What 40 cal TWIST are you shooting

[gard72977]

What I have noticed in all threads like this is everyone seems happy with what they have. It may be that a shooter of one given twist has no knowledge of shooting any other twist. This will not be a "do all" It fits the nitch of a small bore gun for me.

The Soddy guns are very heavy barreled. The gun we are modeling this after has a 40.5" barrel that is almost 1" all the way. Im thinking of ordering the barrel with some taper and a flare at the end (not quite a swamped barrel) to get the weight from the original at 10.1 pounds down to the 9.5 pound range.

40cals do ok at our woods walk on steel but leave a few standing when hit. I just wanted to see if the slower twist shoot as well as the faster and I looks like it does. This gives me the option of loading a little heave for a couple of the hard falling targets. Im also hoping to use this gun for most of my paper matches.

Looking forward to joining the 40 Cult!

 

[nkbj]

I want to do a thorough work up of loading with double ball loads in the .40

Really has nothing to do with the discussion.

This thread has come up with more myths and misstatements in a short time than we usually see. :youcrazy:
I feel sorry for the OP trying to sort out the nonsense from what will help him.
Good luck guy.

:rotf: I at least was talking about a muzzleloader.

 

[Tumblernotch]

At least my memory ain't totally gone. I thought they had heavy barrels. The Green Mountain .40's are 1/48 twist and that seems to work well as far as accuracy, but if you're wanting a barrel that will both be accurate and knock down iron targets at pretty long range, you may want to get a barrel with 1/66 to 1/72 twist. You could load it hotter and still be stable and get more terminal velocity at the clangers. You will still be able to only go so far due to barrel length and the simple fact that the ball only weighs about 94 grains. My rifles will lightly shake a gong at 100 yards and you can barely hear it. That's with 60 grs. With a slower twist 75 or 80 grs. should improve things a bit, any more may hurt accuracy. The only way to know is try it.

 

[wattlebuster]

Mine is 1 in 56 twist. Normal target/tree rat load is 30 grns FFFg pushing .380 ball with .020 pillow tick patch. Im very happy with accuracy.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

1:48 twist in a Green Mountain barrel.

LD

 

[gard72977]

You nailed it!

After talking with the barrel manufacture today I decided on a 1/57 twist. I think it will accomplish my goal.

Thanks for all the help everyone.

 

[jamesthomas]

No twist right now, USPS lost my rifle, disappeared after leaving Nashville :shake: . They can't even tell me where the truck is.

 

[gard72977]

sorry to hear that!

 

[roundball]

Just remembered this target...25 shots at 25 yards, seated hunting position leaning against a post like it was a tree / no bench, 38" x 1:48" GM barrel.

 

[azmntman]

Very NICE! :hatsoff: What caliber etc?

 

[roundball]

Very NICE! :hatsoff: What caliber etc?

I know the print is a little small unless you zoom the label up... it's my .40cal Late Lancaster

 

[jamesthomas]

No twist right now, USPS lost my rifle, disappeared after leaving Nashville :shake: . They can't even tell me where the truck is.

Well, now I'm shooting a 1/48 twist! :hatsoff: . It "turned" up at my post office at 9:22am this morning. I rekon' nobody bothered to scan the tracking number at any of the sorting facilities :slap: . 25 knot winds today so no shooting.

 

[roundball]

I know you're itching to get started
:thumbsup:

 

[Leatherbelly]

Go with the 56" twist.Lighter calibers seem to be charge specific so this will give you more lee way. Mine's a 48" and it's fussy about powder charge. This twist(56") will like a bit more powder,probably 50grs of 3f,60gr of 2f. "Squirrel" shoots at rendezvous are getting pretty popular here and the largest caliber allowed is a .40.Some shots range out to 75 yards!Fun!

 

[gard72977]

Go with the 56" twist.Lighter calibers seem to be charge specific so this will give you more lee way. Mine's a 48" and it's fussy about powder charge. This twist(56") will like a bit more powder,probably 50grs of 3f,60gr of 2f. "Squirrel" shoots at rendezvous are getting pretty popular here and the largest caliber allowed is a .40.Some shots range out to 75 yards!Fun!

Thanks for the info. Charles Burton is building the barrels and his recommendation was for the 1/57" twist. Im glad to hear others agree with this.

Now if I can just get the barrel contour nailed down! :cursing:

 

[Rifleman1776]

USPS lost my rifle

That kind of service is getting to be the norm for the US Mule.

 

[stinkyfeet]

1-48 all day long

 

[roundball]

Thinking about the various ROT comments throughout this thread, I have to be honest and say that I wonder if any of us could "see" a difference in accuracy at the target between a 1:48" and 1:57" twist...based on a couple thoughts.
1) I thought the 1:48" twist is what most if not all top competitive shooters use;
2) In a barrel that's already shorter than 48" to begin with, a ball doesn't make a full revolution as it is...and a slower twist would make it even less so.

I'm struggling to grasp what a .40cal is going to be used for, that a change of only 9" twist would be needed, be noticeable, and make a pass/fail difference ?
:hmm:

 

[stinkyfeet]

Thinking about the various ROT comments throughout this thread, I have to be honest and say that I wonder if any of us could "see" a difference in accuracy at the target between a 1:48" and 1:57" twist...based on a couple thoughts.
1) I thought the 1:48" twist is what most if not all top competitive shooters use;
2) In a barrel that's already shorter than 48" to begin with, a ball doesn't make a full revolution as it is...and a slower twist would make it even less so.

I'm struggling to grasp what a .40cal is going to be used for, that a change of only 9" twist would be needed, be noticeable, and make a pass/fail difference ?
:hmm:

Not sure but if someone wants to buy me a 40 cal 1-57 twist barrel I would be happy to build a gun around it for test purposes, and let everyone know the results. I am a total team player.. :wink: :rotf:

 

[nhmoose]

GM 1-48 twist have won over 50-75 medals in the 90's in NE at 1st Congress shoots (all over NE at different clubs), NMLRA territorials and at Ft Ty muzzle loading club before it closed.