Sabatti obtains the US Patent for its monocoque carbon fiber rifle stock
The well-known Italian manufacturer of target and hunting rifles Sabatti obtains a US patent for its advanced monocoque carbon fiber stock.
Sabatti obtains the US Patent for its monocoque carbon fiber rifle stock
First presented in 2023, the Sabatti Rover Carbon hunting rifle immediately attracted considerable attention thanks to the incredible features of its innovative, one-of-a-kind carbon monocoque stock.
In recent years, virtually all hunting rifle manufacturers have offered models with "carbon fiber stocks", but structurally speaking, the Sabatti Rover Carbon's monocoque stock stands apart, as demonstrated by the recently registered U.S. patent.
The U.S. patent 12.313.374 obtained by Sabatti covers a one-piece rifle stock made entirely from an advanced composite material, such as carbon fiber, and its corresponding manufacturing method. An important recognition to the Made in Sabatti.
Conventional Manufacturing of Carbon Fiber Stocks
Traditionally, non-wood gunstocks are hollow frames made from injection-molded thermoplastic polymers. These offer good strength and stability compared to wood. For improved performance, lighter and stronger composite materials like carbon or glass fiber are used.
However, these advanced composites cannot be injection-molded to form a complete stock with the integrated internal seats needed for the rifle's mechanical components. Consequently, composites are typically used only to create the external shell. The internal structure is then formed separately, often using resins or other polymers that are milled to fit the mechanics, ensuring proper coupling and distributing the stress from firing.
Sabatti has used this advanced monocoque, carbon fiber stock on its beautiful Rover Carbon hunting rifle, obtaining an incredible weight of just 2.5 kg.
The Sabatti Innovation
The primary goal of Sabatti's patented Carbon fiber rifle stock is to provide a one-piece gunstock for firearm of advanced composite material comprising carbon fibres, which does not need filling materials to ensure the correct positioning and coupling of the mechanical components in the gunstock structure and the homogeneous distribution of the stresses caused by the vibrations that are generated in the firearm during firing.
The patent also refers to the manufacturing method of the gunstock, allowing a faster and more reliable assembling of the mechanical components to the gunstock, with a reduced risk of errors.
Structure and Materials
The Sabatti patent details a one-piece, monocoque gunstock made using a vacuum-bag molding process. The term "one-piece" signifies it's created from a single mold, resulting in a continuous structure without any breaks in its fibers. The stock is made from an advanced composite material consisting of carbon fibers within a polymeric resin matrix. All the internal seats and supports for the action, barrel, and other components are molded directly into the stock as an integral part of the single piece.
Because it's produced as a seamless unit, the gunstock has no junctions that could weaken the structure. This creates a very strong and smooth frame, ensuring an optimal distribution of stresses from firing vibrations.
Design Advantages
The gunstock's external walls are shaped for an optimal grip, while the internal walls are molded with varying shapes and thicknesses to meet the specific strength and stiffness requirements of different areas. This precision allows mechanical components to be housed in direct contact with the frame itself, eliminating any need for post-process finishing or filler materials between the components and the stock.
This manufacturing method minimizes unreproducible manual assembly operations, also ensuring a stress distribution from firing that is highly consistent and reproducible across all firearms produced.
