Help with Twist Rate for 223
- Thread starter martyd
- Start date
I 1-9 will shoot any 40 to 70 fantastic. Don't be upset if YOUR gun does not shoot someone elses reloads well. 55fmj are not know for precision, and without tuning for a rifle, it can be a crapshoot. That being said, my 1-9 FV has not shot any factory or hand load worse than 1-1/2" at 100 yds.
Liven The Dream
Gold $$ Contributor
Go for the 1-7 and don't look back.
If we're talking 2000 rounds even 3000 rounds you will not burn that barrel up. Get the 1-7 twist for later so you can load heavier even if it factory Match. It will probably be a killer at 500 yards. Then after when you believe it's shot out get an Urbanrifleman barrel to replace it. His Wilson prefit barrels shoot great.
I wouldn't use "reclaimed" or" pulled" or even new 55 gr fmj for anything except plinking in an AR. I'd run the 7 twist in the longest barreled Savage rifle I could afford....I believe Savage has a 26 to 30 in barrel 7 twist target model so that you can run 80, 82, 88 to 90 gr match bullets, at high velocity to defeat some of the wind problem, at long range. I just ordered a 5.56 in a 6 twist barrel for 95 gr SMK ... as an experiment.
Not being rude about the 55 fmj, as it might appear...but ya have to start somewhere, and steering you in tbe direction to be competitive if that's what you desire and If you don't reload. You'll have to buy match ammo...it's expensive. But you'll never be competitive with 55 gr fmi especially pulled bullets...and you'll never know your full potential or the rifle. Setting you up for failure and disappointment, seriously almost any bullet is better than the 55 gr fmj for accuracy. Get the 7 twist, look to the future...practice with some of your 55fmj buy a box of 75 to 77 gr rmatch, shoot a few at different yardages to 500 see the difference in consistently smaller groups. Learn to reload with basic tools , so as to utilize the full potential of you and your rifle. If you believe in yourself you can take it to the bank....start here.
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Ned Ludd
Silver $$ Contributor
I'll second Ray123's opinion regarding 55 fmj bullets. Terrible. I've shot quite a few of them in various commercial loads such as XM193s. I'd say those loads typically shot anywhere from about 1.5 to 3.0 MOA at 100 yds in my hands. At least part of that has to be due to the bullet itself. Nonetheless, these rounds were given to you, so there's nothing wrong with shooting them. I wouldn't have expectations about great precision, though. If nothing else, you can always use a few every range trip to foul the barrel and cut down on expenditure of more expensive/better ammunition.
Although optimal twist rate is about bullet length, it is not difficult to make some general statements about .224" bullets using their weight (or weight class), as weight is more or less proportional to the length and may be more readily recognized by most .223 Rem shooters. I'd personally go with a 1:8- or 1:7-twist if at all possible. The 1:9-twist may limit you to bullets in the neighborhood of around 70 gr weight or so, which might be an issue down the road if you decide to load your own or wish to use heavier (longer) high BC bullets in the future. An 8- or 7-twist barrel will still work fine with 55s, but will give the option of loading .224 bullets in the 77-90 gr weight range if you so choose. Shooting bullets of less than 70 gr or so may be frustrating at 500 yd if there is much wind where you shoot most often, because the BCs are generally not that high. Bullets in the 73-75-77 gr weight range usually have higher BCs, and therefore will undergo less wind deflection at a given distance than their lighter counterparts. You might be able to get away shooting 75s or 77s in a 9-twist barrel, but it's close to the margin and often depends on the specific rifle/barrel whether they will shoot well with a 9-twist.
Although optimal twist rate is about bullet length, it is not difficult to make some general statements about .224" bullets using their weight (or weight class), as weight is more or less proportional to the length and may be more readily recognized by most .223 Rem shooters. I'd personally go with a 1:8- or 1:7-twist if at all possible. The 1:9-twist may limit you to bullets in the neighborhood of around 70 gr weight or so, which might be an issue down the road if you decide to load your own or wish to use heavier (longer) high BC bullets in the future. An 8- or 7-twist barrel will still work fine with 55s, but will give the option of loading .224 bullets in the 77-90 gr weight range if you so choose. Shooting bullets of less than 70 gr or so may be frustrating at 500 yd if there is much wind where you shoot most often, because the BCs are generally not that high. Bullets in the 73-75-77 gr weight range usually have higher BCs, and therefore will undergo less wind deflection at a given distance than their lighter counterparts. You might be able to get away shooting 75s or 77s in a 9-twist barrel, but it's close to the margin and often depends on the specific rifle/barrel whether they will shoot well with a 9-twist.
ROBARRC50
Gold $$ Contributor
1-9 twist is perfect for that 55 grain ammo you have. This is my remington sps tactical 1-9 twist 20 inch barrel shooting 77smk bullets this is a slow load useing varget. All stock except the manners t2a mini chassis and 40x trigger. Rifle will shoot with any of my customs at 100 yards groups in the .2 range. This is the only paper target i have shot at 600 yards with it bottom target includes ccb shot. Was able to see a few shots through scope and corrected wind hold for next group. Like others have said not all 1-9 twist will shoot heavy bullets but this one shoots them and 50 grain more than good enough under half moa at 600 yards cant complain. Shoot up what you have and with the savage your just a barrel nut away from a nice barrel. Good luck.
W748 is, IMO, *the* go-to powder in .223/5.56mm in bullets 70 grains and lighter. Great velocity too. Probably the most accurate load I ever had in .223 was from my Colt 20" "Match" AR with a 1:9 twist shooting the old Nosler Solid Base boat-tail bullets. Those Noslers pre-dated the current trend of longer, slicker bullets but by God they were accurate.
coldboreshot
Silver $$ Contributor
Agree here regarding the 52FBs. They run great through my 12BVSS 1-9 as well. I took a stab at sampling a load I make for my semi-auto in my BVSS that was quite an eye opener. Sierra 77TMK at 600 yards was definitely a consideration which I now load with 223 brass instead of 5.56. Very impressive.
Ml my ro CV k river is a hummer out to n.v 600 swith 1.7 and 65gr barnes ttxz tipped bullets. Its very ver6 accurate
gr dhooyd 1z/2 mo
I built an AR-15 with a Krieger heavy barrel in 223. It is 1:9 twist. With my handloads, it loved Sierra 52 and 53 grain flat base bullets. It even liked 55 grain PMC Bronze ammo, but not as much as handloaded stuff. 69 grain Blackhills ammo did not do well. I cannot say why, but that barrel seemed to really prefer the light stuff.
Yep. My shooting partner has a Savage 1:9 that loves the 70 RFD!! Shoots them just a well as my Ruger 1:8
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