This week on #SundayGunday, we’re taking a closer look at the J.P. Sauer & Sohn 505 Synchro XT, an eye-catching rifle from one of Europe’s oldest and most storied gunmakers. Part of the company’s Highland Package of 505 rifles, this particular 505 is designed to blend form and functionality into one rugged package. The first detail one notices about the gun is its black polymer thumbhole stock. While more common across the pond, thumbhole stocks are fewer and further between on the American market, and this one boasts an adjustable comb to keep cheek weld perfect no matter the height of one’s scope. The thumbhole allows a vertical grip for perfect finger alignment with the trigger. The fore-end is well textured for purchase in harsh, wet conditions, and a sling swivel adorns its very end, matching another on the gun’s buttstock.
The stock’s magic does not stop there, however. Part of what makes it so unique is you can swap between eight different stocks and nineteen different chamberings without needing any special tools. The rear sling swivel studs on the rifle doubles as a hex-head wrench when removed. That single wrench is all that’s needed to swap stocks, switch barrels and adjust comb height. The stock’s buttstock is attached by a single hex screw, while the fore-end is held on by a latch. That QD sling mount on the front of the fore-end also interfaces with all Spartan Precision bipods and Tripods. To remove the barrel, three screws sit under the fore-end, toward the bottom of the receiver. The hex wrench is used to loosen these, at which point the barrel can be twisted 90-degrees and removed.
As a part of its Highland package, the gun boasts a blued, fluted barrel with an M15x1 threaded muzzle, and Diamond Like Coating on the barrel, the receiver and even the bolt assembly. The bolt handle is well knurled for purchase and the action itself is steel. It is integrated with a one-piece saddle scope mount system, allowing one to attach and remove a scope while retaining zero. In place of a traditional safety, the bolt has a silent actuator at the rear that you push forward to take the gun off safe. To put the safety back on, simply depress the red "cocked" indicator.
Shots are released by the gun’s Quattro trigger, so named because of its four adjustment settings of .77, 1.65, 2.2 and 2.75 pounds. The action is fed by a three- or five-round detachable box magazine. The overall weight of our .308-chambered test model sat at 7.8 pounds with its 20 inch barrel, though magnums—which sport a 24-inch barrel—will tips the scales a little heavier.
For more information on the Sauer 505 Synchro XT, visit sauer.de, and for more #SundayGunday check out our playlist on YouTube, where all previous episodes are archived.
