GMONEY - My question to you, if you get a minute, is whether or not you have observed terminal damage varying by faster or slower twists with the same bullet.
My question results from a medium sample size the past few years of larger varmints and watching them take a 60 Vmax from this 1:7 at 2900 MV. Their "behavior" after the shot is quite different than a 1:12 shooting the same bullet. I'll just say the 1:7 animals die extremely fast. The bullet seldom exits, and 95% of animals are DRT. The terminal reaction of the 1:12 animals is not as impressive.
That is a question I had too - when I switched to using a 1-9" 16" bbl AR15 after years of using the usual 1-12" 22" bbl Model 70 on jackrabbits. Now jackrabbits are a bit bigger than PDs, and I was wondering if lopping off 200 fps (chronographed) using the same 55-gr Hornady SP would really cut down on terminal damage and the "red mist" effect. I had also been using a Rem 788 .222 with 50-gr TNTs as well which was slightly better than the stiffer 55-gr Hornady in that department.
Turns out I had nothing to fear. The "slow" velocity, but fast-twist AR load, if anything, seemed to to more damage. It also seemed to beat the TNT .222 by a hair perhaps. In fact it was only when I went to 40-gr BTs in the 1-12" bolt rifle that it
slightly edged out the effect of the slow 1-9" on impact. So I chalked it up to the faster twist keeping the bullets explosive 200 fps slower.
And yes - those 40-grain Ballistic Tips did lose stability - as soon as they hit varmint flesh no matter what the yardage!
