IAyoteHNTR
New member
I've been told by numerous people they got 53's and 55's to shoot just fine out of a 1-7 twist so I'm going to try some and see.
223AI for PD's - ideal twist rate?
- Thread starter IAyoteHNTR
- Start date
Remember, the way your gun is throated is going to limit your bullet selection.
1-7 twists mean long throats to accommodate the 77-90g bullets
1-8 twists mean throats to accommodate the 75g bullets
1-12 will accommodate up to the 60g V max, and the fantastic 53g
I hope you understand this.
22 caliber bullets will not jump a long ways till they hit the lands and still be super accurate.
fast twist + long leade = shooting heavy bullets
slower twist + short leade = shooting the lighter bullets
Ask plenty of questions till you can understand the mechanics of these equations.
So, the whole idea of getting the fastest twist and be able to shoot the lightest to the heaviest bullets is half true, the other half is that the light bullets MAY only be accurate for a short while...if at all. Accuracy is a relative thing, it means various things to different people.
For me, I want to be able to suck a p. dog out of it's hole at 300 yards, this means seating the bullet close to the lands if not slightly into the lands.
1-7 twists mean long throats to accommodate the 77-90g bullets
1-8 twists mean throats to accommodate the 75g bullets
1-12 will accommodate up to the 60g V max, and the fantastic 53g
I hope you understand this.
22 caliber bullets will not jump a long ways till they hit the lands and still be super accurate.
fast twist + long leade = shooting heavy bullets
slower twist + short leade = shooting the lighter bullets
Ask plenty of questions till you can understand the mechanics of these equations.
So, the whole idea of getting the fastest twist and be able to shoot the lightest to the heaviest bullets is half true, the other half is that the light bullets MAY only be accurate for a short while...if at all. Accuracy is a relative thing, it means various things to different people.
For me, I want to be able to suck a p. dog out of it's hole at 300 yards, this means seating the bullet close to the lands if not slightly into the lands.
Rustydust
Active member
Ackleyman is a very knowledgeable man- listen to him and be glad you did.
He really puts me to shame (like that is hard to do!) when it comes to things gun related but when it comes to barrels and what twist is best and pressures and whatnot he certainly comes into his own.
Spend some time talking to him over the phone like I have and be prepared to be impressed. And humbled!
And we both like guns with as slow a twist as you can get away with. As I never shoot a .224 bullet any heavier than 55 grains (and most less) then the 1-14" is my preference. Kills them dead a long ways out there. All I can ask for.
A footnote here: I think that any barrel that I burn out from here on out I will replace with a 1-12" from now on just so that I can use the 60 grain slugs every now and then if I want. But if for some reason the 1-12" twist is not available but the 1-14" is then I will be just fine staying with tried and true.
He really puts me to shame (like that is hard to do!) when it comes to things gun related but when it comes to barrels and what twist is best and pressures and whatnot he certainly comes into his own.
Spend some time talking to him over the phone like I have and be prepared to be impressed. And humbled!
And we both like guns with as slow a twist as you can get away with. As I never shoot a .224 bullet any heavier than 55 grains (and most less) then the 1-14" is my preference. Kills them dead a long ways out there. All I can ask for.
A footnote here: I think that any barrel that I burn out from here on out I will replace with a 1-12" from now on just so that I can use the 60 grain slugs every now and then if I want. But if for some reason the 1-12" twist is not available but the 1-14" is then I will be just fine staying with tried and true.
Gatorgrizz27
New member
Something else to consider is bullet cost when you're looking at a target or prairie dog gun. The ballistics may be cool, but if the bullet is 2-3x the price of a 55gr hp that will do the same thing, and you're shooting 200-300 rounds per day, you can do the math.
My Weatherby .223 is 1 in 12", it does fine for me. While the trend is obviously towards faster twists, bullets like the 53 Vmax with its high BC and 55 TSX or 60 Partition which can cleanly take medium sized game reduce the need for the long, heavy bullets for all but very long range shooting.
My Weatherby .223 is 1 in 12", it does fine for me. While the trend is obviously towards faster twists, bullets like the 53 Vmax with its high BC and 55 TSX or 60 Partition which can cleanly take medium sized game reduce the need for the long, heavy bullets for all but very long range shooting.
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IAyoteHNTR
New member
I'm hoping to get 53gr V-Max bullets to shoot really well for me just for that purpose. It will be a few weeks before Winter lets loose of it's grip here to where I can start getting out to do some serious load development to find out though.
