# Sabots: Plastic in my barrel



## schreck_1 (Mar 29, 2010)

I shot some of the hornady sabots out of my inline on saturday.  When I cleaned it I had a lot of plastic shavings coming out that must have been lodged in the riflings.  Is this normal?  The sabots were really tight going down the barrel.  Probably took 4X the force of loading a powerbelt to get them seated.


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## stevetarget (Mar 29, 2010)

all sabots leave residue behind. it sounds like the ones you were using were leaving too much though. If you are shooting hot loads you may need to try some MMP magnum sabots. Its possible your barrel has some rough spots in it and may need to be lapped some. Not too much, just enough to smooth out the rough spots. Power belts are definitely easier to load than sabots and if they shoot well in your rifle then there is no reason to change.
Also most of us swab the bore with a damp patch between loads. A dirty barrel is hard to load.


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## schreck_1 (Mar 29, 2010)

I was swabbing every couple shots with a cotton patch lightly moistened with alcohol.  I was trying the sabots because I don't like the terminal performance I've seen with powerbelts.  This was the first I had shot this rifle and was just playing around with a couple different things.  I was shooting 90g loose pyrodex or 2 50g pellets.


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## stevetarget (Mar 29, 2010)

I would try some different sabots if the barrel does not need lapping. 100 grains of Pyro or black powder is not a HOT load and should not cause problems.
theres a thread on this forum about power belts vs other bullets, it makes some interesting reading.  I have killed deer with a lot of different black powder projectiles; round balls, conicals,power-belts and many different sabot wrapped bullets. As always shot placement is the number one priority. If you don't put the bullet where it needs to be, the results will not be what you want.

http://www.mmpsabots.com/


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## 7Mag Hunter (Mar 29, 2010)

Try some Bore Butter on the bottom of the sabot,
or smear some around the perimeter of the barrel
before loading the sabot....

I have been using round ball sabots for years and 
never had a problem with plastic residue.....Found 
several of the sabots after they were shot and find
nicely engraved lines.....


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## miles58 (Mar 29, 2010)

another thing to deo is get some Ultra Bore Coat and use it.  It will not only reduce this probem, but it will also eliminate the crud ring that builds where the bullet seats.  Use the rest of the UBC in your CF rifles and it will greatly reduce copper fouling and make cleanup easier in them too.

Dave


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## fishtail (Mar 30, 2010)

What caliber are you shooting?
What color are the sabots?
What diameter bullets are you putting in the sabots?

Or did the sabots and bullets come in a pack together?


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## whitworth (Mar 31, 2010)

*I don't know what you mean by heavy residue*

I have a working 35 year old muzzleloader, that used the then modern plastic sabot, heavily, at many a range in the 1970's.

We used moose milk(water, water soluable oil and liquid dish detergent), a bronze(they may call them brass today) bore brush, and a good supply of cleaning rag materials from a woman's fabric center.  Together with some "elbow grease".    With every firing, a cleaning at home followed.  Fire that day; clean the rifle that day.  

Of course, I remember some things don't apply to all shooters.  Some had a hard time firing a few bullets down the pristine barrel, getting the rifle dirty (black powder has a tendency to do that), or treating the stock like it was heirloom antique furniture.   

To me my rifles are all working rifles and still working.


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## schreck_1 (Apr 1, 2010)

I clean all my BP rifles the same day they are fired.  I've just never shot sabots before and didn't know what to expect.  My flint lock is strictly patch and ball.  I will lob a powerbelt out of my cap lock once in a while.  I got this inline because I wanted a modern ML primarily for hunting hogs on WMA's during turkey and small game seasons.  That is also why I decided to try sabots rather than Powerbelts.  I've seen powerbelts that did not penetrate deer well.  In my mind, if you can't penetrate a deer, you have little chance of penetrating a hog.  

It sounds like I need to try some EZ load sabots and/or the bore butter trick.  Thanks for the advice!


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## schreck_1 (Apr 1, 2010)

fishtail said:


> What caliber are you shooting?
> .50
> What color are the sabots?
> Black
> ...



