Favorite Firearms: A Dealer’s Choice Colt Sauer

I grew up in East Texas and was heavily influenced in the love of shooting by my father. His nickname was “Buckshot,” and you can bet he loved guns and the outdoors. I got the bug for reloading as a teenager and bought myself an RCBS reloading press and began loading rounds for the various chamberings we had. I was a voracious reader and bought all the reloading manuals I could find. At some point, I decided that I needed a 7 mm Wby. Mag.—and I specifically wanted the Weatherby Mark V.

So I went to the local gun dealer to buy a Weatherby, and he showed me something else. It was a Colt Sauer in 7 mm Rem. Mag., and it was essentially the same price—$625 in 1977—as the Weatherby. He told me that the Colt was made by J.P. Sauer & Sohn in Germany and was regarded as being at least the same or better quality. The Remington cartridge also allowed me to purchase cheaper ammunition, and he said it gave up nothing on ballistics. I was amazed by the American walnut stock on a great German-built rifle with an unmistakable Colt blue finish, and the action was slick.

Even though I’ve bought many rifles since, this has been my primary hunting rifle and has been responsible for a lot of game, including South African plains game, North American mule deer and, of course, East Texas whitetail. When it looked like American Airlines lost my gun on the way home from South Africa, I was distraught. They did find the gun at a United Airlines baggage claim somehow, and it changed me forever—I’ll never trust this Colt Sauer to an airline or shipper again. I might find another like it, but it wouldn’t be the gun I bought new more than 45 years ago.

—Michael Johnston