sabots

[c.j.sikes]

do you know where i can get 30 cal. empty sabots? i wont to shoot my 30 cal rifle with .22 cal bullets, looking for plinking and possible more vel. i tried the internet , no can find them. how bout that sports fans? no matter, twernt no grizz left anyway. cjs

[azredhawk44]

I don't know that you could do it with .30 to .22, but maybe with 7mm or larger you could start paper-patching.

I've always meant to mess with paper patching and my Mosin 91/30, getting .308 bullets to go down the .311 bore without picking up the rifling pattern, after seeing "Shooter."

http://www.eabco.com/reload02.html

I did find one site claiming to have them.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Somebody makes them. Remington sells 30-06 "accelerators", which are a 22 bullet with sabot loaded in the -06.


Personally, I'd like to know where to get 12ga sabots for 45cal bullets..... those are equally scarce.

[Sevens]

The .30 to .22 sabots are often available on Gunbroker auctions. The load data comes from that eabco site.

All I've ever heard is that the accuracy just doesn't seem to make it worth the trouble.

I've always though it might be a fun exercise.

[Brian Pfleuger]

All I've ever heard is that the accuracy just doesn't seem to make it worth the trouble.

I heard the same... But all from the net, no personal experience nor do I know anyone with first hand knowledge.

[dmazur]

I tried some and didn't like them. At any rate, here's a link to a site with all the answers. They have .30/.224 sabots, load data, special seating dies, etc.

http://www.eabco.com/reload02.html

[SL1]

C.J.,

If you try them, PLEASE post your results and any tips on how you did it if you can make them work for you.

I have occassionally been tempted to try these things in my .30 Herrett, but keep reading that they aren't very satisfactory. It would be cheaper than buying a .223 barrel (and scope), so the interest keeps resurfacing.

SL1

[azredhawk44]

What rate of twist would you want to stabilize a 55gr .224 bullet at 4000fps?

I would think the 1:10 to 1:12 you find in most .30 caliber bolt actions would not be fast enough.

The AR favors 1:9 to stabilize that bullet at 3100fps, but I have no idea what another 1000fps does to that equation.

[WCW]

I tried Remington ‘Accelerators’ a long time ago in a 30-06, and they really didn’t shoot all that well. A later crop of them might have been better, but I doubt it. It’s like the previous poster mentioned about rifling twist for proper stabilization.

[Scorch]

What rate of twist would you want to stabilize a 55gr .224 bullet at 4000fps?

Well, I don't know, what rifles shoot 22 cal bullets at 4,000 fps, and what rate of twist do they have? My 22-250 has a 1:14" twist, and it doesn't seem to have any trouble with 55 gr bullets. My 223 has 1:12" twist, and it doesn't have any problems with 55 gr bullets. Unless you try to go to 60 gr or heavier bullets, you should be fine with the 1:10" twist usually found in 30-caliber rifles, that will do an excellent job.

I have not loaded any of the sabots, but from what I have read they are very load sensitive, and in loading them you have to be careful to not damage the base of the sabot.

[c.j.sikes]

thanks a lot gurs. i make .22 out of 22 rf. they cost me nothing. just something to play with. i have 30/06 springfield , i though it would be fun to shot very low vel. for small game sound like chigger sneezed, how bout that sports fans cjs

[dmazur]

This isn't exactly a sabot, but it is a way to shoot for small game with a .30-06 (or other calibers the mfgr supports) -

http://www3.telus.net/gamegetter/

This is a swaged lead ball (typically some size of buckshot) inserted in a subcaliber adapter, and powered by a rimfire blank for a powder-actuated tool.

As the adapters aren't cheap, I believe this is something to carry in your pocket and use for hunting for "pot meat", such as grouse, where using the .30-06 wouldn't leave much for the pot...

I keep planning to buy one, which I imagine would work just fine in my Ruger #1, but I haven't ordered it yet. Just thinking about it...

So, if you're just interested in plinking with a .30-06, this might work. Probably not as cheap as .22LR, by the time you buy the blanks and buckshot.

[SL1]

Or, for a pot-meat bullet in a centerfire cartridge, try turning a bullet around backwards, so that it is a wadcutter-like "front" and load it with a reduced-load powder like SR-4759 or AA-5744.

SL1

[Kiwi Hunter]

I have tried the sabots in a .308 and they are as stated a waste of time and bullets and powder (and sabots)

Accuracy was poor 4-5 moa
Velocity was disappointing 3700 fps. For 300fps over a .223 they are a lot of mucking around!

If you want some more velocity + splat with less recoil from a .308 try the 125g TNT or B-tip, both of these are accurate, cheap and tear vermin into snack sized chunks

[dmazur]

More details on sabots -

As I remember my "trial run" with sabots, I couldn't get consistent seating depth in the sabot, even using the special die. Maybe there were QC issues.

I know I found some burrs on the plastic (extra plastic from the molds.)

And, I had trouble getting the .224 diam. bullets to start correctly. There isn't any way to chamfer the sabot, and the edges are sharp.

All in all, a real time-consumer of an experiment, with disappointing (3 MOA) accuracy out of a .30-06.

+1 to using lighter bullets if you want velocity. I've had better luck with stopping at 125gr of so if you want some range, as the BC on the 110gr bullets is horrible.

[plainsman456]

I tried them in a 7.62x39,30-06,300sav and a 308,they were fun to play with,but get lighter bullets you will like them better.Good Luck

[bfoosh006]

And.. do not fire sabot ammo in firearms with any form of muzzle device...they could "bloom" early and wreak havoc.

[Mike40-11]

Another supplier. No idea on the accuracy. My one attempt with Accelerators didn't thrill me.

http://www.sabotreloadingpro.com/products

[c.j.sikes]

thanks for info mike, it looks good. cjs