The newish Sauer S 303 semi-auto rifle
In 2006 Sauer, a 257 year old German company, produced their first semi-automatic rifle the S 303
(Sauer should not be confused with Sig Sauer, which is the American arm of the European conglomerate that owns J. P. Sauer & Sohn).
In the January 2009 issue of Guns Magazine they review the S303 and call it a “new” rifle. I think they mean “new in the USA”.
Sauer S 303 Elegance model with scope.
The rifle is a high-end elegant rifle (in other words: a non-evil non-black rifle) designed for European drive hunts. In drive hunts game is flushed out towards hunters and quick shots are needed as they run past; at least that is my understanding of drive hunts, never having seen one.
The S 303 includes some interesting features. It has a feature called the Silent Cocking System (SCS) which Guns magazine describes:
With the magazine in place if the cocking lever is pulled back and allowed to go forward the firearm is cocked and ready to go. However, if you allow the lever to go forward slowly, it stops about 1″ shy of actually closing and then can be pushed into place silently.
I can’t quire figure out what this mean in practice. Walking around with the bolt open 1″ with a round not quite chambered seems to me like asking for a jam but I am sure there is more to it than that.
The cocking/decocking lever can be seem at “1″.Click to expand.
The S 303 also features a innovative detachable mounting system called isiMount. The scope can be move into two different positions, depending on desired eye relief, without effecting point of impact.
isiMount bottom diagram. Smart Tube gas system top diagram.
The under barrel gas system, Smart Tube, has been designed with accuracy in mind.
Specs:
Models: Classic (least expensive), Elegance, Individual (most expensive)
Barrel length: 510 / 560 mm – 20″ / 22”
Total length: 1065 / 1115 mm – 41.9″ / 43.9”
Weight: 3.25 / 3.35 kg (7.16 / 7.38 lbs)
Calibres: 7×64mm, .30-06, 8×57mm IS, 9.3×62mm, .300 Win. Mag.
Magazine: 2 rounds (optional 5 round magazine available)
Guns Magazine says that the price will be $3999 (presumably for the least expensive Classic model).
The top end Individual model. Look at that wood!
With its elegant non-threatening appearance I think Sauer have a winner on their hands. While the rifle is expensive, it is not when compared with the double rifles it is competing with. It also has many advantages compared too double rifles such as decreased recoil (semi-auto action) and increase accuracy (one barrel).
It is available in 9.3×62mm which is the minimum African dangerous game caliber so it should be more than sufficient for any animal found in Europe or North America. Due to import restrictions on semi-automatic rifles it is unlikely that many (if any at all) will end up hunting the Big 5.
More info available at Sauer and Guns Magazine (Jan 2009 issue).
(Photos and diagrams from Sauer-Waffen.de)
If you let the bolt fly forward it is loud. If you want to not be loud you have the option of easing the bolt forward and pushing the last inch by hand.
I believe the silent cocking is a feature that is typically European. Let me give you some background on that; Semi-Autos are considered new-fangled, wannabe military, poorly built novelty weapons for hunters who spend more time on gun magazines than in the woods. A typical aspect of the semi-auto rifle that causes the more conservative european hunter to frown at it is the fact that most are built to be cocked by letting the handle loose from the rearmost position. If you’re already close to the scene of the hunt when you’re loading your weapon (as all responsible hunters are) the noise will work against you. The SCS is meant to let hunters relatively silently load their weapons and thus removing a reason for bias against semi-autos amongst responsible hunters.
I’ve done most of my hunting (in Sweden, where this kind of thinking is the wide-spread norm) with a Browning BAR. That rifle won’t let you load it silently if you do it the way you’re supposed to, but it’s still very easily done by carefully pushing the bolt forward instead of releasing it.
As far as I’m concerned the SCS is a gimmick, but I do like that the safety acts as a cocking lever. And that it has a mount on it when you buy it. I’d really like to have a 303 in .308…