Sweet and Sauer semi-auto: the new Model S303 .300 Winchester Magnum

Guns Magazine, Jan, 2009 by John Taffin

The Sauer $303 is produced by the German firm of J.P. Sauer & Sohn long known for quality products including Sig Sauer semi-auto pistols. The Model $303 is the first semi-auto rifle in the company's more than 250-year history. No doubt about it, this is one beautiful and beautifully performing semiautomatic rifle.

The first thing I noticed about it is the exquisite Turkish walnut stock not only beautifully grained, but also sporting an extremely well shaped cheekpiece, pistol grip and forearm. Definitely, all are well thought out. Semi-automatic rifles often have a clumsy feel. This one does not! The checkering on pistol grip and forearm is not what would be called fine-line but rather large enough for handling security while hunting in wet or cold weather without being painful.

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I've fired the .458, have considerable experience with the .30-06, .338-06, .338 Win Mag yet until now have had no experience with any of the .300 Magnums whether they were long, short, or ultra-short. That has now changed and I have been enjoying shooting the .300 Win Mag chambered in this brand-new Sauer Model $303.

As I hefted the $303 for the first time, I realized how light it really was at seven pounds, looked at the small recoil pad and thought, "Oh my! This is going to be painful!" This .300 Win Mag rifle certainly recoils more than the .30-06 Browning I tested several years ago, however, for sighting-in and hunting neither the weight nor the pad should be a problem as far as felt recoil, and the relatively lightweight of the rifle would be very much appreciated when slung over the shoulder all day.

The factory pad will do for hunting, however it certainly was not enough for me to shoot long strings while testing different brands of ammunition for accuracy and velocity. For this I called upon one of the Lyman Pachmayr slip-on Decelerator pads. This allowed me to shoot until the barrel heated up and it was necessary to allow time for it to cool down. After about 20 rounds groups would start to open up. Of course, this means nothing in a hunting situation.

The Sauer Model $303 is a gas-operated version of their $202 bolt-action rifle. The use of a 2-piece stock and a single-row detachable magazine blended in with the bottom of the stock results in a relatively slender shape, sleek appearance and a balance which brings it up to the shoulder quickly. No doubt this balance is enhanced by the 21" barrel. This is definitely a hunting rifle! The chambering of .300 Winchester Magnum speaks to me of African plains game and big bears, sheep, moose and caribou in Alaska. It is certainly an excellent choice for any hunting in North America and anywhere else short of the really big stuff for that matter.

The Model $303 has a lot of innovative features including SCS, or Silent Cocking System. 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. When the rifle is cocked and ready to fire, a red dot is clearly visible on the thumb piece. To place the Model $303 on safety, an actuator button protrudes from the top of the thumb piece, which when pressed automatically moves to the safe position. There is also an internal "Intra-Lock" which prevents the firing pin from operating if the bolt is not completely closed.

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"Smart Tube" Accuracy

To increase accuracy, which is not always the best with semi-automatic rifles, the $303 has a housing surrounding the rear of the barrel which Sauer calls the Smart Tube. The underside of this housing contains a gas port as well as the forearm mount bushing. Sauer says this does away entirely with asymmetrical barrel tension either from the forearm or the gas system, all of which allow the barrel to be free-floating for increased accuracy.

A rifle capable of the long-range accuracy inherent in the .300 Win Mag deserves a scope. Most rifles are drilled and tapped for scope bases, but not so the Sauer $303. Instead, a dovetail base is integral to the receiver. Sauer calls this ISI (Individual Selective Integrated) with both the front and rear base allowing two scope ring poitions to increase or decrease eye relief. My test rifle came from Sauer USA already mounted with an excellent Schmidt & Bender 6X scope in place. If, for some reason, such as extremely bad weather or very close-up shooting, scope use is not desired, the Sauer $303 comes equipped with a triangular yellow rear I sight adjustable for elevation mated up with a red bead front sight adjustable for windage. The rear sight is mounted well forward on the barrel so it does not interfere with scope mounting in any way.

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The receiver and trigger assembly are made from aerospace-grade hard-anodized aluminum alloy and the steel parts, such as the barrel, are coated with Nitrobond X, all of which produce weather beating capability as well as scratch and rust resistance. The 2-round capacity magazine releases easily by pressing a button in the floorplate. This button does not protrude but rather is inletted inside of a circular cutout which allows easy access to the shooter without any chance of accidental release. Sauer says the trigger pull is creep free and set at 2.6 pounds (lighter than I care for in a semi-auto), however, in measuring the trigger with my RCBS Trigger Gauge I come up with about 3.3 pounds which is more to my liking. However, it is definitely smooth and creep free.