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Sabatti Rover Pathfinder

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 Rover Pathfinder Rifle Review

Sabatti Rover family of rifles is a continuation of the company’s centuries-long tradition of weapon manufacturing. The 2nd generation of Rover was recently introduced, featuring an improved design of the action and bolt, new materials, higher-level CNC machining quality, and a wider range of other configurations. There are currently several models that belong to this enhanced line of Sabatti Rover rifles, and there are usually only minor differences between them.

Sabatti Rover Pathfinder in .308 Win.

Figure 1: Sabatti Rover Pathfinder in .308 Win. (Source: https://www.sabatti.it/en/product/rover-pathfinder)

Sabatti Rover Pathfinder is a hunting bolt-action rifle that is a part of this improved 2nd generation of Rover rifles. It boasts a fluted cold-hammer-forged barrel with an 18 mm (0.71-inch) diameter and cerakote finish. The barrel makes use of the traditional rifling and comes with a 5/8”-24 UNEF thread (covered with a protective cap) that allows the installation of different muzzle devices. And perhaps most importantly, the barrel also comes fitted with a barrel extension which allows for ease of barrel interchangeability.

Like other new Sabatti Rover rifles, Pathfinder also comes with a completely redesigned action made of high-quality material and of a push-feed style. This, combined with an excellent CNC machined steel bolt with three locking lugs for safety purposes, makes the action of the Sabatti Rover Pathfinder one of the best currently on the market. The rifle’s receiver features an integrated Picatinny rail which greatly increases the number of mounting options available to the rifle’s owners. The 2-step safety catch that locks the bolt is located on the right side of the receiver behind the bolt handle.

The rifle has a standard, two-lever trigger group with a pull-weight of 1.2 kg (2.6 lbs), but a three lever “Match” trigger group and a single set trigger are available as optional. On the inside of the trigger guard, there is a catch that allows the user to easily detach the rifle’s removable magazine. The latter has a capacity for 3 cartridges, is made of a high-performance polymer, and is, in contrast to some other Rover models, leveled with the rifle’s fore-end so it remains almost hidden. The rifle’s stock is also made of polymer, and it ends in a rubber recoil pad that helps tame the heavier calibers’ kick. On top of that, it comes with a removable cheek rest.

Sabatti Rover Pathfinder Calibers

While most of the Sabatti 2nd Gen. Rover rifles’ actions look the same, the calibers they can be chambered for vary depending on the model. Sabatti Rover Pathfinder can be chambered for:

  • .243 Win.

  • .270 Win.

  • 6.5x55 SE

  • 7 mm Rem. Mag.

  • .308 Win.

  • .30-06 Springfield

  • .300 Win. Mag.

Sabatti Rover Pathfinder’s receiver comes with an integrated Picatinny rail which offers a high number of mounting possibilities.

The receiver and bolt of Sabatti Rover Pathfinder with a visible mounting surface

Figure 2: The receiver and bolt of Sabatti Rover Pathfinder with a visible mounting surface (Source: https://www.sabatti.it/en/product/rover-pathfinder)

All 2nd Generation Sabatti Rover Models

The updated 2nd gen. of the Sabatti Rover offers a wide array of models. There are only minor differences that separate them, and they can be easily confused, so we prepared a list of them in hopes of making the differentiation a bit easier:

  • Sabatti Rover Hunter

  • Sabatti Rover Pathfinder

  • Sabatti Rover Ranger

  • Sabatti Rover Scout        

  • Sabatti Rover Alaskan

  • Sabatti Rover Patrol

  • Sabatti Rover Shooter

  • Sabatti Rover Thumbhole

Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Sabatti Rover Pathfinder

Rifles That Have Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Sabatti Rover Ranger

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 Sabatti Rover Pathfinder has an integrated Picatinny rail, most one-piece scope mounts suitable for Picatinny will fit on the Pathfinder, too, but you do need to keep in mind that the gap in the Picatinny rail (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 Sabatti Rover Pathfinder.

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 Rover Pathfinder

Fixed Scope Mounts for Sabatti Rover Pathfinder

Contessa offers a wide array of great mounting solutions, and therefore we think these 30 mm Contessa Picatinny rings would be an excellent choice for your Pathfinder. These 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 Rover Pathfinder

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 Henneberger scope mounting solution of German quality for your Sabatti Rover Pathfinder.

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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VIDEO

Pivot mounts are a special kind of repeatable mounts that are especially popular in Europe and mainly produced by European manufacturers. Most notable among them are German Companies like EAW (Ernst Apel Wurzburg), Recknagel, Henneberger and MAK. These Companies were also among the first to produce mounts of this type. Non German companies like Rusan are also following this trend.

Main benefits of pivot mounts, or swing mounts as they are sometimes called are:

  • 100% repeatability,
  • very quick and easy detaching and reattaching,
  • extremely durable; most mounts of this kind are tested on 10000 or more reattachments,
  • size and weight; light and small, elegant.

There are also some minor weaknesses that such mounts posses and they are: they are usually more expensive than other types of mounts, the installation on the rifle should be done by a skilled gunsmith and most of these mounts are higher than 14 mm.

A distinct feature of pivot/swing mounts is the way the scope attaches to the rifle. The front foot of the mount on the scope is inserted in the front base under a 90 degrees angle to the barrel. Then the entire scope is pivoted around the front base until it is locked into position by the rear base.

Pivot mounts of all types enable windage correction on the rear base at the time of the mounts installation. There are three main types of pivot mounts which are distinguished by the type of the rear base:

  • EAW style rear base: produced by EAW and Rusan,
  • Dovetail rail base: produced by Recknagel, Henneberger, MAK and others.
  • Leupold type rear base