Light bullets from a fast twist barrel

HOOLIHAN

HOOLIHAN

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Not sure if this is the right forum but here goes. I have a savage 12 BVSS in 223, with a 1in9 twist. Everything I've been told about a fast twist is it should not shoot light bullets very well. This thing will shoot ANYTHING very well. I put 45 grn factory hollw points, 50, 55, and 60 grn V-Max, and it all shoots great.Last weekend, just for fun I loaded some 36 grn varmint grenades over 24 grns IMR 4064, and it shoots them great too.(look out mr. gopher:D ). Anyway, just thought I'd share this. Is all we've been told about barrel twist a bunch of bunk? Or is this really an exception?
 
I really don't now if you can over-spin a bullet. The problem comes when trying to shoot a heavy bullet in a slow twist barrel. Some 1:9 twist barrel will shoot 80 gr bullets well, but it may be on the edge.
 
if its a properly made bullet ( one that will withstand the high twist) its fine. Some bullets will fly apart in mid air if they are cheap bullets. Sierra blitz kings ( Varmint bullets) are supurb for fast twist and extremely high velocity ( 4200fps) or something like that.
heavier bullets need a higher twist rate to stabalize.. lighter bullets can be shot through anything.
just be sure to buy a bullet with a thick wall if your going to send it at mach4....otherwise you will disintegrate the bullet before it hits the target.
I heard the problem arose from shooting thin walled .22CAl in a 22-250.. just way to fast for the thin walled bullet, and they came apart.

twist and barell length = accuracy.
higher twist, longer barell.. better long range accuracy.
 
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Fast twist affects cast bullets much more than jacketed, when cast bullets hit that fast twist they tend to skid and are usually not accurate. 1-12" or slower seem to work best with cast bullets, although other factors come into play such as number of grooves, depth, etc.
 
I had a .222 with a Gaillard 1:7. This rifle shot everything well, and drew me to the conclusion that loss of accuracy with short (light) bullets due to fast twist was bunk. Terminal effects are something else again. When shooting 50 gr Blitz or SX bullets in this rifle the effects on live targets was explosive, and occasionally, the bullet would erupt in the air and not make it to the target.
 
I have a Tikka .223 with a 1 in 8 twist and I was wondering that too. I know velocity is a factor but the barrel is only 22 7/16. It's not like it's chambered for a.220 Swift with a 26" barrel. The cheapest factory ammo is a 40 round box of Winchester 45 gr JHP and I was thinking of using them and saving the cases for reloading. Or is that a bad idea?
 
One factor is the amount of bearing surface between the bullet and the barrel. Some boat tail bullets do not have enough bearing surface to prevent being stripped when they are used. Flat base bullets of the same weight may have more bearing surface and withstand the rotation.

Older Palma/Bisley/Wimbledon shooters ran into this problem using 1/10 barrels in their .308's using the old 147 grain boattail issued ammunition. The bullets shot fine from 1/14 barrels.
 
I shoot the 45gr. Winchesters in my Tikka 1 in 8 twist, around 5/8 in. groups. Then I neck size, reload them with Sierra 69gr. Matchkings and 27gr. of Varget. they shoot little bug holes.
 
stocker said:
Older Palma/Bisley/Wimbledon shooters ran into this problem using 1/10 barrels in their .308's using the old 147 grain boattail issued ammunition. The bullets shot fine from 1/14 barrels.
Click to expand...

1889 was the last year that the British National Rifle Association's Imperial Cup shooting competition was held on Wimbledon Common. A few years before the .308 hit the market:p
 
Some of them certainly seem that old.:D A guy I travel with to the CFRC matches, won the Greenshot Agg in Ottawa in 1949. Their team missed 1950 but he was back again in 1951. 1950 was the last years he missed. This year it will be 57 years in a row. Not too many shooters can make that claim.

Sorry for the hi-jack:redface:
 
Maynard

Maynard: Did you ever run into Joe Gibault, Henry Estlin or Vic Finholme or Fitz(Fitzgerald, (from Nanaimo).?
 
Hoolihan, you'll probably be just fine with the light 224 diameter bullets.

From my limited experience, mostly 22,30 and 45 cal, there has only been a real problem with the larger diameter bullets when spun to fast.

The 224s in a 1-7 1/2 twist gobbled up everything without a hitch.

The 30 cal with a 1-8 twist actually destabilised with 135grn match bullets and started to separate the jackets from the core at 50+ yds.

The 45 cal with 1-9 twist would shoot 305 grn bullets very well and 350-405grn OK as in bullets not keyholeing or separating, but anything larger were all over the place, keyholeing, separateing etc.

It is worth noteing though that at minimum loadigs and velocities, all of the bullets shot very well, though their use was extremely limited.

It is also worth noteing that all of the above bullets were jacketed.
bearhunter
 
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