Sauer or Blaser

[owenlee]

I’ve got a chance to buy a Blaser r93 grand luxu in original case grade 6 walnut or a sauer 101 gti both guns same condition really good both 308 the Blaser is a little more expensive, I like both but which one would be the better buy for stalking. Thanks

 

[Stalker-of-the-deer]

Blaser r93 has been discontinued for a while so getting parts for them is now quite hard....

Just something to bear in mind!

Sauer 100 gti is really nice but doesn't have the modularity (if your into that) and heavier than the r93...

 

[doric_prince]

I have 2 Blaser r93s, one professional and one with grade 6 wood in attache. I don’t know about the Sauer but the r93 platform has served me well and usually can find barrels/ bolts/ mag inserts for if you are patient and look around enough on the second hand market.

 

[Long drag]

Sauer is a highly crafted rifle.

 

[gixer1]

Both very nice rifles and will both serve you well - do you prefer straight pull or bolt action?

Try both for fit and see which one feels better.

Both are higher end rifles.

Regards,
Gixer

 

[Freeforester]

Blaser is the safer bet. Had both R93 and Sauer 202 - nice as it was I sold the Sauer, and have three Blaser R93’s. Great design and functionality.

 

[Wmjas]

There are enough aftermarket parts for R93 nowadays I’d go for that…

 

[Mr B]

Plenty of used R93s knocking about that could be used for spares

 

[C&K Suffolk]

Got to be a Sauer.

 

[Heym SR20]

Either are very good. Very much comes down to your own personal taste and they fit and feel for you.

 

[Heym SR20]

Or to further elaborate, its like asking which is better - an Audi A6 Allroad, vs Mercedes E Class all Terrain. They are both very capable.

Blaser and Sauers are all part of the same group and I think pretty much built in same factory do no real difference in quality of barrels etc.

Major differences in functionality - Sauer feeds from a single stack detacheable magazine that you have to load off the rifle. Blaser has an integral magazine you load from the top.

Sauer is a turn bolt, Blaser a straight pull. For real life purposes this makes very little difference, and for deer stalking non at all, as in most cases one shot is what you get and speed of reload is an irrelevance. Either can be loaded fast enough.

Both have decocking safety systems. They are slightly different. Will discombulate at first, but will become second nature very quickly.

Stock fit is probably where one will be better than the other. And this very very much depends on the shooter and the particular model.

I have used the older 202 - very nice rifle but doesn’t really fit me, I have used the R93 several times. They work, but to me feel quite soulless.

 

[owenlee]

Or to further elaborate, its like asking which is better - an Audi A6 Allroad, vs Mercedes E Class all Terrain. They are both very capable.

Blaser and Sauers are all part of the same group and I think pretty much built in same factory do no real difference in quality of barrels etc.

Major differences in functionality - Sauer feeds from a single stack detacheable magazine that you have to load off the rifle. Blaser has an integral magazine you load from the top.

Sauer is a turn bolt, Blaser a straight pull. For real life purposes this makes very little difference, and for deer stalking non at all, as in most cases one shot is what you get and speed of reload is an irrelevance. Either can be loaded fast enough.

Both have decocking safety systems. They are slightly different. Will discombulate at first, but will become second nature very quickly.

Stock fit is probably where one will be better than the other. And this very very much depends on the shooter and the particular model.

I have used the older 202 - very nice rifle but doesn’t really fit me, I have used the R93 several times. They work, but to me feel quite soulless.

Thank you I really appreciate the information

 

[owenlee]

Thanks for all the advice guys I’ve decided to go for the sauer. Thanks

 

[moeggesit]

I’ve never tried the sauer but for me a selling point of the Blaser was takedown and very happy with it overall. I don’t rate most straight pulls for stalking but Blaser does a good job.

 

[Olaf]

Or to further elaborate, its like asking which is better - an Audi A6 Allroad, vs Mercedes E Class all Terrain. They are both very capable.

Blaser and Sauers are all part of the same group and I think pretty much built in same factory do no real difference in quality of barrels etc.

Major differences in functionality - Sauer feeds from a single stack detacheable magazine that you have to load off the rifle. Blaser has an integral magazine you load from the top.

