Short ranges and fast twist rates

[Lee308]

Hiya guys,
got a question for all the experts out there.
I have the match rifle championships coming up soon and need to get a new barrel, apparently a 1 in 9 or 1 in 10 twist rate.
The question is.....can i use this twist rate for medium range shooting such as F-class matches to avoid changing barrels every few weeks or would it be better to get a new rifle and have a rifle for each class I wish to shoot. The current twist rate I'm using is a 1 in 13 for F-Class but popular opinion says this is too slow for shooting 200gn/308 projectiles out to 1200 yards. I would be very interested to hear your thoughts.
Thank you
Good shooting to yas. ???

 

[Johnboy]

hey I don't shoot at matches but love to shoot.I think a 1:10 or a 1:11 should be just fine for what you are wanting to do.a good friend shoots a 1:11 with 190gn and up in a F-class match.and has done really well.but hey this is just my opinion.

 

[spclark]

1:13's too slow for 200 grain 308, probably borderline slow for anything heavier than 165. Suggest you look to acquire 1:11 which works for 155 up thru 210 really well in most applications. 1:9's gonna give you fliers, 1:10 may also but less of 'em.

 

[Lee308]

Thanks a lot for you opinion guys.
1:11 sounds like the way to go as a happy medium,common sense should of told me that but hey common sense not always the best answer.
Seems in this case it is. :-[
I feel much better for asking the people that know however and appreciate your input. Oh and if you were wondering I'll be using 208gn Amax rounds.
Thanks again
Good shooting to yas.........

 

[Laurie]

Lee,

1-11" covers virtually everything. most UK and British Commonwealth 'Match Rifle' shooters (.308W out to 1,200yd, and even 1,500yd on one or two Australian ranges) use this twist rate with 210 Berger and Sierra VLDs.

It'll work fine with lighter bullets too at shorter ranges right down to the 155s. If you're getting serious about MR though, the throating is a key factor - the serious players run very long throats with their 1-10s and 1-11s so they can stuff the case with Viht N150 or N550. Such a chamber is not much good for multi-purpose work with 155 through 210gn bullets.

If you're going for a faster twist, you're not limited to 155s for F-Class (unless you're in Canada or Australia). You'll get better results at longer ranges with the 185gn Berger BT Long-Range, 190gn or 200gn SMKs than with 155s. The current thinking amongst GB-FCA top F/TR contenders is to have a compromise throating that allows both 155s and 210s arguing the 210s buck the wind better but don't hold as tight elevations at 1,000yd; the 155s are more wind-affected but hold elevation better. So take both and use according to how 'difficult' the wind looks (or get confused and lose your zero as Adam Bagnall did at the F-Class European Championship last month!).

Personally, I think the 185gn Berger BT at around 2,800 fps takes a lot of beating in F/TR and holds its elevation superbly in my rifle. I use a chamber that was originally designed for the 155gn Lapua Scenar seated very shallow and it works right up to the 200gn SMK. For longer bullets (ie the 210 VLDs) in MR, it would be too short-throated and lose rather a lot of velocity compared to what the MR guys get. However, some MR shooters have used the 185 out to 1,200yd with good results, albeit I'll bet they run at much higher MVs than my 2,800 fps!

In summary, you need to decide what the primary purpose of the rifle will be and chamber the barrel accordingly. If you go for a very long throat chamber for MR, it'sll still shoot shorter / lighter bullets well as long as they are jump tolerant. But why not get one load that you know shoots really well and stick to it anyway - a lot less trouble and it means you hone your wind-reading skills to suit one particular bullet.

Laurie,
York, England

 

[Lee308]

Hiya Laurie,
Thanks for the reply.
It just so happens that I'm a convict ;D(living in Australia) so unfortunately yes we are limited to 155gn for F-class along with AR 2208/2209 powders. I normally shoot F-class as a rule but have recently spread my wings and have started shooting match rifle. At the moment I'm using a M77 Ruger with a 1:13, 34' Tobler s/s barrel using HBC projectiles which seem to go quite well. I was wondering the best way to go about shooting match rifle with minimal fuss as far as changing barrels all the time was concerned. Upon reading the replies it seems to be by using a 1:11 barrel for both classes which is good from the point of view that both rounds(155gn and 208gn) should work well with some minor adjustments however after reading your post it now seems the biggest thing I have to worry about is the throat length. The more I read into it and the more I hear from ppl it seems that the best way to go would to be just have two rifles, one for F-class and one for MR it also sounds as if it would also probably make life easier when experimenting with different rounds and powders as will happen with MR. And as far as my wind reading skills go its not going to matter which way I go as they need a fair bit of work anyway ;D. Guess that's the thing that keeps me interested though, trying to get the best out of me and the rifle in any conditions
Thanks again for your input and if the missus asks why I need another rifle I promise your name wont get mentioned.

 

[dtucker]

If you have the money i say build another rifle. You can never have to many of them. ;D