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Gain Twist rifling...does it work

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pamtnman

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Anyone with experience shooting gain twist rifling, your opinion or observations are welcome. Gunmaker Bill Slusser swears by it. Historic British gunmaker Charles Lancaster made cutting edge cannons and rifles with it. But should we use it today?
 
The ball or bullet starts spinning slowly and starts increasing rate of spin as it moves down the bore. Theoretically less stripping or blow by.
 
The book “ The Bullets Flight “ by Mann will answer your question in detail. Unlike opinions with little data he did very detailed testing with barrels made for him only for the tests. I highly recommend it.
 
The book “ The Bullets Flight “ by Mann will answer your question in detail. Unlike opinions with little data he did very detailed testing with barrels made for him only for the tests. I highly recommend it.
Will you share his conclusions with us here? Don’t be shy or coy. I feel like I have to slip a dollar bill in to get a little sense of what you mean
 
I haven’t read the book lately but as my bunny tail memory ( short and fuzzy ) recalls gain twist wasn’t any better. The library got the book for me threw enter library loan so I don’t have it at hand.
No money is required to get my thoughts, I hate typing.
 
I actually posted in your duplicate post by mistake. I have only one GT barrel on a rifle I've owned for nearly 55 years. It's as accurate as any other barrel I've fired. Is it more accurate than uniform twist? I don't know and can't shoot well enough to tell.
 
I've read the same thing about there being no loss or gain in using gain twist.
And that surprised me because changing the shape of the rifling should (my way of thinking) mess up the fit of the muzzleloaded projectile.
 
Colt used gain twist on his revolvers. I haven't shot my original 1860...but I am going to...but I have nothing to compare it to - all the originals are gain twist, and comparing it to a repro would be "apples to oranges" on many levels.

Richard/Grumpa
 
The rifling twist in a gain twist barrel is slower at the breech and gradually increases as it goes up the barrel. It is supposed to let you use a heavier load that won't jump the rifling, blow a patch, or turn the gun at the start, and some think it is more accurate. I have a Hoyt gain twist barrel in one rifle and can't see the difference. A good load work up is more important.
;) However, saying you have one in your rifle makes you sound like a real pro.
 
Last edited:
Pampntonman,
Quote,:The British used gain twist on all their sporting rifles. Must be something to it"

Some British makers used gain twist, but some did not. All kinds of experimenting carried out. Wide grooves, narrow, different rates of twist, etc. etc.

All the best,
Richard.
 
What Pukka said!! The old gun makers would try anything to get an advertising edge on their competition.

I agree, no different than today.

Have not seen an original Percussion Gibbs/Metford Match Rifle shoot any better or worse than a Rigby. There’s a lot more than the rifling to get one to shoot well.
 
One of the types of firearms I build is target pistols for which I make barrels with a gain twist. I have not seen any advantage over uniform twist as far as accuracy is concerned, but I use gain twist to reduce torque. I think anything I can do as a builder to contribute to the stability of the pistol will enhance a shooters accuracy. I also make single set triggers that do not jump away from the finger--again for stability.
 
Wasn't gain twist developed to keep a better shot seal by changing the angle the bullet was engraved preventing gas leakage as with decreasing depth as per Enfield pattern 53 onwards ??

OLD DOG.
 
It was last "formally" used in a 20mm, auto loading, anti-tank gun, in the United States Army, back in the 1950's, and in some versions of the Vulcan gun on modern fighter planes. Today it's being reexamined by high speed, long range rifle shooters. I think in both cases it helped/helps with projectiles going faster than Mach 2....which isn't us, of course.

IF you take a gander at The Muzzle-Loading Cap Lock Rifle by Ned Roberts, you will see I think more advantage when using a "tapered bore" than a gain-twist. A tapered bore actually constricts around the bullet a few inches before it reaches the muzzle. The bullet being very snug when loaded, after descending a few inches, is then easier to load. When fired the base of the bullet upsets.., and so grabs onto the lands and grooves. As it nears the muzzle the seal is further improved. Roberts (iirc) was using paper patched, muzzleloading conical bullets, and (iirc) it was used by almost all of the champion shooters of his era. They were shooting at least 220 yards (40 rods) and farther.

LD
 

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