Can a 1-9 twist barrel handle 77gr HP

[Tank45]

I recently purchased some 77gr Noslers for a rifle that had a 1-7 twist. The problem is that I sold the gun and now don't know what to do with the bullets. I guess my big question is, are these bullets a waste of powder and primers in a 1-9 barrel?

 

[R00KIE]

AR-15 I am guessing . . . 223/5.56??

 

[MMCSRET]

Good question, my Savage is 1-9 and I would like to know before trying.

 

[WardenWolf]

1-9 is good for up to 62 grain. Anything above that needs a tighter twist rate.

 

[Tank45]

Yes it is a RRA AR-15. The chamber is 5.56.

 

[hithard]

every gun is going to shoot a given bullet different, generally speaking. The true test will be to just do it. Given that you use safe loading practices the worst thing that can happen is bad groups, key hole's, and some spent primers and burned powder.

 

[joneb]

And the barrel length is..............................? Its possible for a 1:9 twist to stabilize a 77gr projectile but the barrel length will need to be at least 24"

 

[Tank45]

The barrel length is only 16. So what is the heaviest recommended load for a 1-9 16 inch barrel?

 

[MMCSRET]

My Savage is 22", I'll give them a try.

 

[AgentAdam]

69 tops. You will never know till you try them though. Some 1/7's will even like the light stuff.

 

[jpwilly]

My DPMS 1-9 twist bbls will keyhole 69gr bullets (at least the Black Hills load I tried).

 

[cracked butt]

I guess my big question is, are these bullets a waste of powder and primers in a 1-9 barrel?

Very likely.

 

[Seafarer12]

It would't hurt to try them. All you have to do is load up 10 of them and see how they shoot. My father inlaw's 1-9 likes 75's. The big problem with the heavies is OAL.

 

[everallm]

As already mentioned your 1:9, 16", MAY shoot SOME 77gr with tolerable accuracy but it really is pushing past the far side of the envelope.

If it does it will almost certainly be real picky about the powder burn rate, velocity, manufacturer etc etc.

Try it, but if you want consistency you probably want to stay at 65 and below

 

[SSN Vet]

I'm getting great results with a 16" 1-9 twist AR and 69 gr. Sierra Match Kings....

not planning on going heavier....

I think your over the line....but the proof is in the putting.

 

[MCMXI]

I've been shooting 77 grain SMK HPBT bullets in my Mini-14 which to the best of my knowledge has a 1:9 twist. As for performance, so far it looks promising with 1" groups at 50 yards using 22.5 grains of RL15. I haven't done enough testing to see if that's the best load and I haven't tried 100 yards yet but 77 grain bullets are more accurate in MY Ruger compared to 55 grain bullets that I've shot in the past.

By the way, my Ruger isn't one of the new models.

 

[kelbro]

I have a 1:9 16" DPMS bull that shoots 69gr SMKs, 75gr Hornady BTHPs and Hornady 75gr AMaxes (single-loaded) just fine with Varget and W748.

Give it a try, you'll never know and you'll only be out a couple of $$ if it doesn't.

 

[dagger dog]

Tank try out stevespages he has a twist calculator that works.

 

[RustyFN]

I shot some 69 grain ammo in my 16" RRA AR15 with 1:9 twist and it shot fine. Don't think you can go much heavier than that in a 1:9.
Rusty

 

[NuJudge]

My 20" 1:9 shoots 52s great, 69's ok, and really bad with anything heavier.

CDD

 

[Tank45]

Thanks a lot for all the advice everybody. I'll just put them back. I'll probably just pick up a 1-7 upper in the near future anyways. Thanks again.

 

[jerkface11]

I've got a DPMS 16" with a 1:9 twist and it will shoot 69 grain bullets. I doubt it would like anything heavier though.

 

[Jaybird78]

Try a few and see what happens.

My 1:9" Savage loves 68gr hornady HPBT

I have been told that 70gr is the magic cut off for 1:9" barrels.