I'm planning on building the mate to this rifle in .222 Remington .

Will be shooting 50gr Hornadys, perhaps some 45gr.

What twist ? 1-8" or 1-12"

I have a two Ruger M77 MKII .223 and a Ruger .225 for 55gr and heavier bullets.

Specs on the Rifle Below.
6x45
Sako Action,
22" Benchmark 1-8" Fluted Barre
Banser Stock
Currently wearing a 3x9x36 Sawarovski




Appreciate any comments.

F

If you never plan on shooting anything heavier than 50 grain, I'd go with 1:12.

But, if down the road you decide you want to try something like a berger or a 69 grain sierra, then go with 1:8


Just my .02¢ worth.


I have a Rem 700 BDL - Made in 1967. It's a 1:14 - Loves 40-50 grain bullets. Shoots sub .25" with one particular load, and
usually sub moa with just about everything else. But it HATES factory Hornady Superformance 50grain v-max - best I can
get is 1.25".

1-8", won't hurt a damn thing and you never know when you might want to make it a 223...

And if you feel 8 is too fast, I wouldn't loose sleep over 1-9" but I'd never be able to sleep if I went slower than that

1-12" cause you have two other rifles for heavier bullets.

What elk said!

It ain't about weight. So many are still SO afraid of twist, it's comical.

Whatever.

So many don't give crap about heavy target bullets in a .22! I want bullets for varmint shooting no plinking gongs.. The one 1-8 I had shot best w/ 55 gr bullets.. I am happy w/ 1-14, may go to 1-12, but if I need to shoot long heavier bullets , I will use another rifle😝

What elkhunternm and wyocoyotehunter said -

1-12 for the bullet weights you are planning to shoot.

drover

Thanks everyone.

Now to find a barrel north of the 49th.

F

I recognize that rifle. I traded the action to the guy that put it together. Actually traded a complete AI Varmint 223 for another 6 x 45 on an L461. Sold that one to a friend who loves it for coyotes with a 60 gr Sierra.

I have an L461 in 223 with a 12" twist Gaillard barrel that shoots 50's and 55's very well. Ted is apparently all done with barrel making but you can easily get a Benchmark from the importer in BC.

If my memory is good, and it might be suspect, your little AI in 6x45 weighs about 4-1/2 lbs bare. IIRC the builder wanted the lightest "deer legal" (for Alberta) rifle he could put together. I think he succeeded.

I have another AI action in the cabinet and I've considered doing something like that.

I agree that accuracy is a non-issue, but wold it be possible to over spin the fragile bullets designed for the Deuce? Thinking TNT, Blitz, and SX specifically.

Would it be possible the additional spin would obviate the need for special fragile bullets?

Good question, but I don't own any 1-8" barrels to answer that. I HAVE shot several piles of the above mentioned bullets, and they're the ticket for the slower .222Rem velocities...........on the small stuff I shoot anyway.

Yup, working with DG to build this one in .222 , then I'm done buying/building . LOL

LOL...."done" and "keep" are both four letter words...:-)

8 twist for sure...gives you lots of flexibility if you want it....if not, it will shoot the light stuff just fine. I have a 1 in 9 twist deice that digests anything under 65 grains...

LOL...."done" and "keep" are both four letter words...:-)

I haven't purchased any guns today .......................

But it's early.

F

Man, I really like the looks of that 6x45 a lot. A twin in 222 would be perfect, I would go 1 in 8 or 9 if putting on a custom tube.

Never had a fast twist hurt accuracy

Case in point. 6BR. Stiller. Bartlein. 1/4" at 200 yds. Both with 66 gr Match bullets, and 105 Amax.

I had a 6TCU done in 12" and later regretted. That was pre-6BRs. My first was a 12. Every BR after that was an 8

In 22, 6, or 6.5 - personally I will always use an 8T. Just my .02.

