiful rifle..
Great wood...

Don

I have handled and shot (but never owned) Colt Sauers in .30-06 and 7mm Rem Mag. They are very well made and well finished rifles but have the rather extreme monte carlo stocks with glossy expoxy finishes that were all the rage at the time that they were designed. They are heavy--I never weighed one, but both of the rifles that I have been around were well over nine pounds scoped, and may have been pushing ten pounds. Both of the rifles that I shot were acceptably accurate with factory ammunition--the 7mm RM would consistently put five shots right at one inch, using the standard Hornady 175 grain loads that you could buy at any discount store.

if anyone is looking for a COLT-SAUER i have a grade 3 in 300 wby. if interested send me your phone no. via pm and i will call you.

Good set of iron sights on that 202.
American gunmakers need to take note.

Lee, my eyesight is pretty crap (short sighted). I actually took the scope off one weekend just to try the irons out. I amazed myself by shooting a couple of sub 3 inch groups at 100 yards with the irons. Didn't think it was possible. The was a bit of vertical stringing from me not lining up the front sight perfectly in the U notched rear. The back of the foresight has a silvered line, there is a silvered line on the rear sight also.

A good friend in MN owned several Colt Sauers in different calibers, the biggest being the .458 Win. I owned a .22-250 and really regret selling it nearly 15 years ago. It wasn't a light rifle, but its balance and fit were superb, as was its accuracy. The longest shot I've made on a coyote was with that rifle and I remember well the trip back to the vehicle -- that part of western ND has hills, ravines and such and that pretty coyote got heavy!

BTW, ClaretDabbler, I truly like that rifle! Don't be dumb like I was and sell it. That's a keeper.

I'd love to own it, cdhunt, but that isn't in the cards for me right now. Tell you what though, a picture or three would help me get over that... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

41keith, just for you:





And if you like germanic rifles, try this one on for size:

I'm thanking you very much for that. It's like remembering a lover from the past and how she felt in my arms.

Mark,

I have two Colt Sauers that I acquired from my wife's cousin NIB a few years ago. One is in 270 and the other is 300 Weatherby. Here are responses to your questions, some of which have already been answered by others:

1 Yes, a 60 degree bolt.
2 Yes, a tang safety.
3 The barrel length on both of mine are some even number of centimeters that escapes my memory but are about 23-5/8 inches.
4 They are not lightweights. The 270 with a steel-bodied 1.5-6x42 Swaro (30mm and heavy) weighs 9-5/8 pounds. The 300 Weatherby with a 6x36 Leupold weighs 9-3/8 pounds.
5 They are beautifully made -- the bluing has to be seen to be believed, the wood is outstanding. As another poster remarked, the finish is a high gloss epoxy and the stock has a strong Monte Carlo. Triggers are fully adjustable and excellent.
6 I have hardly fired the 300 Weatherby. The 270 is extremely accurate and I have taken considerable game with it. The last time I shot it at the range in July, I put 7 shots into 0.80 inches. These were fired with cooling after no more than three shots. I wouldn't win any contests, so it would be fun to see what an expert could do with this rifle.
7 If you appreciate the style, these are wonderful rifles. I have two other 270's that weigh 8-1/8 pounds scoped, and would most likely carry one of them if I were walking all day. But from a stand, the Colt Sauer is super.

Hope this helps,

Al

I bought a left handed Colt Sauer .270 barrelled action in 1977. They only made a batch of LH models a couple of times a year. It took another 6 mos. for me to afford the custom stock for it and 6 more months for the guy to complete it. It is one of the nicest actions that I have ever had the pleasure to use. Buttery smooth and a great trigger. Very accurate with every ammo that I've tried with it. And it's already been mentioned that the blueing is without equal. My only problem with the rifle is that it is so danged purty that I always worried about scratching it or banging it up. The stuff that I hunted was really thick and nasty so I used my Browning or Remington most of the time. I really don't have much use for a safe queen but I worked so hard for this one that I couldn't let it go for any amount of money.

