Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/742011
S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S • 95 R egardless whether the times they are a'changing or someone's changing the times, manufacturers must keep pace or fade away. Sauer, a premier German gunmaker famous for high-end, traditional bolt- actions, classic double rifles, and sidelock shotguns, also understands today's market for inexpensive, knock-about hunting rifles. How else do you explain the "entry- level" Sauer 100? Let's see . . . Black polymer stock. Check. Black polymer, detachable box magazine. Check. Full-diameter bolt body with three-lug bolt head and 60-degree bolt lift. Check. Blued forged-steel receiver and 22-inch, cold-hammer-forged barrel. Check. Receiver contoured to fit Remington M700-sized scope bases. Check. (I used Talley's precision, 2.8-ounce, one-piece rings.) Such are the standard features on today's inexpensive bolt-action "starter" rifles. But at Sauer, that's just the tip of the old iceberg. The company's advertising claims the S 100 "raises the standard for entry-level rifles," and that's not inflated PR hype. As I see it, there's nothing "entry level" about a three-position safety that blocks the sear and locks the bolt when fully engaged, continues to block the sear but unlocks the bolt in the middle position, and puts the rifle into full fire position in the fully forward position. That's a premium feature. Equally premium is the crisp, user- adjustable, single-stage trigger, easily turned down from 4.2 to 2.2 pounds. The polymer magazine is no three-round budget model, either, but the same slick, rugged, double-stack magazine used on Sauer's premium 101 bolt-action rifles. It holds five mini, short-action, and standard- length cartridges from .222 Remington through .30-06. Step up to 7mm Rem. Mag. or .300 Win. Mag. and you can still fit four rounds into this drop-box magazine, which latches securely into place and stays there without rattling until you depress a release button seated deep in the stock forward of the magazine well. In practice, I found this magazine dead simple to load and flawless to cycle. The stock itself appears to be today's typical, black, molded polymer. Sauer RIFLES BY RON SPOMER The new 100 XT rifle is proof ThaT sauer, founded in 1751, is shining brighTer Than ever. calls it an ERGO MAX polymer stock, a reference more to its shape than any unusual ingredients. The material feels and sounds as hard, hollow, and slick as most hard polymer stocks, but stiffer than some of the softer-feeling molded plastics. The molded-in grip panel "checkering" is surprisingly effective, providing crisp edges that enhance one's grip. In profile, the stock appears classic with a good, open grip, slim forend, and small Schnable tip. The real performance features appear to be the double palm swell of the grip, effective for lateral control by right- and left-handed shooters, and the stock's comb, which rises noticeably from nose to heel. Credit this rise with moderating felt recoil significantly. Two Sauer 100 rifles I've worked with were chambered in the rather mild-shooting .308 Winchester, but recoil in both was more reminiscent of a 6.5 Creedmoor (which, by the way, is offered in the 100.) The 1 /2-inch rubber recoil pad is too stiff to absorb much kick, so give full credit to the stock design. This degree of recoil control argues for this rifle