Did you think I was jamming a .50 cal projectile into a .45 rifle?


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## fishtail (Apr 1, 2010)

Actually, I was questioning if you stuck a 45cal bullet in a sabot designed for a 44cal bullet.
If bought separate from the bullets, the green ones are for 44cal, the black ones are for 45cal (depending on manufacturer).
If you bought them as a kit they gotta be correct (well should be).


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## miles58 (Apr 3, 2010)

schreck_1 said:


> Did you think I was jamming a .50 cal projectile into a .45 rifle?



Shreck,

I shoot Barnes bullets out of my MLs.  I find that with the Barnes Sabot and the Barnes bullet I get a very tight fit and seating that combination is not fun.  If I pull the Barnes Sabot off and use a TC (yellow too) sabot life is good again.  

I don't know whether the fit is too tight or the plastic is too sticky.  I don't care.  As long as my accuracy is fine and the velocity hangs in there I have no worries.

Do try the UBC though.  It is magic in MLs and bad fouling CFs.

Dave


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## fishtail (Apr 3, 2010)

I'm using Hornady sabots with 180gr 44cal XTP's in them.
I'm having no problems  you described in either of the CVA's I'm shooting them in but then I'm buying the sabots by the bag and the bullets by the box.
Interesting thing that Hornady also has is a Go/No Go Gauge Kit intended specifically to see if your barrel would be a good candidate for their Lock-N-Load Speed Sabots.

Here is how it is described:

"These gauges help you determine if the bore of your muzzleloader is in the proper size range to work optimally with our new Lock-N-Load Speed Sabot. The Go-Gauge should pass through the bore to the breech plug. Do not force it. If it will not fit, the bore is probably too tight for easy loading. The No-Go Gauge should not fit in the bore at all. If it can be inserted into the bore of the muzzleloader, the bore is probably too loose for optimal accuracy. However, you may find that the sabot will still give satisfactory performance."

I have since forgotten a very important rule for accuracy when shooting patch and ball but it has some bearing on the sabots.
There are gonna be a few different bore sizes per caliber per manufacturer. This is easily overcome by finding the correct ball diameter and then adjusting the patch or vice-versa.
It may be your barrel is a little too tight for that particular sabot setup.

Much like cartridge shooting, I guess you gotta find what your gun likes best.


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## schreck_1 (Apr 5, 2010)

Thanks for all the good advice fellas!


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## collardncornbread (Apr 9, 2010)

I had some simular experiences with my inline. I can get about 3 good shots and then I needed a sledge hammer to load it, especially the last 6".and it felt like the bottom of the sabot folded in. Also I would be about way, off target. Later I found out that pellets are known for leaving a powder char ring in the barrel, I had some loose pyrodex, so when I ran out of pellets I gave it a whirl. Works well enough for me that I plan on staying with loose powder.


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## schreck_1 (Apr 9, 2010)

I didn't seem much difference in the loose vs. pellets.  Loading was consistently difficult but I did swab every 1 or 2 shots.  The sabots also seemed to start just as hard as they seated.


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## dkwillfly (Aug 8, 2010)

Always a problem with sabots.  Try some Powerbelts they wont leave plastic behind.


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## whitworth (Aug 8, 2010)

*"The sabots were really tight going down"*

Thirty five years ago the plastic sabots went down easy.  I always thought the sabot was suppose to tighten up when they were fired.


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## Doyle (Aug 8, 2010)

Try using some of the Hornady Low Drag sabots.   They slide down a tight barrel a little easier (but I don't think they give as good a gas seal if you have a loose barrel).


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## DS7418 (Aug 13, 2010)

I'm using Hornady sabots (green) with 240gr 44cal XTP's  in my Encore muzzleloader 209x50 barrel. They are tight but not too bad.
 I use bow-wax smeared around the sabot.

 I tried the Hornady sabots (black) with the 45 calb bullets and they were too tight to load and shoot out of the same barrel gun.

 I tried the CVA powerbelts,, they load the easiest,, but shot a 5" group at 100yrds.. I didn't like that.


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