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<\/a>Sabatti\u2019s Urban Sniper: a very accurate rifle for long-range shooting, at a third of the price of many tactical bolt actions.<\/p><\/div>\n
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Imported to the United States exclusively by the Italian Firearms Group, the Urban Sniper sports a relatively short (for a long-range precision platform) 20-inch bull barrel. Even with that shorter barrel, the Urban Sniper isn\u2019t a lightweight at 8.75 pounds, though few of today\u2019s long-range rifles are exactly nimble. It is also very accurate, has a great trigger and fits on the shoulder well.<\/p>\n
Factor in a street price of right around $1,100.00? And the Urban Sniper is among the more affordable tactical bolts available.<\/p>\n
I received a new Urban Sniper recently, chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, and mounted a new Trijicon AccuPower 4.5-30x56mm scope onto it. For test ammunition, I used three brands of 6.5 Creedmoor: American Eagle, with a 140-grain open tip match bullet; Barnes VOR-TX firing a 120-grain TTSX bullet; and, Hornady\u2019s Precision Hunter loaded with the company\u2019s 143-grain ELD-X bullet.<\/p>\n
Mine arrived with a muzzle brake attached. I left it on. Sabatti also includes a thread protector for those who don\u2019t want the brake. A suppressor can be easily attached, too, as the barrel features 5\/8×24 threads.<\/p>\n
<\/a>The Urban Sniper comes standard with a muzzle break and a thread protector. The 5\/8×24 threading allows for easy attachment of a suppressor.<\/p><\/div>\n
Sabatti\u2019s instructions suggested a barrel break-in cleaning and shooting process, so I generally followed the recommendation, scrubbing out the bore after a shot or two. Every tenth shot or so, I let the barrel cool off for 10 minutes before shooting again. Accuracy with the Urban Snipe was very impressive. Eventually. But I ran into a real problem Day One: me.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d put together nice and tight three- and four-shot groups, get nervous, and then pull my next one or two shots and trash what was shaping up to be a 1\/2 MOA grouping of five shots at 100 yards.<\/p>\n
For example, three shots of the Hornady Precision Hunter pegged into a very nice .454-inch group–only to have my next couple shots jump the final measurement to over an inch<\/p>\n
<\/a>Barnes VOR-TX hunting rounds in 6.5 Creedmoor pegged some impressive groups, too, including this .65-inch string of five shots at 100 yards.<\/p><\/div>\n
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Day Two, I was able to print some better 100-yard, five-shot groups. Interestingly, my best group was with the least expensive ammunition, the American Eagle, which pegged five shots right at .495-inches. Next best, the Barnes with a .650-inch group. More time with the rifle should equal more consistent groups; I\u2019m sure the rifle is capable of \u00bd MOA or better all day.<\/p>\n
<\/a>American Eagle\u2019s 6.5 Creedmoor with a 140-grain match bullet scored the best five-shot group, under \u00bd inch at 100 yards.<\/p><\/div>\n
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Sabatti employs what it terms Multi-Radial Rifling (MMR) on the Urban Sniper and other rifles. Instead of traditional lands and grooves, MRR uses two offset radiuses.\u00a0 This means the rifling has no sharp edges. According to Sabatti, MMR seals the bullet more perfectly to the bore, reducing stress on the bullet and producing less copper fouling, better accuracy, and increased muzzle velocity.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Sabatti claims its Multi Radial Rifling or MRR produces better accuracy with less barrel fouling and increased velocity. The author feels more testing is needed to verify those claims, though the rifle is \u00bd MOA accurate.<\/p><\/div>\n
Certainly, the rifle is very accurate. But the above claims about MMR are difficult to prove or disprove. I hope to do future work with Sabatti rifles and establish some objective measurements to see if, in fact, the MMR is a superior rifling.<\/p>\n
Sabatti rates the Urban Sniper\u2019s trigger as \u201cmatch grade.\u201d I\u2019d have to agree. The trigger breaks very cleanly, with no creep. My Lyman Electronic Digital Trigger Pull Gauge measured the pull at an average of just 3.08 pounds. The trigger isn\u2019t going to go off with slight pressure; yet, any decent squeeze has lead moving downrange.<\/p>\n
The bolt features a two-lug locking system, and it operates nicely, securing the cartridge without undue force. The tactical, oversized handle with a removable knob provides good leverage. However, when pulled fully to the rear the bolt has a slight rattle.<\/p>\n
Initially, I thought the magazine release was pretty cool, a metal tab positioned at the front of and just below the trigger guard. But that set up, I discovered, was awkward to use. I had to put forward pressure on the magazine release tab with one hand while pulling on the magazine with the other hand. That\u2019s not easy to do. I\u2019m hoping future incarnations of the Urban Sniper will have a more ergonomic button-style release.<\/p>\n
<\/a>The Urban Sniper\u2019s magazine release, located on the trigger guard, proved somewhat awkward to use.<\/p><\/div>\n
The rifle came with a 10-round, polymer magazine. The people at Italian Firearms Group tell me this magazine was recently scrapped in favor of a better magazine made by VICTRIX, also an Italian company. This should be a good change.<\/p>\n
Initially, the poly magazine fit into the Urban Sniper\u2019s mag well tightly. But with use, it loosened to the point the magazine would shift ever so slightly from the recoil (about round four or five). At which point, the new round sat just a little too low for the bolt to pick it up.<\/p>\n
Whether that problem was caused by the magazine itself or some design feature of the mag well? I can\u2019t say. I requested a VICTRIX magazine and will test it out.<\/p>\n
