[Silicon Wolverine]

the 9mm spitzer topic a while back got me mind working. you guys know how exotic loading ideas tickle my mind. after doing a lite research and measuring, i turned back to my old favorite solution for wierd loads, MMP sabots. this didnt solve the OAL problem (more on that later) for spitzer designs, but created some new ground to plow.

i only had about half a dozen sabots left after the 357 mag project so i didnt get to do much with it but ive ordered more to play with. i started out with the 19 gr 30 cal plastic riot bullet for proof of concept. i used red dot powder because of the small amount of case capacity it takes up. it worked but didnt cycle the slide, viola, proof of concept. then i went two possible directions- 100 gr 30 cal speer "plinker" bullets, and sierra 30 cal 110 gr JHP flat base bullets. both work and fit and the plinkers actually would fit in the magazine and feed after a littel tweaking. after i shot these i also started cutting off the leftover sabot petals that extended above the case, they made th round harder to feed into the chamber as they caught on the edges and feedramp. i think this is the closest you could get to a spitzer design that would feed. the are pretty much just a round nose bullet but its better than flat point or gaping HP of a 9mm bullet. both functioned but the sierra was the overall better bullet for what im trying to accomplish. when i get more sabots im going to load up a box or two and shoot for accuracy testing. i only had three rounds of each type to check function. the three sierras hit in a 12x12" target, two fo three plinkers hit the same 12x12" they were scattered but that was the fact i was more worried about function than accuracy. i did the shooting with my SIG P6 at 25 meters.

left to right:
19 gr riot bullet (proof of concept)
100 gr plinker
110 gr sierra JHP
147 gr winchester silvertip (OAL comparison)

round in magazine for OAl comparison

finished round and my SIG P6

Ill post more as i work on this. i wont have much time this week as i have to be out of town on a overnight road trip.

SW

 

[Silicon Wolverine]

couple more pics of the finsihed round with sabot petals trimmed.

SW

 

[47_MasoN_47]

So is a Spitzer bullet one where you take a smaller bullet (.30 cal it seems in this case) than what the cartridge is made for so that the velocity is higher?

 

[Silicon Wolverine]

no. spitzer refers to the shape and design of the bullet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spitzer_(bullet)

the sub-sized bullet setup is called sabot.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabot

i used the sabot design to simplfy the bullet choice. if had gone full caliber, i would have had to take a .35 caliber rifle bullet and cut it at teh cannelure to cut the weight down and then load. the problem there is there isnt enough driving band area left on teh bullet forward of the cannelure to assure the bullet goes down teh barrel stright and not canted. also cutting a bullet compromises its design, and thusly its ability to hold together in flight. with the 30 cal sabot i can use an entire factory bullet (in this case the 110 gr sierra) without cutting it.

SW

 

[Datsun40146]

Great info, I had thought about using sabot but I could not find and info what so ever on there use with a 9mm case. Thanks

 

[futuremodal]

You've got me thinking about something . . :idea:

1. Isn't part of the functioning problem some folks seem to have with 9mm hollowpoints is that the hollowpoint bullet is roughly 3mm shorter than the standard 9mm ball? If so . . . .

2. If these standard spitzers are longer than standard 9mm ball rounds (based on the photo above), then couldn't a hollowpoint spitzer be hollowed down to the same "height" as the standard 9mm ball round? If so . . .

3. Would that hollowpoint spitzer 9mm maybe solve the function problem some folks have using standard 9mm hollowpoints in their firearms?

I know.....dumb questions.....but I'll put it out there anyway.

 

[Silicon Wolverine]

1. it has to be single fed so function aside from ejection of empties is moot.
2. no.
3. see answer for number 1

SW