BPI Sabots

Thanks for the data on the lightfield slugs. I have been looking at those too as well. And I will be trying them as well.

I was just wondering about the RSS-12s because I have heard about the complaints about the BLS-12s. It would seem to me that there are a few things that would easily rectify the issues with the BLS-12s. First being is not to try to make a 2000fps slug carrier out of them. The other is to do what they did. It would seem odd to me that they can't rectify those issues. Let's face it, how hard would it be to beef up a plastic sabot base. Heck, some of the brand name factory ammo have metal in them if I recall correctly. I guess what I mean is, why would BPI put that new RSS-12 sabot on the face of it's homepage if it didn't live up to it's image? I just wonder if the people doubting it are either confusing it with the older BLS-12 or are just naysaying it because they have a preconceived notion of it.

I hope that the RSS-12 works well because it would seem like the perfect fit with the 50 cal pointed FTX bullets from Hornady along with the rest of the growing number of .500 S&W bullets on the market.

I did look at a few sabots that I had cut open. They all have a mini-lip that grabs the bullets at the start of the ogive keeping them in place. Which is probably 95% of the problem with the old BLS-12's. The bullets weren't seated quite properly when ignited and the stationary momentum of the bullets probably cut right through the bases as the sabots pushed foward. So perhaps the first round you fire, they should be okay, but the suceeding rounds would create "seating" problems from the recoil moving the bullets. I would almost bet money on that. Perhaps they would be best in single shot system. That would give me an excuse to buy an NEF shotgun, I hope.

In either case, I will not be using either for this year's hunting season as I'm getting into the slug reloading a bit late for it and would like more time and money to test how well they do. Mostly because I will want to spend most of my time and money on my baby that's due in a few weeks.

Thank you.

And yes, at least, Winchester uses a metal plate of sorts in the base of their sabots. It's possible that their are others but I haven't really looked that thoroughly beyond knowing they are all expensive.

By the BLS seating thing, I know that a common complaint is the blown bases from the bullets cutting through. What I mean by my possible explanation is that it's more common than not to have heavy recoiling calibers crimped (I would say a 12 slug round would qualify) and in tubular weapons the ammunition is usually crimped as well to prevent the battering of bullets into the cartridges from the hammering effect like in most lever action rifles. Every single sabot type that I have cut open (out of curiosity) has a physical lip, or some sort of shape to it/them making bullet movement within the sabot impossible, short of discharge and exiting the barrel of course.

Obviously the BLS and RSS sabots can not have a lip because they (BPI) has no clue as to what 50 caliber bullet(s) you would be using. Different types of bullets have different ogives and shapes to them.

It would seem to me that after a few firings of these rounds the bullets, in the other shells, could quite easily slide under the recoil within the tubular magazine. They do in metallic rounds, so why not slug rounds?

If there is a separation between the base of the bullet and the sabot the forward movement of the sabot against the stationary bullet (even if for a millisecond) could quite easily destroy the plastic sabot base under 10,000 or more PSI. It would seem to me that could be a regular event if the bullets aren't seated within the sabots correctly.