Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles optimal Twist rate for the .223

I'm about to pull the trigger on a Sako VArmint rifle in .223 I have the choice of 8" or 12" twist, which will stabalize the widest range of bullet weights. I don't have any desire to shoot the heavy range of bullets, I would most likely be shooting 55gr or less. With that I assume the 12" is be best?

Check out the post in Ask the Gunwriters re: John Barsness' article on 1:9 vs 1:12 twist in .223.

An 8" twist will stablize anything a 1-12" twist will stablize plus heavier bullets, too. So for widest range of bullets, 1-8".

If you don't want to shoot bullets over 60 grains, I'd go with the 1-12" twist.

Tom

JJ,

All of my 223's and 222 Magnums have 1-12 twists. I shoot no heavy weight bullets in them, and never will. I see no reason for a fast twist 223. The accuracy I get is beyond excellent too.
I was just out to the range Monday sighting in a small Weatherby Vanguard in 223. I have a Zeiss Conquest fixed 4x scope I want to use on it. After zeroing, I fired two confirnimg shots; both landed dead center 1/4" apart from each other, one in the 1/4" 10 ring, and the other just outside in the 9 ring. I was using a 3" red paste-on air rifle target with the very small 10 ring, only at 100 yards. The bullet I use is Sierra's 45 grain 1310 bullet, with 22.0 grains of IMR-4198 and Federal 205 primers. That small Vanguard is one of the best kept secrets in accurate rifles. It's the combo rifle; it comes with an adult stock along with a youth stock too. It has a 20" barrel and a pair of synthetic stocks. It makes a Perfect walking rifle. Not sure what the twist is on other Vanguards in 223.
I also have a Rem Model 7 in 223, also with a 1-12" twist.

I have a Tikka T3 223 SS/Varmint...8 twist....yes it will shoot many different weight bllets....40 gr up to 80 grain....but the magazine is too short to load 75-80s and still feed...be advised the Sako may be the same...I'm not sure....the Tikka mag can be slightly modified to increase OAL....if I shoot 75-80s I single feed them through the port...I have a Tikka 595 SS/syn 223 w/12 twist field weight bbl....its just fine with Nosler 55 BTs or Sierra 55 BKs...if you're gonna use it for varmints with varmint weight bullets....don't let the 12 twist scare you away....

I wouldn't build a 1/12" twist 223 in this day and age. I also wouldn't look past modern radials to put bias-ply tires on my wife's car. My 1/8" does just fine with 50's, and it'll do heavies as well.

+1 ...

-1

I wouldn't bother with a fast twist .223. If I want to shoot heavier bullets I'm stepping up in case size to a .22-250 and probably putting an Ackley shoulder on it.

If I were BUILDING a .223 it'd have a 1-14" twist, not a 1-12". I like 35 - 50 grain bullets, the 52s and heavier just didn't give the terminal performance I wanted in my last .223. No blowup, just punched holes. Out to 100 yards I got as much "blow up" out of the .22 mag with CCI Maxi Mag +V ammo as I did with the .223. .223 proved a lot more entertaining with hornet bullets jacked up in excess of 3500 fps than it did with heavier bullets.

... but that's just me.

Tom

Tom, you are not the only one. I put a 1x14 twist Rock Creek barrel on a Savage chambered in .223 AI, groups just fantastic with 50 Noslers.

I alway wonder about the freebore on these 1x8 barrels. If it's set up for 75-80gr bullets then there's gotta be a nice jump to shoot lighter bullets.

Tom

Prefer the 1:9 twist. Will stabilize everything from 40 to 75's. Here is a LARGE 400 yard prairie dog while using a 52 gr HPBT. Previous experience with 50 BT's/VMax & 55 gr BT's/VMax provide much better explosion at this yardage than the 52's.

The RPM factor of the faster twist barrels help the explosive factor a bit.





When you leave the 223 case and delve into 22 caliber on steriods (22/6mm AI), a 1:8 twist barrel and 75 gr AMax at 3650 fps (you can push them to 3900+, but, as you can see, why?), provides this type of destruction past 400 yards. The gent is standing next to the mound where this PD was hit.

Agree on the RPM notion IF the bullet will stand up to it.

What I did, rather than force myself to use the expensive polymer tipped bullets, was focus on SX, TNT, etc plus some bullets designed for the Hornet. Those thin jackets won't hold up to the RPMs generated by a fast twist and max loads.

Lot of ways to skin a cat. Or, looks like, a p-dog.

