Test Data
Factory ammunition
Brand Bullet Advertised velocity(fps) Group size (inches)
RWS Twin Core 140 grains 2,855* barrel length 29.1 1"
Federal Power Shok 140-grain SP 2,600 1"
Fusion 140 grains 2,600 3/4"
Hornady Custom International 160-grain InterLock 2,509 1 1/4"
Hornady Superformance 140-grain SST 2,735 3/4"
Hornady Superformance International 120-grain GMX 2,850 5/8"
Note: All groups were 3 shots at 100 yards.
The Sauer Company was actually founded by Lorenz Sauer way back in 1751 and is the oldest gun maker in Germany. They started making hunting rifles in 1880, the production of which was quickly expanded with the introduction of the Drilling in 1881, a gun that uniquely combines a rifled barrel and a smooth bore barrel. The Drilling is still made today, a testament to its longevity. The company even manufactured the Weatherby Mark 5 series of rifles from 1958 to the early 1970s. I owned one of these Weatherby rifles, and it was an absolute gem of workmanship. But that level of quality does not come cheap, and while I marveled at many of these Sauer & Sohn works of art, I could not afford to buy one.
Consequently, purchasing one was shelved until the recent introduction of the Sauer 100 Classic XT, which I could own for the very affordable price tag of less than $1,000 Canadian, including taxes. A relative pittance when compared to the lofty numbers frequently associated with many of their rifles. It was immediately put on my must-test list.
Out of the box, this rifle offers a number of features which are not frequently found on a price tag-sensitive rifle. I will start with the barrel and action. While the Sauer barrel is cold hammer-forged and free floated, how it mates up with the receiver and is bedded is somewhat nonconventional. Rather than the three massivelugs on the bolt securing to receiver recesses, the lug recesses on the Sauer are milled into the breach of the barrel, which is heat shrunk to the receiver. This design eliminates the possibility of future barrel replacement, which for most hunters is a non-factor anyway as it takes a lot of shooting to burn the barrel out of most standard-calibre rifles. It is also finished in a non-glare matte black that provides an elevated level of esthetic appeal. Next is its Ever Rest bedding, which varies from the standard approach of hanging a recoil lug from the receiver or barrel. Instead, Sauer machined a lateral groove in the bottom of the front receiver ring that matches up with an aluminum block that is bedded into the stock. They then ran a threaded bolt from the receiver ring through the bedding bedding block, and a large hex nut fastens the two.
Sauer design engineers weren’t done yet, as the front action-type screw then tightens into the tension-bearing hex nut, rather than tightening the action directly. About the only additional comment I would make regrading either of these design departures is that they certainly did not impact the accuracy of this rifle. See test results for details.
As always, the trigger was next on my list, which on the Classic 100 is adjustable from 2.2 pounds to 4.2 pounds. On my test rifle, it broke very crisply between two pounds, 11.3 ounces and two pounds, 12.3 ounces – a mere pittance of deviation.
Moving on to the action and its component parts: the receiver is forged steel and accepts Remington 700 bases, the bolt has a quick 60-degree lift, and the flush-mounted etachable box magazine holds five rounds in small and mid-sized calibres and four rounds in magnum calibres.
The larger cartridge capacity of this box magazine is achieved by its double stack or staggered design – a “thumbs up” feature. Next up, and this is certainly a welcome feature on a value-priced rifle, is its three-position safety. It is designed so that in a full back position, it locks the bolt handle and blocks the rifle from being fired. Then, when moved forward one stop, it allows the bolt to open for the removal of a cartridge but prevents the rifle from being fired. In the fully forward position, the rifle is now ready to fire. As a finishing touch, the bright red cocking indicator that juts out from the rear of the bolt shroud affords an instant visual.
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