I love my sauer 101 in classic xt with opening sights. They synthetic stock is heads and shoulders over any other synthetic stock as it doesn't feel plasticky at all. The issue with the press in barrel really isn't an issue on a hunting rig. The barrel is pretty stout and should hold up to 10k rounds so I doubt you'll ever shoot it out. The way the barrel is fixed in should in theory help with accuracy.
Someone also mentioned the issue with the sling swivel being in the forward position, this is by design cause it's meant to accommodate a sling when hunting, not a bipod. This position actually helps when you're walking in the woods however if you want both, sauer has drilled a small position hole in the stock so it makes adding the bipod stud very easy should you want to add that (if the store has not done that for you). I've seen some rifle sold with both studs.
Sauer is not well known in North America so you need to take that into consideration when you read all these recommendations for the 85 since its partly due to the sako brand being more wellknown/common over here.
I'm curious to know if anyone actually owned the Sauer you mentioned and not liked it.
At the end of the day, you need to handle both side and side and determine which one fits you better. The way the sauer stock is, fits me perfectly and tames the 3006 perfectly.
