Sauer 202 Barrel Swap

geoffrey

Well-Known Member
I have just replaced the barrel on my sauer 202 for a fluted one in the same calibre .270win, the original standard barrel was very accurate and the fluted one was sold as new, swapping the barrels was easy enough so yesterday I put up a target at fifty and fired a shot that was eight inches low, wound up the elevation on the scope until it ran out of clicks fired again and it hit two inches low, took the target out to one hundred yards and it was still shooting two inches low,i then fired a three shot group that was around four inches, so decided that I must have a problem with the way I changed the barrel, in the evening I was sitting thinking about the barrel when it suddenly occurred to me that the ammunition I was using was for my original barrel and only neck sized, do you think this could be the reason for the poor accuracy and the eight inch drop in the point of aim
cheers Geoff
 
in my opinion the cases will make no difference as the case is nowhere near the barrel. the fact it was only neck sized means it should have been previously fire formed in your rifle so there is no need for full length sizing. as far as cases go i would say your fine.

the things i can think of is
1. does the OAL need to change to maintain the same gap to the lands of the barrel
2. is the barrel of the same length which may affect velocity (also i wonder if the fluting can change harmonics much)
3. is the barrel correctly fitted and is it still free floating and not touching the stock
a friend of mine had a stock warp to the point it was touching the barrel resulting in an 8" POI change.

i do however find it strange that you have run out of elevation adjustment. i have read threads on here about the same thing when people have swapped scopes on the 202 and have had to "shim" the scope. this seems unlikely in your case however as your rifle was zeroed with the same scope / bases / rings.

Greg
 
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Hi, I had a similar problem and whilst my solution won't answer your questions, it might help with adjustment of scope. I bought from new a sauer 202 in 270. This has a fluted barrel and is cut for a mod, which is used. I chopped in a blaser r93 pro of the same caliber for it. I was very surprised when sighting in, using the same scope, the massive drop which was approx 2 feet at 100 yrds. To get round it, I fitted two slices of 35mm negative film between the base (talley) and the rings. This has given me more adjustment and I now use 140 grn geco.. Though prefers the more expensive brands (it would wouldn't it..).
 
I wouldn't bother approaching the importer as I got nowhere. He even proceeded to tell me my scope is useless... It is a new Zeiss victory.
 
reading this and some other threads, it surprises me how many people are willing to buy several thousand pounds worth of rifle / scope and then shim the scope around with tape or film.

it does seem odd that this seems to happen to sauers. I myself have 2, one I bought second hand and put a Z5 on it. the other I only just bought brand new, I read some of these threads about the elevation problems so I took it to a shop and bought a z6 and mounts there which was fitted for me. as the dealer was not a sauer dealer he was kind enough to take the mounts off of another brand new 202 for me so hopefully all will be good. I hope to zero it tomorrow.

I would guess one of the best bets would be to speak with Jamie at Garlands as they are the importer and he really knows his stuff. he would most likely have seen these problems before and would hopefully be able to advise.
 
I would guess one of the best bets would be to speak with Jamie at Garlands as they are the importer and he really knows his stuff. he would most likely have seen these problems before and would hopefully be able to advise.

You would have thought so wouldn't you. I've learned my lesson..
 
I encountered a similar problem when I changed from Leopold to Apel swing off mounts on my 202 where I ran out of elevation after working my way through the problem I deduced that the foot of the swing off mount was 0.5 mm too short vs. the spec in the Apel catalogue. I cursed my self as I had bought them second hand but spoke to a kind lady at Apel and returned the mount to them and they changed it to the correct one FOC. On reassembly and bore sighting it rectified the problem. It was amazing that 0.5mm could cause this and demonstrates how sensitive rifles are to correct mounts. Likewise got me thinking if they were wrong from day one hence why they were offered for sale.

I also have swapped my barrel from .308 to 6.5x55 and noted how important it is to follow Sauers instructions I.e. Prior to torqueing the bolts which hold the barrel to the action ensure you have reinserted the bolt and locked it into closed position therefore ensuring the spacing to the head is correct. Likewise ensure you torque the bolts to the correct pressure as specified.
 
As above lock the bolt in place before tightening the retaining bolts. I have a Sig SHR970 in 25-06, I believe this is what the 202 is based on, I've just had it rebarreled and the guy who did it used the first 2 1/2" for the locking lugs and fitted a Pac-nor 1-9 to it.

Can anyone tell me what the recommended torque setting are for a 202 are as Sig couldn't give me an answer and I would assume they are about the same.

cheers

Rick
 
Hi Thanks for all you comments, i removed the barrel again and re fitted it making sure the bolt was locked home then tightened the screws, bore sighted it and tried it with factory ammunition this grouped very nicely but still i ran out of adjustment two inches low at 100yds, so i have just shimmed the rear scope mount and bore sighted again i will try it and let you know how i get on, cheers geoff.
 
Hi all, took the Sauer out today with a 10 thou shim made from a biscuit tin fitted under the rear scope mount and I am pleased to say it gave me the elevation I needed, I then tried some 130gn Norma factory rounds which grouped very nicely so job done, thanks for all your posts,

Regards Geoff
 
Good man. Like the biscuit tin idea.. Have you used any non-lead ammo through it? I ask because there is some stalking I have that I am required to use lead free..at least for the time being...
 
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