Sabatti pre-2021 STR Sport

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 STR Sport (Pre-2021) Rifle Review

Sabatti STR Sport is a modernly designed bolt-action rifle specifically created for precision target shooting. Even though the “STR” is an abbreviation for “Sabatti Tactical Rifle”, the STR Sport mostly sees use in sports shooting competitions and not so much in the tactical fields. It entered the market in 2017 but has since seen some modifications that transformed it into an almost entirely different rifle. In this review, we’ll cover the STR Sport as it was before the major redesign in 2021. If you are interested in the review and scope mounts for the newer STR Sport version, visit this page.

Figure 1: Sabatti STR Sport (pre-2021) in .308 Win. (Source: https://www.armimagazine.it/sabatti-str-sport-carabina-da-tiro/)

Since Sabatti STR Sport was at first just a competitive-oriented variant of the standard STR model with very few differences between them, it shares most of its core specifications. It is built around the traditional Rover action of the push-feed style. The basic STR model has a pre-installed full-length 20 MOA Picatinny rail, but the STR Sport was modified to enter the market with a standard Picatinny rail pre-installed on the receiver. The all-steel action hosts a polished bolt with an interchangeable bolt handle and 2 locking lugs for safety purposes. Behind the bolt handle, on the right side of the receiver, there’s a safety catch that locks the rifle’s three-lever Match trigger. A two-stage Match trigger was available on request when the rifle first hit the shelves, but we weren’t able to determine if that has changed since then. The trigger has a pull weight of 600 g (1.3 lbs) and it’s protected by a comfortably spacious trigger guard. On the outside of the trigger guard, there’s a magazine catch that quickly and easily detaches the rifle’s 3-round polymer AICS (Accuracy International Chassis) magazine. A larger 5- or 7-round magazine is available if needed, but the 3-round one is generally most suitable for F-Class competitions which the pre-2021 STR Sport is intended for.

Sabatti STR Sport’s barrel first measured 710 mm (28-inch) in length and 22 mm (0.86-inch) in diameter, but Sabatti soon opted for a wider 28 mm (1.1-inch) diameter that makes the barrel more durable and thus more suitable for F-Class shooting competitions. It comes with a 5/8”-24 threaded muzzle covered by a protective cap and makes use of the Sabatti’s patented Multi-Radial Rifling (MRR) system that arguably increases the barrel’s accuracy and its longevity. Sabatti STR Sport also has a wider forend than the standard STR. The latter is equipped with an AR-style Picatinny hand guard with 3 Picatinny side rails, while the (pre-2021) STR Sport comes with an integrated Anschutz-style bipod rail instead. The pre-2021 Sabatti STR Sport ends in an aesthetically pleasing modular buttstock. It is fully adjustable, but it is, in contrast to the standard STR model, not foldable.

Sabatti STR Sport (Pre-2021) Calibers

Sabatti STR Sport is chambered for:

• 6.5x47 Lapua

• 6.5 Creedmoor

• .284 Shehane

• .308 Win.

Sabatti STR Sport (Pre-2021) Variants

It is a bit complicated when we talk about Sabatti STR Sport variants. This is because the Sabatti STR Sport was at first the only variant of the base model. While the standard STR was meant to be used in the tactical fields, the STR Sport was intended for more competitive applications. But since the experience gathered through the years proved the rifle to be more successful in the competitive environment, Sabatti chose to focus all their STR resources on the STR Sport model. In 2021 they announced a completely redesigned STR Sport with an additional STR Sport FC variant, and they effectively retired the older STR model while also introducing a bit of confusion to the naming of the rifles. There are now 2 versions of the Sabatti STR Sport model: pre-2021 and post-2021, with the latter having an additional FC variant and having very little in common with the original STR base model that is now retired. The main difference between the pre-2021 and post-2021 Sabatti STR Sport rifles is in the action. While the former was designed with the Sabatti’s traditional Rover action, the latter incorporated a new and improved “Blizzard” action. The easiest way to visually set them apart, though, is by their buttstocks. The pre-2021 STR Sport has a modular buttstock while the post-2021 has a skeletonized one. The Sabatti STR Sport variants are:

• Sabatti STR

• Sabatti STR Desert

• Sabatti STR Sport (Pre-2021)

• Sabatti STR Sport (Post-2021)

• Sabatti STR Sport FC**

• Sabatti STR Sport Black*

• Sabatti STR Sport Red*

* Both Sabatti STR Sport and STR Sport FC are available in these colors.

** Introduced only after 2021 when the STR Sport model was already completely changed, which is why it is more of a post-2021 STR Sport variant.

Sabatti STR Sport’s receiver comes with a pre-installed Picatinny rail which offers a high number of mounting possibilities.

Figure 2: Pre-2021 Sabatti STR Sport with a visible mounting surface on the receiver. The receiver is of the traditional Rover action style.  (Source: https://www.nordis.fi/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Sabatti-Product-Catalog-2020-ENG-web.pdf).  

Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Sabatti STR Sport (Pre-2021)

Rifles That Have Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Sabatti STR Sport

The necessary condition for rifles to have one-piece mounts interchangeable is that the mounting surfaces of these rifles match in every dimension. Since Sabatti STR Sport comes with a pre-installed Picatinny rail, all the one-piece scope mounts suitable for Picatinny will fit on the STR Sport, too.

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 STR Sport.

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 STR Sport (Pre-2021)

Fixed Scope Mounts for Sabatti STR Sport (Pre-2021)

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 pre-2021 STR Sport. 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.

Order 30 mm Contessa Rings for Picatinny

Detachable Repeatable Mounts for Sabatti STR Sport (Pre-2021)

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 STR Sport (pre-2021).

Check out INNOmount mount solution for Picatinny

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