New England .223 Twist rate

[351 WINCHESTER]

Does anyone have any infor for the twist rate of bbl. of a New England .223? A good friend is looking for an inexpensive truck gun, but wants to use the heavier bullets for hogs.


Thanks,

 

[Don't Tread On Me]

They are typically 1/12 ...however, they have been making the move to 1/9.


There are currently 1/9's on the market. Just be careful buying, as many places have rifles in stock that have been sitting on the shelf for years. There's a mix of 1/12 and 1/9's out there now.


You can ask on graybeardoutdoor.com forum. I'm sure they know which year the switch was made (it was recent) ...and which serial numbers correspond with that year. That's about the only way to tell afaik.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

Thanks, I'll pass it on to my friend.

 

[sacp81170a]

That's about the only way to tell afaik.

A little trick, if you're looking at a rifle and want to know the twist rate:

Get a cleaning rod of the proper size that rotates on ball bearings and a new bore brush of the proper size. Insert until you feel the brush engage the rifling, put a mark on the rod at some index point like the rear of the action. Put a piece of tape about a foot farther back on the rod. Slowly push the rod into the bore until you complete one revolution of the tape and mark the rod again at the same index point you used for the first mark. Remove the rod from the bore (push it all the way through first) and measure the distance between the two marks and you'll have the twist rate. It's not precise to the millimeter, but it's a whole lot better than guessing.

 

[Don't Tread On Me]

Thanks for the info. I know that technique, but it is not practical for someone who is looking to buy a gun. Most gun shop people act like you're asking to borrow their sister when you ask them to show you a gun. It just isn't something practical to do in a shop - unless they're willing to find out for you. I'm sure some dealer would find out and make sure it is 1/9 to make a sale. Then again, at the low price of NEF ...maybe not.


The method you describe works. It should get you to within 1/4" of the twist rate even if you are a little sloppy ...but you'll know the difference between a 1:7 and a 1:8 or a 1:9 and a 1:12 with ease.

 

[sacp81170a]

Most gun shop people act like you're asking to borrow their sister when you ask them to show you a gun. It just isn't something practical to do in a shop - unless they're willing to find out for you.

I agree that they probably won't like the idea if a rifle is NIB, but if it's NIB it should have some kind of paperwork that tells you the twist rate. I've done it a couple times with gun stores that I frequent, in fact, that's where I learned it one day when I asked what the twist rate was on a milsurp (K98, IIRC) just out of curiosity. Dave, the owner of the shop, didn't know, but he said "Let's find out" and proceeded to measure it in exactly that way.

Bottom line is, it shouldn't be too terribly hard to find out, one way or another. If it's a concern, don't buy it unless you can verify all the pertinent specifications.

 

[bullockcm]

I just picked up a used .223 Ultra Hunter and it is 1:12" with a manufacture date in 2004. What I learned at Grey Beards is there is no documentation with the gun, the serial # will not tell you, NEF has no idea, and they have switched between 1:9" and 1:12" off and on for the last 2-3 years. Basically the only way to tell is if you measure it yourself as outlined above.

Good news is you can send your gun back to NEF and have a barrel fitted quite reasonably, they will also do a trigger job at the sametime.