Kelbro, I can't blame you one bit for not wanting to ever let go of it. My son is a lefty and shot my .22-250 very well, but I was always looking for what you have, durn your lucky hide... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

You have my compliments regarding your descriptions.

I'm so damnably angry with Colt that it's nearly an offense to myself when I mention the name -- they knew the good things, but were about as faithful in delivering them over an appreciable time as an errant and evil spouse.

Is this the one you looked at?
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=59032733

I walked away from a Colt Saure, NIB, 7 mag last year. The action is really slick, but the stock finish is like a mirror. I asked the seller to weigh the rifle. We used a baby scale and it came in at 9 lbs.+. Also, if you look at an exploded drawing of the rifle, you fill find it has about 64 separate parts. Anyway, I could have gotten the rifle for a grand. Maybe I should have bought it to add to my closet queen collection. Stoney

Thanks for all the help guys, Al that was a great report and what I was looking for!

I like the 60 deg. bolt, the tang saftey and the barrel length is about what I'm looking for. The down side is the weight and price. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> I'm looking for a rifle to carry on deer and caribou hunts, plus may be a moose hunt. I walked 19 miles in 3 days on my last caribou hunt, a 9 plus pound rifle don't sound like fun. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> I've thought of replacing the wood stock with a high tech stock but I'm thinking at best that would only save me about 1/2 a pound. Oh well, they sure sound like neat old rifles but I guess they are little heavy for what I have in mind, too bad...

Claret Dabbler,
that looks like a version I have, mine is called the "Europa" .
Does yours have a set trigger, by pushing the trigger forward??

Very nice photos, BTW.
Bill

You can put a Colt Sauer into a glass stock -I've done it several times by modifing other paterns.It will lighten the rifle up a bit and still balance well. It is a lot of work but worth it.
Glenn

There is a guy in Minn. or somewhere in that part of the country that has dealt in Colt Sauer rifles for quite a few years. I know this as I have sold him a few. (3or4) Strangley enough, his name is Gary Sauer. Anybody know him?

Does this guy have a shop called Guns of Specialty (or similar)? I think he's in Appleton, WI.....if we're thinking of the same person.

Chris

Once loaded for a .300 WBY in a Colt Sauer, IMO a damn fine rifle even though I'm ambivalent about the caliber. Very smooth function, excellent fit and finish and the first Roy chambered gun I'd toyed that shot scary good. Most any load in the higher load density range was good for 1/2 MOA with RX22, IMR 4831 and 165-180 grain bullets of three different types, including the Swift Scirrocco. Very impressed with the quality, but not enough to cure me of my SS addiction at the time.

That sure just might be the guy. He was very good to deal with whether buying or selling. He paid me more for those Sauers than I could get at the gun shows, and I was a dealer.

I've had a Sauer 202 and I regret selling it. Have also handled and owned other Continental rifles. In general - which means there are exceptions - the difference between them and most of our domestic offerings is the same as between Audis, Mercedes and Ford Tauruses.

