.223 twist rate?

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ajax

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i have a .223 rem 700 i am thinking about rebarreling again it has a douglas barrel with a 1-12 twist rate. for people that have .223 rifles with a twist rate of 1-9 does it over stablize your 52-55grain bullets or do you still get excellant accuracy with them? most of my shooting is with 52gr match or 55v-max bullets but i might want to get into alittle heavier bullet in the future!
what are your results?
 
I shoot a savage .223 12FVSS , 1 in 9 twist and use 55gr FMJs. The accuracy is great and I can go up in weight to 75 or 80 gr.. The varmints cannot testify to the bullets hitting power.
 
The Douglas is a mediocre barrel. There are better barrels readily avaialble. gailard, McClennan, Shilen, come to mind.

Stainless lasts longer and foul less. Buy a 1:8 and try some 60, 68, 69 or 75, 77. very good groups that will hold together at longer range for hitting what you aim at.
 
I suppose it depends on who is making it and the steel they use, but I disagree with the comment that Stainless lasts longer. It is the better choice for match shooting because it is more heat tolerant than CM but it is not more durable overall.

As for cleaning, that may be true in some cases but again, I would put greater stock in who made the barrel, how it was reamed and whether it was lapped. I've had my share of Stainless Smith barrels that would make any Remington owner homesick when it came to cleaning time.
 
I had a .222 with a 1:7 barrel. This is the rifle that proved to me that concerns over bullets loosing accuracy because they were spun too fast was baseless. With Sierra 52 gr MK's this was a true quarter minute rifle.

What the fast twist did do was blow up 50 gr SX's and Bliz's, so I quit using them. If you choose a slow twist though you limit yourself to short, light weight bullets only. A fast twist will stabilize long heavy bullets as well as the light bullets, so I see no down side. Some say that a fast twist barrel will produce a slower MV than a slow twist barrel, but that has not been my observation with either my 1:7 .222 or my 1:8 308. If you are a long range shooter, the fast twist might result in more spin drift down range, but with a .223 slow twist barrel you are not even in the game.
 
thanks everyone, i was just curious if i would lose any accuracy or how much if i rebarreled this time with a tighter twist and was looking for some experience. most of the time i tend to use the 55 v-max, or 52 matchking!
i agree the douglas was alright, but i have had better barrels!
 
I would not limit myself by getting such a slow twist. At least a 1:9 would be better. Then you have options for whatever you want. If you for sure will only ever shoot 50g or so then fine, but you are servely limiting yourself.
 
thanks magnumpeanut, i have tried to shoot 69gr matchkings with no luck in my 1-12 twist, but if i go with a 1-9 it would digest those better i know and hopefully still shoot 1/2 inch or less with 55 grainers.
 
Kevan,

It is a plain vanilla Stevens 200, factory 1:9 barrel, that I had Bill Leeper rechamber two winters ago.

It is my designated coyote and wolf rifle, and I painted the stock in what my buddies call evergreen camo. :)

Will try and get a picture up tomorrow.

Ted
 
ajax said:
thanks magnumpeanut, i have tried to shoot 69gr matchkings with no luck in my 1-12 twist, but if i go with a 1-9 it would digest those better i know and hopefully still shoot 1/2 inch or less with 55 grainers.
Click to expand...

I shot that exact bullet in my 1:8 twist and shot 40g hornadys and they both shot excellent. The 69 SMK shot consistent .38 or better and the 40s usually shot .4 or so. I'm saying that if you choose a fast twist you now have options.
 
Okay, Kevan, bit fuzzy, but here's the picture.

223Ackley2.jpg


Like I said, just a plain vanilla 200. Camo breaks up the lines a bit for our winter hunting.

Stevens223Ackley.jpg.jpg


:)

Ted
 
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The faster the twist the better. I've got a 1:8 and it'll handle anything and right now I'm using 55gr American Eagle and groups are super sub-MOA. Also as some have mention find a good quality barrel in SS for longer life and easier cleaning, fights rust way better to. You can always have it finished in black or any color as well.
 
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