Sabatti Rover Thumbhole

Sub Categories

Spacers

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 Thumbhole 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 Thumbhole in .308 Win.

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

Sabatti Rover Thumbhole is a bolt-action hunting rifle that is a part of this improved 2nd generation of Rover rifles. The cold-hammer-forged barrel measures 16 mm (0.63-inch) in diameter and makes use of the traditional rifling system. 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, Thumbhole 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 Thumbhole one of the best currently on the market. The 2-step safety catch that locks the bolt is located on the right side of the receiver behind the bolt handle. It’s also worth mentioning the rifle’s immense visual resemblance to the older Rover 870 Thumbhole variant. The simplest way to tell them apart is by the Picatinny rail which is integrated into the newer Sabati Rover Thumbhole’s receiver. The latter greatly increases the number of mounting options available to the rifle’s owners.

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, has an almost vertical anatomic thumbhole grip, and ends in a rubber recoil pad that helps tame the heavier calibers’ kick.

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

The receiver of Sabatti Rover Thumbhole with a visible mounting surface

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

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 Thumbhole

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

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 Thumbhole

Fixed Scope Mounts for Sabatti Rover Thumbhole

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 Rover Thumbhole. 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 Thumbhole

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 for your Sabatti Rover Thumbhole.

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