length vs twist

[jraney]

hey folks could i get some opinions here. i have a savage rifle that i would like to put a 20" heavy barrel on, i want it short because it is easier carried in the truck and more maneuverable in the cab. Anyhow i thought i wanted a 9twist but i would really like to shoot the lightest possible bullets i can. in the .223 i think those are 40grners not sure. will the gun still be accurate with a 20" 14twist, or would i be better off with the 9twist and trying to go as small as possible. the gun would be for coyotes and smaller animals, out to as far as i am comfortable which is really only about 250yds. so i would like to here what you all think.

thanks
J

 

[gtl1946]

When I wanted an upper for a bench AR and it had to be accurate and fast ,I told the gunsmith I wanted a 24" , 1-12" twist , that would shoot 50-55 grn bullets. Old "doubting Thomas" argued with him when he said you want a "thick" , short stiff barell for accuracy ,and a 1-9" or 1-8" twist . The twist WILL shoot anything bullet wise. In the end I learned two things 1) he was correct and 2) don't argue with the man who's doing the job and knows a heck of a lot more than you !!!! You know coyotes better than me but I'd go for 50's .

 

[jraney]

well i had heard that a 9twist will shoot the smaller bullets but i was not sure and wanted some 2nd opinions. thanks

 

[FroggyOne2]

A fellow that I use to shoot with, once stated that if your 8 twist bbl will not shoot the Sierra 52gr SMK's, you had a bad bbl!

 

[cb1229]

Go for the 9twist you cant go wrong it will stabilize every thing from 40 to 69gr used to be savage 1/9 was really a 1/8.5 not sure if that's true but cool if it is. good luck I use nosler 40gr ballistic tip with h-335 load is on the hogdogen site

 

[SS427]

I wouldn't go 14 twist cause it can limit you to 50 grain bullets and less. I would go with a 12 twist unless I planned to shoot bullets heavier than 60 grains.

 

[jraney]

well i really don't plan on shooting anything heavier than 60 but who knows . I suppose if the 9 is as versitile as it sounds that would be the way to go. thanks for the response.

 

[K22]

I have seven 223's all in 12" twist ranging from a lite weight Rem Model 7 to heavy varminters. I shoot nothing but 50 and 55 grain bullets. All my rifles shoot very well with this twist and bullet weights. Remington, Browning, and Weatherby varminters are supplied with this twist so I can't see how you could go wrong with this twist if you're shooting 50 and 55 grain bullets.

There has been numerous posts on this Forum by shooters claiming that 9" and 8" twists work well with these bullets weights but I have no personal experience however I have no reason to doubt their assertion.

I really like the Tikka Lite in 223 but it comes in 8" twist. I've steered away from it for that reason but my concern may be unfounded. However the Sierra's technical people told me that the 12" twist will give you better velocity and accuracy with 50 and 55 grain bullets.

 

[Catfish]

If there is a chance you will be shooting a coyote DO NOT use the 40 gr. bullets they have to much splach and just don`t get the penatration you need. I use 55 gr. bullets that are very soft and they really don`t get the penatration I would like, but they do knock the coyotes down and there is no chance of a rickochet. As for twist I would also recomand the 9 twist. It does well with the lite bullets and is good up to the 60 gr. bullets as well.

 

[bheadboy]

for 250-300yd shooting, the 50-60 gr bullets should be very good for your intended use.

the 12 twist is all you need, many on this forum will encourage 8-9 twist as they want to and will use heavier bullets. for the distance preformance they give with higher bc. beyond 300yds.

they are right if you intend to shoot longer, a lot, but if seldom, you do not need more that 60gr and thus 12 twist.

Bob

 

[Shynloco]

well i had heard that a 9twist will shoot the smaller bullets but i was not sure and wanted some 2nd opinions. thanks

Funny you mentioned that...one of the guys at the range kept telling me repeatedly, that I couldn't shoot Sierra 52's & 53's in my 1:9 Savage Varmint Model 12 DVM. He said the barrel twist wouldn't work because he has the same rifle and it shoots 69 Sierra's light out. So we had a little contest at the range. The ONLY difference in our rifles is he changed his stock. Needless to say he wasn't happy when I outshot him (by a fair margin) in a five target shootout. Guess some folks are just plainly THICK because he still says that rifle shouldn't be shooting those 52's & 53's and outshoots 69's. He said my barrel twist must be off.

So, the twist in my Savage was checked and verified by a Gunsmith who has been building custom rigs for over 40 years. My groups @ 100 yds are SIGNIFICANTLY better and more accurate than the 69's as I tested for 4 weeks trying all sorts of combinations of bullet seating depths, 5 different powders highly recommended for 69 gr accuracy. Bottom line is that you have to see what your particular rifle likes regardless of the "coventional wisdom" some folks claim that a 1:9 will shoot and what it won't shoot.

 

[jraney]

well, i guess i must make a decision.

 

[spclark]

A fellow that I use to shoot with, once stated that if your 8 twist bbl will not shoot the Sierra 52gr SMK's, you had a bad bbl!

Too True!

Often service rifle shooters choose 52's for reduced course competition in their regular 1:8 20" AR uppers with excellent accuracy. Out past 200 yards they'd expect to get blown around more where 69's or 75's are more typically selected. 20" barrel - standard on AR service rifles - won't run you into speed territory that, with a faster twist, could blow up projectiles either.

Were I in your position Jraney I'd probably go with 1:10 knowing I'd not be using anything heavier than maybe 60's out to 300 yards, unless I knew there'd be days when I'd want to shoot in temps near or below freezing where 1:9 (or 1:8) would give a nice margin of stability; 1:10 might not be enough when it's cold.

 

[chevytruck_83]

Is 23 inch a good length for a 1x7 twist 223 barrel? Had my rifle sent back for repair and asked them to put in a 1x7 twist in place of the 1x9 26 inch if it had to be rebarreled. Not sure why they put in a 1x7 23 inch. They don't sell a model with that twist in less then 26.

 

[spclark]

Is 23 inch a good length for a 1x7 twist 223 barrel? Had my rifle sent back for repair and asked them to put in a 1x7 twist in place of the 1x9 26 inch if it had to be rebarreled. Not sure why they put in a 1x7 23 inch. They don't sell a model with that twist in less then 26.

I'd certainly ASK why if you expected a 26" & nobody called to tell you different.

20" works fine out to 600 for service rifle in gas guns... heard theories that you really only NEED 18" to work in most calibers (though I find 26 - 30" to be preferable for my needs).

You have this new 1:7 chambered for heavy bullets? I'd be careful loading anything lighter than 69's too hot; that twist will spin 'em up good! Lightweights might not survive the trip....