The Colt Sauer rifles are a classic example of an attempt to prove things can be done differently. Not better, just different. There was not a single feature which one could point out as being a good solution to an existing problem and a number of features which might be thought of as being of questionable value.
The actions were/are very smooth in operation.This is less a function of the design than of the excellent job of polishing. This was probably the only positive aspect of the rifle from a function standpoint. Now let's look at some of the special design features which make the rifle and actions unique.
The first and most obvious feature is the lack of conventional locking lugs. Instead of integral lugs as are found on virtually all other bolt actions, the Colt Sauer used a set of struts which were activated by a camming system within the bolt. The system was a success only in that it did hold the bolt in the receiver. Because the struts were located at the rear of the bolt, the action was inherently springy. Add to this the deflection of the struts themselves and you had an action which was one of the worst for producing short case life with reloading. In addition, the cam ring was a tiny thing and a bit fragile.
The trigger. The trigger was different in that it was a toggle system. There was no engagement between a sear and trigger laver as in overriding sear types. Instead, the trigger lever was a toggle affair. When the toggle was pulled past center, the striker was released. This is a real example of doing something differently just to be different. It didn't work better than a conventional trigger. In fact it didn't really work as well. In addition, the finger piece was made of aluminum which was a bit out of place on a rifle which was fairly high priced at the time.
There was a little indicator which showed when there was a cartridge in the chamber. A superfluous feature which served no real purpose. What it did nicely was take flight in the event of a case failure. Hardly a safety feature.
The detachable box magazine was very well made and feeding was superb. One advantage of rear lockers is that the cartridge does not have to bridge the gap formed by the lock lug recesses.
I saw one pretty good example of the strength and durability of the Colt Sauer in comparison with a more conventional design. A customer brought in a Colt Sauer in 270 in which he had inadvertently fired a 7x57. The rifle was wrecked. The stock was split, the mag box destroyed. The mag latch gone. The locking strut cam ring was broken and the action locked up. Ultimately, the rifle was repairable at a cost about 110% of a new one.
At the same time another customer brought his rifle in to have it checked out. He was concerned because he had also inadvertently shot 7x57 in it. In fact he had shot three until he noticed the fired cases had very little neck. His rifle was just fine. His rifle? A savage 110.
In the end I think the Colt Sauer is worth having if you like the look or just want to have one because it is different. I think it is a great example of a poor design very well done. GD

You made an interesting post with some good points, greydog, but I'm not persuaded the Colt Sauer is "a great example of a poor design very well done." Some aspects of the rifle were unique and maybe didn't have to be, but they didn't cause me any real problems in use.

What's up with two of your customers shoving 7x57's in .270's at about the same time? Quite some coincidence that you'd have two fellows inadvertantly doing that. I hope you advised them to improve their practices.

Any design which uses a complex array of parts to accomplish a simple task -in this case, bolt lock up- is a poor design. The whole rifle was an engineering exercise to no real purpose.
The two customers lived 500 miles apart and didn't know one another. Just a co-incidence. One was an avid collector and shooter while the other was just a casual hunter. It wasn't that strange really. I often saw a half dozen "wrong cartridge" incidents per year.
I don't say the rifles can't work. Obviously, they have worked and have satisfied their owners. All I'm doing is pointing out real shortcomings from my point of view based on my experience. Plainly, not all will agree! GD

I've been debating between a Colt Sauer in .25-06 and a Sauer 202 Supreme in .25-06. You've definately given me some food for thought! With so many parts, and the fact it isn't made anymore....maybe I should stick with the 202?

Thoughts?

Chris

Greydog, I agree with you on all points.

The Colt Sauer is a high-quality rifle that is built from superb materials and exhibits fine quality, finish, and workmanship throughout, but it's grossly complicated and over-engineered, and it's vulnerable to hard-use, and even serious range use.

Back in the early 1980s, we had a transplanted German industrialist as a member of our local gunclub, and he was not only an excellent, well-practiced rifleman and experienced hunter, but a real connoisseur of fine European hunting rifles. He owned an amazing battery, which is to put it rather mildly, and as a young kid, I was always astounded at the armament he brought out of his guncase when I ran into him at the range.

One of his rifles was a Colt Sauer 375 H&H, and in time he developed some rather serious problems with it. At first, he started to have a hard time opening the bolt on a fired case. Later on, the cases he extracted from the chamber were decidedly bulged just ahead of the belt, which would indicate lug setback, or else those complicated retractable locking lugs were not full engaging -- for whatever reason! At that point,. he sent the rifle back to Colt or possibly JP Sauer for repair or replacement, and I'm not sure how it all worked out.

Colt and Sauer would have been much better in every way off if they would have offered a fine rifle based on a slightly updated Mauser 98-pattern action, complete with modern steels and heat-treating, rather than to try and re-invent the wheel with a more complicated, inferior design............

