RIFLE TWISTS

[ONEYEDIK]

WHERE DO YOU DRAW THE LINE AS TO WHAT IS FAST TWIST TO WHAT IS SLOW ?????????NEW TO ALL THE DIFFERENT BARREL TWISTS.....USED TO BE PUT IN THE RB AND GO TO TOWN....

 

[Swampman]

If you want to shoot round balls, a 1:66 is the correct twist. 1:48 and faster is specifically for conicals.

 

[jtmattison]

If you want to shoot round balls, a 1:66 is the correct twist. 1:48 and faster is specifically for conicals.

I cannot totally agree with you on this.
I shoot 1:60 twist for roundball.
I also have 1:48 twist rifles that do not shoot conicals worth a hoot but they are great roundball shooters.
I would say 1:48 and slower for roundball and up to 1:28 for conical.
Just my opinion gathered from my personal shooting experience.

HD

 

[RedFeather]

Twist depends entirely upon what you are shooting. That includes caliber. So, a 1:66 twist is not one-size-fits-all for round ball, just around a fifty caliber.

 

[Swampman]

I've found 1:66 works well in a .54. I had a 1:56 Colerain .54 caliber barrel that was very accurate. I had a Sharon .50 barrel that was 1:60 that seemed good. IMO and experience, 1:48 is just too fast and finiky for consistent round ball accuracy in hunting situations.

 

[Slowpoke]

I depends on the caliber... 1-48 is an all around twist and is about right for calibers 40 and 45. Higher calibers need a slow 1-66 or slower ... Smaller calibers need faster than 1-48, problem is getting anyone other than Rayl to do it for you.

It all has to do with mass. Larger objects need less spin to become stable compare to smaller objects. Think of the earth compared to a top.

 

[roundball]

WHERE DO YOU DRAW THE LINE AS TO WHAT IS FAST TWIST TO WHAT IS SLOW ?????????NEW TO ALL THE DIFFERENT BARREL TWISTS.....USED TO BE PUT IN THE RB AND GO TO TOWN....

1:48" and 1:66" both shoot PRB very well...the caliber itself, along with the best patch/ball combo for that caliber & twist, and the powder charge used...are all factors in getting any of them to shoot their best...as someone mentioned there is not a one size fits all answer.

Beware of any occasional post you may see here or on any Internet forum stating that 1:48" twists don't shoot PRBs well...that's an old wives tale often repeated by folks who lack actual hands on experience in load development and don't actually know what they're talking about...you can take it to the bank, 1:48's shoot PRB's extremely well.

:thumbsup:

 

[Swampman]

I guess T/C doesn't know what they are talking about and lack experience. They designed the 1:48 Maxiball barrel, and everyone else copied them unfortunately for traditional shooters.

 

[Landngroove]

I guess T/C doesn't know what they are talking about and lack experience. They designed the 1:48 Maxiball barrel, and everyone else copied them unfortunately for traditional shooters.

You're joking, right?

 

[Rebel]

"You're joking, right?"

Unfortunately, i don't think he is.

 

[Swampman]

It's called sarcasm. The 1:48 barrels can serve many uses. Propping windows up, staking tomatos, electric fence post, jack handles. I have a pipe tomahawk forged from one.

 

[jtmattison]

It's called sarcasm. The 1:48 barrels can serve many uses. Propping windows up, staking tomatos, electric fence post, jack handles. I have a pipe tomahawk forged from one.

I bet my 1:48 will shoot roundballs just as good as your 1:66 any day of the week.
Inline barrels are used for staking tomatos :shake:
:rotf:

BTW, ask White Buffalo how a 1:48 shoots. He won one of our offhand shooting competitions with a 1:48 :hatsoff:

HD

 

[hack]

:rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:
for that you get to take TWO attaboys out of petty cash.

 

[ss1]

I agree completly! However,It appears that 1/48 is not as forgiving as a much slower twist.IMHO

 

[ss1]

Beautiful answer!

 

[Halftail]

I have a pipe tomahawk forged from one.

Do you use that for Smoking or throwing?

 

[Swampman]

Neither, It's not drilled for smoking and it's too expensive to throw. These cheap fast twist barrels can be made into handy stuff. :rotf:

 

[Zonie]

ONEYEDIK: As you may have noticed, a very few people have a very strong dislike for the 1:48 twist, especially if it is made by Thompson Center.
Obviously, not everyone agrees with this as many people can get very good accuracy with their factory bought 1:48 twist guns.

The suitablity for round balls seems to be a function of the depth of the rifleing as much as the rate of twist.
Roundballs with patches seem to like deep grooves while the conical bullets prefer the shallow grooves. This seems to be especially true if very hot loads are used.

As to best twist? For Patched roundballs, .50 cal and above, the slower twists from 1:48 to 1:70 seem to work best.
For conical bullets twists faster than 1;32 seem to work well although one should remember the Enfield Rifle used in the Civil War had a very slow twist and shot the Minie' bullets very well.

Is there any written rules about this? Not to my knowledge.

 

[Swampman]

I suppose the fact that a smoothbore can shoot as accurately as any twist gives some room for ponderment. My old trade gun beat 38 rifle shooters once upon a time. Except for 2 misfires related to the soft frizzen, I would have beat the other 2.

 

[playfarmers]

My .50 cal Lyman Deerstalker with the 1 in 48" twist shoots round balls good enough to win several first places in shoots over the past 14 years, and provided me with a huge amount of venison. I don't think the 1 in 66" barrel on my Austin and Halleck shoots balls any better than the Deerstalker.