Over the weekend I had the barrels of my guns checked and found that my Traditions in line had a barrel diameter of .455 and my Knight Wolverine had a barrel diameter (inside) of .500- Both are .50 cal.

The bullets that I am currently shooting were measured as well as I am having a difficult time loading both guns.

The question that I have relates to the sabots. When the bullet is inserted into the sabot, should it slide into the sabot fairly easily or should the petals on the sabot flair out slightly?

I am working on different combinations of sabots and bullets and was wondering about the sabot/bullet relationship.

I've seen bullets flare some sabots and then in others hardly move them. A lot of it depends on the sabot to bullet ratio. If the bullets are loading hard then check the diameter of the bullets. A .430 will load easier then a .431 for instance just as a .451 will load easier then a .452 diameter bullet.

If your shooting the new Thompson Center 200 grain Shockwaves for instance, they will flare the blue sabots a great deal. If your shooting the 240 grain T/C Mag Express XTP's they do not flare the sabot that much.

Check the sabots and make sure you have the right sabot for the bullet. Usually the .430-.431 are green in color. Not always mind you, but most the time. The .451-.452 are generally black in color and the .457-.458 are orange.

With a bore the diameter you have in the Traditions in line your best bet would be a PowerbeltI would guess. That is really narrow. In the Wolverine you can shoot a lot of different projectiles. Give the 240 grain T/C mag Express XTP's a chance. They shoot real well out of my rifle with 80-100 grains of 2f.

Good luck with your rifle....