[Stover954rr]

Hey guys,
I have a 24" fluted 1-in-9 .223 (ar). I have been getting decent groups with 55 gr, however a buddy of mine said that I might want to switch to 62gr as they might shoot better from the tighter twist, thus being more stable. I was curious what you guys think.

Also I am shooting between 200-400 yards, I am worried that I will get a lot more drop with the heavier 62gr's. I am a big fan of flat shooting rounds. Also this is my coyote gun.

Thanks guys!

Russ

[stormspotter]

I have a Bushmaster 24" fluted V-Match upper and it shoots the Sierra 65 Gameking & 69 OTM into 1 1/2 ", 10 round groups, with Tac or RL-15. It will also shoot the 77 OTM but groups are around 2 ". Not bad for these old eyes.

[NuJudge]

I have several 20" barrels, one is a 1:9. Such barrels are supposed to handle everything up to and perhaps including 75's. I've tried it with all varieties of 75's, 69's and 52/53's. I've never gotten it to shoot anything but 52's and 53's. It shoots 52's and 53's really well, but these bullets are very wind sensitive. I have not tried the 60's and 62's, because I have given up on the barrel for anything but 200 yard matches.

Your barrel is a bit longer, so your MV should be a bit faster. You may get away with some of these things, but don't hold your breath.

[GunTech]

1:9 is a compromise twist designed originally to shoot both M193 55gn and M855 62 grain equally well. It typically doesn't do well with anything over 65gn, but---it's the length of the bullet, not the weight. A 1:9 will stabilize a heavier non-boat tail, and you can go fairly heavy with a round nose bullet (although these are next to impossible to find in 223). All copper bullets like the Barnes TSX require faster twist than jacketed lead bullets of the same weight.

The military uses 1:7 because 5.56 tracer is longer than 5.56 ball, and requires a faster twist.

[loadedround]

From my experience, the upper limit should be 62 gr for the 1/9 twist. The military switched to the faster 1/7 twist to stabilze the heavier 69 gr bullet. Depending on your barrel, sometimes the 52 or 53 gr bullets may be more accurate. Load up batches of 10 ea and try them.

[Jim Watson]

Friend of mine has a 9 twist Remington that he shot as a Match Rifle when the 69 gr SMK was the heaviest made. It is VERY accurate to 600 yards, although a 7 - 8 twist and an 80 gr bullet as now available shoots closer to the wind.

When that combination was new, Ed Harris wrote that his 9 twist barrel was actually more accurate at 100 yards with the 52 gr SMK, although the 69 was less sensitive to the wind at longer ranges.

Internet Experts to the contrary, you are going to have to shoot the gun to know what it will do.

[snuffy]

My 20" bushy 1-9 will do well with anything from 55 grains to 69. The 69 is a nosler j-4 jacketed BTHP, so it's quite long for it's weight. I tried some 75's from Hornady, they were shooting 6" groups @100 yds with slots instead of round holes. Like JW said, you'll have to try some to really know.