Sabatti SKL-20 Kipplauf

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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 SKL-20 Kipplauf Rifle Review

Sabatti SKL-20 is a break-barrel single-shot rifle – also known as the “Kipplauf” rifle – that was first introduced by Sabatti in 2021, during what seems to be a rejuvenating year for the Italian-based rifle manufacturer. It was in 2021 when Sabatti introduced many innovative features to their existing and new products alike, and SKL-20 happens to be one of them. It (SKL-20 Kipplauf) is closely tied to the one-shot European hunting tradition, and its light weight of 2.6 kg makes it very suitable for alpine hunting, which is where it’s usually used.

Sabatti SKL-20 in .270 Win.

Figure 1: Sabatti SKL-20 in .270 Win. (Source: https://www.sabatti.it/en/product/skl-20-kipplauf-rifle)

SKL-20 (short for Sabatti Kiplauf 20) like most of Sabatti’s rifles boasts a cold-hammer-forged steel barrel, which is a product of centuries worth of experience in the barrel-making business. It makes use of the Sabatti’s patented Multi-Radial Rifling system (MRR) that reduces the fouling of the barrel and increases its longevity, while it also contributes to the rifle’s accuracy. The barrel is 610 mm (24-inch) long and comes with a threaded muzzle (M14x1) that allows for the installation of various muzzle devices. The rifle has 2 iron sights on the barrel as well. The front sight is fixed while the rear one is fully adjustable.

The most important thing about the rifle is its locking system. It is designed around the Jaeger patented locking system with a tilting block that reduces the stress on the receiver, but in SKL-20 it is coupled with Sabatti’s own innovation – two extra pins coming out of the lower side of the action that lock into the barrel when the latter is closed. The barrel is, therefore, sturdier and the whole system adds to the rifle’s rigidity and accuracy. On top of that, the rifle features a sturdy receiver machined from a single 7075-T6 high-strength aluminum billet. It is equipped with a 12 mm dovetail that allows for various scope mounting solutions. To withstand the kick of some of the heavier calibers, the dovetail features a recoil notch.

SKL-20 is designed to be hand-cocked. The cocking system was specifically made to run as smoothly as possible, and it can be de-cocked just as easily. It is relatively silent, and a red dot indicates when the rifle is set to firing mode. The SKL-20’s cocking slide is positioned on the tang behind the lever that opens the barrel. SKL-20 also comes with an adjustable trigger that runs extremely smooth. The pull weight of the trigger can be set to anywhere from 500 g (1.1 lbs) to 1100 g (2.4 lbs).

Sabatti SKL-20 doesn’t just offer a lot of functionality, though, but it delivers on the visual aspect as well. The rifle’s oil-finished stock is made of fine walnut, and it ends in a Bavarian-styled buttstock with a rubber recoil pad. On top of that, the rifle’s fore-end is completely removable and is designed in a way that makes it never touch the barrel. To compensate for that, the barrel has a recoil “tooth” that keeps it in place after the shot.

Sabatti SKL-20 Kipplauf Rifle Calibers

Sabatti SKL-20 can be chambered for:

6.5x57 R
6.5x65 R
7x57 R
7x65 R
.270 Win.
.30-06 Spring.
8x57 JRS
9.3x74 R

Sabatti SKL-20 Kipplauf Rifle Variants

Since Sabatti SKL-20 is still a relatively new rifle on the market, there aren’t many variants of it yet. The only variant so far is the:

Sabatti SKL-20 Kipplauf rifle Classic Stock*

* Comes with a classic straight buttstock.

Sabatti SKL-20 features a 12 mm dovetail that allows for various scope mounting solutions.

The receiver of Sabatti SKL-20 with a visible mounting surface that features a 12 mm Dovetail

Figure 2: The receiver of Sabatti SKL-20 with a visible mounting surface that features a 12 mm Dovetail (Source: https://www.sabatti.it/en/product/skl-20-kipplauf-rifle)

Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Sabatti SKL-20 Kipplauf Rifle

Rifles That Have Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Sabatti SKL-20 Kipplauf Rifle

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 SKL-20 comes with a 12 mm dovetail, most one-piece scope mounts suitable for a 12 mm dovetail will fit on the SKL-20, too.

Similarly, there’s also very little dilemma around the interchangeability of two-piece scope mounts. Therefore, any two-piece scope mount that fits on a 12 mm dovetail will also fit on the Sabatti SKL-20.

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 SKL-20 Kipplauf Rifle

Fixed Scope Mounts for Sabatti SKL-20

MAKipp scope mounts are perfect for “Kipplauf” rifles. They 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 SKL-20. This MAKipp scope mount for a 12 mm dovetail comes with a 10-year warranty and is made of aluminum, which makes it a perfect fit for the SKL-20’s aluminum receiver.

Detachable Repeatable Mounts for Sabatti SKL-20

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 – an advantage that some are prepared to pay for a little bit more since repeatable scope mounts can come at a bit heftier price compared to their fixed counterparts. If this is what you’re looking for, you might want to consider this aluminum INNOmount scope mounting solution of German quality for your Sabatti SKL-20.

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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