Tom

one of the points here is, that if you want to use your .223 for longer range shooting, you NEED a fast twist to handle the heavier/longer bullets ... the benefit is you still can drive those heavier bullets at good speeds, and get much less wind drift down range - all while burning minuscule amounts of powder ...

stepping up to a .22-250 or .243 to drive the heavier bullets comes at more of a cost, literally ...

and like others have already said, you can drive 40's all the way up to 80's with a 1:8" twist, and not have to worry about over-spinning the bullets and having them not be able to handle the extra RPM's ... I've seen guys with .223AI's that push 40g NBT's and/or Vmax's at nearly 4000 fps and have NO issues with the bullets not being able to handle it ...

fast twist is where it's at regardless of what bullet weight you're shooting in the .223/AI ... you just close way too many doors by going slower than a 9" twist with today's bullet & powder selections ... there's no way around that fact.

I understand this part. Makes sense for shooting at targets. For varmint shooting though, I've not found the heavier bullets to be satisfactory performers.


There is also a cost to using a fast twist .223. I like the performance I get from $12 a box 50 grain SXes or TNTs, or 35-45 grain Hornet bullets. I can't drive those to max speeds with a fast twist, I have to step up to $17 a box NBTs, VMAX, etc. So there is a cost there, too.


See, that's wrong. That implies you're going to use only the stiffly constructed NBT and not the fragile bullets meant for .22 hornet, .222, and so on which are much less expensive. If you want to shoot the expensive bullets, go ahead and use the fast twist, but doing so closes the door to using inexpensive, light weight bullets in the .223. For my use, those are a whole lot more practical than the 60+ grain bullets since those lack terminal performance on varmints.


It depends on which doors are useful to you I guess. I have no earthly use for a long range .223. It doesn't add anything I want. I do have a lot of use for the light weight, lightly constructed, inexpensive bullets which can't be run at full throttle with the quick twist.

We're probably getting off track here. I'm not saying there's no point at all in a .223 with a 1-9 twist, but the original poster said he didn't plan to go over 55 grains in weight. Unless he changes his mind about that, the 1-12 twist is a better choice for him.

Tom

JJ,
I have had 14, 10, 9 and 8 twist 22 barrels. The 14er was the fussiest, the top end was 52 grains. The 10 shot everything from 35 to 68, so well the barrel is in the closet to be set back and reborn. The 9 eats just about everything, too. I suspected the 8 would not like 40s, and it will shoot up to 75s...but it shoots 40s perfectly well. It likes 50-60s the best.
If you plan on shooting lighter bullets then the 12 should be groovy, perhaps even up to 60 VMaxes, which are super bullets. The 1 in 9 should cover more weights without overspinning 40s, and if you are bent on shooting 68s, then yes, the 9 is supposedly the cat's butt... but you really can't make a "WRONG" choice.

I have 3 .224 caliber rifles all with 1:12 twist barrels. They all (which includes a 223 Remington) shoot Speer 70 gr. Semi-Spitzers very well but, the 223 barrel wouldn't shoot 77 gr. match bullets well (they keyholed).

I guess if I weren't going to shoot "heavy bullets" of over 70 gr., I would go with a 1:12 twist barrel. If I wanted the option of shooting heavy bullets, my choice would be a barrel twist of 1:7 to 1:9.

1:8 does it all.

JJ-

I had a .223 AI made with the 1:12 twist rate in a Pacnor thinking along the lines you are. So far including a praire dog shoot in SD where I fired about 400 rounds it shot 40 grain to 60 grain Sierra Blitz Kings in regular .223 reloads and factory ammo (assorted) to full steam .223 AI very accurately, sub-MOA, easily, and coincidentally and surprisingly almost to the same point of impact at 100 yds.

I had wondered if I should have gone to a faster twist rate but I'm very pleased with how it shoots.

I've a feeling this thread won't settle much for you

JJ,

Fond as you are of TSXs I would be thinking about the 70 grain TSX in .224. I have a Savage 12FVSS that pushes them out at 3300 over BLC-2 and groups them dime size. I would expect more like 3000 out of any other rifle before you get pressure signs. But... If you get lucky and have one that will push them out fast that 1:8 barrel will be what you want. Anything 400 lbs and under should be unable to stop one from making two holes no matter the angle unless you do some really heavy bone smashing.

Dave

I don't think there are any wrong answers here.
If U want to shoot heavy bullets, go fast.
If you want light ones to shoot, go slo..