Bullets & Sabots to lube or not to lube?

[-h@rKByte]

Do you use lube with bullets and sabots?

Thanks,
- $h@rK

 

[Pittsburghunter]

No you leave the bore as clean and dry as possible with sabots and you do not put anything on the bullet that goes in it as well. Lube can cause the plastic of the sabot to do strange things in the bore and hurt accuracy.

Because of the lack of lube sabots do load hard in some rifles All I can say is give it a try and see how they work in your particular rifle. If your rifle is a slow twist say a 48 you will want a lighter bullet.Example a .50cal would like a sabot holding a 240g 45cal bullet better than a sabot using a .44cal bullet that is heavier.

hope that makes sense to you slower twists usually mean shorter bullets.

 

[-h@rKByte]

This is very helpful, thank you .

- $h@rK

 

[Landngroove]

For use in Thompson/Center ML's, T/C specifically says not to use lube with sabots.

 

[Idaho Elk Hunter]

Used sabots for first time today in my dad's brand new Austin & Hallick inline that he won in raffle at the last Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation dinner and it was the hardest I have ever seen going down the barrel. I mean we had to put all or our effort in just getting it to seat all the way down and to the point I would not use them at all if that is how they work and I was leary about pulling trigger as I wanted to make sure it was seated against the powder.
I have always been a PRB guy and just started shooting conicals this year after owning my first ML rifle in 1976. I have never had such a hard time getting projectile down a barrel. This was my dad's first experience shooting around BP and he liked the guns, but doesn't like the "tough load".....is there a difference in saboted loads and should we try other brands of sabots?

Jim in Idaho

 

[Pittsburghunter]

Yes some sabots load very hard and are better suited for button rifled almost over bore rifles. There were some batchs of Shockwave sabots made by T/C that had thicker than spec sabots that I could not even get down the barrel of my T/C made inline and they shipped me some replacements for free.

The green sabots sold by Knight and the older T/C Mag Express sabots seem to load easier to me IN MY RIFLES.

I buy my sabots loose and buy the right sized bullets at gun shops that sell reloading supplies.

IMHO you can't beat a Hornaday 265g Interlock FPSP in .429 with the T/C Mag Express sabots in rifles with twists of 38 or faster.

 

[Idaho Elk Hunter]

Thanks Pittsburgh...this Austin & Halleck inline my dad won at the Elk dinner raffle came with 2 stocks and is a real nice looking gun for an inline. It is designed to shoot sabots or bullets pretty much only as it has I believe a 1:28 twist or faster and that is why I am asking all the questions about sabots and bullets...never shot much except PRB in past 29 yrs, but have been experimenting lately with them. The guys I started shooting with were all "flinters" and they made fun of me (all in fun of course) shooting a percussion T/C Hawken, so I didn't dare shoot anything except PRB as that is all they shot back then anyway.
Jim in Idaho

 

[Pittsburghunter]

Just for fun with your dads new rifle if you can't find sabots that load easy in it try some heavy powerbelts. I think the 348g ones will work ok in a fast twist rifle but they are damn expensive. Real heavy conicals can work well also both options are easy to load although I bet you can find some sabot options that load fine for you as well.

Try some Cheapshot Sabots from T/C they always loaded fine for me as well and you get like 30 shots for $6.

 

[gmww]

I've seen this discussion before. I guess I'm one of those that does lube the Sabot. I moisten the sides only to get the sabot to slide down the barrel easier. I also put a dab in the rear cup. Seems to work for accuracy in my rifles.

In the Lyman Black Powder Handbook & Loading Manual 2nd edition by Sam Fadala he also recommends it. It can be found in Chapter 13 page 94. It is in the Chapter Shooting for Accuracy.

Mr. Fadala also mentions lubing the cup of a Sabot in The Complete Blackpowder Handbook 4th edition, revised and expanded.

As far as Conicals are concerned, he states in the first book, "Best accuracy according to demonstrations, not to be confuse with scientific tests, show conical accuracy best achieved by lubing the base only...."

 

[Blackfoot]

Used sabots for first time today in my dad's brand new Austin & Hallick inline that he won in raffle at the last Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation dinner and it was the hardest I have ever seen going down the barrel. I mean we had to put all or our effort in just getting it to seat all the way down and to the point I would not use them at all if that is how they work and I was leary about pulling trigger as I wanted to make sure it was seated against the powder.
I have always been a PRB guy and just started shooting conicals this year after owning my first ML rifle in 1976. I have never had such a hard time getting projectile down a barrel. This was my dad's first experience shooting around BP and he liked the guns, but doesn't like the "tough load".....is there a difference in saboted loads and should we try other brands of sabots?

Jim in Idaho

Yes there are other kinds of sabots and they are not the same.
You should try the Harvester sabot they are the thinnest that are made (that I have found) and you will see a big difference in the way it loads.
You won't have to lube them.

Use the black Harvester if you are using a .50 cal rifle with a .45 cal bullet.
You can use the Green sabot with the bullet being .44cal ( some have tried this and have no problems with loading and accuracy is the same.

I have found that tha Hornady XTP 300 grain .452 diameter pistol bullet works great in either .45 cal or .44 cal.

Let us know how it works out
Good luck