Sabatti post-2017 Compact Scout

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The History of Sabatti

Sabatti’s history can be traced back to the early 18th century’s Val Trompia, a region in northern Italy that is historically well known for metalworking and arms manufacturing. We know of one Lodovico Sabatti working there as a gunsmith in the early 1700s, in the city of Gardone Val Trompia. He was regarded as an excellent barrel maker and a flintlock pistol maker, skills that later became somewhat of a trademark for the Sabatti family.

In the first half 1800s, a man by the name of Giuseppe Sabatti gained considerable fame as one of the best Damascus steel barrel manufacturers ever, thus further contributing to Sabatti’s rising influence in the craft. In fact, it was throughout the 19th century when several members of the Sabatti family became respected practitioners of the trade, some of whom opened their own workshops, while others joined forces with other gunsmiths to open companies, many of which are still in operation today. Sabatti members also played an important role as gunsmiths in the turbulent years of Italian unification.

After a seeming decline of the Sabatti family in the first half of the 20th century, Antonio Sabatti entered a partnership with Giuseppe Tanfoglio to form a new company almost immediately after World War II (in 1946). Their joint company was named SATA (Sabatti and Tanfoglio), and it reinvigorated the Italian gun manufacturing business. They first put all their efforts into manufacturing high-quality hunting shotguns and rifles, but in 1956 they also introduced their first pistols for personal defense.

The partnership ended in 1960 with Giuseppe founding Tanfoglio while Antonio’s sons set up their own company, which until 1990 operated under the name FIAS (Fabbrica Italiana Armi Sabatti). They seemingly split SATA down the middle – Tanfoglio specialized in hand pistols only while Sabatti to this day remains a well-respected manufacturer of hunting shotguns and rifles. And just like in the past, the quality of the barrels and actions are still Sabatti’s main strengths. They even patented a new Multi-Radial Rifling (MRR) system which extends the life cycle of the rifle’s barrel, and due to the lack of traditional sharp corners, it prevents excessive bore fouling. MRR system thus increases the overall quality of barrels, making Sabatti rifles, such as Sabatti Urban Sniper, Saphire, Saphire E.R., or ST-18, a great pick.

Sabatti Compact Scout (post-2017) Rifle Review

Sabatti Compact Scout is a bolt-action rifle with all the features of a scout rifle that make it a great multi-purpose weapon. Sabatti first announced it in 2014, but it had seen some gradual changes through the years that led to a considerable transformation, most notably in 2017 when it was re-designed in resemblance to the then-new Sabatti Saphire. In this review, we’ll focus on the Sabatti Compact Scout as it was after the 2017 re-design; we’ll call it a post-2017 Sabatti Compact Scout. If you’re interested in the pre-2017 version of the rifle, visit this page. But before we dive any further into this review, we would like to give you a fair warning about some of the confusion that surrounds this rifle. There are several characteristics of the pre- and post-2017 versions of the Sabatti Compact Scout that intertwine and sometimes make it really difficult to tell them apart. To add to the confusion, there were (and still are) stores that sold one or the other version of the rifle that didn’t entirely coincide with the manufacturer’s description of the factory issue of that said rifle. This is why we’d like to point out that, even though we tried our best to address all the different variations of the Sabatti Compact Scout found on the market, we almost entirely relied on the data provided by the official manufacturer (Sabatti) for the purposes of this review. If you wish to learn more about Sabatti Compact Scout rifle and its development, you can read this article.

Sabatti Compact Scout (post-2017) in .308 Win.

Figure 1: Sabatti Compact Scout (post-2017) in .308 Win. (Source: https://www.deltamike.co.nz/product/sabatti-compact-scout/)

Sabatti Compact Scout was built around the traditional Rover action, and it largely resembles the older Sabatti Rover 870 model. Post-2017 Compact Scout boasts a 51 cm (20-inch) long cold-hammer-forged barrel with a threaded muzzle (1/20” UNF) for an easy installation of muzzle devices. Both a protective cap and a muzzle brake should be included when the rifle is purchased. In contrast to most of the “scout” rifles, the barrel of the post-2017 Compact Scout is usually not equipped with a Picatinny rail, but the rifle instead comes with a 2-piece Picatinny base on the receiver for the traditional scope mounting purposes (we say “usually” because there are some rifle stores that sell the post-2017 version of the rifle with both Picatinny rails pre-installed, and some even offer the Compact Scout with a standard Picatinny rail installed on the receiver). This makes the post-2017 Sabatti Compact Scout sort of unique since the “scout” rifles are normally known for their forward-mounted scopes – a feature that was still present in the pre-2017 Compact Scout.

The rifle’s action is of the push-feed style, and it hosts a chrome-plated steel bolt with 2 locking lugs for safety purposes. On the right side of the action behind the bolt handle, there is a 2-position safety catch that locks the bolt and the rifle’s single-stage trigger. The latter has a pull weight of 1100 g (2.4 lbs) and is protected by the Rover-style trigger guard. There is a magazine release catch on the trigger guard that easily and quickly detaches the rifle’s 5-, 7- or 10-round AICS (Accuracy International Chassis) magazine. The catch is usually found on the inside of the trigger guard, but it can be sometimes located on the outside as well. The capacity of the magazine a store-bought Compact Scout comes with depends on where and when the rifle was bought.

