While it's self-evident that it's incumbent on the fantasist to prove that his fantasies are true, it's surprising the obvious needs to be stated. If there is any doubt -- and there shouldn't be -- the proof and results about the efficacy of the standard 1:16 twist are in the record books. There are decades of evidence that 1:16 barrels perform best at the most rigorously tested distances for .22LR. That evidence is that 1:16 barrels have consistently outperformed all others. In fact they are the overwhelming preference of shooters. Other barrels using .22LR ammo don't compete. It's clear and undeniable. Other than the allusions of a few like Bush, where is the evidence that other twist rates have more success? It doesn't exist.
Other distances are less rigorously contested because of the limits of .22LR ammo. Beyond 100 yards, and especially beyond 200 yards, .22LR ammo sucks for accuracy because of its limitations, because of its nature. Even when lot tested ammo is used, there is simply too much to go wrong to give anything approaching good accuracy at the 300 - 600 meters referenced above.
Changing the twist rate of .22LR barrels produces less accuracy at the distances for which the round performs best. In other words, a 1:16 twist rate produces better accuracy than any other out to 100 yards. If a different twist rate other than 1:16 produces less accuracy at 50 yards and even less at 100, it defies reason that it will improve even further out. It doesn't make sense that a round that does less well than another at 50 yards will suddenly experience a force causing it to do better the further it travels while the other inexplicably does less well. It's known why the ammo does less well, and that's because it's not suited for it.
Just as there's no magic that will cause .22LR bullets to better behave at longer distances than they do at shorter ones, there's no inexplicable force that suddenly exerts itself on a 1:16 propelled .22LR bullet once it has passed 100 or 200 or 300 yards. Increasingly sucking in terms of accuracy at such distances doesn't defy explanation; it's to be expected because that's the nature of the ammo.
As long as long range .22LR shooters don't use the best barrels available and lot test for the best ammo, one or both of which are time and money consuming, they are going to experience even less accuracy than is possible for small bore rifles.
While its always preferable not to delude other readers, if anyone like rlaunay wishes to believe that a remedy to the limitations of the .22LR round itself is around the corner, they are welcome to believe it. Arguing that there's no evidence that the standard twist rate produces the best accuracy at the most strongly contested ranges is not only ill-informed, it's just plain wrong, and insisting that magic will make the .22LR round perform better is simply unconstructive.
To be brief:
22lr shot at the short ranges it has historically been competed with is heavily researched, tested, and likely has reached a plateau in regards to accuracy.
There has still been no evidence of significant testing provided to show what effect twist rate has on 22lr fired at
extended ranges
The "magic" you refer to frequently is the science of ballistics. The "inexplicable force" you frequently refer to is wind/air resistance.
The "nature of the ammo" is exactly what is being discussed, specifically, what changes to that nature would be beneficial for long range shooters. Using the current "nature of the ammo" as an example to why ammo with a different "nature" would fail seems questionable on its face.
This whole conversation is the equivalent of some random dude at the range with his grandpa's old 30/30, that, through 50 years of fine tuning can shoot a round nose/flat base bullet in 100 round/0.1 MOA groups at 100 yards tell the 1000y BR guy who's 6mm only shoots 10 round/0.2 MOA 100 yard groups that his 6mm is useless and everybody should be shooting 30/30's at 1000 yards because they're so accurate - but then gets up and walks away when you ask him to show a 10 round group at 1000 yards.
What is best for one discipline at one distance is not necessarily best for another discipline at other distances.
Right now, you're not arguing against my beliefs. You are arguing against physics.
Heavier/longer (higher BC) bullets shot from a barrel of appropriate twist rate to stabilize them at similar/slightly lower velocities than their lower BC alternatives are better at combating the undesirable forces that air/wind have on them during extended flight.
Unfortunately, this thread has gone way off track - far from the "look how everyone's getting along for once" theme of the first two pages. I'm more than happy to continue through PMs if you'd like to discuss further.
Until then, I need to go pick up a few bricks of Lapua/SK before the store shuts down and I'm left shooting Golden Buckets.