Convert Sauer 80 300WM to 375 H&H Magnum

C

CR Cruiser

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I have a Sauer 80 in 300WM that was given to me by a good friend. He is no longer physically able to go hunting anymore and wanted me to have his prized rifle. I already have a Browning X-bolt White Gold Medallion in 300WM and really like it.
I have wanted a 375 H&H for a while and am wondering if the Sauer 80 could be re-barreled to 375 somewhat economically. I don't really want to sell it due to it's sentimental value but I don't want to spend a huge amount to re-barrel it. I can buy a new Browning X-bolt Medallion 375 for under $1500 so economically it would have to cost less to convert the Sauer.
There are not many hunters out there familiar with the Sauer 80. It has the nicest wood of any rifle that I have come across and the action is so smooth. It pains me to relegate it to being a safe queen.
 
I would keep the sauer and sell the browning and just buy a new browning 375 h+H. The sauer is a high end high quality rifle I would keep it as is.
 
IIRC (from reading about these excellent rifles) Sauer 80 (and 90) magazines are very precisely made to accomodate specific calibres... you may wish to assess that before going any further.
 
300 WM has a case length of 67mm and COAL of 85mm
375 H&H has a case length of 72.4mm COAL of 91.4mm

I’d have concerns about your ejection port, stroke length and the length of your magazine box for a conversion.

I would keep the Sauer 80 as a 300WM and buy a new 375H&H in the rifle of your choice if set on 375H&H.

(If you are set on a rechambering the 80, what about .338WM?)

Scrummy
 
Scrumbag said:
300 WM has a case length of 67mm and COAL of 85mm
375 H&H has a case length of 72.4mm COAL of 91.4mm

I’d have concerns about your ejection port, stroke length and the length of your magazine box for a conversion.

I would keep the Sauer 80 as a 300WM and buy a new 375H&H in the rifle of your choice if set on 375H&H.

(If you are set on a rechambering the 80, what about .338WM?)

Scrummy
Click to expand...


The 375 ruger I mentioned in the first post solves all those issues.
 
Rebarreling to 375 Ruger makes more sense, it will likely fit better and is a superior cartridge to the 375 H&H

Easiest is like others have said- sell one and buy a new 375
 
I've owned a Sauer 80 in 375 H&H, and still have a -06, 270 and 22-250. I like the Sauer 80 - 90, it's nearly perfect.

I've looked at re-boring my -06. Barrels are a bit thin for much of a rebore. But more important, every caliber group had a specific action and magazine. In other words you would never fit a 375 into the 300 WM magazine. Also, not too many smiths are familiar with how to correctly remove and install barrels on the Sauer 80 - 90 rifles. I took the barrel off my -06, reset the headspace, and would not recommend just letting anyone do that.

These Sauer rifles would crack the stock, recoil damage. The area between the magazine cutout and the trigger cutout was too thin, and I assume their was some sort of design limitation or something, because this is a common problem.

Why not shoot the 300 WM, and enjoy. These rifles are a real bear in 375, stock design doesn't help, accentuates recoil IMO. I would "fix" the stock cracking issue before shooting it.

If I were to own another 375, it would something close to Larry Potterfields nearly perfect safari rifle.

ht tps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ktvmiwu1e1c
 
Okay, you've got me convinced to not mess with the Sauer. One of the reasons that I had considered re-barreling is that this particular rifle has a bad tendency to copper foul the barrel. After a thorough cleaning, it is deadly accurate until I've put 10-12 rounds through it. Then the accuracy degrades quickly and I have to do another complete Wipe-out cleaning. I assume that the barrel needs to be lapped. I've had it checked by 2 different gunsmiths and they both said that the barrel and chamber appears to be in good condition. It's been re-bedded and re-crowned. My godson really has his eye on this rifle. Maybe it will be a birthday present to him.

So I guess it's time to look for a new 375 H&H. I'm in love with my Browning X-bolt White Gold Medallion. Right out of the box, with factory ammo it consistently shoots cloverleafs at 100 yards. Unfortunately, Browning doesn't make them in 375. It's time to go shopping but I'll have to wait until my accountant lets me know how bad Revenue Canada is going to hurt me this year.
 
That is interesting, my -06 is a 30 shot wonder. IOW, after shooting a box of ammo accuracy starts to go south and after 30 rounds, it is a real chore to get the copper out. In my other Sauers, life was good after breakin. Fire lapping, Tubbs kit, may work. Your rifle may be different than mine, but you may have the same issue I have. Mine has a manufacturing fault. Too much pressure was used when the barrel was stamped and my barrel has a tight spot in that area. My other Sauers aren't stamped nearly as deep. It is probable that one batch or more than 1 barrel was over stamped.

If I use a fairly tight patch I can feel the restriction. If your rifle is like mine, cleaning out the copper is a real chore, so much so I seldom shoot my Sauer.

That is why I was looking at reboring. I contacted a shop that does reboring and they thought 8mm was doable, perhaps 338, but they wouldn't attempt 35. Having an -06 each of those is a caliber in most reloading manuals. 8mm-06, 338-06 and 35 Whelen.

Nitro

The Winchester Model 70 Safari gets one vote from me as well.

CR Cruiser said:
Okay, you've got me convinced to not mess with the Sauer. One of the reasons that I had considered re-barreling is that this particular rifle has a bad tendency to copper foul the barrel. After a thorough cleaning, it is deadly accurate until I've put 10-12 rounds through it. Then the accuracy degrades quickly and I have to do another complete Wipe-out cleaning. I assume that the barrel needs to be lapped. I've had it checked by 2 different gunsmiths and they both said that the barrel and chamber appears to be in good condition. It's been re-bedded and re-crowned. My godson really has his eye on this rifle. Maybe it will be a birthday present to him.

So I guess it's time to look for a new 375 H&H. I'm in love with my Browning X-bolt White Gold Medallion. Right out of the box, with factory ammo it consistently shoots cloverleafs at 100 yards. Unfortunately, Browning doesn't make them in 375. It's time to go shopping but I'll have to wait until my accountant lets me know how bad Revenue Canada is going to hurt me this year.
Click to expand...
 
So it was my godson's birthday yesterday and he got the Sauer. I explained the copper fouling issue to him and what was required to keep the barrel clean. He's a firearms officer with the RCMP and should be able to deal with it. He is quite stoked with the rifle. It is a beautiful firearm.

What nitro-express mentioned about his Sauer 80 having a tight barrel may be a point. I was having the local gun shop install new scope mounts and he had a real problem getting his 30 cal. boresight mandrel into the barrel. Maybe it's a 29.95 caliber.
 
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