1-in-66 twist on a Traditions barrel....

[jderrick]

Hello... I've got a Traditions 33.5 inch .50 cal barrel with a 1-in-66 twist. How's the accuracy on that sort of twist? Any other thoughts? Any experience with that barrel?

 

[jtmattison]

1:66 is an ideal twist for roundball.
I can't give you any advice on that particular barrel but it's a roundball barrel.
Good luck with it.

HD

 

[arcticap]

In reference to a lengthy post previously written by John L. Hinnant on this subject: His thinking was that the 1 in 66" twist barrels are among the best for obtaining high velocity accuracy with a patched round ball. He stressed that while this twist can also be very accurate with lighter powder loads, he found that its best accuracy often resulted from shooting PRB's at higher velocities.
My guess would be that the low end of "higher velocity" powder charges might be in the 65-70 grain range, although lighter powder charges might shoot just fine too. This can depend on the depth of your barrel's rifling, the size of your ball and patch combination and type of powder, etc... :thumbsup:

 

[Swampman]

I've found that slow twist barrels give the best accuracy with any powder charge. I use 60 grains of 3f in my .50s and .54s with fantastic results. Of course, good quality barrels require almost no fiddling around to get them to shoot well. My old Colerain was very accurate, no matter how carelessly you loaded it.

 

[jderrick]

Thanks fopr the reference.... Hinnant's was a good post. I'd looked before to see if I could find anything on the forum but came up blank....

 

[LRB]

Gee, Swampman, even without weighing the powder?
You know I'm kidding.