Rate of twist question

Ptichka

Ptichka

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Hello everyone!

I'm seeking counsel from the Gunnutz.

I'm planning to purchase a .223 bolt action Sako 85. The model which I'm after is offered in two different barrel rates of twist, one being 1:8" and the other - 1:12".

What would be the difference in performance between the two firearms? What does the rate of twist affect?

Thank you in advance.
 
1-8 will stabilize heavier projectiles. 62gr+.1-12 will work for your lighter ones, 45-55gr, but not that well for anything bigger than that.
 
The faster rate of twist ( 1 in 8) is meant to shoot long, heavy for caliber bullets. Those are usually the ones with the better ballistic coefficients.
 
Thank you for the responses. I intend to use this firearm for both hunting and livestock butchering (pigs and sheep). I do need to shoot a smaller, "blunter" bullet for the livestock application to ensure that the head is the only part of the animal which sustains damage. Since the butchering shots usually occur at around 10 yards I think that I will go with the 1:8" twist ratio as I would like to use the gun for hunting purposes as well.
 
IMO you don't need cast blunt bullets.

55gr M193 bullet will fragment most likely anyway when hits the bone, except may be M855 LAP bullet.
 
If you just high quality ammo, 1-8" will stabilize and provide good accuracy with everything from 40gr up to 80gr or so.
The slower twist 1-12" is better if you only plan on using 40gr to 60gr bullet and want top accuracy with 52-55gr bullets.
If you're looking for something versatile, go for 1-8", if you're looking for a single purpose varmint rifle you might get better results with 1-12".

My personal choice, unless I'm building a rifle with a specific purpose, is toalways go for the more versatile twist rate, 1-8" in this case.
(say a long range 22-250 varminter, a long range 243 Win deer rifle)

Alex
 
If you ever decide to sell the gun most buyers will prefer the fast twist. Personally I'm fine with 12" twist.
 
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My 22-250 will not stabilize bullets above 52 gr. 55’s will group well at 100yds but by 200 they’ve opened up to about 4”group. Pretty sure it’s a 1:12, at least it’s called that but I read somewhere that factory barrels that are supposed to be 1:12, could be anywhere from 11 to 13”. In my case likely closer to 1:13
 
A .22 LR is all you need for killing pigs/sheep/cattle... one Mini-Mag solid to the brain and they go down hard... just be aware of your angle to the skull, and try to make the shot as perpendicular to the surface of the skull as possible... we throw down some feed and shoot when their head is down. As for twist rate in a hunting .223, it depends on what you are hunting. IME a 12 twist will properly stabilize every 55 grain bullet I have tried in many rifles, and most of the flat base 60/62 grain SP's. If you plan on game bigger than coyotes, then I would go with the 8 twist and experiment with heavier stout bullets, 68 grains and up. For my purposes with .223's, there is no need to shoot heavier than 55 grain bullets and a 12 twist is fine. Since you are buying the rifle new, I would probably go with the 8 twist... but if you already had a 12 twist, I would not feel the need to make the switch to the 8 twist.
 
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