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Author Topic: Neat Sabots  (Read 2668 times)

CarlS

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Neat Sabots
« on: March 31, 2022, 10:45:47 PM »
Hello all.  Been a while since I've posted and sorry about that.  There is a lot going on.  I did take some pics of a couple sabots for one of our forumites and thought I'd share it with this esteemed group.  If you have any similar ones I'd love to see some pictures of them.  I think they are neat sabots.  These I bought at the Columbia, SC show many years ago.  They, unfortunately, didn't have any provenance.

These are both Selma sabots although different styles.  one is what is called the clover leaf style with the 4 edges that spread outward.  The other style I call a wedge style due to its shape.  Not surprisingly the wedge style takes nearly 1 pound more copper to make (1lb 7.8oz vs. 2lb 8.5oz).

These both measure right at 3.79 inches in diameter and since they are fired that would indicate they were made for a 3.8" caliber rifle.  The clover leaf example is the most common and has James rifling on it.  The wedge style has 5 lands and grooves on it.  I haven't taken the time to see what gun it might have been fired from.    I'd be very interested in any shells that anyone has with this sabot.
Best,
Carl

CarlS

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Re: Neat Sabots
« Reply #1 on: March 31, 2022, 10:59:46 PM »
Well, as I was typing the above information it occurred to me that I made a stupid mistake.  I measured the wedge style sabot incorrectly allowing the groove depth to factor into my measurement.  So I remeasured it correctly and it does measure to be for a 20 pounder Parrott type rifle at roughly 3.62".  I suspect some of you realized that while reading my topic start post and I figured I'd save you the typing to bring the error to my attention.  So the cloverleaf sabot is for a 3.8" gun and the wedge sabot is for a 3.67" (20-lber) gun.  I think these sabots are only found on long shells and can't be fired from a rifled 6-lber gun.
Best,
Carl

emike123

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Re: Neat Sabots
« Reply #2 on: April 06, 2022, 03:52:23 PM »
The wedge type sabot goes on the 3.67" so called "Selma" shells fired from a Blakely rifle.  The cloverleaf sabot went on "Selma" shells of many sizes, but Ken and Kerry have proved they weren't made at Selma.  This one was for a 3.8" rifle.  Both these guns were in Redoubt #4 at Fort Blakely.  Ken owns the Skates gun that fired the 3.8in Selma cloverleaf type sabotted shells.  I own the muzzle tip of the Blakely rifle that was next to it.  A shell blew up as it was leaving the muzzle and cost the end of the gun to break off.  In the records, the Confederates said this, but the Union troops claimed to have hit the gun.  The piece was found well in front of the redoubt (toward the Union lines) and so must've been the result of a shell blowing up just as it exited the barrel.

These guns were used in other areas, including a different type of 3.67in Blakely used in South Carolina near Columbia, but we got some of the shells and sabots from the large collection we bought down there several years ago.
« Last Edit: April 06, 2022, 04:10:15 PM by emike123 »

CarlS

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Re: Neat Sabots
« Reply #3 on: April 15, 2022, 08:15:13 AM »
While the 3.8" cloverleaf sabotted shells are shells are seen periodically the long 3.67" wedge sabotted shells are rarely seen.  I know of a few that have been found here at Kennesaw Mtn. and still kick myself for not buying one I was offered many years ago.  It had a bent sabot and so I passed which was a mistake.
Best,
Carl

Pete George

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Re: Neat Sabots
« Reply #4 on: June 26, 2022, 02:02:17 AM »
Carl, in addition to the 3.67" "Star-Cavity" Blakely-Plate shells that were found around Kennesaw Mountain, several were found (by Tom Dickey) which were fired during the Atlanta siege from Johnston's River Line westward along Power's Ferry Road, if I recall correctly. I said "if I recall" because I'm no longer certain about the street name. I do recall it was down on the west side of Atlanta, not northwest where some of the River Line still survives. Tom took me shell-digging to the spot. Again IIRC, I dug a no-sabot 20-pounder Brooke there.

jamesshell

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Re: Neat Sabots
« Reply #5 on: July 03, 2022, 11:15:19 PM »
I had a 3.67 Selma Shell with 15x15 rifling dug a Ft Blakely..  it was in exceptional condition, which allowed me to measure the bourlets?. And determine it was made for a rifled 6lb..  I guess fired from a James Rifle.   

Garret

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Re: Neat Sabots
« Reply #6 on: August 08, 2022, 02:56:47 AM »
Hi Pete!  Hope all is well.
"Suppose you were an idiot.  And suppose you were a member of Congress.  But I repeat myself."  Mark Twain