.223 Remington twist

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gerry303ca

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I traded a Remington ADL that I bought new in the early 90's for a new CZ 527 Varmint. I shot that for a short time but couldn't get the accuracy of the ADL. I stupidly ruined the CZ (don't ask how, it's too embarrassing) then bought a Savage M-25 Walking Varminter that I've been having problems with (sent it back to Savage for repairs twice with no satisfaction) although I'm still working with it and getting some decent groups. I then bought a Tikka T-3. I'm playing with the Savage & Tikka to see which one will shoot best with what reloads. It might help if I knew the twist rate of the 4 above mentioned rifles. I've been told the Savage is 9", although I'm not sure of that. I think that this what the ADL was, but again, I'm not sure. The Tikka is labelled on the barrel as cal. .223 Rem. 12". does the 12" refer to the twist? Can anyone tell me for certain what the twist is on these rifles?
 
I think so for the Tikka the T3x are 1-8 twist.
You should get decent accuracy out of 40-50 grain bullets. Again, with the sporter barrel the first three shots 1 MOA or better at 100 yards. Don't expect MOA with 5-10 shot strings. It's not a bench gun but an excellent hunting rifle. Where your 1-2 shots are on the money.
 
You can measure it with a tight fitting brush down the barrel. Mark the rod and push it in until you measure one rotation, the distance you moved it is the inches per twist. You can make a flag out of masking tape around the rod to help you better visualize one rotation. Mark the rod with a felt marker after inserting, then mark it again after moving it in one twist. Pull it out, measure the distance between the two marks. I believe I did this using a brush, you just need something that will follow the lands and grooves.
 
Early 90's ADL would likely have a 1-12 twist as that was the standard for Remington .223's at that time. Your CZ probably would depend on when it was manufactured as they had a slower twist until 2010, if I remember correctly. Savage 25 walking varminter should have a 1-9 but a tight patch and cleaning rod would confirm this. Your tikka is a 1-12.
 
The ADL was probably a 12 twist and the CZ was probably a 9 twist, but this would not be a significant factor with bullets from 40 - 55 grains. The Savage M25 is an inferior rifle to the T3, but that does not mean that it can't be accurate.
 
If you have ever cleaned the bore,maybe you noticed the jag turn as you plunge. Mark the start point, push rod in until it makes full rotation, then mark that spot on the rod. Measure distance between the dots to get your twist rate
 
Thanks everyone, I'll try measuring. All were new when I bought them, all but the ADL were bought in the last year or so. Remington had 5600 rounds through it and the groups were opening up so I traded. I shoot mainly at the range but hunt some as well. I'm a lefty so use left hand Savage bolt actions (30-06 & 7mm-08) for deer hunting, but prefer right hand bolts at the bench. I sometimes hunt with lever guns as well. I'll try to get back to you after I measure.
 
The Tikka did measure 12" and the Savage 9". I haven't tried many different bullets yet, but they both shoot the
Hornady 52 gr. (21.56 gr. of IMR4198) well with my best load in the old ADL. That, and commercial loads are all I've shot so far. Military loads wouldn't work in the Savage. They would chamber hard, and wouldn't extract without using a hammer on the bolt. even if you tried to extract without firing. Using only .223 Rem. ammo (American Eagle & Win.),I had 2 Win. that didn't fire, and 3 A.E the same. Also feeding problems and often when chambering and extracting, the bullet was pushed further back into the case. The rifle was returned twice and each time I was told they fired several shots of different brands and all worked perfectly. They did polish the chamber. I had not fired any reloads at that time, but gave up on Savage and am using them now. I must seat the bullets quite deep and hold the mag in place while I shoot. A lot more experimenting to do. I think I'll try some A2230 next.
 
The Savage is 9" and the Tikka 12". I tried my favourite recipe from my ADL and it works well in both Tikka and Savage, although I'm having trouble with the Savage. Some factory loads didn't fire and are hard to extract, fired or unfired. Some unfired cartridges had the bullet pushed further into the case. I usually had to use a hammer to tap on the bolt to extract. Ammo often doesn't feed properly. I've sent the rifle back to Savage twice but they honed & polished the chamber and say it works fine. They loaded and fired several with no malfunction. I have owned many Savage rifles, old & new and never had any serious problem with any until now. I want to try some other powders & bullets but I must seat the bullets very deep to be able to extract the brass. I've given up on Savage and am now using reloads since the warranty doesn't seem to be worth anything anyhow.
 
Jim870 said:
I'd part ways with the savage, sounds like there are some potentially dangerous issues with it.
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I don't like to sell a firearm without disclosing any major faults, so I wouldn't get a very good price for it. I would rather try first to solve them first if I can. I like the medium weight barrel that won't heat up too quickly and it will still qualify in the sporter class for competition. I want to try some heavier bullets in it, and some other powders. I would like to try some A2230 and Varget.
 
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