Sabatti Compact Scout’s stock is made of an ultralight techno-polymer that significantly cuts on the rifle’s weight while retaining all its sturdiness. The rifle comes in either a black or dark green color and it ends in a polymer buttstock with a thumbhole opening for a steadier and more comfortable hold. As opposed to the pre-2017 Compact Scout, the post-2017 version comes with a fully adjustable cheek piece and a spacer to adjust the length of pull (LOP). The buttstock is very light, yet rigid and vibration absorbent.

Sabatti Compact Scout (post-2017) Calibers

The post-2017 Sabatti Compact Scout can be chambered for:

.308 Win.
.30-06

Sabatti Compact Scout (post-2017) Variants

Due to the reasons already mentioned above, it is a bit complicated when we talk about Sabatti Compact Scout variants. Much of the confusion stems from the 2017 redesign that launched a new version of the rifle with completely the same name as the first one. We are talking about the post-2017 Sabatti Compact Scout in this review, but there is also a pre-2017 one. There are several differences between them, but the most obvious visual one that lets us relatively easily differentiate them is noticeable on the buttstock. The post-2017 Compact Scout comes with an adjustable cheek-piece, something that the older version doesn’t have. Another way to tell them apart is by the mounting surface. Like the other “scout” rifles, the pre-2017 Compact Scout normally comes with a pre-installed Picatinny rail on the rifle’s barrel, while the post-2017 Compact Scout has a 2-piece Picatinny base pre-installed on the receiver for traditional scope mounting and usually lacks the rail on the barrel. We used “normally” and “usually” above because there seem to be certain rifle stores that offer the post-2017 Compact Scout with both the 2-piece Picatinny base and the forward Picatinny, while there are also some stores that offer a pre-2017 version equipped just like that (a 2-piece + a forward Picatinny). Therefore, it is our opinion that the only reliable way to tell them apart is by the buttstock.

There’s even more confusion added when we learn of the latest Sabatti’s “scout” rifle – the Sabatti Rover Scout. The latter was announced in 2021, together with the rest of the 2nd generation Rover models, and is most likely a direct successor to the post-2017 Compact Scout, but there are so many differences between them that they couldn’t be regarded as nearly the same rifle anymore. Sabatti Rover Scout is thus not a Sabatti Compact Scout variant but is rather a completely different rifle. Therefore, the pre-2017 Sabatti Compact Scout is the only variant of the post-2017 Sabatti Compact Scout.

The post-2017 Sabatti Compact Scout comes with a pre-installed 2-piece Picatinny base on the receiver.

The receiver of Sabatti Compact Scout (post-2017) with a visible mounting surface

Figure 2: The receiver of Sabatti Compact Scout (post-2017) with a visible mounting surface (Source: https://aleksis-optics.com/new/product/lovna-narezna-karabina-sabatti-compact-scout-kal-308win-sintetika/)

Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Sabatti Compact Scout (post-2017)

Rifles That Have Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Sabatti Compact Scout (post-2017)

The necessary condition for rifles to have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable is that the mounting surfaces of these rifles match in every dimension. Since the post-2017 version of Sabatti Compact Scout has a 2-piece Picatinny base pre-installed on the receiver, most one-piece scope mounts suitable for Picatinny will fit on the Compact Scout, too, but you do need to keep in mind that the gap between the Picatinny bases (see the picture above) is approx. 105 mm (4.1-inch) wide, so the mount shouldn’t be shorter than that.

There’s even less dilemma around the interchangeability of two-piece mounts since they don’t have to meet any of the length requirements. Therefore, any two-piece scope mount that fits on a Picatinny rail will also fit on the post-2017 Sabatti Compact Scout.

Should you have any additional information regarding possible mount matches, please contact us. We will gladly accept your help and expand our database accordingly.

Best Scope Mounts for Sabatti Compact Scout (post-2017)

Fixed Scope Mounts for Sabatti Compact Scout (post-2017)

Contessa offers a wide array of great mounting solutions, and we think the 30 mm Contessa Picatinny rings would be an excellent scope mount choice for your Sabatti Compact Scout. The rings ensure quality and reliability, while they also come at a relatively affordable price. They are made of steel and come with a 30-year warranty.

Detachable Repeatable Mounts for Sabatti Compact Scout (post-2017)

When it comes to flexibility, detachable repeatable scope mounts are the way to go. Being able to easily attach and detach an optic without any tools and retaining zero at the same time can be a great advantage. If this is what you’re looking for, you might want to consider this aluminum INNOMOUNT scope mounting solution of German quality for your Sabatti Compact Scout.

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

If you happen to own this or any other rifle, we would appreciate it if you could help us expand our database by sending us some photos of the rifle receiver (the bare mounting surface of the rifle without the mounts installed). For your help, our company offers a fair return in terms of practical rewards.

Please send us an email for more information. You can contact us here: info@optics-trade.eu

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Sabatti post-2017 Compact Scout

Sub Categories

The History of Sabatti

Sabatti Compact Scout (post-2017) Rifle Review

Sabatti Compact Scout (post-2017) Calibers

Sabatti Compact Scout (post-2017) Variants

Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Sabatti Compact Scout (post-2017)

Rifles That Have Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Sabatti Compact Scout (post-2017)

Best Scope Mounts for Sabatti Compact Scout (post-2017)

Fixed Scope Mounts for Sabatti Compact Scout (post-2017)

Detachable Repeatable Mounts for Sabatti Compact Scout (post-2017)

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

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