Sabatti Tactical SA

Sub Categories

Bases and Rails

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 Saphire Syn, a great pick.

Sabatti Tactical (SA) Rifle Review

Sabatti Tactical is a series of hunting and competition bolt-action rifles designed for precision shooting at long distances. It’s been in production for a better part of the previous decade and has only recently been retired, which was due to the introduction of the newer Tactical EVO model (link) in 2018. There are several different variants belonging to the Tactical series and they are largely the same, usually differentiating only by a look and a few minor technicalities. Therefore, when we talk about Sabatti Tactical, we are, unless specified otherwise, referring to all the Tactical models. They are available in both, short and long action lengths. We’ll be writing about the short-action Sabatti Tactical SA in this review.

Figure 1: Sabatti Tactical Syn. Chrome in .308 Win. (Source: https://gun.deals/product/sabatti-rover-tactical-308-win-255-3-rd-inox-89999)

Sabatti Tactical SA (Short-Action) boasts the Sabatti’s traditional cold-hammer-forged barrel. The latter’s length depends on the variant and on the caliber the specific model can be chambered for, but it’s either going to be 610, 650, 660, 690, or 710 mm long (24, 25.6, 26, 27, or 28-inch respectively). The diameter of Sabatti Tactical’s barrel measures either 22 mm (0.86-inch) or 28 mm (1.1-inch). Sabatti is also known for its patented Multi-Radial Rifling (MRR) system which has a proven record of increasing the barrel’s accuracy and longevity. The MRR is quickly gaining recognition on the rifle market, and Sabatti already started introducing MRR to the Tactical series in the early 2010s. Therefore, the Sabatti Tactical series has rifles available in both rifling systems. Furthermore, Sabatti Tactical SA usually comes with either a threaded muzzle or a muzzle device already pre-installed. The latter is especially common with the newer variants.

Sabatti Tactical’s action is of the push-feed style and sports the traditional Rover design. Both the action and the bolt are made of strengthened steel. The bolt has 2 locking lugs for safety purposes and some of the variants have an interchangeable bolt handle (Sabatti Tactical Sport, for instance). There are four tapped holes on top of the Sabatti Tactical SA’s action for mounting purposes, although some variants might come with a Picatinny rail already pre-installed on the receiver.

Sabatti Tactical SA usually comes with a 3-lever Match trigger, but a more sensitive Stecher set trigger and a 2-stage trigger are also available on request. There is a catch located on the inside of the trigger guard that either opens the bottom of the magazine chamber or detaches the rifle’s magazine. Whether the rifle comes with a fixed magazine or a removable one depends on the variant, but a removable magazine is more common with Sabatti Tactical rifles. The capacity of the magazine also varies from model to model but generally speaking, Sabatti Tactical’s magazine has a capacity for either 3, 4, or 5 cartridges.

Sabatti Tactical SA ends in a, as the name of the rifle suggests, tactical-inspired buttstock with a recoil pad that can tame even the heavier calibers’ kick. Sabatti Tactical (except for the very first variations of the Sabatti Tactical FG – a Sabatti Tactical variant with a fiberglass-reinforced stock) also comes with an adjustable cheek-piece. Variants, such as Sabatti Tactical L, Tactical Hunter, Tactical Syn. etc., have cheek-piece adjustable by a thumbwheel.

Sabatti Tactical (SA) Calibers

Sabatti Tactical SA can be chambered for various calibers, depending on the variant:

.222 Rem.
.223 Rem.
6 mm XC Norma
6.5x47 Lapua
6.5x55 SE
7-08 Rem.
7 mm Rem. S. A. U. M.
.308 Win.
.300 WSM

Sabatti Tactical (SA) Variants:

Sabatti Tactical Syn.
Sabatti Tactical Syn. Chrome
Sabatti Tactical Desert
Sabatti Tactical LW (laminated wood)
Sabatti Tactical FG (fiberglass-reinforced stock)
Sabatti Tactical Tactical Hunter
Sabatti Tactical Sport

Since short-action Sabatti Tactical’s receiver is modeled after Sabatti Rover 600, it, too, has four holes for mounting purposes.

