# Sabot feedback



## silentstalker (Feb 19, 2008)

Dallin said he could tell a lot by looking at used sabots. Im curious what you all think of these. Im getting 1 1/2" groups when I do my part with a 1x scope at 100 yards. These sabots travelled approximately 20 yards downrange.














They are Harvester brand .50 cal

Any feedback?


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## elkman (Sep 1, 2013)

Pardon the ignorance but what are we supposed to be looking for? What do the sabots tell us?


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## fishreaper (Jan 2, 2014)

Looks a little crispy around the edges, but that may be normal. Maybe a faulty gas seal? At the same time, its different from reading a patch where you can see burn marks that would indicate blow by or incompatible lube . It could of course just be the charge of power and bullet combination that is resulting in 1.5 inch groups. Although I would have figured that to be pretty successful groups for a .50 caliber gun. 

Perhaps the issue is that we're looking for a flaw that isn't there.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

elkman said:


> Pardon the ignorance but what are we supposed to be looking for? What do the sabots tell us?


Sabots can indicate a whole realm of possible problems if you are having poor accuracy. Primarily they indicate poor barrel fit, excess friction in the barrel (poor quality barrel, pitting from neglect or excess fouling), sticking issues (sabot holds the bullet too long, disrupts flight).



silentstalker said:


> Dallin said he could tell a lot by looking at used sabots. Im curious what you all think of these. Im getting 1 1/2" groups when I do my part with a 1x scope at 100 yards. These sabots travelled approximately 20 yards downrange.
> 
> They are Harvester brand .50 cal
> 
> Any feedback?


Those look pretty good. For the most part the closer they look to being "reusable", the less problems you have with the gun (dont reuse them though ;D). Its also a good sign they are landing in pretty much the same spot.

Over the years I've helped people at the range who most commonly, have torn petals (1 of 4 is missing). Secondly, you can get tearing around the cup (I'll draw in red where they frequently tear and attach). Any issues on the sabot are indicators of poor barrel fit or friction issues within the barrel.

There isnt a "standard" 50 caliber muzzleloader bore size. Some are tight, some are loose... some meant for roundballs and some so loose they need squib loads to prefoul the barrel. One guy had a barrel that was nearly .52" caliber when we measured it. We found by using sabots meant for .429" bullets (44cal) with a 45 cal bullet (451") he got a pretty good snug fit and decent accuracy (I told him to sell it though and get a different gun lol).

Some guns like a thinner petal design (ones meant for .45 cal /.451"), some like thicker (44cal / .429"). There really is alot you can mix and match with these.

Then you get into lubed vs dry barrel. If I swab my Rem700ML barrel between shots with windex, and follow it up by the slightest film of Borebutter... its a dream to load, the sabot sides down silky smooth. After firing, they remain smooth and nearly unused (except for the rifling mark down the sides). I did refire a few as a test... and got really good accuracy.

As I said, its also good they were landing in roughly the same spot. Make absolutely sure however, your fingers are dry with no oil when you insert the bullet into the sabot... it can cause sticking issues if you have oils or leftover lube. If sabots stick to the bullet it throws off the axial rotation. Think about the meticulous care people put into a center fire rifle barrel, especially the crown getting it all perfectly even so all forces on the rear of the bullet are equal. Now with sabots all of that logic goes out the window. SD? Hah... people are attaching a big ole piece of plastic with 4 wings to that projectile... SD goes right out the window... or at least it doesn't come into play until the sabot and round separate. The cleaner that happens the better as well. Some sabots "grip" the bullet too hard and disrupt flight.

Ever since they turned my favorite shooting spot (5 minute drive away) into a yuppy subdivision, I haven't done alot of "experimentation". But before they did, I used to think up all kinds of "what if" scenarios and test them out. The whole "shoot your gun at the end of the day and reload for the next because your powder will go bad... tested that once by loading a barrel and leaving it uncapped... for 8 months. There was no discernible delay in ignition or accuracy vs a normal load. Tested wax seals on my hawkin once, dunked the entire barrel in a tub of water for 10 minutes to see if it would work... fired perfectly afterwards (this was back when they required exposed ignitions and people were worried about hunting in rain).

-DallanC


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## silentstalker (Feb 19, 2008)

Thanks Dallan. Im certainly not complaining about my groups but when you posted about used sabots I thought I would run some past you. 

My biggest limitation is my lack of ability to precisely aim at a spot from one shot to another with my 1x. Cant wait for the hunt though! Good luck all!


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Try the NRA rimfire targets with the 8" diameter bullseye. They are easy to sight in on with a 1x at 100 yards.


-DallanC


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## silentstalker (Feb 19, 2008)

Can they bought at Sportsmans or cabelas? I will try anything at this point! Thanks for the recomendation!


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

I think i got my last ones at either Walmart or CalRanch. They are really common.


-DallanC


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## elkman (Sep 1, 2013)

You can also take a target you already have and cut out the size of bulls eye you want then use it like a stencil and paint your targets. I had to do this when I shot a red-dot. its a pain in the but I guess but if you already have targets and a little spray paint why not?

I would also like to thank silentstalker for the question and all those who helped answer it. I learned a lot. When I go out again I am sure I will have plenty of questions. Thanks again.


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