Sauer - Outback or go for a Blaser?

stecad

Well-Known Member
Already have a Sauer 202 Elegance in 308 and recently picked up a Tikka M690 in 6.5x55.
I'd always been happy with the Sauer except for the weight (wood stock and a very nice one). The Tikka has become my go to gun because it just points and handles better than the Sauer (she is a bit of a broom handle in comparison).
I've done the rounds of several dealers (incl. S Beaty) and tried the Blaser and the several Sauers, also the Heyms and Merkels.
I just can't bring myself to switch to a Blaser but did like the handling of the Outback - light and quick onto target (like the Tikka).
I do prefer 308 (the 6.5 is an excellent round) but just want a lighter, faster handling rifle, and do like the Sauer for quality & build.
Will I solve my problem or am I about to spend a lot of money for no real gain?

Thanks.
 
I just swapped my Sauer 202 out for a Blaser R8 in .308, im still in the honeymoon period so loving it with no regreats. For Fast handling however have you tried the Sauer Syncro or the Blaser success jobs? they are super quick to mount / point, not my cup of tea though. If you fancy swapping barrels etc then my preferance is the Blaser system over the Sauer, its a lot quicker and easier. Lets face it Sauer, Blaser theres only a car park between them!

WH
 
I have been down Steve's twice in the last month to buy an estate rifle
I opted for a very nice sako in 7mm 08
both times I had friends with me in the market for a new rifle
we went through all the makes and models and belive me there's plenty
also what Steve doesn't know about rifles and there pros and cons is endless
for me both times it was the Blaser pro success that came out on top
the handling is superb
the two guys that were with me most likely will go pro success

I know there will be many on here reading this thinking well hes gonna say that hes
A Blaser. Nut
we had thousands of pounds of rifles in front of us and to me that was what I would
buy
last weekend saw me at the south west fitasc championship with my trusty beretta dt10
i eventually went on to win the title with some of the best in the game there including
our past gold Olympic medalist
whilst there I picked up a krekolff parcors shotgun now that was probably the best handling
gun I've ever picked up in my life and I've shot a few and if I'd had nine grand in my ass
pocket that would be sat in the cabinet
the Germans just seem to get it spot on with engineering and I have so much respect for there
products
at the end of the day it's your hard earned cash you must spend as you feel will benefit you
the most
sorry if I have rambled on just my two penneth
good luck with your purchase
regards pete
 
last weekend saw me at the south west fitasc championship with my trusty beretta dt10
i eventually went on to win the title with some of the best in the game there including
our past gold Olympic medalist

:tiphat:

stecad - what is it that is preventing you switching to the Blaser? Is it the engineering, the handling, the price or the reputation that supposedly comes with owning one? If the latter, ignore the naysayers. Those who have made the switch to Blaser tend to stick with them...and they shoot plenty of deer too.
 
When mt mate bought a blazer I did like the concept myself. However on actually handling it I found it to be heavier (1lb when weighed) above a 202 sythetic. So if weight is the issue I feel you'll be taking a step back rather than forward.
The new outbacks have built in rails so no longer have the issue of threads stripping in the ally action. I certainly would stick with the sauer. Like you I wanted something that real came up nice to the sholder and pointed well so I had my 308 cut down to 18". It really is a useful rifle now in woodland. 20" would have been fine and gained a little velocity but with home loads I've had no problem pushing 150gn to legal speeds without loading hot. All loads are below book maximums where longer barells were the test rifle.
Shame you're not nearer you'd be welcome to come and try it out.
 
If you're buying new then surely the weight of the rifle can be somewhat determined by you when you choose which weight of barrel you want (be it a blaser or a sauer)? I have a heavy sauer but on purpose because I went for a heavy weight barrel. My friend's tikka is, like you say, a "broom stick" in comparison and very different altogether but great. So if you haven't considered barrel weight choices then perhaps have a look at that aspect. Given the opportunity I would also look at cheek height and choose a stock with an inbuilt adjustable comb.
 
I would not be spending that much without being sure about what I was buying. I also did a good shop around recently and ended up with a Mauser M03 synthetic. I love it. With your description I would be looking at a Heym but to be honest I don't have much experience with the recent models. SR20 takes some beating and Heym will do a compete refurb/rebarrel on an old one for cheaper than you would be spending on a blaser R93.
 