If it ain't broke, don't fix it! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

AD

Every Sauer 90 I have ever seen had a single set trigger - that is why the mechanism is complex. If you set the trigger and do not fire the rifle, it automatically unsets to safe position when your lift the bolt handle. The bolt will open with the thumb safety engaged, so you can clear the chamber and magazine.

Clatin, the 202 is a great rifle. It has six forward locking lugs direct to the barrel. The action bears no pressure on firing. Triggers are great and you can add extra barrels.

Don't miss one if you can manage it.

Regards.

Allen,
One customer left a Colt Sauer in 375 H&H in Tanzania after having similar extraction problems on a hunt. He was pretty down on them after that.
The Sauer 200 series rifles are nice. A look at the bolt face shows what a Remington 700 extractor can look like. everything is beautifully machined and fitted. A trifle more spendy, mind you! The rifles are a bit heavy and the stock kind of clunky but at least there are no real design flaws. GD

That is why they made the 202!!
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

There are small boutique builders in Germany and Austria of new Mauser 98 actions that are better than any in the past, because of modern heat treating.

Sauer's switch barrel designs, like the swappable scopes, address the high taxes imposed on anything but small collections of rifles. These innovations permit the owners to have many calibers but only a few taxable receivers.

This sounds like a Guncraft story, was the customer a wealthy German nobleman?

From my observations of the Colt Sauer I concluded that they were accurate but heavy. They were consistent brass stretchers. The two customers I had who handloaded for them eventualy gave up. The trigger was a very complicated design but seemed to work well. I never saw one break, but all of them I saw were almost new and had not yet seen any field use. I agree with greydog's assessment.

I have a Sauer 80 and just love it. The Sauer 80 and 90 have the smoothest and fastest bolt action that I have even seen.

I was talking to my neighbor today, and I found this old thread about the Colt-Sauer rifles. He has a Colt Sauer 25-06 with box that has never been fired, he bought it new. Very nice wood, he asked me to inquire about it. I have a 700 Rem. 25-06 that he sold me 25 years ago. I like the 25-06, flat, accurate and easy to keep on target. Any ideas here about value? Lots of knowledge here, how long were these made, etc?
He may be interested in selling it.

I have a Colt Sauer in 06. It is a little heftier than some of my other deer rifles, but the bolt is as smooth as any I've ever used. It is accurate as well. I once got off 3 shots as fast as my eldest son could shoot 5 shots with his 30 carbine. I was hitting with all three shots, and he only hit with 3 of his 5 shots. It also has very nice walnut and the best bluing I have yet seen.

Does anyone have any experience with the Sauer model S303, a s/auto?

Check out the prices at the various auction houses such as Gunbroker.com The prices of the guns that sold in your rifles condition are what you want. They are a pretty good representation of what the rifle is worth on the open market.

Just found this thread. See all the criticism of one of the finest most accurate rifles ever built. I bought my first Colt Sauer brand new in 1974. It is a 7 MM Remington Mag. Hunted with it for years. Reloaded 120 grain bullets so hot it would leave flattened primers or they'd fall out when you ejected the shell. Reloaded those with no problem too. I guess I must have had a 'bad' one. Later quit reloading and have been shooting the Remington 150 Noslers that they had before they went to their own junkie accutip. It shoots 1/2" all day long and anybody can shoot it under an inch. Never had a lick of trouble with it. Yeah I know the gun experts claim it was an over engineered piece of junk but I'll put my almost 40 year old rifle against a whole lot of new fancy schmancy high dollar crap and it'll out shoot them all day long. I also have one in a 300 Wby that will bughole factory Wby 165s. It is also so accurate it's scary.

And of course I have had over 10 of the 202s. Also great guns and my light rifle is a 202 in a 270. It too shoots 1/2 with Federal 130 ballistic tips. The one thing I've found about the 202s is they will shoot extremely well but they are picky on the right load. Then again most good rifles seem to fit this bill.