Sauer is a turn bolt, Blaser a straight pull. For real life purposes this makes very little difference, and for deer stalking non at all, as in most cases one shot is what you get and speed of reload is an irrelevance. Either can be loaded fast enough.

Both have decocking safety systems. They are slightly different. Will discombulate at first, but will become second nature very quickly.

Stock fit is probably where one will be better than the other. And this very very much depends on the shooter and the particular model.

I have used the older 202 - very nice rifle but doesn’t really fit me, I have used the R93 several times. They work, but to me feel quite soulless.

Ive been tempted to buy a R93 in the past , thing is, I was always put off by the fact that they discontinued it so soon into its production and redesigned it to release the R8.
The other thing I’m not too keen on is those extremely vulnerable rails on the bolt, the whole mechanisms of the R93 and R8 look like they would be an absolute nightmare to deal with if they got any sand in them for example.
Having shot lots of cartridges in an R8 .30-06 and owning a Schultz & larsen in .30-06 I don’t think that the straight pull action of the Blazer offered me any advantages over my traditional bolt action S&L .
This thread is interesting though, it’s more than likely all rubbish but there are some valid points made that are worth considering perhaps.

https://www.africahunting.com I’d ...2 over the Sauer 101. Kindest regards, Olaf

 

[Olaf]

I’ve no idea what happened there with the Africa hunting forum link.
Anyway, In conclusion to my decision making I would say that I’d personally go with a Schultz &larsen over the Sauer ( much smoother and heavier action) but given the choice of a Blazer or Sauer only, I’d definitely take the Sauer 202 over the Sauer 101.
Kindest regards, Olaf

 

[Scarpa]

I bought a new Sauer 101 several years ago for my first rifle that had to do it all. I handled a few rifles at a local gun show, did a lot of research and finally settled for a very weatherproof model in 30-06. It has been a tack driver with copper bullets.

 

[moeggesit]

Ive been tempted to buy a R93 in the past , thing is, I was always put off by the fact that they discontinued it so soon into its production and redesigned it to release the R8.
The other thing I’m not too keen on is those extremely vulnerable rails on the bolt, the whole mechanisms of the R93 and R8 look like they would be an absolute nightmare to deal with if they got any sand in them for example.
Having shot lots of cartridges in an R8 .30-06 and owning a Schultz & larsen in .30-06 I don’t think that the straight pull action of the Blazer offered me any advantages over my traditional bolt action S&L .
This thread is interesting though, it’s more than likely all rubbish but there are some valid points made that are worth considering perhaps.

https://www.africahunting.com I’d ...2 over the Sauer 101. Kindest regards, Olaf

I would agree that straight pull does not offer any advantage in its own right, disadvantages if any, short stroke action however does have advantages but its also available in limited number of bolt actions, like the Mauser 66.

The rails are frail but then again, few modern stalking rifles will function fouled or full of sand, a little makes no difference. I’ve used it extensively in the Kalahari and normal fouling is no worse than any other rifle, they all need regular cleaning. With the Blaser you keep the bolt shut, either de-cocked or unloaded, so risk of damage is minimal. I won’t take it to war and if you want it to be really robust, stick to a Mauser 98 (military, Santa Barbara, PH, etc.) or older CZ, (I would add a Ruger 77 to the list as well).

Is 15 years too soon for a few improvements? Most major manufacturers will release a new model every few years just to increase sales. The R8 brings a lot of functional improvements. I still regularly use rifles from the 1890’s and early 1900’s and slightly discontinued, I don’t see why that’s a problem. Are you looking for spares before buying any other brand of rifle? I don’t.

Either way, choice between rifles is usually individual taste or specific features rather than quality (some exceptions of course). I’ve bought rifles before which ticks every theoretical box and after a couple of shots knows it’s never going to meet expectations and other would never tick the boxes but meet every practical need.

 

[Stalker-of-the-deer]

R93 was updated because some numpty blew his face off with homeloads and it blew the bolt back into his face. Loaded pistol powder not rifle powder.

So the r8 has a bigger bolt and steeper locking plugs to give you a bigger locking up area to prevent such things.

Thats why the r93 feels alot smoother tha the r8

 

[owenlee]

After all I ended up buying a sauer 101 highlander xtc what a beautiful rifle so light to handle. Thanks for all the information guys. Regards owen