Shot so many 52 gr. bullets out of a 1-8 twist 223 back in the day you could fill a tuff box with the empty bullet containers. Never had one fail to reach the 200 yard line and were very accurate to boot. Go with the 1-8 , you'll not be sorry you did.

You seem to have a lot of experts here who have firm and differing opinions. Here is what I know...

I have shot .22 cal. benchrest rifles in competition since 1977. For 50 to 52 gr. bullets I have always used a 1 - 14" twist. I'm currently making a .222 gun for competition and it has a new Douglas barrel in 1 - 14" twist. The 14" twist works perfectly in a duece at 3200 fps and, also, in my favorite BR cartridge, the .22 PPC, .100" short, at 3500 fps.

A purpose built benchrest rifle and ammunition loaded to an appropriate standard, all being fired from a competition rest and bags, may be able to resolve the precision advantage of using "just enough" twist with a specific bullet. I sincerely doubt a sporter weight/configuration rifle could resolve that fine difference, and it will miss the flexibility afforded by a tighter twist.

I have a 1-8 .223 that dotes on 50 v-max for its varmint load. It's pushing the 50 harder than a .222 would, and I haven't had one come apart in mid-air that I can tell. With the 1-8 though, I also get the option of 65, 75, and 80grn.

Really like the looks of that 6x45.

This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I have a 222 I built with a factory 12 twist Remington barrel that shoots 52's like a BR rifle.

Also have a Tika T3 14 Twist that I shoot 40's with.

If I want to shoot heavier 224 bullets I have a CZ 9 twist in 223.


I also had a 22BR that I built with a 14 twist Pac Nor barrel...it stabelized 52's just fine.

I recently had a similar dilemma. I wanted a .22 centerfire on a 0.378" boltface. My initial choice was the .222 Rem & a 1-12" twist, but a few years ago Kansas made .22 centerfires legal for deer hunting. So I changed my cartridge choice to .222 Rem Mag for the additional velocity and ordered a Lilja 6 groove 1-10" barrel so I could shoot heavier bullets. I don't envision ever using this rifle for long range target work, so won't be shooting the 70-80 grainers which need more spin.

That's exactly what I had... I used my guns for competition and I was dead serious. Had I used a more versatile twist, I would have got results that would never let me win anything. I was only interested in the smallest possible groups at the 100 and 200 yd. ranges at which we competed.

And that's exactly not what the OP was talking about.

I will have to disagree with you mathman, the 222Rem with a 1-14" twist shooting 40 to 52 grain bullets is one of the most accurate combo's you will find. At present I have two of them, one is fully custom built on a 40X action the other is an off the rack CZ527. they are the 2 most accurate rifles I own (there may be days when my 6ppc might shoot a better group) they will easily out shoot any of my 223's. If you want the flexibility afforded by a tighter twist go with a 223 dont ruin what is special about the 222 by bastardizing it with a 1-8"twist

How much is the cartridge and how much is the twist? From what I've gathered a 14" twist 222 will out shoot a 14" twist 223.

1-12"

A faster twist 223 on that particular action is negated somewhat by its mag constraints when used with higher B.C. bullets and doubly so with tipped secant ogive ones.

In short, I wouldnt fear a 1-8 Sako sporter in 222; it would make a hell of a versatile rifle. It could still be used as a varmint gun or for deer. It would also be better on windy days when the ranges are long, drifting less.
I havent had any issues with the tipped varmint bullets in even larger cases. Nosler, Hornady and Sierras with tips shot just fine, even 40's with a 1-7. No bullets flying apart, no groups over an inch. Some have been half that.

Project is on hold at least til the fall .

Your reply's have given me a few things to think about.


Thanks for all the input.

F

Pick the twist that'll best shoot the bullets you want to shoot. Flexibility you'll never use is of no value. Personally, I'd see what the BR folks use and not look further.

The .222 is a dandy cartridge that got lost in the .223's dust. Nice choice.