Good advice on market value. GB will give you an idea. Also remember there are people who want to sell stuff and then there are the idiots who price things ridiculously high hoping to find a sucker. Look at the closed ads and see what something sold for, not necessarily the ones that are 'for sale'. I wouldn't pay $2000 for any Sauer rifle yet there are some who might and there are some that might pay more. I see some 202 lightweights in the high $2K and even $3K range. As fine as they are, they aren't that dam fine. Nobody's are imo.

I have an old Remington 700 in 270 (mountain rifle no less) that shoots 1/2". It don't know how accurate it is - especially for the money. Course it isn't as pretty and flashy as those light weight 202s or $1000 stocked Colt Sauers.. And Remingtons bluing sucks. They haven't a clue on how to blue a gun but they're the Walmarts of the gun world. American 'Union' made, not German Craftsman.. I had mine QPQ'd and that put the rust issue to rest once and for all. It's nickname is "black death" cause it don't miss either.

Looks like another push feed with bolt lugs locking into it's barrel!

Dear lord! You had to dig up a five year old post just to show us your stupidity.

Sweetheart, we've already done seen it! You've been parading it around here for years.

Why don't you tell us more about that prime rib you had for dinner.
Thanks!

Oh my......

Flashy "sniper" version....

My last buck taken this year with my Colt Sauer 270....taken in front of my house about 150 yards off my front porch.

Good evening.

I recently purchased a 30-06 Colt sauer at a gun show today and I am trying to find out some info on it. I have enjoyed reading this thread but was curious if anyone could provide me a website that I could purchase replacement parts for it since they stopped making them. I am also curious if I provide the serial number to someone if they can give me the details on my gun. Thanks

Dewey

I have one in 22-250 and it is one of my most accurate rifles. If you are looking for Colt stuff at all, I suggest you try Mike's Custom Shop in Hamilton, Montana. The best place to find him is on Gunsinternational, he doesn't have a website...

This thread was started 9.5 years ago?????? 10-26-06

I love me some Colt Sauer rifles! !

Back when Rem, Win, & Rugers were $250, The Sauers were @ $900

I really wish I had bought at least 1 C S


Jerry

I know where there are extra magazines for your rifle.

I bought my first Colt in the late '70's and I was almost a one hole gun. I traded it for a new Sako deluxe which I shot the barrel out of. I have owned a couple hundred guns since and just last year decided I wanted another Colt Sauer. They aren't $900.00 anymore, this one was $2900.00...

Very nice rifles, just not to my taste. If I were laying out that much cash, I 'd likely be looking at a Heym 30, funny wooden bolt knob and all.

I used to work with a guy that had a Sauer 7mmRM. He wasn't a hunter, but about once a year he'd take it out and shoot down a tree.

Yes I knew they are hi er

But didn't know how much.

Kleingunthers used to be 900. too

Jerry

I am guessing you have some 😀

Thank you guys for the info. I contacted Mike in MT for more info as well.

IF, IF I was going to buy a C Sauer. I don't know what cal/ cart I would choose. I would not want it in a magnum larger than. 7 RM. An 06 could do very nicely ! I have multiple 270s so..., Maybe a 6mm Rem, doubt I could find one anyway.

I'd want one that I'd hunt WT and Elk (?) and it'd not be a varmint rifle.

SO -- 06 might very well be at the top of the list.

DANG you guys !!

Why didya start this ?


Jerry

They are very heavy rifles. I owned one in 7mag years ago and sold it. A couple of years ago I bought another one and couldn't stand the weight of it and sold it too.

Slidell -

Thanks, seriously. That helps to dampen my craving. I don't like heavy rifles--UNLESS they're for Dangerous Game.


Jerry

ps: I lived in Hammond for 9 yrs. 77-86.

Since this thread has been resurrected from the grave, I thought I'd throw this out there. I'm a lefty, and like to think that I have a reasonable handle on who made what and when. But I have never seen or heard of a left-handed Colt Sauer rifle. Even if they were made for the European market only (unlikely), some of them should have eventually shown up here.