Receive the new one on trial SKL 20 kipplauf from Sabatti initiated a series of very interesting experiences for which we are grateful to the Gardonese House: the departure encountered a hitch, but as often happens, if something goes a little wrong at the beginning, statistically the rest is revealed in descent. The rifle arrives at the New Armory of the Center of Alexandria (0131 266 269) together with a very interesting optic, very little known here, but definitely established in the United States of America where it is produced: it is a Sight Mark Model Citadel . We tried another example of this factory a short time ago, less sophisticated than the current one, and we are curious to examine this combination: between the pair of elements there is an attack of the Contessa brothers, a guarantee that in the space of a few years it has been able to conquer the national and foreign market: inventiveness and execution form a combination of total reliability.
However, a problem arises at the time of assembly: the rings supplied are the lowest ones and the valve for the introduction of nitrogen, the gas that prevents condensation and fogging, protrudes from the bottom. A phone call to the company and in a couple of days the intermediate rings are ready at home, which we assemble on the base, taking care to arrange things in the appropriate way. To be honest, taken by the desire to do well, we find ourselves with the objective instead of the eyepiece ... in short, with the telescope turned 180 °. With calm and method we disassemble the substantial optics reassembling it in the right direction: the minimum space for the valve allows a very low position avoiding torsion problems in pointing. We tighten the two nuts joining the rings to the slide well while we do not force the Allen screws that stop the tube too much: we think to check them again after the first test shots.
The first returned to Carrù
Mid-July at the Carrù shooting range (CN): our friend Giorgio Rosso (347 969 26 77) welcomes us and the weather offers a comfortable day with adequate light for shooting, without too much glare or mirage effect. The assembly of the Sight Mark Citadel 3-18 × 50 on the Contessa base and this on the attachment obtained from the Sabatti breech monobloc, they immediately offer the guarantee of well-done work at the origin. Out of habit we perform the first test at 50 m so as not to waste too many cartridges: already the visual check through the barrel and then in the optics reassures the situation and the first shot is a bit low, like the second shot for confirmation, but almost aligned with the center.
We test the shots verifying with the second shot the displacement, very small, passing to a considerable number of click with a nearly exact third hit and a perfect fourth. We used RWS cartridges from a few years ago, with 8,2g (127g) KS (Kegel Spitze) bullet. We move to the 100 m line full of enthusiasm and satisfaction by hand putting a new box of RWS cartridges, always with the same ball. We note on the ballistic data provided by the manufacturer some slight differences in the new production with -35 m / sec and -235 J at the muzzle which become -140 J at 300, with an additional 5,5 cm decrease at 300 m with the GEE. indicated respectively at 172 and 164 m: a pity, because as our friend Fabio says “Beautiful ladies, money and Joules… never enough”. Then on the ground it will certainly not be these entities that will make the difference, or at least we hope so: however we are sorry to observe these steps backwards.
Let's go back to our tests: the calibration from 50 to 100 m requires a couple of forked shots, as we would say in artillery, with the third well placed, even if still a little high. Hence a drift to the left with three blows that just leave a bitter taste in our mouth ... until the memory rekindles the consideration mentally expressed during assembly: the tightening screws of the rings will have to be checked after a few shots. We put the shotgun back on its supports and each of the four screws punctually takes a considerable angle of closure: the necessary rings came from the Contessa company, accompanied by screws and the key for the job, with an appreciable consideration for those who have to make the replacement. No spell, but after that intervention we had forgotten about, the shots end up where they should end: the highlighter target shows the three chained shots to our full satisfaction.
To complete the day we decide to devote the right attention to optics with the square test: two good hunters / shooters buzz around us with undisguised interest in the news, the Galli twins who, being very young, in the Carrù range are called the Cockerels… We entrust them with weapon and optics, a target at 100 m and five cartridges: they fire alternately and for our part we only take care of the part of the shots with 25 clicks in longitude and 20 in elevation. We leave a certain curiosity to those who follow us: we will propose the image with the arrangement of the five holes in the next passage in which we will deal specifically with this rifle scope while we anticipate a commendation to the Galletti, truly exemplary in behavior and shooting.
