I been pondering if there could be any benefit derived from playing with twist rate. I've also wondered if anyone ever tried gain twist on a 22 and by wonder I mean I'm sure someone has tried it and what did they find.
- Thread starter ShortShooter1908
- Start date
I have a Green Mountain 1:9 twist (not gain) barrel for a 10/22. It shot 40 grain subsonics pretty well. Theoretically it should shoot the big 60gr rounds accurately where a 1:16 not so much, but I can't verify that.
I once tried a barrel on my 10/22 that was apparently 1:9 and made for Aguila SSS ammo. I honestly didn't notice any change in accuracy comparing to my stock barrel. All it did for me was add extra forward weight to the gun which I didn't like.
My guess is the 1:16 twist originated from, or at least was influenced by, the benchrest world where for maximum accuracy you want the slowest twist rate that will stabilize a given bullet weight. That doesn't mean other twist rates won't work, they just might not have quite the same accuracy potential.
My understanding is that the first .22 long rifle test barrel was a .22 long barrel with a 1-20” twist and a modified chamber suitable for the 40 grain projectile. It did not work well and so a 1-16” twist barrel was substituted. I suspect that the ballistic calculations had already been made and that UMC simply did the test for validation. So far as bench-rest is concerned ... ALL Anschutz .22 long rifle barrels (current production at least) have a 1.16.5’ twist.
In a phone conversation with one of Bartlein's sales guys a few months ago, I'd asked about ordering a 22RF blank lapped to finish at 22". His reply was to recommend a gaintwist bbl, as the gain twist acts as a choke, as opposed to lapping the bore to be tighter at the muzzle at the specified finish length. If I were going to order a gaintwist from Bartlein (or anyone else for that matter), I'd probably go for something like 1-20 start, 1-16 finish, and would be hesitant to go shorter than 22". That's just my take/comfort zone - would like to hear from anyone who's played with gaintwist 22RF bbls and what their results & thoughts are.
Given that my 1-16tw Kriegers that I finished at 22" typically shoot slightly better groups than a 26" Benchmark that has a 1-16.5tw, I'd likely stick with a 1-16tw. I know, that's too small a sample to have scientific validity - but I don't have the money to spend or time to do 5 or 6 bbl blanks of each twist rate to do a more 'scientific' experiment.
Given that my 1-16tw Kriegers that I finished at 22" typically shoot slightly better groups than a 26" Benchmark that has a 1-16.5tw, I'd likely stick with a 1-16tw. I know, that's too small a sample to have scientific validity - but I don't have the money to spend or time to do 5 or 6 bbl blanks of each twist rate to do a more 'scientific' experiment.
