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308 Twist Rate and Accuracy International Barrel mfg.

M

majohnson2

Full Member
Full Member
Minuteman
Mar 14, 2012
559
10
Front Range, CO
I'm not sure which way to go on with my 308 twist rate, 1:10 or 1:12. Reading through old posts on here and a couple of other sites, by going with a 1:12 twist I should be able to stabilize bullets in the range from 155 and 168 grains. Not being a hunter I'm not looking to shoot much heavier then 175 grains. It would be nice if other bullet mfg would indicate twist rates as part of their product information.

The 2nd part of this post, how well do AI barrels compare the Bartlein barrels?
 
As a point of interest, the Sako TRG 22 has an 11" twist.

I purchased a Tikka Sporter 308 with a 24"bbl and an 11" twist as well (barrel made by Sako). Out of the box, it's shooting .5 MOA consistently with SSA 168gr HPBT ammo. Maybe the 11" twist is a good compromise.
 
Just get the 1-10... works with everything.

The 1-12 is for 26" barrel, if you go shorter the 1-10 is better choice

Though honestly it doesn't matter either way, they all work, 1/10, 1/11.25, 1/12...

AI barrels are really accurate, they just tend to be a few FPS slower than the Bartlein,
 
Lowlight said:
Just get the 1-10... works with everything.

The 1-12 is for 26" barrel, if you go shorter the 1-10 is better choice

Though honestly it doesn't matter either way, they all work, 1/10, 1/11.25, 1/12...

AI barrels are really accurate, they just tend to be a few FPS slower than the Bartlein,
Click to expand...

This is very true, but the truth of the matter is that (depending on the bullet design) a 13T, 12T, 11.25T, 11T, 10T would all be good choices for the 308 up to the 175g bullets. I know this because I have owned each of these and did just fine with 155g & 167g Scenars, 168g & 175g SMK, 168g & 175g Nosler CC, 178g Hornady Amax with each of these twist rates. The 1-13T was a 27 1/4" barrel and super accurate all the others have been from 20" up to 26". Also I never tried any VLD style bullets out of the 13T just the ones mentioned. So long story short it don't really matter all that much. However YMMV
 
It appears my options are 20" - 24" with 1-10 or 1-12 twist. I would like to be able to use some of the lighter bullets and still have some accuracy out to 600 yards. Doing some reading and I came across this piece off the Lijia site:
Lilja Precision Rifle Barrels - Articles: Barrel Lenghts and Velocities in the 338/378 Weatherby Magnum

After read the above article it makes me want to think about going into something along the lines of 30" plus, at a later time. The 6.5CM I built with some advise of Jedi on the forum. Its based on stock Remington 700 receiver with a 28" Kreiger barrel that will shoot 1/2 moa, when I do my part. The only down side is the limited available of loaded ammo. My experience with that is another thing that pushes me towards the longer barrels.
 
Last edited:
Yes Sir.

Its my 1st rifle that wasn't a R700. Along with my 1st 308. I've been shooting rifles for about 18 months, so I have a lot to learn. Thanks all for the info.
 
My 1-in-12 AI shoots 175gr SMKs and 178gr AMAX sub 1/2 MOA, so I wouldn't worry about it.

On the other hand, if you're planning on shooting subsonics or doing anything weird with heavier bullets, the 1-in-10 makes far more sense. I can't get any commercial subsonic load to stabilize out of the muzzle, and even experimenting with handloads it's been very challenging.
 
Following Lowlight recommendation, I went back to the guys at Mile High and had a Bartlin 5R 1/10 barrel installed. Allow with getting a brake installed. The guys were great and swapped the barrels while I waited. If you haven't tried them, Randy and the guys are all about customer service. Now if the temps warmer up, I can head to the range.
 
AI figured out the barrel twist so you don't have to, buy it, scope it, shoot the damn thing and enjoy life a little more.
Cheers.
 
djgas said:
So 1:12 will not have issue?
Click to expand...

Here's my experience with my AI AT and 24" LW 1/12 barrel.

6 shots to break it in, one right after the other. Shots 7-10, grouped 5/16 at 150 yds. Why 150, because I shoot on my own land and I didn't have my range finder that day, and had moved my targets around to mow. So I just guessed.

I only use factory match ammo, and the thing shoots the same groups with Hornady Match 155/168 and also FGMM 168/175.

For shits and giggles I just put a 1/10 18" Win Tac barrel on it a couple weeks back. We'll see how it does after my back heals up and I can get out.

PS...that group above, was shot prone off a bipod, in a hurry....and I suck lol.
 
IW21 said:
Here's my experience with my AI AT and 24" LW 1/12 barrel.

6 shots to break it in, one right after the other. Shots 7-10, grouped 5/16 at 150 yds. Why 150, because I shoot on my own land and I didn't have my range finder that day, and had moved my targets around to mow. So I just guessed.

I only use factory match ammo, and the thing shoots the same groups with Hornady Match 155/168 and also FGMM 168/175.

For shits and giggles I just put a 1/10 18" Win Tac barrel on it a couple weeks back. We'll see how it does after my back heals up and I can get out.

PS...that group above, was shot prone off a bipod, in a hurry....and I suck lol.
Click to expand...
A bit off topic question-my friend want to buy new barrel for his AE AI .308,but doesn’t want LW,of course he will buy original barrel for his old model. His original barrel is Border ,how can we find out what supplier AI using now? There are rumor about lot of brand also different brand for different model,caliber,continent...?
 
djgas said:
A bit off topic question-my friend want to buy new barrel for his AE AI .308,but doesn’t want LW,of course he will buy original barrel for his old model. His original barrel is Border ,how can we find out what supplier AI using now? There are rumor about lot of brand also different brand for different model,caliber,continent...?
Click to expand...

I'm not 100% sure which question to answer, but if you're friend is wanting a new barrel for his AI AE, and you're in the US, you can just call Mile High Shooting. Or just pick one of the many smiths talked about on the forum.

Where is it you're located?
 
6+ year old thread reserection ... not as good as that 13+ year old one I saw on the Ford truck enthusiast.. lol

1/10 is the way to go... it is the new standard now it seems
 
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