sabots - cheap, quick and easy method

A place for general potato gun questions and discussions.
Post Reply
User avatar
jackssmirkingrevenge
Five Star General
Five Star General
Posts: 26216
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2007 11:28 pm
Has thanked: 576 times
Been thanked: 347 times

Donating Members

Thu Dec 15, 2011 11:22 pm

A little picture tutorial on how to make lightweight yet strong sabots to fire subcalbre projectiles, enjoy:
Attachments
5) voila, sabot. Use a sharp blade to trim the front part to match the length of the projectile. You can also cut slits in order to aid sabot separation, as in a shotgun wad.
5) voila, sabot. Use a sharp blade to trim the front part to match the length of the projectile. You can also cut slits in order to aid sabot separation, as in a shotgun wad.
4) push the whole assembly into the secton of barrel tubing, place it on a hard surface and tap the rod firmly with a hammer. This compacts the twisted end into a flat base, sealing it and adding strength.
4) push the whole assembly into the secton of barrel tubing, place it on a hard surface and tap the rod firmly with a hammer. This compacts the twisted end into a flat base, sealing it and adding strength.
3) slide the foil out until the rod is only 1-2 times the diameter of the projectile into it, and pinch and twist the rest of the foil.
3) slide the foil out until the rod is only 1-2 times the diameter of the projectile into it, and pinch and twist the rest of the foil.
2) wrap the foil strip tightly around the rod until it's the same diameter as the inside of your barrel. You might need to use tape to help you do this.
2) wrap the foil strip tightly around the rod until it's the same diameter as the inside of your barrel. You might need to use tape to help you do this.
1) fold the foil until you have a strip 4 to 5 times the diameter of your projectile.
1) fold the foil until you have a strip 4 to 5 times the diameter of your projectile.
You will need: aluminium foil, a short section of barrel material, and a rod with the same diameter as your projectile - in this case I'm using a 4.5mm drill bit for a 4.4mm steel BB.
You will need: aluminium foil, a short section of barrel material, and a rod with the same diameter as your projectile - in this case I'm using a 4.5mm drill bit for a 4.4mm steel BB.
hectmarr wrote:You have to make many weapons, because this field is long and short life
Top
daniel0663
Specialist
Specialist
Posts: 131
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2010 10:57 pm
Location: New Zealand

Fri Dec 16, 2011 12:15 am

Nice tutorial JSR, will have to try this with 10mm lead ....
Top
User avatar
jackssmirkingrevenge
Five Star General
Five Star General
Posts: 26216
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2007 11:28 pm
Has thanked: 576 times
Been thanked: 347 times

Donating Members

Fri Dec 16, 2011 12:42 am

The problem with thin foil is that it does get a bit tiresome for larger calibres. You can substitute the foil for paper or thin carboard and make it the same way, then throw in a ball of foil before putting the sabot to hammer it in, and make a composite round.

Just to illustrate the effectiveness of this, here's a shot from my mini hybrid at 9x with a lead pellet:

Image

Here's a shot with a 4.5mm BB in a sabot built as described above, fired from exactly the same setup at the same target:

Image

You can see small flecks of foil from the sabot around the entry hole.
hectmarr wrote:You have to make many weapons, because this field is long and short life
Top
sagthegreat
Specialist 3
Specialist 3
Posts: 343
Joined: Thu Feb 16, 2012 5:23 pm
Location: Leesburg
Contact:
Contact sagthegreat

Thu Jul 26, 2012 5:42 pm

I know that i should not bring up old topics, but this seems really important




I found these shrader valve caps, and the fly straight when shot out of my cannon using your sabots, theses caps are a great way to make missiles without have a machine shop
Top
User avatar
MrCrowley
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 10078
Joined: Fri Jun 23, 2006 10:42 pm
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Been thanked: 3 times

Thu Jul 26, 2012 6:17 pm

jackssmirkingrevenge wrote:Just to illustrate the effectiveness of this, here's a shot from my mini hybrid at 9x with a lead pellet:

[...]

Here's a shot with a 4.5mm BB in a sabot built as described above, fired from exactly the same setup at the same target:
So one shot was with a lead air rifle pellet and the other with a copper/steel 4.5mm BB? Just want to clear that up because if that's the case, surely it isn't a fair test?
Top
User avatar
jackssmirkingrevenge
Five Star General
Five Star General
Posts: 26216
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2007 11:28 pm
Has thanked: 576 times
Been thanked: 347 times

Donating Members

Thu Jul 26, 2012 11:57 pm

MrCrowley wrote:So one shot was with a lead air rifle pellet and the other with a copper/steel 4.5mm BB? Just want to clear that up because if that's the case, surely it isn't a fair test?
Fair point, the hardness of the BB does give it an advantage beyond what the sabot offers. Unfortunately the mini hybrid used for this test is now defunct so I can't repeat the experiment with a lead ball, though I have every reason to believe this would also have penetrated just as well.

When fired from my micro hybrid against similat steel sheet, both the lead and steel 0.177" BBs gave similar results:

[youtube][/youtube]
Last edited by jrrdw on Thu Nov 07, 2013 3:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Fixed video.
hectmarr wrote:You have to make many weapons, because this field is long and short life
Top
User avatar
jackssmirkingrevenge
Five Star General
Five Star General
Posts: 26216
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2007 11:28 pm
Has thanked: 576 times
Been thanked: 347 times

Donating Members

Tue Nov 06, 2012 1:38 am

Something related, ignore the pyro bit but great flechette & sabot combo, papier-mâché FTW!

[youtube][/youtube]
Last edited by jrrdw on Thu Oct 24, 2013 2:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Fixed video.
hectmarr wrote:You have to make many weapons, because this field is long and short life
Top
User avatar
Heimo
Specialist 2
Specialist 2
South Africa
Posts: 243
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2009 3:02 pm

Tue Nov 06, 2012 2:21 am

jackssmirkingrevenge wrote: papier-mâché FTW!
haha

[youtube][/youtube]
Last edited by jrrdw on Thu Oct 24, 2013 2:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Fixed video.
The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!
Top
User avatar
Brian the brain
Moderator
Moderator
Netherlands
Posts: 3497
Joined: Mon Dec 05, 2005 2:06 am
Location: Holland
Been thanked: 7 times

Tue Nov 06, 2012 12:27 pm

Perhaps a simpler method of making a sabod would be to use a ....
SPUD?

:D
Gun Freak wrote:
Oh my friggin god stop being so awesome, that thing is pure kick ass. Most innovative and creative pneumatic that the files have ever come by!

Can't ask for a better compliment!!
Top
User avatar
jackssmirkingrevenge
Five Star General
Five Star General
Posts: 26216
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2007 11:28 pm
Has thanked: 576 times
Been thanked: 347 times

Donating Members

Tue Nov 06, 2012 4:17 pm

Sabots that fly apart before leaving the muzzle aren't exactly ideal ;)
hectmarr wrote:You have to make many weapons, because this field is long and short life
Top
Post Reply

Return to “General How-To & Discussion”