MMP, HPH 3 Petal-EZ Sabots

[Slufoot]

Have any of you tried these sabots?
If you have, please tell me your opinion of them, ease of loading, accuracy, etc.
Thank you very much!

GOOD SHOOTING!
Slufoot

[sidekick]

I'm currently using them with .45 caliber Hornady 300gr XTP's in a .50 TC Encore. With the vari-flame primer system using CCI small rifle primers and 100 grains of 777 FFg. I quit looking when I finally tried this combination. Very effective on a nice buck I shot this year at 75 yards.

[Slufoot]

Hey sidekick, Thanks for the report.
How would you describe the pressure required to get the sabot and XTP combo down the barrel of your Encore?
How would you compare ease of loading with other sabots you have tried?
Thanks again!

GOOD SHOOTING!
Slufoot

[sidekick]

Light to moderate I'd say, not at all difficult to load. To me, they seem to load easier than some Harvesters I have used with .44 XTP's or the sabots that come with Precision Rifle's bullets. Both of these were 4-petal sabots. I spoke with the owner at MMP before I ordered and he recommended I try the 3-petal sabots once I told him I was shooting an Encore. Said something about Encore's having 'tight' bores. What immediately impressed me when I first shot them is the way they open up. Every one I've ever recovered after the shot has been perfectly symetrical. Of course the only thing that really matters is how they perform in your rifle.

[Carroll B]

I shoot the 3 pedal sabots in my Omega.  I was having big problems getting the second bullet down on the powder charge when hunting. I shoot both Hornady and Barnes bullets. I remove the Hornady  sabot and wrap it around a Barnes Spit-fire SST bullet for the first shot.  This mics out to .504.  If I need a second shot I wrap a 3 pedal sabot around the Hornday 245 gr SST which mics out to .502.  I found the Hornday in the sabot that comes with it mics out to .506 which is too tight for my gun.  This may seem complicated but I just load the second shot in speed loaders. I may switch this year from 777 pellets to Pyradox pellets.  Both combinations print the same in my gun so I don't have a problem switching between bullets.  Can't remember who I ordered the MMP sabots from, somewhere in the mid-west, but  I had them 4 days after I placed the order.

[sabotloader]

Carroll B

I have not read all the answers posted above but yours caught my attention... I have a question are you damp patching between shots? If so, what are you using?

I have two Omega's an older SS model and a new Z5, in both of these guns I am able to load HPH-24 sabots and either a .451 Noslers or .458 Noslers with the MMP Orange sabot, I should also tell that i also load 10mm 200 grain XTP's in the blue MMP sabot.  They all load snug but not that I have to pound them down or can not push them down with one push on the ram-rod.  At the range I use any or all of these without any problems - I do patch the barrel with regular windex after each shot.  There is a hint of a 'crude ring' at the bottom of the barrel but not enough that I could not load the second or third bullet if I needed - but at this point it is much easier to load the 3p than a regular 24 - IF I do not patch. Another thing I do on quick second shots is to run the sabot/bullet combination on my tongue to add a little moister for lubrication - slides right down.

I know there are some TC barrels out there that are tighter than the norm and 3p's or 'crush rib's' are necessary even on a clean barrel.

Some additional information the original sabots on hornady's and barnes are equivelent to a MMP HPH-12.  They are really tough to get down the barrel of most any TC product.  The new Hornady 'low drag' sabot is a 3p in an effort to give the Hornady SST a competitive edge with the Shockwave products.

Sabots in the order of thickness

MMP HPH-12 and equivelents - good for a .504/.506 boresl (Older Knights and Whites)
such as Hornady and Barnes


MMP HPH-24 (.002" thinner than the 12)
Harvester regular short black - these are for the more standard barrels of the TC and the new GM barrels... .502/.503
Harvester regular long black

MMP HPH-3p-Ez load
Hornady 'low drag'             .499/.500 bore diameter
TC 'super glide'
New Barnes sabot ( can not remember the name)

And the thinnest of the 50 cal sabots
Harvester 'crush rib'