The stock on the Urban Sniper has a comfortable rubberized butt pad. It also had two spacers in place to allow a shooter to adjust for length of pull. The two-spacer set up was too long for me, so I removed a spacer (via Philips head screw holes in the butt pad), which made the length of pull and eye relief for my scope just right.<\/p>\n
The carbon-infused polymer stock is very rigid. It also features a thumbhole that provides a very solid anchor, especially with the aggressive checkering around the opening. An easily-adjustable cheek piece rounds out the stock.<\/p>\n
<\/a>The Urban Sniper\u2019s stock is adjustable for length of pull and cheek weld, plus features a thumbhole for added stability.<\/p><\/div>\n
I was damned glad to see the Picatinny rail atop the receiver; I\u2019m tired of trying to find rings and bases to fit onto various bolt actions. A good rail saves me all kinds of time\u2014and frustration.<\/p>\n
As I outfitted the rifle, my Urban Sniper rig is approximately 12-pounds, with the rather stout Trijicon AccuPower (36 ounces) and mounting hardware. Which isn\u2019t a big deal for competitive long-range shooting, where most participants carry around a good 12- to 15-pounds of rifle (plus who knows how many pounds of accessories in their packs)!<\/p>\n
For hunting, potentially of the longer-range variety? If you\u2019re set up in a stable position like an elevated blind or a good seat on a hillside, the Urban Sniper and the experienced shooter can drop deer-sized game out to 400-yards with little difficulty. Potentially further in more-expert hands. But this isn\u2019t the rifle you want to be lugging around in Western mountains.<\/p>\n
With in-store and online prices of approximately $1,100.00, and available in both 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 Win, the Urban Sniper represents a real value for the newcomer to long-range shooting. With \u00bd MOA accuracy potential, I suspect I will be seeing a good number of Urban Snipers at shooting ranges and in competitions.<\/p>\n
SIDEBAR:\u00a0 Trijicon\u2019s Newest AccuPower Scope<\/h2>\n
At the May 2018 NRA Annual Meetings, Trijicon unveiled its two newest optics, the AccuPower 4.5-30×56 and the AccuPower 5-50×56 riflescopes. I received the 4.5-30×56 model about the same time the Sabatti arrived, and it seemed like a logical fit: long-range rifle and high-magnification scope.<\/p>\n
The AccuPower 4.5-30 delivers extremely clear images. I could see the very edges of the paper targets and backboard materials. The scope provides the option of a red- or green-lit reticle, with five power settings for each. For my eyes, the green worked especially well, putting me on target fast. The illumination is powered by a single CR2032 lithium battery.<\/p>\n
The 0.25 MOA windage and elevation controls are very precise. I had to re-zero every time I switched ammunition, and the AccuPower 4.5-30 made that very easy. At 100 yards, I could take a shot, and then give the scope two clicks to the right, shoot again and see a new hole\u2014a half-inch to the right. The exposed elevation adjustment knob allows 100 MOA\u2019s of elevation, while the capped windage adjustment knob delivers 50 MOA of right to left adjustment.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Trijicon\u2019s newest scope, the AccuPower 4.5-30x56mm, is a long-range shooter\u2019s dream. But she ain\u2019t cheap!<\/p><\/div>\n
The scope features a side-parallax control and two different positions for the (included) magnification lever. The scope is built around a rugged 34-mm tube made of aircraft-quality, hard-anodized aluminum.<\/p>\n
I chose the second focal plane model. The first focal plane model comes with an MRAD Dot reticle and a Christmas tree-like grid below the reticle center. I find that a little too cluttered, so I specifically requested the second focal plane with the cleaner MOA crosshair.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s one fine scope. But this level of precision and optic clarity doesn\u2019t come cheaply. This second-focal plane model has a suggested retail of $2,600.00, while Trijicon\u2019s asking price for the first focal plane model is $2675.00. Expect street prices at several hundred dollars less, when the scopes become available this summer.<\/p>\n
www.trijicon.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n Action: Two-lug bolt action<\/p>\n Barrel Length: 20-inch, heavy contour, cold hammer forged, blued finish<\/p>\n Rate of Twist: 1:8, with Sabatti\u2019s Multi Radial Rifling<\/p>\n Magazine: Detachable. Accepts AICS patterned magazines.<\/p>\n Trigger: Match quality, 3.0 pounds pull<\/p>\n Stock: Carbon-infused polymer, black matte finish<\/p>\n Length: 35-inches with muzzle brake<\/p>\n Weight: 8.75 pounds<\/p>\n Included: One magazine, swivel studs, Picatinny rail atop receiver, rail section under barrel for bi-pod, muzzle brake and thread protector.<\/p>\n Price: Approx. $1,100, in-store and web prices.<\/p>\n To learn more about the new Sabatti Urban Sniper rifle visit Sabatti by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Imported to the United States exclusively by the Italian Firearms Group, the Urban Sniper sports a relatively short (for a long-range precision platform) 20-inch bull barrel. Even with that shorter barrel, the Urban Sniper isn\u2019t a lightweight at 8.75 pounds, though few of today\u2019s long-range rifles are exactly nimble. It is also very accurate, has a great trigger and fits on the shoulder well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":92902,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7,855,1128,694,37],"tags":[827,132,102,616,108,208,343,620],"featured":[],"hunt365":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-92901","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gunsamerica-authors","8":"category-bolt-action","9":"category-brian-mccombie","10":"category-gun-reviews","11":"category-gun-reviews-rifles","12":"tag-6-5-creedmoor","13":"tag-buzz","14":"tag-feature-articles","15":"tag-gear","16":"tag-guns","17":"tag-reviews-2","18":"tag-rifle","19":"tag-tactical"},"yoast_head":"\nSPECS: As tested, Sabatti Urban Sniper in 6.5 Creedmoor<\/h2>\n
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