suggested twist rate for 40gr .223 bullet

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I have a 26" barrel with a 1:12 twist. The rifle is a tack driver with 40 grain through 55 grain maximum bullets. While bullet shape does play a roll it always works out the same. Can't speak for faster or slower twist, only what I have.

Ron
 
My .222 Mag has a 1 in 14 twist and stabilizes 40 Gr bullets just fine. It shoots 55 Gr just fine as well, but not much heavier.
OldTman said:
More than likely not.
Click to expand...
1 in 9 will stabilize most lead jacketed bullets up to 69 Grs. A 1 in 8 twist is popular for target guns these days, but overkill if you don't want to go heavy.
 
Traditionally, it's been 1/16" twist. The .22rf, .22Hornet, .218 Bee, .219 Zipper, .22 WMR intended with a 40-45gr bullet used a 1/16" twist.

Starting with the .222, 1/14" was the norm, for a 50gr bullet.
The original 5.56x45 had a 1/14" twist which was changed to a 1/12" to stabilize the 55gr bullet, later changed to a boat-tail FMJ. Later, circa 1982, was changed to 1/7" to stabilize a 62gr tracer. 1/9" has become the norm in most factory rifles as a "compromise" to keep from over-spinning some thin jacketed "blitz" or SX (super explosive") type varmint bullets, that will literally come apart if spun/shot too fast. (See Speer or Hornady manuals regarding this issue).

The .22/250 typically uses a 1/14" twist, like the early .222 barrels. Also typical bullet weight WAS 50gr. Now, 55gr is typical, but the 45-64gr are available.

I've shot 40gr hp to 3,600+ fps from a 1/9" bbl with 1/2moa but not the SX style.

Conventional wisdom with the bench rest crowd for years was (and they drove cartridge/bullet sales and marketing for many years) that a bullet that "just was" stabilized was more accurate than one marginally "over stabilized".

Hence the extensive confusion/discussion of correct twist.

Incidentally, my Ruger M77/22Hornet is most accurate with the Sierra 40gr Varminter (1/14" twist) bullet rated to over 4,000fps. My CZ-527 in .222 advertises on the barrel a 1/14" twist, but by actually measuring is 1/17" twist. It shoots a 50gr Hornady or Speer PtHP or 50gr Vmax to the .3's. A 53gr Vmax shoots minute of backstop.
Reason I measured the twist.
My current darling is a Marlin 1894CL in .218 Bee. It shoots an Armscor 40gr JHP or a 45gr Sierra SemiPtSpt to about 1.5moa (5-shots). About as good as a 6.5lb tube magazine sporter lever-action can be expected to shoot. 1/16" twist...
 
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I personally run a 1in8" twist. I mainly shoot 77gr bullets down to 62gr. I haven't really tried anything light in my ar. But my son has a 22 middlestead with a 1in9" twist that shoots the 75gr vld ridiculously. It is a whitetail nightmare.
 
1:14 would be optimum for the 40gr bullet, but I'd go with 1:12 if you're going to shoot 55-62gr too.
I had a 1:12 24" barrel .223, that was a tack driver with 55gr.
 
Discussing 22 caliber bullets with Sierra for their first use in M16 rifles for DCM matches, 'twas mentioned they got best accuracy with 40's in a 1:16 twist for their test barrels. .222 Rem was the cartridge used.
 
.222 was the darling of the Benchrest crowd for a long time before the 6 PPC replaced it, but I don't remember the favored bullet weight or what twist rate was used.
 
Walkalong said:
.222 was the darling of the Benchrest crowd for a long time before the 6 PPC replaced it, but I don't remember the favored bullet weight or what twist rate was used.
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The 222 still is a darling but going back to my several year love affair with the 6 PPC I still have several boxes of Berger 68 grain bullets. Still also have a bunch of Lapua 220 Russian and my neck turner. One day I should fix the broken 6 PPC rifle and try it all again. :) Anyway, back then the 6mm 68 grain Berger bullets ruled the range. Not sure if that remains true today.

Ron
 
Mr. Walkalong is certainly correct about the .222 Rem. being a long time darling of benchrest shooters before advent of the 6PPC. (Which, by the way, was developed to conform to a newly introduced benchrest classification requiring .243”/6mm caliber or larger.) But something that perhaps only old-time benchrest competitors such as myself will remember is that for about a 5 year period (Late ‘60’s, early 70’s) the .222 was significiently replaced by the .223 in bench competitions. One main reason being the record-breaking successes of Jim Stekl and his cute wife Donnalee, with rifles in .223 chambering. In addition to being a champion level competitor, Stekl was employed by Remington Arms and worked with Mike Walker in the design and development of rifles and cartridges. According to Stekl, anything the .222 could do accuracywise, the .223 could do better, and he proved it repeatedly. During that period virtually all .22 Cal. Match grade bullets, as made by Remington, Sierra, Speer and Winchester, plus those of us who made our own, weighed 52 or 53 grains. (There was no particular reason for that weight except to make it sound more exclusive.) The bottom line here is that the .223 rifles Stekl and his wife won tournaments with had 1/15” twist barrels, and with good reason. Which is why you’ll be losing more than you’re gaining with a twist faster than 1/14” if building a .223 Rem. rifle intended only for shooting 40 gr. Bullets. 14 and 40 go together like peaches and cream.
 
Offfhand said:
Mr. Walkalong is certainly correct about the .222 Rem. being a long time darling of benchrest shooters before advent of the 6PPC. (Which, by the way, was developed to conform to a newly introduced benchrest classification requiring .243”/6mm caliber or larger.) But something that perhaps only old-time benchrest competitors such as myself will remember is that for about a 5 year period (Late ‘60’s, early 70’s) the .222 was significiently replaced by the .223 in bench competitions. One main reason being the record-breaking successes of Jim Stekl and his cute wife Donnalee, with rifles in .223 chambering. In addition to being a champion level competitor, Stekl was employed by Remington Arms and worked with Mike Walker in the design and development of rifles and cartridges. According to Stekl, anything the .222 could do accuracywise, the .223 could do better, and he proved it repeatedly. During that period virtually all .22 Cal. Match grade bullets, as made by Remington, Sierra, Speer and Winchester, plus those of us who made our own, weighed 52 or 53 grains. (There was no particular reason for that weight except to make it sound more exclusive.) The bottom line here is that the .223 rifles Stekl and his wife won tournaments with had 1/15” twist barrels, and with good reason. Which is why you’ll be losing more than you’re gaining with a twist faster than 1/14” if building a .223 Rem. rifle intended only for shooting 40 gr. Bullets. 14 and 40 go together like peaches and cream.
Click to expand...


Thanks a bunch for sharing that. I had no clue.

Ron
 
Virtually all the NRA High Power Service Rifle and military records thru 600 yards are now held with semiautos shooting 223 Rem ammo; commercial or hand loads with new cases. A couple at 1000 shot with AR10, M14 or 7.62 M1's still stand.
 
Offfhand said:
the .222 was significiently replaced by the .223 in bench competitions.
Click to expand...
I did not know that. Very interesting. When I started shooting Benchrest the 6 PPC had already replaced the .222 and I was going on what was told to me by older shooters. Shooters who took a young man under their wing and helped him all they could. The Benchrest crowd is a great bunch of people. I imagine the other shooting sports are the same way.
 
After Ferris Pindell (one of the 'P's in PPC cartridges) saw how the dies he made to make Sierra's first 30 caliber match bullets so they shot in the ones in their 100 yard test range, he loaded up a bunch of those 168's for a 308 Win chambered benchrest rifles then won his next match with them.
 
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