SIG Sauer Cross Sawtooth Magnum

Estimated reading time: 13 minutes

For the last few months, I’ve been using the Sig Cross Sawtooth Magnum for my Spring hunting and shooting activities.  I started out being unimpressed by the rifle, but the more I used it, the more it grew on me.  Here are some takeaways from my experience.

Sawtooth Barrel

The first thing I noticed on the Sawtooth was the barrel. It’s a Proof carbon, and I have shot rifles with these barrels threaded on the end of actions in the past.  They have all shot well, and I was excited to see if this one would live up to its reputation.  The barrel is 24 inches long and threaded 5/8×24. It comes with a muzzle break attached to the end of it from the factory.  It’s a radial break that I find useless. I would prefer a thread protector over a break that will throw dirt and dust everywhere while shooting prone.  I understand that manufacturers can produce these breaks for almost the same price as a thread protector, but I wish they would come up with a better design. 

Before I fired a single shot, I took it off and replaced it with my Odin Works Enduro suppressor.  I left all five baffles on the suppressor for this rifle, as it’s not meant to be a lightweight gun to start with.  The Enduro did a great job of taming the percussion and recoil out of the rifle.  With it attached, it was enjoyable to shoot.  I am very sensitive to percussion, and this is a must for me.

Accuracy

I was able to get four different factory loads for the Sawtooth, which is chambered in 7PRC.  The gun came with a Sig Sauer Whiskey 6 3x18x44 mounted to it. I used this scope for load testing.  During testing, I knew that I wasn’t getting all the accuracy out of the gun that it was capable of.  The crosshairs of the scope are a little too thick for precision shooting, and the glass is not as clear as I would have liked it to be.  I felt as though I could squeeze at least another tenth of an inch out of the groups with a better scope. All groups were fired at 100 yards, and each shot was chronographed with my Garmin Xero.

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Hornady 180 Gr ELDM

First shots down range were the Hornady Match 180 grain ELDMs.  They shot .674 inches with an average speed of 2831 FPS and an extreme spread of 15 FPS.  With a G7 BC of .360, this load is an absolute long-range tack driver.

Hornady 175 Gr ELDX Precision Hunter

Next was the Hornady 175 gr ELDX Precision Hunter.  They shot a .786 in group with an average speed of 2848 FPS and an extreme spread of 29 FPS.  The 175 ELDX has a G7 B.C of .347 and would prove to be an excellent choice for big game hunting.

Federal Premium 175 ELDX

Next was the Federal Premium 175 ELDX.  They shot a .835 inch group with an average speed of 2924 FPS and an extreme spread of 77 FPS.  Although these bullets shot ok, the extreme spread is too great for me to consider them for long-range shooting. 

Nosler 175 Gr Accubond Long Range

Last was the Nosler 175 grain Accubond Long Range.  They shot a very impressive .358 inch group with an average speed of 2897 and an extreme spread of 87 FPS.  A friend of mine was generous enough to give me three of these shells to test. I was grateful for this as a box of 20 will run you around $100.  The group was fantastic, but the extreme spread (along with the price tag) would keep me away from using them for long-range shooting.

I ended up putting a Leupold VX-5 scope on the Sawtooth after a month or so and had to shoot another group to zero the rifle.  The only ammo I had left was the Hornady Precision Hunter 175 ELDX.  I was able to shoot a .5 inch group with the new scope, an improvement of .25 inches.  The FPS and extreme spread stayed almost exactly the same, which is just what you want when shooting long range. 

Sawtooth Action

When I began testing the Sawtooth rifle, I was disappointed in the action of the Sawtooth.  It’s not a smooth action, but it’s also not rough by any means.  For the price tag, I thought it would be more on par with some of the smoother actions on the market. It has positive engagement and disengagement as you cycle; you definitely know what it’s doing.  It just doesn’t do it with a buttery smooth feel of a Tikka, Seekins PH3, or even a Browning.  I’ve been trying to come up with a better description than “clunky” for it, but so far that’s the adjective that fits best.

It does cycle flawlessly, which is what’s important.  The bolt has three locking lugs and a 60-degree throw.  It travels back in a channel that is cut into the stock, making it impossible to torque the bolt out of alignment when shooting in uncomfortable positions or trying to rack it as quickly as possible.  Knowing you’re going to be able to feed a round into the chamber no matter how you cycle the bolt is a good thing, especially when shooting in high-pressure environments such as combat engagements or PRS tournaments, where time is money.  The action comes with a 20 MOA rail mounted on the top of it.

Sawtooth Trigger

With the first shots down range, I was also unimpressed by the trigger.  It’s a two-stage trigger, which I am not against.  However, once I got to the wall of the trigger, it was a little spongy before it broke.  I was still able to shoot good groups with it, but it was noticeable while shooting.  I went home and adjusted it, which is a very simple process that requires one tool, and you don’t have to remove the stock.  This is how all trigger adjustments for all rifles should be.  My only complaint on the adjustment of the trigger is that the screw doesn’t have clicks (A very minor complaint) The trigger was breaking at 2.75 lbs. After taking it down to 2.1 lbs, the sponginess on the back end of the pull before the break went away.  It is now good enough for what I consider precision shooting.

Sawtooth Stock

The stock on the Sawtooth rifle is awesome, and it has room for improvement.  The forend has Mlok everywhere you could need to mount anything to it.  I put a swivel stud adapter for a Harris bipod on this one.  There is also approximately 4 inches of arca rail located on the back of the forend near the magwell for shooting off of a tripod.