The receiver of Sabatti Tactical SA with a visible mounting surface

Figure 2: The receiver of short-action Sabatti Tactical with a visible mounting surface (Source: https://gun.deals/product/sabatti-rover-tactical-308-win-255-3-rd-inox-89999)

receiver dimensions for Sabatti Tactical SA

A: 21.9 mm
B: 88.7 mm
C: 15.3 mm
BHU: 2.9 mm
Fi: 6-48
R1: R51
R2: R17

Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Sabatti Tactical (SA)

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Sabatti Tactical (SA)

The necessary condition for rifles to have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable is that the mounting surfaces of these rifles match in every dimension. Rifles that have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable with Sabatti Tactical SA are the following:

Sabatti Rover 600
Sabatti Compact Scout SA (pre-2017)

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Sabatti Tactical (SA)

For two-piece scope mounts to be interchangeable, the mounting surfaces of the rifles must match in every dimension except the action length which can vary (distance B on the image above). This is because the distance between the two pieces of the mount is not fixed. Rifles that have two-piece scope mounts interchangeable with Sabatti Tactical SA are the following:

Haenel Jaeger 10 (Up from series-Nr. JX-000921)
Haenel Jaeger 10 Pro
Bergara B14 SA
Bergara Premier SA
Bergara B14 LA
Bergara Premier LA
BSA Repetierer
CZ 600 Lux (Medium)
CZ 600 Range (Medium)
Remington 700 LA
Remington 700 SA
Remington 78 LA
Remington 78 SA
Remington 721
Remington 725
Remington 40x SA
Remington 40x LA
Remington 722
Remington 40-XB
Weatherby Mark V
Weatherby Vanguard SA
Weatherby Vanguard LA
Sauer 100
Sauer 101
Mauser M18
Mauser M12 (2019-onward)
CZ 550 Scandinavia
CZ 600 Lux (Long)
CZ 600 Range (Long)
CZ 600 Lux (Mini)
CZ 600 Range (Mini)
Mauser M94 (1994)
Mauser M1996 (Serial number < 12000)
Sabatti Compact Scout SA (pre-2017)
Sabatti Rover 600
Sabatti Tactical LA
Sabatti Compact Scout LA (pre-2017)
Sabatti Rover 870
Sabatti TLD
Sabatti Tactical EVO
Sabatti Rover Traqueur
Brno Scandinavian
Churchill Highlander
Howa 1500 LA
Howa 1500 SA
Howa 1500 Mini

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 Tactical (SA)

Fixed Scope Mounts for Sabatti Tactical (SA)

MAKfix Rings are simple to install, reliable, and recoil resistant. This, combined with a relatively affordable price, makes them the most suitable fixed scope mounting solution for the Sabatti Tactical SA. They come with a 30-year warranty and are made of steel, which makes them a perfect fit for the short-action Tactical’s steel receiver.

Detachable Repeatable Mounts for Sabatti Tactical (SA)

INNOmount offers impressive solutions when it comes to detachable repeatable scope mounts for various uses. One of them is this one-piece scope mount of famed German quality. It is a great choice for your Sabatti Tactical SA, and it comes with a 10-year warranty as well. You will need to couple it with a Picatinny rail, though. Since Italian-based Contessa is no stranger to manufacturing scope mounting solutions for Italian rifles, we think this Contessa Picatinny rail would be a perfect fit.

Picatinny Rails for Sabatti Tactical (SA)

When you’re looking for a Picatinny rail for your rifle, you need to pay special attention to the length between the rear and front holes on the receiver (distance B on the image above). You can hardly ever go wrong with Contessa when it comes to Picatinny rails, and this is why we recommend this Contessa Picatinny rail for your Sabatti Tactical SA. An Italian scope mount for an Italian rifle – perfect!

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