Near Mint Colt Sauer Grade IV .243 Winchester Win. Sporting Bolt Action Rifle, Hand Engraved

Sold For: $7,505

LSB#: 140706SR76

Make: Colt – Made by J. P. Sauer & Sohn in Germany

Model: Short Action Sporting Rifle Grade IV

Serial Number: CR15607

Year of Manufacture: 1979 (Proof House)

Caliber: .243 Winchester

Action Type: Bolt Action with 4-Round Detachable Magazine

Markings: The top of the barrel is marked “Colt’s PT. F.A. Mfg. Co. Hartford, CT. U.S.A.” The left side of the barrel is marked “CAL. .243 WIN.” The right side of the barrel is marked “Made In W. Germany / by J.P. Sauer & Sohn”. The left side of the receiver’s chamber ring is marked “CR15607”. The receiver, trigger guard, magazine floorplate and the tang in front of the magazine are all elaborately scroll engraved. In addition, the left side of the receiver is engraved with a game scene featuring two deer. It is this game scene that distinguished the Grade IV from the Grade III. The screw heads are engraved in a starburst pattern. The bolt is jeweled.

Barrel Length: 23 5/8”

Sights / Optics: There are no provisions for iron sights. There are two piece Redfield style mounts on the top of the receiver. The mounts have blued steel scope rings attached with elaborate scroll engraving on the top half. The mounts are very beautiful, so please see out pictures. They are in about Excellent condition.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stock is hand checkered fancy grade walnut with a pistol grip, Monte Carlo comb and cheekpiece. It has a high gloss epoxy finish. There is a white on black Rampant Colt medallion in the center of the grip cap. There is also a vented black rubber recoil pad on the butt with white and black spacers. The rear surface of the pad has a textured finish and is marked “Colt Sauer / Sporting Rifle” in the center. The grip has a rosewood cap with white spacer and the forend has a rosewood tip with white spacer. There are sling swivel studs mounted in the belly and on the bottom of the forend. There is a small chip in the finish and two small scrapes in the finish near the toe on the left side of the buttstock. There are probably a couple more light handling marks hiding somewhere, but we didn’t see them. The checkering shows very light wear and is still very sharp to the touch. The LOP measures 13 ½” from the front of the trigger to the back of the recoil pad which is still pliable and shows only minor wear in its textured finish. The recoil pad is in Fine to Excellent condition. The stock rates in about Excellent overall condition.

Type of Finish: The barrel is blued. The receiver, magazine floorplate, trigger guard assembly are scroll engraved with a silver finish. The bolt is jeweled with its handle in-the-white and the adjustable trigger is serrated and blued.

Finish Originality: All Original

Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is sharp and deep. There is no erosion.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 99+% of its metal finish. There are six tiny marks on the right side of the chamber ring. The screw heads are sharp and the markings are clear. Overall, this rifle rates in about Excellent condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. This rifle has an adjustable trigger that breaks crisply and is set to 4 lbs. This rifle has a unique tang mounted safety which locks the bolt handle and there is a button on the bolt handle which unlocks it when the safety is on so that the rifle may be unloaded without disengaging the safety. It also has a loaded chamber indicator on the left side of the receiver. It has three internally-cammed locking lugs which allow the bolt to lock-up without rotating. We have not fired this rifle.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: The scope mounts and engraved rings are included.

Our Assessment: The Colt Sauer rifles were based on the Sauer Model 80 rifles that Sauer produced for European consumption. There were a total of 27,189 rifles produced in four variants (Short, Medium, Magnum and Safari) and in three grades that we are aware of (Standard, Grade III and Grade IV). This rifle is a short action Grade IV in .243 Winchester. The receiver is silver with elaborate scroll engraving by the masters in Germany and with a game scene of deer on the left side of the receiver. The wood is fancy walnut with a high gloss epoxy finish. PLEASE SEE OUR PICTURES!! The rifle is loaded with special features, including an adjustable trigger, hand checkered stock, non-rotating bolt and a pin button for releasing the bolt so the rifle can be unloaded with the safety engaged. The rifle is in near Mint condition. The metal shows only a few tiny marks on the right side of the chamber ring and the buttstock has three marks on the left side near the toe. If you were looking for a general purpose high end rifle, you don’t need to look any further. The .243 Winchester chambering is great for deer and with 55 grain bullets can achieve over 4000 fps. making it an excellent choice for varmints as well.

Near Mint Colt Sauer Grade IV .243 Winchester Win. Sporting Bolt Action Rifle, Hand Engraved
Near Mint Colt Sauer Grade IV .243 Winchester Win. Sporting Bolt Action Rifle, Hand Engraved