Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Twist Rate Confusion

So, this is a quote by Boddington in a recent article about Blaser guns and cartridges...


"Blaser is using slightly slower rifling twists than are often standard for the various calibers. This may or may not create issues with the lightest-for-caliber bullets, but the intent was to allow accuracy with heavier bullets: 1:10 twist in 7mm; 1:11 in .30; 1:12 in .338 (as opposed to the standard 1:10 to allow the use of 300-grain bullets); and 1:14 in .375 (versus standard 1:12 so Norma's 350-grain heavyweight .375 bullet can be used without over-stabilization issues)."

This has me scratching my head. Never new something could be "too stabilized".

If that's what he wrote then he has it backward.

OK, so I'm not crazy...The way he explains it tells me he must really believe this, not just a typo.

Correction, not a recent article. March 2011, RifleShooterMag.com.

That sorta stuff is why folks are still using 1-11 twists cause they are worried about their TTSX’s flying apart from a 308 with too many RPMs

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. A long bullet needs a fast twist. I have heard of varmint bullets like the very fragile ones being ripped apart in fast twist rifles, like AR15 type.

There’s a lot of confused thought in that quote.

If that is the case then the new twist rates on the 8.6 Blackout are going to melt some heads.

1 in 3…..the same twist as a sheet rock screw. 😁

Anybody think Craig wrote that when in the Southern Hemisphere? I've been told things are backwards down there. 🤔

Either that or the Southern Comfortsphere.

He seems like a nice guy but I get the feeling he is a hunter who talks about guns, not a gun guy at a hunting magazine.

As an example, he questioned 243 on deer and 270 on elk...

Reminds me of a suit. Always has. He always is cordial. Was around him a few weeks ago. All of his answers sounded political to me. I'd have not agreed with a few things some of the people were saying to him. But if the goal is sales and profit...

I'm sure most of you have looked at the thought process behind this...my take away is you need to use all copper/monos with that fast of a twist and the effect is supposed to be explosive much like a cup and core with higher velocity? Correct? I would like to pose a few questions, then:

What about a 1 in 3 twist with a .224, 6.5 or .308 in a monometal bullet? What kind of effective range could you expect from doing this? Will your barrel life be shortened?

Sorry for the derail...I met Boddington at the NRA convention 4 years ago. Seemed like a good guy, was willing to chat with us for a few minutes.

I have no idea of the downsides to more twist but I give my gunsmith the vapors every time I send him something fast or talk about it. He wants to run juuuuuust enough for accuracy.

8 twist 7mms, 8 twist 30’s, 6.5/7 twist 22’s, 7.5 twist 270’s.. he try’s to get me to order slower stuff but I think it’s kind of a running joke now. I trust him to most all of the other stuff but I order what I want for barrels.

The old thing about twist slowing down velocity hasn’t played out to me and some rifles I’ve compared yet.

That sounds like an editor changing the writer’s text.

Years ago I did a calculation about how much energy is tied up in the rotation of the projectile. It was negligible compared to the linear component.