By Charlie Benton
Germans don’t fuck around when it comes to work ethic and professional craftsmanship. Austrians however, do fuck around when it comes to their frustratingly European game laws. After a morning in Germany of running Sauer’s new 505 in the shooting theater—an indoor range where you shoot live ammo at a screen on which video of different hunting scenes is projected—I was ready to put this rifle to some real work in the field. We drove across the border and into the Austrian Alps to hunt roe deer.
Huddled in a well-worn wooden blind with my guide Andreas, I found myself filled with hope—and anxiety—as I watched my breath drift out into the chilly evening rain. Andreas’ English wasn’t great, and my German is non-existent, but I understood well enough that at the beginning of the Austrian hunting season, yearling roe deer were the only legal animals. As I had limited experience with these tiny deer, I was completely reliant on Andreas to make the call if and when a deer made an appearance.
Our silent approach to the stand and stone-like stillness once seated went to shit after two hours when Andreas was overcome by a fit of Bavarian whooping cough. I wanted to punch him. I did not. Abstaining from violence can be attributed to the fact that, immediately upon the conclusion of his self-indulgent outburst, I was accosted by what sounded like the guttural bellow of a 400-pound bullfrog about 20 yards to my right. Preparing to combat a hulking amphibian attack, I swung my rifle in a fluid, synchronized motion with my head towards the ominous croak only to discover a 70-pound roe buck staring directly into my soul. The eyes were the blackest and angriest I’ve seen outside of a truly enraged Cape buffalo. How can such a diminutive creature pose such an affront to my manhood? He roared again, eyes still locked with mine. As I slowly found his surely evil heart in my crosshairs I felt Andreas’ hand on my shoulder, “Old buck. No shoot.”
I did not kill a roe deer—nor an Austrian guide—on that trip.
Though unsuccessful abroad, I managed to get my hands on a 505 chambered in .308 here in the States. It’s since been used, with great satisfaction and success, on whitetail in South Carolina, and its next quarry will be black bear in the north Georgia mountains in the next few weeks. I’ve handled and hunted with some genuinely fine firearms, but this one easily sits near the top of my all-time favorites. From functionality and performance to aesthetics, it’s everything a classic hunting rifle should be, full stop.
Founded in 1751, J.P. Sauer and Sohn is Germany’s oldest rifle manufacturer and, starting with their Sauer 80 that came to market in 1972, they’ve been known for producing rifles with incredibly smooth actions. As a writer, making absolute statements is rightfully discouraged. However, I’ll confidently go on-record saying that the Sauer 505 has the smoothest action I’ve ever felt. Lift the bolt handle, slowly tilt the rifle back and forth, watch and listen as the bolt nearly silently slides like butter—no friction, no screeching, no catches. Several of us here at Field Ethos attempted to torque the bolt and force a jam on purpose but couldn’t do it; the action just runs. The same level of care and ingenuity that engineered this action was applied to the entire build.
The line includes several different stock options including polymer, carbon, and wood. The company also offers multiple stock configurations: solid, thumb-hole, and with/without an adjustable comb. I prefer the Lux Wood model—a real head-turner with its high-grade walnut stock. The front sling swivel doubles as a takedown tool that, with a quarter turn of an embedded Allen bolt, unlocks the forend revealing the skeletonized steel alloy receiver. Built into the receiver is a four-position adjustable trigger that’s easily set with that same tool. The process of taking out the sling swivel, removing the forend, changing the trigger setting, and putting it all back together can lazily be accomplished in under a minute.
Barrel and stock swaps are handily accomplished with, yet again, that same tool, but changing caliber will require a different bolt. Departing from the previous 404 model, the 505 features a one-piece bolt. There were complaints that the 404 did not live up to Sauer’s smooth-action reputation and influenced the engineers’ decision to go with a one-piece bolt in the 505. That decision clearly resulted in the desired effect. Additionally, at the rear of the bolt is the cocking mechanism, or decocker, that functions as your safety. When on safe, the firing pin is decocked making the rifle incredibly safe to carry in the field while loaded. The system requires little familiarization as it is intuitive, comfortable, and quick.
The rifle has a three-round polymer magazine. A small, round button just in front of the mag well serves as the release. When pushed up into the forend, the button releases the magazine. With a magazine inserted, pushing the release button forward approximately an eighth of an inch towards the muzzle locks the button, and thus the magazine, securely in place. I find the magazine release button to be a bit awkward to depress—it’s small and requires a fairly deep press, and I am far from a dexterous or graceful man—but that’s really my only complaint about this gun, and it’s more of a personal coordination issue than a design flaw.
Since 2009 Sauer has been a part of Blaser Group, which explains the integration of a Blaser Saddle Mount for optics on the 505. If you haven’t experienced a Blaser saddle mount before, they’re impressive. Removing and reattaching your scope takes just seconds and you won’t lose your zero in the process.
The 505 Lux Wood rifle weighs 7.6 pounds, which is about what you’d expect, considering the classy AF wooden stock. When shooting on the range, I found the 505 to consistently produce groups at or just under an M.O.A. at 100 yards with 150-grain Hornady American Whitetail InterLocks. I suspect that would tighten up some if I switched to a match bullet but I’m not shooting PRS matches, I’m hunting, so an inch will readily get the job done.
Sauer’s 505 is an heirloom-quality, classic hunting rifle with every benefit of meticulous modern engineering. Don’t be an idiot and keep it in the safe. Like a classic Rolex, the 505 is a high-end tool designed for rugged use in the field. Inheriting a wooden-stocked rifle with scars is way cooler than a pristine gun with no patina and no stories.
The 505 will be available in the U.S. in December 2024 and offered in an abundance of calibers to include the caliber of our Lord. This is the gun you want for Christmas.
Lux Wood Cost: $4500
Pros: Smoothest action on the planet; nearly flawless functionality; smokeshow from one end to the other; very reasonably priced heirloom-quality hunting rifle
Cons: Mag release requires nimble fingers; there will be fistfights at your funeral over who gets to inherit it
