Interesting twist rate theory. It is amazing what is coming out of rimfire right now, I am curious what kinds of testing some of the custom companies are going to come out with in the next year or two with regards to twist and length then how the ammo manufacturers respond (or if they do)
Barrel length for long range
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Interesting twist rate theory. It is amazing what is coming out of rimfire right now, I am curious what kinds of testing some of the custom companies are going to come out with in the next year or two with regards to twist and length then how the ammo manufacturers respond (or if they do)
This is well-known in centerfire shooting, Bryan Litz goes over this in part 1 of Modern Advancements in LR shooting volume 1.
Berger recommends a minimum twist of 1:15 for 22cal 40gr flat base bullets, they are 0.415" long. https://bergerbullets.com/flat-based-bullet-recommended-twist-rates/
Most match grade 40gr .22lr bullets are even longer, 0.46 to 0.48", so a 1:12 twist certainly makes sense.
Speculation and experiments relating to faster twist rates is not new.
As a general observation, I wouldn't be counting any chickens before they hatch. The quest for accuracy improvement is not a recent development. It would be a great surprise if different twist rates had not been studied and the subject of experiments by rifle and ammo makers during the 100 plus years of its existence.
It's worth noting that the more recent enthusiasm about different twist rates has not yet produced significant published data to confirm that twist rates other than the standard produces better results with factory ammo. Even reloading .22LR ammo with solid copper or similar bullets can't yet be considered to produce an ammo as or more consistent than the best .22LR factory ammo. There are very real limitations imposed by the .22LR chamber and small .22LR casing.
While efforts to improve .22LR accuracy should always be encouraged, it may be necessary for long range shooters to continue to live with the limitations of the caliber and its ammo. When reliable information about accuracy improvement is developed and made public, it will be more than welcome.
The older one gets, the more he realizes how few things are really new any more...
I think there's probably a certain amount of situational bias when evaluating the performance of 22LR.
If a guy wants to test accuracy at 50 or 100 yards, which is not unreasonable for a guy who competes at such distances, we cannot assume that such findings will directly apply at 300 or 400 yards.
Almost certainly someone somewhere down the line has tested a wide range of things along with every imaginable chamber variation, but recently and in the context of long range for 22LR...?
I simply found the claim interesting in particular that faster twist rates seem to work better for rim fire (meaning smaller groups at long range, but not necessarily smaller at short range) when the barrel is longer than 22 inches... I have never before noted a such a relationship in center fire, and I doubt there is one. I suspect it has something to do with the pliability of lead.
There are few absolutes in shooting as there are sometimes mysterious things that make one rifle shoot better than another, but I hope with the recent energy behind long range 22LR that we develop some new truisms that seem to hold water over time. More importantly, I hope this is done before I order a new barrel for my 22LR.
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Sounds just like the claim that bullets "go to sleep" at longer distances and produce smaller groups then close range.
https://appliedballisticsllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ABDOC104_EpiciclicSwerve.pdf
No, not at all... You are misinterpreting what I'm saying. Quite the opposite actually. It's about the rate of accuracy degradation over distance.
I'm saying the theory is that you can have 2 rifles that shoot 1/2" groups at the same distance, but down range one produces 3 inch groups while the other produces 4 inch groups.
Both with the same velocity spreads.
One bullet wobbles more in flight and the other flies more true resulting in the difference.
BC is less relevant at close range and increasingly relevant as the distance is increased. The wobble would both decrease and randomize the BC.
So in this sense, it might be possible for a rim fire rifle that shoots 3/4" groups at 100 yards to shoot better at 300 yards than a rifle that shoots 1/2" groups at 100 yards.
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This is a good question. But it shouldn't deflect from this thread. Interested readers can follow and contribute to a discussion of this question here https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/for...Long-Distance-Results?p=17725096#post17725096
