First I would like to go ahead and say thanks to all the experianced shooters who take time to answer questions on this site, you are a big help to us rookies!

I shoot an optima,
I'm thinking of trying sabots. What do I need to look for in a sabot?

What are the plus and minus of a sabot?

I also thought about going lighter. What is more accurate usually, a lighter bullet or heavier bullet. I would like to sight in at 80 yrds, with my farthest shot being 120 if I'm lucky.

Thanks in advance for your answers.

Look at the design of the sabot. Are they hollow point intended to hit and expand quickly? Are they pure lead made to expand and flatten, or are they aero tip like a Shockwave, made to penetrate and do extensive damage should they hit bone? Another bullet out there are the flat soft point, and the hollow point that are all copper encased. You then need to pick the one that best fits your hunting situation.

In many cases if the shots are 120 yards and under, an XTP will be all you need. They hit, expand and blow large holes for the most part which causes extensive wound channels. Other like the Cheap Shot kind of projectile. These pure lead hollow tip hit and flatten and again, cause a large wound channel. The shockwaves on the other hand will hit open and really do a number, plus they are flatter shooting.

You also need to look at what will load easy in your rifle. No one wants to shoot something that is next to impossible to get down the bore. We read posts all the time of such and such a bullet will not load, or is next to impossible to load. The bad part is we normally do not know which bullet that might be until we try them.

A good trick is to look at the diameter of the bullet before you purchase. I find that a .429 or .451 diameter bullet loads easier then a .430 or .452. You would not think that a .002 (both sides of the bullet come into play when you figure this) would make all that big a difference but it can be the difference between them sliding down the barrel in one smooth motion or you having to struggle, sometimes even hammer them down the barrel. Some companies that make a smaller size bullet are Speer, Remington, and Hornady.

Last is consider how hard you want to push them. Some sabots do not like to be pushed hard while others like the Shockwaves and Barnes Expanders seem to take large powder charges and really perform.

If you find one your rifle likes, you have a very good hunting projectile. Fast and with good expansion for the most part. Also sabots are a lot cheaper then projectiles like Powerbelts which allow you much more affordable practice. Sabot also seem to do better at longer ranges for a number of shooters. Although there are some that do just as well with large conicals and powerbelts.

Some of the minus aspects are they can be hard to load. You need to swab between shots in some cases. And you have to find the right one that your rifle wants with the powder charge it likes.

Your rifle will answer that question best. Some rifles like the real light bullets others really shine with the heavy 300+ range bullets. Get some of both and see which your rifle likes.

I suggest for what you want to do.. get some 240 grain XTP's and start at 85 grains of powder and give them a try in your rifle. Swab between shots. And see what kind of accuracy you get. Then start trying some of the different bullet sabot combinations out there. When you find one that your rifle likes, and you get good accuracy, then start shooting at the different distances and practice.

But if you have a projectile that works well right now out of your rifle, keep them in mind. They are always a fall back load. One you can depend on.

Wow, That covers everything!!

Your the man!

thanks
RBBH