Light weight bullets in a fast twist,... works OK?

[Lefty Trigger]

Been wanting to try some light weight bullets in my straight 6 around 70gr to 80gr but my barrel on hand is a 8 twist. Will it work with good results or would I be better of buying a 12 or 14 twist barrel?

 

[stacy]

I SHOOT 87GR BERGERS VLD'S OUT OF A 8 TWIST WITH GOOD RESULTS BUT MY 12 TWIST WILL BUGHOLE 80GR BERGERS

 

[KMart]

80 grain Bergers will shoot just fine in an 8 twist barrel. I am shooting them in an 8 twist Dasher and they shoot VERY good at around 3350 fps out to 400 yards

Added
I also shot them in a straight 6BR with a 13 1/2 twist using 8208 and they shot just fine on the upper end.

 

[RegionRat]

That ends up being one of those answers that starts with “it depends....”

Over-stabilized with poorly made bullets doesn’t end up so well, but with luck and good bullets can work. Distance you plan to shoot also affects the answer. Inside of 300 yards I have seen it work reasonably well, but that was like a fat MOA.

This comes up when somebody tries to use a light short varmint bullet in a fast twist match gun that is generally used with long heavy match bullets. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

 

[dolek]

I have an 8 twist 6 BR that shoots 75 grain and 80 grain bullets very well...have not shot beyond 300 with them so not sure at distance .

 

[liseo]

I´ve shoot a lot of 68 grains Barts bullets in my 1/8 tw 6 BR rifle with very good results at 100 m...

 

[Lefty Trigger]

I hate following trends but it seems that the second half of this year everybody I shoot with has built a 6BR with a 14 twist barrel. I have had a new Criterion 1 inch straight pipe 8 twist on standby for well over a year and finally got another left handed Savage target action for it. Not wanting to buy another barrel I was hoping it would work just fine, it has a "medium" length throat in it (.095 I think) so it measures out well with the light weight as well as the heavies.

 

[Lefty Trigger]

80 grain Bergers will shoot just fine in an 8 twist barrel. I am shooting them in an 8 twist Dasher and they shoot VERY good at around 3350 fps out to 400 yards

Added
I also shot them in a straight 6BR with a 13 1/2 twist using 8208 and they shot just fine on the upper end.

Are the 80gr Bergers the flat base bullets?

 

[KMart]

Are the 80gr Bergers the flat base bullets?

Yes

 

[Albany Mountain]

I've blown up 68 grain bullets in 8 twist 6 XC

 

[rayporter]

55 bal tips are awesome in an 8 tw--3 of us shoot them

 

[Lefty Trigger]

Well while I'm waiting on some 70gr Sierra match kings and some Berger 80gr flat base bullets to arrive I loaded and tried some Hornady 75gr V-max's. What a disaster,.. either those bullets just suck or my barrel dont like them. 2 to 3 inch groups at 200 yards and some of the groups looked like I threw a handful down a shotgun barrel! I sure hope better bullets shoot better. I tried a fast powder (RL 10x) and a slower one (RL 15) and they did shoot better with the 10x powder but nothing impressive.

 

[dolek]

Well while I'm waiting on some 70gr Sierra match kings and some Berger 80gr flat base bullets to arrive I loaded and tried some Hornady 75gr V-max's. What a disaster,.. either those bullets just suck or my barrel dont like them. 2 to 3 inch groups at 200 yards and some of the groups looked like I threw a handful down a shotgun barrel! I sure hope better bullets shoot better. I tried a fast powder (RL 10x) and a slower one (RL 15) and they did shoot better with the 10x powder but nothing impressive.

75 V-Max shoot great in my 8 twist.... Don't be so quick to say something "sucks" . You tried them once ,do all your other loads shoot bug holes first time out ?

 

[1lnbrdg]

Speer 70gr TNT bullets have shot well in every 8-twist I've tried them in. I've yet to blow 1 up before it reached the target.

 

[dolek]

Speer 70gr TNT bullets have shot well in every 8-twist I've tried them in. I've yet to blow 1 up before it reached the target.

I have pile of the TNTs ,have thought of trying them . I surely will now that I see you have had success with them .

 

[Lefty Trigger]

75 V-Max shoot great in my 8 twist.... Don't be so quick to say something "sucks" . You tried them once ,do all your other loads shoot bug holes first time out ?

How many do you have to waste to find out? Tried the two most common powders I have on hand and shot close to 60 of them, run several OCW tests and tried jamming them and jumping them several lengths, sorry but in my rifle they suck, and yes the other bullets (heavies) I have tried not bug holes but under an inch at 200 yards.

 

[Lefty Trigger]

Speer 70gr TNT bullets have shot well in every 8-twist I've tried them in. I've yet to blow 1 up before it reached the target.

Are they "varmint" accurate or "target" accurate??

 

[1lnbrdg]

I'm not a benchrest shooter but in my limited testing, .75" and smaller groups at 200 yds are pretty good.

6MM SLR 1/8 twist
6X45 1/9 and 1/8 twist

Both are XTC and Midrange/Longrange rifles.

 

[dcali]

All else equal, I would go with the slow twist, but since you've got the 8 twist barrel, go for it. The slow twist is more likely to give better accuracy, but that's not a guarantee.