Sauer 202 issues!

[gixer1]

I get your point gixer but possibly not the best analogy as a Fiesta, Aston or Bentley would not be the most practical of cars to do a European tour.
However the Bentley would be the nicest.

It's pretty much the same with rifles, there isn't a rifle made that doesn't have some fault or idiosyncrasy. In the end it will always come down to personal choice, what you can afford and what you can live with. Some are however nicer looking than others and some don't hurt the pocket quite the same. Most will do the job.

P.S. I've had a couple of Tikka rifles and came close to buying a Sauer 202 twice, but events conspired against me on both occasions. That's not to say I wouldn't buy one at some time in the future.

And Aston or a Bentley have a “grand touring” line - both designed for continent bashing…so designed for that very purpose.

And they may do similar jobs - but not the same, I have both Tikka’s and Sauers (and not just one of each) and I know that I can put the sauer rifles away if they have been out on a damp night and not come back to an orange mess the next day - the same is not the case on the Tikka’s, that’s a simple fact - the ilaflon coating on Sauer’s 202’s will not allow the moisture to get to the metallic areas coated, and even the metallic areas are not as susceptible to corrosion when compared to the Tikka’s.

I use my tikka’s and they are cracking rifles - but I wouldn’t expect them to compete with a product that is more expensive and cover as many bases.

Regards,
Gixer

 

[gixer1]

If one is really looking for rifle performance in accuracy and reliability as competition shooters would be...... why do they steer clear of Sauer? You do find quite a few Tikka's in competitions world wide, these people are not stupid. Of course the Sauer 202 can appeal to those looking for a more traditional sunday rifle that looks nice in some eyes. I look at rifles more from the engineering side as well as reliability in the field in harsch conditions.
If a product is cheaper, is more reliable, is more accurate, performs better.... then the engineer did a better job. It is a better engineered product.
edi

Sauer simply don’t want to be as involved in that side of the sport - they have (as mentioned) produced some fantastic competitive rifles, but they choose to focus on sporting/hunting rifles in most areas.

Tikka produce cheap options such as the target ace, Tac A1 etc which will be fine but most will have components changed out by serious competitors.

 

[ejg]

I do think the Sauer 200 STR is the most commonly used precision target rifle used here in Scandinavia.
Most of our top competition shooters use Sauer 200 STR, but of course there are a few exceptions..
I have seen in person how a Danish competition shooter armed with a 6,5x55 Sauer 200 STR shot full house on a 48-shot field shooting competition. The targets are placed at random ranges between 25 and 650 meters, ranging done by mark one eyeball, and only 45 seconds to fire 6 shot groups at each station.

That takes a rifle with smooth bolt action, perfect feeding and good balance on the stations that have to be taken kneeling or free standing.

That said, I had a Sauer 202 for more than 10 years, my 2 barrels where 6,5x55 and 9,3x62. I had my share of problems like shots going off when opening the bolt, rust issues, and unreliability in dusty or cold conditions.
But I never had problems with precision, the rifle always shot better that me.

Is it not true that in some of your Scandinavian competitions you are forced to use these rifles, only rifles allowed at the competition? This is the actual reason for so many using them. Are you sure your competitors would not wonder off and maybe use a fancy US competition action with a fancy Bartlein barrel instead... if they had the option? If the Sauer 200 STR were that good wouldn't we see more of them on the international competition scene ?
edi

 

[Stalker-of-the-deer]

Is it not true that in some of your Scandinavian competitions you are forced to use these rifles, only rifles allowed at the competition? This is the actual reason for so many using them. Are you sure your competitors would not wonder off and maybe use a fancy US competition action with a fancy Bartlein barrel instead... if they had the option? If the Sauer 200 STR were that good wouldn't we see more of them on the international competition scene ?
edi

Theres tons about, just alot in chassis systems now.

The 200srt was improved upon and eventually became the sig sauer 3000 which was standard issue to police and military all over the world.

 

[bobo]

Is it not true that in some of your Scandinavian competitions you are forced to use these rifles, only rifles allowed at the competition? This is the actual reason for so many using them. Are you sure your competitors would not wonder off and maybe use a fancy US competition action with a fancy Bartlein barrel instead... if they had the option? If the Sauer 200 STR were that good wouldn't we see more of them on the international competition scene ?

No, we can use more or less whatever kind of rifle we like. (police will ask questions for certain calibers like 50BMG, and might not allow them, on top of that many ranges have caliber restrictions, typical max 9,5mm or 7,62mm)
After Sauer 200STR, I would think Otterup (Shultz & Larsen) M69 caliber 6,5x55 is the most used type for serius competition here in Denmark, but sometimes other types are seen.

Personally I shoot on a fun basis, and just use my Krico 30-06 hunting rifle from the 70s in "scoped rifle class".
A few times I used my CZ527 caliber .222Rem, but the caliber is to wind sensitive for precision on longer ranges.

 

[Jager Waffen74]

If anyone is unhappy with their Sauer 202 and has nice wood on it, please PM me to flog the thing you despise so you can get a T3 or something you will be happy with. (NB: So long as your barrel takes rounds smaller than 6.5x.284 in all dimensions, e.g. a 6.5 x 55 Swede).

As Ed mentioned above, Sauer 202s do not like things on their front end such as bipods. Sticks are fine, oddly, even the garden centre variety like mine, but not bipods. Tensioning the sling before pulling the trigger them helps too, unless you have shaved some material off the front end to give the barrel a wee bit more space to move.

The Sauer fancy wood stocks are beautiful, but confess to having snapped one and fixed it up, as they complex grain makes them weak. I understand why people get these things in synthetic or carbon. On the stock, if there is any movement at all between the stock and action, then accuracy is totally out of the window; the hex bolts have to be tight.

What I likout 202s is there is enormous potential for great accuracy out of them. The Sauer bolt engages full with the barrel itself, not just with the junction between barrel and action. That detail in the barrel is awkward to machine, but rechambering an existing barrel to suit one's favourite round is easy. Its a pity barrels do not fit into EDM die sinker machines, as I have a barrel blank here that I am about to set into.

I'll second that!!...lol

 

[AlexD]

I'll second that!!...lol

Alas, nobody PM'd me with the 202 they want to sell, and the chap in the classifieds selling one has not logged on since May.
It suggests that some people on here prefer to moan and whine, not being happy with anything, rather than sell off what one professes not to like so one can buy what they love.

I believe the 202 is a nice rifle, as many here have said it is accurate unless set up poorly or wrecked, and it looks beautiful, with a smooth action, crisp trigger with low pull pressure, light and easily serviced. Offer still stands for anyone unhappy with theirs, to PM and free a slot.

 

[reiver]

Had a couple of T 3 LH in 243 and 308 as I couldn’t justify the extra cost of a 202 finally succumbed to buying a 202 in 30-06 synthetic once I got the 202 I wished I had done it years ago. The 202 in 30-06 feels better to shoot than the t3 in 308 . I did have the problem of over tightening the forend but that was just user error . Once that was sorted I haven’t had any other problems.
There aren’t many after market bits for the 202 apart from scope rails compared to the t3 I have a pictinny rail on mine the only other thing I did was put a rubber ball on the bolt handle and get a couple of extra mags in 5 and 8 shot .
I would definitely say the 202 is faster handling when shooting driven boar . 2 -3 aimed shots off isn’t a problem and once shot 4 out of a train of pigs starting at the back I probably could have shot the lot if I shot the first 2 big sows first though ?
Probably put 2-2500 rounds through it in ten years I am not a gun tart and my guns just have to work.
If I shoot it out then it’s easy to rebarell so not worried about that either way