Well, I blew a sabot today! .45 cal.
Feb 3, 2010 21:17:11 GMT -5
Post by Richard on Feb 3, 2010 21:17:11 GMT -5
After last week being not my best day with the .45 PN, today was somewhat better.
First off, I built a new cleaning jag because of a problem I was having with the old one. I was using 2"x2" cotton "jersey" patches I cut myself from some roles of material I got from a mill. From time to time the patches were getting stuck in the bore (to complicated to explain. My new set up now uses those patches cut to around 1" sort of square Some are tighter than others and this is causing, what I think was the problem with the blown sabot . In other words, TOO loose and not getting the proper pressure and cleaning. I cannot explain it any other way. I fired some 20 saboted shots and recovered 17 of the sabots which were laying on top of the frozen snow. I found the blown sabot (see photo)..........the other sixteen I picked up, looked just about perfect? And, it was not my highest velocity load.
I shot seven targets today..........four with one duplex, two with another duplex and one single powder load. The first four targets utilize a load that shot very well for me back in October and I wanted to re-try it to verify the quality of the load. Temperatures back then were in the 35 to 65* range. Today 30 to 45* . The load did not disappoint me. Velocities were comparable. However, on shot #3 (target #2) my friend Bill and I (Herman could not make it today) heard a distinctively different sound. I looked at the chronograph and saw the velocity dropped 100 fps. I looked at the target and could not find the shot. That was when I suspected a blown sabot. When were finished shooting I went out and picked up all the sabots I could locate and the picture will show the one that was blown along with the good ones. And, I did not find that shot on the target.
You will notice on targets #1 and 2 that my shots are pretty close to being level with the center but somewhat to the right. I then took that same load out to 300 yards. I used the first stadia line below the cross hair and held on the target above and to the left of POI. I can't explain why the fifth shot went somewhat out of the group....but it did.
On group #4 I shot the same duplex only sabot less . You can see the group shifted to the left and low. The velocity also dropped between 125 and 150 fps but grouping was good.
The next two duplexes were tweaked from last week. I dropped the N-110 from 6 back to 5 gr. and upped the N-120 from 65 to 66 gr. The velocities seemed to remain virtually the same and groups were fairly close. Maybe a tad better with todays load.
On target #5 I had a minor mishap. I was talking with a club member who stopped by. Inadvertently, I left my aluminum bore guide on the barrel and.................YUP! Shot it off. When the shot went off, I did not notice any difference in sound or recoil but in the bottom of my scope, I thought I saw something bouncing along the snow. I thought it was a sabot? Looking at the target I could not really see the shot and thought I had a double . When I went to reload, I could not find the guide ...........sure enough! As I walked down range over the "untrodden" snow, I noticed scuff marks in several spots en route to the target..........LOW and BEHOLD, a few feet from the target was my bore guide.........Unscathed! And I could not find the "double" So, I shot a sixth shot.
The last target was shot with a 250 SST sabot less. It was just ok and I probably will not overly pursue the heavier bullets.
All in all, it was a decent day...........as is any day at the range with friends.........Missed you Herman!
Richard
First off, I built a new cleaning jag because of a problem I was having with the old one. I was using 2"x2" cotton "jersey" patches I cut myself from some roles of material I got from a mill. From time to time the patches were getting stuck in the bore (to complicated to explain. My new set up now uses those patches cut to around 1" sort of square Some are tighter than others and this is causing, what I think was the problem with the blown sabot . In other words, TOO loose and not getting the proper pressure and cleaning. I cannot explain it any other way. I fired some 20 saboted shots and recovered 17 of the sabots which were laying on top of the frozen snow. I found the blown sabot (see photo)..........the other sixteen I picked up, looked just about perfect? And, it was not my highest velocity load.
I shot seven targets today..........four with one duplex, two with another duplex and one single powder load. The first four targets utilize a load that shot very well for me back in October and I wanted to re-try it to verify the quality of the load. Temperatures back then were in the 35 to 65* range. Today 30 to 45* . The load did not disappoint me. Velocities were comparable. However, on shot #3 (target #2) my friend Bill and I (Herman could not make it today) heard a distinctively different sound. I looked at the chronograph and saw the velocity dropped 100 fps. I looked at the target and could not find the shot. That was when I suspected a blown sabot. When were finished shooting I went out and picked up all the sabots I could locate and the picture will show the one that was blown along with the good ones. And, I did not find that shot on the target.
You will notice on targets #1 and 2 that my shots are pretty close to being level with the center but somewhat to the right. I then took that same load out to 300 yards. I used the first stadia line below the cross hair and held on the target above and to the left of POI. I can't explain why the fifth shot went somewhat out of the group....but it did.
On group #4 I shot the same duplex only sabot less . You can see the group shifted to the left and low. The velocity also dropped between 125 and 150 fps but grouping was good.
The next two duplexes were tweaked from last week. I dropped the N-110 from 6 back to 5 gr. and upped the N-120 from 65 to 66 gr. The velocities seemed to remain virtually the same and groups were fairly close. Maybe a tad better with todays load.
On target #5 I had a minor mishap. I was talking with a club member who stopped by. Inadvertently, I left my aluminum bore guide on the barrel and.................YUP! Shot it off. When the shot went off, I did not notice any difference in sound or recoil but in the bottom of my scope, I thought I saw something bouncing along the snow. I thought it was a sabot? Looking at the target I could not really see the shot and thought I had a double . When I went to reload, I could not find the guide ...........sure enough! As I walked down range over the "untrodden" snow, I noticed scuff marks in several spots en route to the target..........LOW and BEHOLD, a few feet from the target was my bore guide.........Unscathed! And I could not find the "double" So, I shot a sixth shot.
The last target was shot with a 250 SST sabot less. It was just ok and I probably will not overly pursue the heavier bullets.
All in all, it was a decent day...........as is any day at the range with friends.........Missed you Herman!
Richard