It accepts AICS-style magazines. The one it came with holds six rounds of 7 PRC.  It has ambidextrous mag releases located on both sides of the trigger guard.  It also has ambidextrous AR-style safety and an AR-style pistol grip.  I found that the pistol grip made the rifle cumbersome to shoot with the end of my trigger finger. I wound up having my shooting hand mostly off the pistol grip to break shots the way I felt most comfortable.  With my hand securely on the grip, my finger would be resting past my last knuckle on my finger for contact with the trigger.  If this were my personal rifle, I would swap the grip out for one I preferred.  

It Folds!

The folding stock is a home run, making the long rifle (especially after adding 9 inches of suppressor) manageable.  I was able to put it into my Eberlestock pack and ride my motorcycle with it.  Without the folding stock, it would have been too long and caught on every branch and limb.  It did stick in the open position after I took it for a four-wheeler ride, though, and I had to use a screwdriver to get it to function again.  As far as I can tell, the mechanism that allows the stock to fold and open got gunked up with dust and debris and what looked like the start of some rust.  After cleaning and applying WD-40, it was working again. 

The buttstock is also fully adjustable for both length of pull and cheek weld..  While I didn’t feel the need to adjust either for my shooting style, it’s nice to have the option.  It also has a bag rider.

Real World Applications with the Sawtooth

Now, for what really matters. How would the Sig Cross Sawtooth perform during real hunting scenarios, and not from a bench? The first critter I came across while packing the Sawtooth was a coyote.  He was working his way towards me and would come into my wind fairly quickly.  I got set up in prone, ranged where I thought he would stop, and dialed the elevation.  The shot was only 318 yards, and the 180 ELDM hit right where the cross hairs were placed.

The second coyote was a better scenario for the Sawtooth. It was 611 yards away, and it knew I was there.  I once again dropped prone, ranged where I thought it would stop, dialed the elevation, and sent the 180 ELDM as soon as it stopped, knowing he wouldn’t hold still for long.  Almost double the yardage as the first coyote, but the result was the same.  The bullet impacted exactly where the crosshairs were, even though I was shooting fast.  In case you’re wondering, a 7 PRC makes a mess out of coyotes.

Bear Hunting

I was primarily hunting bears and had been seeing a bear that wasn’t quite big enough for me to shoot.  I asked a friend if he wanted it, and he enthusiastically agreed.  He asked if he could borrow a rifle, as he was currently in between scopes on his hunting setup.  I told him I had just the one.  My friend is a Law Enforcement Sniper whom I have known and competed with for years.  I knew he would make a good shot on the bear if given the chance.  After he made the 4-hour drive to the hunting spot, we set out after the bear with him packing the Sawtooth.

When the bear came out into the clearing to feed on green grass, there was still plenty of daylight left, and he made a perfect shot at just under 200 yards.  The 175 gr. ELDX performed perfectly, expanding and leaving a large exit hole in the bear’s vitals.  Bears are notoriously tough, and even though he was dead on his feet, the bear still tried to run across the clearing to thick, nasty cover where it would be hard to recover him.  My friend very calmly racked another round and sent it at the running bear, miss!  He racked another round, adjusted for the running shot, and hit the bear solidly, knocking him off of his feet before he entered the thicket.  Even with two well-placed bullets in it, the bear still clung to life for another 30 seconds or so before it expired. They are very tough animals.

On Your Radar

I lived in Custer County, Idaho, for a decade of my life, which is home to the Sawtooth Mountain range, and I would not attempt to pack the Sig Cross Sawtooth Magnum into them.  Sig claims a weight of 8.1 pounds, and I felt every ounce of it while packing it around this spring.  After a scope, rings, loaded mag, sling, bipod, and suppressor, if you want to be civilized, you’re going to have a hunting weight of closer to 12 lbs.    While I would not personally purchase the Sawtooth as a hunting rifle, that doesn’t mean someone else shouldn’t.  If weight doesn’t deter you, then this rifle should be on your radar.  

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Final Sawtooth Thoughts – Heavy and Accurate

Sig has very wisely partnered with Proof, and that relationship has resulted in a very accurate rifle that is capable of shooting factory ammunition out to very long distances very consistently.  The Sawtooth comes with a sub-moa guarantee, and it easily held up that guarantee with every type of factory ammunition I put through it (even with a scope that was costing it tenths of an inch). I have not found that to be a common theme among rifles.  Generally, you can find one factory load out of four that shoots 1 MOA.  The Sig Cross Sawtooth shot all four of them well under 1 MOA.  I would not hesitate to use this rifle as a sniper rifle for either Law Enforcement or Military purposes.  After killing his bear, my friend told me that he wants to buy the Sig Cross Sawtooth Magnum to use as his hunting rifle. 

I do think that SIG could offer another edition of the Sawtooth, say a lightweight edition.  There are a lot of places to shave weight off of this rifle (I think a 20 oz reduction could be easily achieved), and I’m sure that there are a few companies who already offer some aftermarket parts or are currently working on it.  The only thing I would recommend Sig does not change on the Cross Sawtooth is the Proof Barrel. Accuracy is king. 

Great Rifle

Sig offering the Cross Sawtooth in the 7 PRC is also a very wise choice.  The 7PRC’s fast twist rate allows it to stabilize very high B.C bullets that Hornady has available in very accurate and consistent factory ammo.  If I had a larger supply of ammo, I would be shooting steel out to a mile with this rifle while giggling uncontrollably with every hit, and it wouldn’t be that much of a challenge.  

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