Sabatti Saphire

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 Saphire Rifle Review

Sabatti Saphire (short for Sabatti All Purpose Hunting Italian Rifle) is an innovative bolt-action rifle primarily intended for hunting. It was first introduced in early 2017 and has since gained a considerable reputation among hunters and sport shooters alike. Its two most distinctive features are the Sabatti’s patented Multi-Radial Rifling system and the new and improved Saphire’s action, which represents a departure from the traditional Rover action design. That being said, the overall rifle design still reminds us of the older models, specifically the Rover 870 model. If it weren’t for the built-in Picatinny rail on the Saphire, an inattentive eye could easily mistake the two guns for one another.

Sabatti Saphire in .308 Win.

Figure 1: Sabatti Saphire in .308 Win. (Source: https://sportingclassicsdaily.com/sabattis-saphire-rifle/)

The Sabatti Saphire’s action is of a push feed style and the smooth-running bolt with three locking lugs is hosted inside a 7075-T6 alloy receiver that is both lightweight and extremely resistant. The bolt itself is made of steel, and both the head and the handle of the bolt are replaceable. The rifle comes with the standard 1,2 kg (2.6 lbs) pull-weight trigger, except for the Sabatti Saphire E.R. variant, which comes with a 600 g (1.3 lbs) pull-weight Match trigger. If requested, the trigger can also be replaced with a different one, with options depending on the rifle’s variant. On the inside of the trigger guard, there is a catch that allows the user to easily remove the rifle’s magazine. The latter is made of steel and has a capacity for 3 cartridges. As mentioned above, the Saphire also has another new and distinctive feature in the form of an integrated Picatinny rail built-in on the receiver – a welcome add-on that ensures easy optics installation. On the right side of the receiver behind the bolt handle, a two-position safety catch can be found that locks the trigger and the bolt, while a three-position safety is available as optional.

But perhaps even more important, albeit less visually noticeable innovations, manifest themselves in the Saphire’s cold-hammer-forged barrel. On top of the Sabatti’s patented Multi-Radial Rifling system which premiered with the Saphire’s introduction to the market, Saphire also features easy barrel interchangeability. The barrels can be bought separately and can be easily changed to suit different calibers. It’s worth noting, though, that replacing the magazine and bolt head might be necessary when shifting from one caliber to another. On top of all the versatility, the barrel’s muzzle is threaded, which allows the installation of the shooter’s choice of muzzle devices.

Sabatti Saphire Calibers

All Sabatti Saphire variants can be chambered for the same calibers, with the exception of Saphire E.R. which can’t be chambered for calibers marked with “*” below:

.243 Winchester *
.270 Winchester *
6.5x55 SE
6.5 Creedmoor
6.5 PRC *
7x57
7x64
7 mm Rem. Mag.
.30-06 Springfield
.308 Winchester
.300 Win. Mag.
8x57 JS

Sabatti Rover Saphire Variants

There are several different variants available for the Sabatti Rover Saphire:

Sabatti Saphire Syn
Sabatti Saphire Thumbhole
Sabatti Saphire Tactical Carbon
Sabatti Saphire Varmint Carbon
Sabatti Saphire E.R. (Extended Range)

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

The receiver and bolt of Sabatti Saphire with a visible mounting surface.

Figure 2: The receiver and bolt of Sabatti Saphire with a visible mounting surface. (Source: https://www.sabatti.it/en/product/saphire)

Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Sabatti Saphire

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 Saphire has an integrated Picatinny rail, most one-piece scope mounts suitable for Picatinny will fit on the Saphire, too, with the only condition being that the mount isn’t shorter than 105 mm (4.1-inch).

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 Saphire.

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 Saphire

Fixed Scope Mounts for Sabatti Saphire

If you’re looking for an affordable and reliable fixed scope mounting solution for your Sabatti Saphire, then look no further than these 30 mm Rusan Weaver rings. They are made of steel, and they come with a 10-year warranty.