A short test at Pian Neiret
The day after the Carrù tests we take advantage of a shooting session at the Pian Neiret shooting range, in Val Sangone (TO) where the family of Marco Cenni (347 916 1112) allows you to spend a day at high altitude (it is about 1250 m asl) taking advantage of excellent visibility, optimized by a nice storm at lunchtime: it was not even planned ...
The occasion is favorable for testing the kipplauf SKL 20 to Maestro Carlo who commits himself directly to 300 m: the study of the shots and the correspondence of the mechanics of the Sight Mark Citadel, verified in Carrù, allow you to immediately put the shots in the target: it is a pity that our bad communication to Roby Cenni leads to cover with an adhesive target the grouping which in any case can be seen with sufficient clarity in reverse after circling the three holes with a red marker. We are left in less than 55 mm therefore 0,65 of MOA: no comments seem necessary except to emphasize that this was the first and only grouping of the friend who was perfectly at ease with the combination of weapon and optics.
In Moiola to complete the triduum
After about ten days from the first two tests, for the sake of completeness of data, a morning and part of an afternoon in Moiola (CN), guests of Carlo, could not be missing. In the meantime the cartridges have run out and we have restored availability with a new box of RWS, this time with DK (Doppel Kern) bullet of 9,1 g (140 gr): from KS we appreciate the precision with some discernment in the use attested the intended fragility of the bullet. From DK we have always obtained excellent results for the precision in our Merkel drilling in 7x65R and we would give ample confidence for the lethality to be verified at the first favorable opportunity.
In the 6,5x57R caliber of Sabatti we want to check how the MRR barrel masters this bullet different in weight and profile, well remembering how the cartridge was born at the end of the nineteenth century to exploit weights up to 10,5 g in those long ogival cylinder bullets then extensively used, at medium distances, even on deer. Today profiles and structures have changed a lot: the advice offered by RWS with the profiles of the wild animals drawn on the box sees fox, roe deer, wild boar and deer excluding moose and bear. Let's go back to “our” Sabatti: the benevolent order of the stable is to stress the shotgun, in the obvious sense of trying different situations, always with an eye to the heating of the barrel. Together with the new RWS, Carlo has prepared a recharge with a monolithic ball: this solution is also part of the ongoing verification.
We begin to check accuracy and V / 2 of the DK for which the House declares at the muzzle, a 60 cm barrel like the one in use, 760 m / sec and 2628 Joules, a GEE at 154 m and consequent drop of 9,1 cm at 200 m of 51,3 to 300. It is evident that the use for long shots is bound to the use of optics with ballistic turrets combined with a modern rangefinder: accuracy, as we will verify by shooting with the SKL 20 kipplauf, guarantees excellent results . Carlo starts looking for the beautiful five-shot grouping at 100 m with the 9,1 g RWS DKs: the declared data are almost always a little optimistic and the average V / 2 is equal to 734,8 m / sec with a very low average deviation. of only 3.0.
The grouping in progression sees the first three shots almost chained and the last two, already hot barrel, a little apart. We move on to the reloads obtained with RWS cases, Winchester Large Rifle Magnum primer, N / 160 x 45,6 gr powder, 130 gr (8,4 g) Barnes TSX FB bullet, OAL 77,3: the average V / 2 is equal to 812 m / sec with an SD of 8.0. The grouping, despite the slightly high average gap, improves a little the already considerable previous one with four very close shots and the fifth a little moved after the shooter had to change position for fortuitous reasons. The bottom squares of the target are equal to 1 ”so 2,54 cm. It is up to us to carry out the two tests, however limiting the shots to three: in hunting there is already one too many, often two if the hunter knows his stuff. Both series with the 9,1 g RWS DKs and the Barnes ball reloads are similar with the same minimum one-shot deviation compared to the two chained: it remains between 0,60 and 0,75 MOA.
Conclusions
By changing the weight and type of bullet with original or domestic charges, the shotgun responds wonderfully: the ballistics is documented by the images, but to this must be added the balance of the weapon, really well calculated, and then the shot that contributed substantially to the good success of the pitches: a laudable facility from every point of view. At the end we point out again that there was a certain initial fear for the combination of a full-bodied optic on a light rifle, usually herald of a little abundant pattern: here the slightest negativity was not highlighted so certainly the measurements of the dovetail practiced in the breech block and the base of the Contessa brothers they proved to be perfectly adequate even with this combination.