Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Rate of Twist 7MM-08

What would be the best rate of twist for a 7mm-08 shooting 140 grain Nosler AccuBonds ?

One-in-nine works fine in mine.

9"


Travis

If 140 is as heavy as you want to go 1:10 will work very well.

Thanks for your help.

I can't think of a reason for less than 9" in the 7mm-08. A 10" twist won't be any more accurate, just limit your ability to shoot longer bullets if you choose to later.

David

Exactly.



Travis

1:10 is more optimal for 150 grain and down. I used 1:10 for my 7-08 since I plan on shooting mostly 120 grain bullets and that's the optimal twist for those. It does limit you if yo want to shoot over 160 grain, which I don't for my 7-08.

mine has a 10" twist and has been very accurate with bullets up to 145 grs!

What does optimal mean?

My 1:10 stabilizes the Hornady 162 Amax just fine.

1&9 or 9.5

Funny, 120's and 140's shoot really well in my 1 in 9.25" twist.

I couldn't help but notice Barnes recommends 9.5" min for all of their 7mm-08 loads, even the 110TTSX. Haven't seen any recommendations for their new 145LRX yet - bet it's not for 10" twist....

David

It's more theoretical than anything. Having a slower spin puts less pressure on the bullet. Benchrest shooters have the slowest spin possible for the bullet they choose to gain that extra hair width accuracy and a few fps of speed. It shouldn't matter with a hunting rifle.

A point of information, the 6.8 spc was originally speced with a 1:10 twist. This twist is the usual twist for a 270 Winchester shooting 130 grain bullet. This was changed to a 1:12 twist since the 6.8sps uses shorter/lighter bullets than the 270 Winchester traditionally does. By changing the twist, they were able to get more velocity with less pressure. (This was after elongating the throat to reduce pressure.)

So, having a slower twist can make a difference in some cases but in most it's purely theoretical. In the 7-08 the 1:9 twist is pretty standard and works for all ranges of bullets.

My GAP has a 1:9 on a #4 contour and it shoots 140 NABs into tiny groups regularly. It is my favorite combo.

1 in 9.

Mine is a 1 in 10 Lilja. Shoots very well with 120 and 140s. The 7RM gets to play if I want more weight.