Detachable Repeatable Mounts for Sabatti Saphire

Detachable repeatable scope mounts are a great choice when you want to be able to easily attach or detach an optic without any tools while also retaining zero. Some may view this flexibility as an advantage that is worth paying for a little bit more, since, in contrast to the fixed scope mounts, detachable repeatable mounts can sometimes come at a bit pricier cost. We believe this aluminum INNOMOUNT scope mounting solution of German quality offers a great price-to-quality ratio and is a perfect fit for your Sabatti Saphire.

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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Spuhr 25.4 mm Hunting Rings - Picatinny Rail, extended

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Spuhr 30 mm Hunting Rings - Picatinny Rail, extended

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Spuhr 34 mm Hunting Rings - Picatinny Rail, extended

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General features of Cantilever Scope Mounts

Cantilever mounts look different, comparing to the others. The expression ("cantilever") itself is explained as a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. This is also in common with the cantilever scope mounts. They actually are supported only at one end and look this way. These mounts are useful where there is not enough of rail to mount a scope on it.

If the rail is too short for a whole scope mount, cantilever mount can be used. These mounts extend the needed space (missing piece of the rail, basically) and help getting the scope enough forward, so that a shooter can get enough of eye relief.

Of course there are also rifles that have Picatinny rails around barrel. However, all of them are not like that and some have M-loks or some other form of the handguard around the barrel and this means that regular mounts cannot be used. Mostly, they are made of aluminium, because of the lighter weight, compared to steel mounts.

ERA-TAC one-piece mount, 3" extended, 34 mm, lever

Cantilever mounts are used only with AR platforms, usually with design of the AR-15 rifles but they also work on AR-10 and others. Ergonomy of the AR rifles and their high, flat stocks are the reason why they have to have at least 22 mm of height (BH – build height), otherwise the shooter would not be able to see through the scope.

These mounts are made as one-piece mount and are pushing the scope forward and allowing more rail space at the rear end of the optic.

Cantilever Mounts and Rifle Scopes

Normally, wide angle rifle scopes with following magnifications are used on these rifles: 1-4x, 1-6x, 1-8x,... In the past, these mounts were available only for scopes with 30 mm tubes. Nowadays, this is not the case anymore, because there is a variety of scopes with different tube diameters available on the market. Mounts for 1 inch, 34 mm, 35 mm and even other scope tube diameters can be found.

When scope is mounted on such mount on a AR-15 rifle, it looks like a mount sits more over the barrel than the receiver. Receiver is not floating, so this is the only possible place to mount a scope. Cantilever mounts are normally extended in the front end for 2 inches, some of them even for 3 inches. When mounting such mount, it is extremely important that mount is installed and screwed only on the receiver. There are some handguards on the market that looks like the extension of the receiver because of the Picatinny rails on top. We shall not use this extended Picatinny rail for mounting cantilever mounts, because receiver and handguard are two separate parts of the rifle and if we use them both, stress and strains in at least one direction will appear. This means that mount will fail eventually. It is also important to know that design of a cantilever scope mount and attaching the scope on it, might change the balance of the rifle. It might make the rifle more front heavy.

Rings on these mounts are normally using four screws and rings are normally divided 50:50 (upper and lower part of the ring, tightened with screws), which is common on tactical rifles.

ERA-TAC Ultralight One-Piece mount, 30 mm

ERA-TAC Ultralight One-Piece mount, 30 mm

Fixed vs. Quick Release Cantilever Scope Mounts

On the market, even quick release cantilever scope mounts can be found. They are more expensive and must be made of high quality materials, but they can make your rifle much more fun. Choosing and selecting multiple scope options with tactical or sport rifle can be much more exciting and it surely widen the possibilities of using a rifle. On the other hand, tactical rifles are used in harsh environments and in tough conditions, which is the main reason why mounts have to be really rigid and robust. Robustness definitely goes in favor of fixed mounts. These mounts simply do not have moving or gentle parts that can fail in critical situation.

Sadly, having enough of the material that protrudes the mount on the front end, also means that these mounts are usually higher than other Picatinny solutions.

There are also cantilever mounts for railed scopes on the market, although they are rarely used. Examples of this type are produced by EAW or INNOmount.

Why Use a Cantilever Scope Mount on AR rifles?

Sabatti Saphire

The History of Sabatti