8 or 10 twist for varminter

[gdragon34]

I think I've decided on my next rifle. Savage action, Richard's Microfit Tactical stock, Burris 8-32x Black Diamond, SSS or Sav-2 trigger, probably either Douglas XX or Lothar Walther barrel as these are the cheapest, good-quality barrels I've found.,Any comments on that?)

Anyway, the hard part of my decision is on the rifling twist. I'm in southern PA, shots are only 400-600 yards at the longest,usually). I'm a Hornady man and I'm leaning towards the vmax's. The way I see it I can choose:

8" 87 gr. V-max and the various VLD bullets that are all the rage. Also the 105 A-max

10" 75-87gr V-max's with a hair more velocity.


I know I'd like to play with VLD's and such but I don't know how practical a choice they'd be. However, I think if I order a 10 twist I'll always wonder what could have been with the heavy bullets.

Any suggestions?

P.S. This new message board looks great. Nice work.

 

[Riverine]

The 1:10 twist will definitely work with the 87gr V-max. If you want to shoot the 105s, I think you'll need a 1:9 for sure, and a 1:8 is safer because sometimes the advertised twist rate is a little faster than what you end up with.

Q re Burris--
BTW, if you do get that 8-32x Burris Black Diamond, please let us know what you think. Price is half the cost of a Nightforce right now, and if the thing tracks right and the target is sharp, it's got to be a bargain. I have a Leupold 8-25 LRT. Nice scope, but when I minimize the parallax, the target gets a little fuzzy, so I lose whatever sharpness advantage the Leupold might offer over the Burris anyway.

 

[gdragon34]

Actually, the Burris BD is the only piece of the puzzle that I currently own. It's sitting on my .22-250 right now. My next best scope is a Nikon Buckmaster 4.5-14 and this burris completely blows it away. Unfortunately, I am unable to compare it to more expensive scopes.

I picked mine up as a refurbished item via Midway for a hair over $600.

 

[wildcat284]

I have a 10 twist barrel on my 6/284 and it works extremely well with the 87gr V-Max. I was shooting at the 200 Metre range at the local club and I was getting 1/2 to 3/4 MOA. At 100 metres, and when I'm doing my part I can usually get my rifle to group it's shots between 1/4 & 1/2 MOA.

I am driving the 87gr V-Max at 3500 fps, using 56.8grs H1000. H1000 is regarded by some as being a tad slow with these projectiles, with 4350 being regarded as optimum. However, my fps SD between shots is only 8fps. H1000 has a lower flame temp than 4350 which should contribute to extended barrel life.

The 10 twist will work with the 95gr Berger VLD. The record group out of a 10 twist is 5 shots under 3 inches at 1000 yards.

Michael.

 

[mikeinct]

I have a hart barrel one in ten twist with a 270 neck...It shoots the 87 V-MaX ...very well using Varget & mag primers just under a max load.[thank all at 6mmbr for advice].This gun just put 5 into an inch at 300 yds ...That is plenty good for snuffing groundhogs..I got to use it a couple of weeks ago in Pa for hunting ..In moderate cross winds it was no problem hitting near 400 yds + doable past that when calmer conditions prevailed..I am simply amazed by this cartridge..I'm not a pro benchrest shooter or Anything special with a rifle..but this gun tells you when u make a mistake..I fitted it with my best scope a 8 X 32 nightforce..It sits in a restored 1960's vintage 40X remington stock..the trigger is timney 1.5 lb & is not adjusted that light..I shyed away from the 1 in 8 twist because I wanted the heaviest bullet I could launch above 3000 FPS velocity or faster with a hunting style bullet..I'm not convinced I have the perfect load just yet..I'm going to try other bullets as well..I think the velocity is just there.. it kills well enough but not like a 22-250 with V-max bullets..not explosive but effective enough..nothing crawled off wounded..for that I was thankful..The 6mmbr is a solid good choice for varmint hunting out to the ranges u specified..I would invest in a good rangefinder & learn how to use it under field conditions with that gun/cartridge..shots u had to pass up with the 22 cal guns are now in your reach..if u can dial in the settings on the scope...it's not a problem hitting small targets way out there..Good luck...hope this helped, Mike in ct

 

[NeilNE]

I shoot a cartridge like the 6xc. I went to the one in 8 because I wanted to windup shooting 105. I made the cartridge to shoot up a bunch of 75 to 87+ grain bullets, I had no use for. All the loads I have developed shoot 1/2 inch or better. This is with about 3 or 4 bullet weights and several different lot numbers, most are SP bullets. I'm down to a couple hundred now. So my next load will be for the 105's. I did work on some 105 earlier and with a little work, they will start working. So form this info. 75 grain bullets shoot very well in the 1/8, so this is what I would recommend.

 

[Wild_Bill]

Go with a 1 in 8 twist as you can shoot any 6mm bullet in it where a 10 twist you cant its that simple i have shot 55gr Blitz Kings out of an 8 twist Dasher with verry good results the 8 twist will shoot 55 to 115gr DTAC bullets in my 6mm Dasher. The 105gr A Max is a good long range hunting bullet the plastic tip makes them like a hunting bullet.

Cheers Bill
Australia

 

[oldjad01]

The Savage Shooters site shows real good results with PacNor bbls. Nice people to work with and you can have your bbl anyway you want it. I haven't tried my new 6MMBR from them yet, I got a 10twist and have the same question: 'what if I want to try 117's or ?' I am told that I can use some of the various 100 gr, but altitude and temperature can make stabilizing some of them dicey at best. So many say to get the 8 twist, it shoots 70-87 just fine and you can try any of the heavyweights that you want. Best of luck with yours. JimDee.
PS: I have a Burris 8-32x50 Black Diamond and a 6.5-20x50 Leupy LR that I will compare against my new 8-x32x56 NF BR. Hopefully soon as I have been putting off mounting the NF for about a month now and curiosity is killing me.

 

[oldjad01]

I went with a 10 twist on my new 6mmBR as I don't think I need the heavier bullets and the 10 twist should be a better match for the 87Vmax and is supposed to work with 95 Berger and the new 100 BIB's, but there are some who question that. I am still fooling around and don't have my dies to start loading for itn. I want to bed the action and get me a Basix-Sav2 trigger anyway so there is no rush. I've had too many irons in the fire and no real get up and go. That is changing now.
You can get the 8-32x56 Nighforce BR delivered from under $1100 from D&B supply. Doesn't have the side focus and is only tested to 800 foot pounds, not 1200 like the NSX. Not sure if the clarity and brightness are equal. Anybody have any experience with these. Good luck with your project, JimDee
PS: I have a Black Diamond 8-32x50 and will let you know after I try the NF how they compare.