RE: I've finally done it!!!!
 

I really wonder just how much pressure a crushed rib sabot actually looses? If you look at the base of the sabot, the part that actually expands and seals the sabot to the bore, there is an area where there is no ribbing. Meaning that should expand and be sealing the breech there. Like I mentioned, I have not shot them over a chronograph, but it would be interesting if someone shot a crushed rib VS a standard sabot and seen just what kind of pressure we are talking.

I shot them again today in a stainless steel GMB. They were the green .430 diameter. I was shooting .44 caliber Hornady XTP 300 grain and they shot beautiful. Excellent accuracy. I was shooting them with 100 grains of Graf's black powder. The nice part is I shot three of them in a row without swabbing the bore and they worked perfect.

RE: I've finally done it!!!!
 

I've posted on this topic before.I did a side-by-side comparision with Harvester Crush Ribs and MMP HPH-24's inmy Mustang. The crush ribs got me better groups and higher velocity.

See thethread at:

http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=2153706&mpage=1&key=different%2c sabots&#2153706

Be sure to scroll down in the thread to the comment withpictures of the fired sabots.

RE: I've finally done it!!!!
 

I somehow missed that post. That was real interesting. Also some darn good shooting on your part. I personally like the Harvester Crushed Rib sabots.

RE: I've finally done it!!!!
 

Semisane - that was some nice target work on the link you provided. I'd have a hard time calling one of those groups better than the other. The 4th shot on the right target aside, they're pretty much the same. I like crushed ribs for some load combinations also but either of the groups you posted would be aok with me.

RE: I've finally done it!!!!
 

As I have said before - I did and have shot them across a chrono. I shot them from my A&H using300 grain Gold Dots. The A&H, in fact none of my inlines require a 'crush rib' to load. They do however require am HPH-24 or a standard Harvester, either the short petal or the long petal variety.

Because my bore is large for a 'crush rib' or even a HPH-3p - I expected to loose velocity as when compared to a HPH-24 or a regular Harvester. And in fact I did loose velocity with the 'crush rib'. I lost anywhere from 200-400 feet per second. The HPH-3p amazingly held the same velocity as the 24 or the regular Harvester. I remember writing that distincty in my report. I also remember asking Del why the 3p showed no real velocity loss - when compared to the HPH-24 - which is a tighter fitting sabot. He explained that it was in the formulation of the polymere and it's ability to expand under heat pressure to the barrel. The HPH-24 should and could probably do the same thing going to the White where I nomally use HPH-12.

From my testing I really beleiveI was loosing presure up the grooves in the sabot. I simply was not compressing the sabot enough to complete the seal. You can only ask the cup to hold so much pressure - the rest is dependent on the bearing surface of the sabot/bullet combination on the bore. The cup is fairly easy to blow out if you do not have that bearing surface. The cup iniatially catches the pressure and forces the sabot/bullet combination to obturate to tightly to the bore. If the bearing surface doesn't hold back the pressure you will end up with a flyer.

These are the recovered sabots.... if you closely at the middle HPH sabot you can see the end of the which is not against the bore shows no sign of blow by or residue. But looking at the 'crush rib' you can see signs ofpowder residue clear out to the end of the petals... you can see and feel it a lot better in real life.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v130/sabotloader/Sabots.gif

Here is one of the test targets... fired from the A&H. All shots were at the same POA.

You can see I can not complain about group size and I have not complained about group size. My only statement has been that 'crush ribs' in my barrels give me less velocity. 2/400 really probably would not even be noticed @ 100 yards...

RE: I've finally done it!!!!
 

I guess my point is we are to look forward in life not dwell on the past. Yes, it did say kill and eat and after the global flood of Noah, God said I give you everything that walks as meat, that justifies killingBambi.
Chap