Pete,

Nope. That's another good question. I've loaded sabots for 30 cal (224 bullet) for a buddy - his hb 308. Not sure we ever hit on the right combo for powder - they were fast, but not as fast as I thought they could have been. Accuracy was good but not as good as the rifle would do with 30 cal match bullets. Lots of factors in that...

I'm not sure if there is anything wonderful in a 45 Colt sabot. A bullet with a fairly high sectional density - like a 200gr 30 cal - is probably not going to stabilize at the slow twist of a 45 Colt. I'm gonna hazard a guess and say that something no longer than a 120gr 30 cal will stabilize at that twist/velocity combination.

A really short bullet - like a 45 gr 224 - probably will stabilize. But it's not gonna set any velocity records - not enough powder capacity, no matter how I slice it - the case won't hold enough to really uncork even a light bullet. MAYBE with triple base powder - which is not available in cannister grade AFAIK - one could get close to 222 Rem velocities.

Sabot or not, there is only so much energy available in the volume of powder the case will hold. Jump up to a 45-70 case and I think your question gets more interesting... but I'm not sure where the application lies - armor piercing is the only thing I can think of (that's a done deal - SLAP rounds for 308 and 50 cal). Sabots are better in smooth bores with fin-stabilized projectiles and so far that's too much hassle to seriously consider for shoulder-fired rifles. The whole question is interesting to me, but I am not sure it leads anywhere for me.

A heavier bullet from the 45 Colt is more interesting to me - like a 300gr Hornady XTP or similar heavy cast bullets. Especially from a 16" carbine barrel. I once loaded a bunch of 385gr hard cast bullets for one of my 45 Colt revolvers - heavy loads. Penetration was incredible; recoil was heavy but not hurtful. Trajectory was loopy - I did not have a chronograph then so I really have no idea what the velocity was. But they didn't serve any purpose that other loads couldn't do, so I didn't pursue that any farther.

Back to your sabot question - I suspect that there may be some use for, say, a 200gr 40 cal fired out of a 45 Colt case at about factory pressures or a 180gr 357 - might give a performance boost without the need for a robust gun. Dunno if it's worth the effort or not...

Tom