Thanks for all the wisdom. I'm a bit traditional with rifles and cannot even get my head around thumb hole stocks. I did try a wood Sauer with thumb hole and it did come up nice but just doesn't look right. The thin bit is bound to break. The Blaser actually comes in at similar weight to the Outback but the overall length is shorter. Same reason why a 26 inch barrel semi shotgun is the same length as a 28inch O/U. The Blaser is a cracking rifle - German engineering at it's best but the traditional bolt action style wins me over.
I have a Krico 902 which is as light as the Tikka and quick to mount and shoot.
Will check out the Mauser as Steve B didn't have any to try.
Thanks
 
Taking it sideways a bit...... If you use night vision 'scopes then the Blaser has no bolt handle lift clearance problems.

I use a zruncho (his ebay i/d) pic rail on mine with a Drone Pro 10x on that but I've also got a tubed nv fixed to a standard Saddlemount base with a custom interface to replace the high original mount.

NV scopes traditionally tend to come with, annoyingly, high 'head-up military style' bases allowing the objective lens to clear any full length pic rails. Which means you need to consider cheekpieces on a sporting rifle and having to allow extra for bolt lift is a right pita. Even on the Drone I reckon you could easily lose another 5mm with a simple redesign of the mount. The Yukon Photon is a step in the right direction.

's me 2p's worth :)

Cheers

Fizz
:cool:
 
whilst there I picked up a krekolff parcors shotgun now that was probably the best handling
gun I've ever picked up in my life and I've shot a few and if I'd had nine grand in my ass
pocket that would be sat in the cabinet

Pete

This was in the cabinet in the Gun Gallery at Cabela's in Hamburg, PA, yesterday. You'd get $5 from $14k.

Kreighoff_zps6f71bc4e.jpg
 
I have a Sauer 200 Lux in .308 that shoots wonderfully. It is not light, but not as heavy as my Steyr Pro Hunter. I use lighter scopes than a lot of the UK shooters here, so the total weight on both rifles is not bad.

My suggestion is: Keep the Sauer .308 you like and buy a Tikka T3 Lite in .308 to go with it. Terrific accuracy. Use the factory rings, and you will be under 7 lbs with a normal 3-9x40 scope. In fact, if you are not using it at night, mount a Burris 2-7x35mm FFII with Ballistic Plex reticle, and it will be under 7 lbs loaded.
 
I have a 202 elegance and a 202 outback and the outback is a much better rifle to handle than the elegance but I am very happy with both. I use the outback for the hill and the weight difference is really noticeable on a long hike. I also have an R8 which is lighter than the 202 elegance but but not as light as the outback. The outback is the best rifle when weight is an issue but I like the R8 for woodland because it can be carried with a round in the chamber and not cocked.

Hope this helps
 
I used a Sauer 202 Outback in 6,5x55 for some 9 years until I replaced it recently with a Blaser K95 in 6,5x55.
I found the Sauer was excellent, very light (even with a Reflex moderator), very accurate and a more positive feel/feed to reloading another round than other rifles.
However although it was "weatherproof", I didn't go much on the section of iathlon finish (on fluted barrel) under the moderator having rubbed away when it came time to sell it.
I was persuaded to move on to a K95 which is lighter by 6mmHot and Big white Hunter and I'm very glad I did.
Size matters though, I'm probably 10 stone soaking wet and pushing 60 so I'm inclined to want a light rifle.
Best of luck
 
Visited Steve Beatys on Saturday and spent a few hours looking at all the options.
Swapped the wildcat over barrel mod (will need to re-blue the barrel) for an aimsport unit - transformed the rifle balance and pointability.
Changed the wood to a new soft feel synthetic stock & forend. The wood forend is actually lighter than the synthetic one but overall the whole feel of the rifle is now transformed.
In total I took nearly 600grams out of the rifle and it now handles superbly.
Can't wait for the synthetics to be delivered and to spend a few hours on the range setting it all back up.
Thanks for all your advice.
 
Regards QUOTE=stecad;836989]Visited Steve Beatys on Saturday and spent a few hours looking at all the options.
Swapped the wildcat over barrel mod (will need to re-blue the barrel) for an aimsport unit - transformed the rifle balance and pointability.
Changed the wood to a new soft feel synthetic stock & forend. The wood forend is actually lighter than the synthetic one but overall the whole feel of the rifle is now transformed.
In total I took nearly 600grams out of the rifle and it now handles superbly.
Can't wait for the synthetics to be delivered and to spend a few hours on the range setting it all back up.
Thanks for all your advice.[/QUOTE]

Glad your all sorted
steve is certainally a wealth of knowledge when it comes to rifles
I recently bought a Aimsport for a rifle recently purchased off Steve
very impressed with it
regards pete
 
My suggestion is: Keep the Sauer .308 you like and buy a Tikka T3 Lite in .308 to go with it. Terrific accuracy. Use the factory rings, and you will be under 7 lbs with a normal 3-9x40 scope.

Excellent advice and certainly not the most expensive.
 
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