Now here's a question or two-or 3-
1) Will they really regulate in doing it that way ? Now I realize it's a butcher job. No self-respecting gunsmith would do something like that and it just about lowers the value in my mind to zero BUT will it regulate that way?
2) I have looked at several Sabattis and when mounting every one of them I see I need more cast off and drop in the stock to be really usable. I don't want to have to adjust my initial mount to line up the sights with DG rifle. The 2 Blasers I mounted fit like a glove first time. Has anybody had to have that work done on one of these?
3) Could those that are butchered be shortened to get rid of the cutting and then be re-regulated in a proper way? Or is Sabattis regulation method not conducive to this "fix"?
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Based on European interview video I saw, interviewing Mr. Sabatti, one of the owners of the Italian firm that made these rifles, this is what I understand: Sabatti, under pressure to try to fill the initial large order from Cabelas by a given date, via the Florida importer, Sabatti resorted to taking a shortcut in final tuning regulation on SOME (NOT ALL) doubles, to fill that initial order by date requested. Mr. Sabatti said that he and the firm made a major error in taking this shortcut, and that such a thing would never happen again, as it hurt their reputation and sales, etc. TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS 1. When one regulates barrels properly, when they need more precise "fine tuning" to bring the regulation to a, higher standard (what you have patience for) the muzzle grinding they resorted to, does work to some degree, because it causes the cartridges gasses to "steer" the bullets one way or the other, opposite the direction of the ground away rifling at muzzle. It is a nasty way to do things, done as a shortcut by unreputable, since it would take more time to unsolder and solder again the regulation wedge at the muzzle, if done properly. Yes, it does work, but what an underhanded way to do it. I have known guys who had one of these earlier Sabatti rifles, that had muzzle rifling filed or ground out on one or more sides, AND THE RIFLES SHOT WELL, and regulated WELL, but it is sad to have to butcher an otherwise good regulation job that could have been done so much better, if only a little more patience and effort from the regulator had been done. 2. My Sabatti rifles fit me perfectly, and I know a good number of other shooters who own them, and others who have tried them, and we all have found the stock fit really good for us. Thus, for the average built guy, if there is such a thing, they should fit just fine. For everyone else, it will be necessary to sand the stock to some degree, to get proper fit, but that can be said for most all rifles, not limited to Sabatti. No gun stock will always fit everyone! Personally, on my four Sabatti rifles, I stripped the factory finish, as I hate the original varnish like finish, and I refinished mine with best London oil finish, when enhanced the grain pattern tremendously, and looks way better than the original finish. One obviously needs to also install a better more appropriate recoil pad (as you would have to do on any make double rifle, unless it was custom made for you), fit to your length of pull, so if you do all this, more sanding to fit the stock to you, is not all that difficult. 3. The ones that are butchered, with muzzle rifling filed or ground away, it certainly is a simple task to cut the barrels shorter, and to re-regulate them, properly, but why would you want to do that, when you can buy one without the filing/grinding issues--at last count, Cabelas had 91 of them still in stock, at reduced sale prices? How do I know that the Sabatti can be re-regulated properly? I know, because I have re-regulated two of them so far, ones that were not muzzle ground, but that needed only slight re-regulation adjustment to bring them up to the highest of standards, shooting a good horizontal string, of 2" or less (no, I won't do it for you; I am retired, and did the two for close friends only). Here is information you need to know about regulation, and where to learn more: If you are contemplating such a thing as regulation or re-regulation of a sabatti: The top and bottom ribs, the muzzle regulation tapered wedge, etc. are all simply soft soldered in, same as almost all double rifles ever made; they are not silver soldered or brazed, as some guys would like you to believe, so the top/bottom ribs, and muzzle regulation wedge can easily be taken off, to begin the process of re-regulation, IF you know what you are doing. The Sabatti has NO MID POINT regulation wedge, as many double rifles do, but that is nothing unique or unusual about the Sabatti double rifle. Numerous other double rifles, especially German ones, made through history, also have no mid point regulation wedge either, so Sabatti is no different from them. I am presently re-regulating a clamshell German double rifle, in 9.3x74R caliber, that was made prior to WWI, originally regulated for as much lighter bullet than is common today, so I am to re-regulate if for common heavier bullet we use today. This pre WWI German double has no mid point regulation wedge, and the ribs, muzzle tapered regulation wedge are all made identical to the ones on the Sabatti, so Sabatt is nothing new in this category. The mid point regulation wedge only makes it easier to regulate a double. It is a simple task to make, from scratch, a mid point regulation wedge, and install it into the Sabatti; that is exactly what I did on the two I re-regulated. How did I go about re-regulating the two I did? In Tech College, gunsmithing school, I took a class from W. Ellis Brown, on converting double shotguns to double rifles, and he later wrote a book (now in its second edition) covering that process, including the regulation process; exactly how it is done. Read that, for that is how I did it, but with a few modifications I developed through the years. you may be able to do it too, if you have any skill at all in such matters.