arcticap
Member
A type of wooden sabot was invented for use with rifles a short time after 1826 by a Frenchman named Henri-Gustave Deignlve.
1826 was when he invented a rifle with a smaller chamber at the bottom that allowed projectiles to be quickly rammed and held in place without the need for a patch.
This allowed for faster reloading for military purposes.
But by squeezing it into a smaller chamber, the projectile became deformed during the ramming process.
The smaller chamber helped the projectile to expand to engage the rifling
Then he improved upon that design by attaching a wooden sabot to the bottom of the projectile that would hold it in place without the barrel needing a special chamber, yet would still allow it to obturate enough to engage the rifling.
In 1830, Deignlve also began working on developing cylindro-spherical conicial bullets which looked similar to a Buffalo Ballet with a hollow base which other inventors then improved upon until finally the minnie ball was invented.
But the point is that the wooden sabot was developed to allow for the projectile to obtain spin with a minimum of upset upon loading, a concept that's very similar to the minnie ball which Deignlve's early work contributed to.
And that's also a reason why people use sabots today, to not need to upset the bullet during loading while still allowing the rifling to impart spin to it.
As well as being able to use sub-caliber projectiles.
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri-Gustave_Delvigne
2. https://enacademic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/7808549
Sabots made of wood or paper mache were also used in classic times with muzzle loading cannons. --->>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabot_(firearms)
Below is a Paixhans cannon shell with sabot from 1824.
1826 was when he invented a rifle with a smaller chamber at the bottom that allowed projectiles to be quickly rammed and held in place without the need for a patch.
This allowed for faster reloading for military purposes.
But by squeezing it into a smaller chamber, the projectile became deformed during the ramming process.
The smaller chamber helped the projectile to expand to engage the rifling
Then he improved upon that design by attaching a wooden sabot to the bottom of the projectile that would hold it in place without the barrel needing a special chamber, yet would still allow it to obturate enough to engage the rifling.
In 1830, Deignlve also began working on developing cylindro-spherical conicial bullets which looked similar to a Buffalo Ballet with a hollow base which other inventors then improved upon until finally the minnie ball was invented.
But the point is that the wooden sabot was developed to allow for the projectile to obtain spin with a minimum of upset upon loading, a concept that's very similar to the minnie ball which Deignlve's early work contributed to.
And that's also a reason why people use sabots today, to not need to upset the bullet during loading while still allowing the rifling to impart spin to it.
As well as being able to use sub-caliber projectiles.
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri-Gustave_Delvigne
2. https://enacademic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/7808549
Sabots made of wood or paper mache were also used in classic times with muzzle loading cannons. --->>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabot_(firearms)
Below is a Paixhans cannon shell with sabot from 1824.
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