Sabatti Rover Hunter

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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 Rover Hunter 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.

Figure 1: Sabatti Rover Hunter in .308 Win. (Source: https://koptex.com/repetirne-puske/11662-puska-sabatti-308-win-rover-hunter-56cm.html)

Sabatti Rover Hunter is a bolt-action rifle that is a part of this improved 2nd generation of Rover rifles. It is, as the name suggests, a primarily hunting rifle. It boasts a cold-hammer-forged barrel with a 16 mm (0.63-inch) diameter and a matte-black finish. The barrel makes use of the traditional rifling and comes with an M14x1 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, Hunter 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 Hunter 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 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 an adjustable cheek rest.

Sabatti Rover Hunter 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 Hunter 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 Hunter Variants

On top of the standard Rover Hunter variant there are 2 additional ones:

Sabatti Rover Hunter Classic
Sabatti Rover Hunter Classic Pro*

* Comes with a muzzle brake.

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

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

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

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. We prepared a short 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 Hunter

Rifles That Have Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Sabatti Rover Hunter

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 Hunter has an integrated Picatinny rail, most one-piece scope mounts suitable for Picatinny will fit on the Hunter, 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 Hunter.

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 Hunter

Fixed Scope Mounts for Sabatti Rover Hunter

When we try to think of the right mounting solutions for different rifles, we always strive to find the best price-to-quality ratio. Since Sabatti Rover Hunter is on the more affordable side of Sabatti bolt-action rifles, we think these 30 mm Contessa Light Picatinny rings hit the golden spot as they become our top recommendation for a fixed scope mount for the Hunter.

Detachable Repeatable Mounts for Sabatti Rover Hunter

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 Hunter.

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