PRB's and Fast Twist Barrels

[rhwestfall]

Any issues with shooting a prb in a fast twist barrel (1:24)? Just trying to keep it on the cheap.

 

[Keppy]

The only problem we found, was we had to reduce the charge. My friend has a 45cal. with a 1/24 twist and with a RB shoots very good groups. They shoot better than the real bullets he was trying. He uses the RB for deer and as long as he does not stretch the range it will do just fine. :2

 

The 1 in 24 rate of twist is designed for conicals not round balls. While PRB's may shoot okay at short range your accuracy is going to suffer out at 50 yards and beyond. What caliber are you shooting anyway?

 

[Emet Huntsman]

I shoot a TC Hawken .45 that does not like PRB's (1:48 twist). that is not to say others are not successful -- just mine is not. But it will drive tacks with the Maxi. So I use Maxis when hunting with THAT rifle. My GPR is .54 1:60 and my flinter is .50 1:60 and they LOVE PRB's. SO that is what I shoot in them.
All this to say it's not so much what you prefer as it is what your rifle does. :v

 

[BrownBear]

Several of us do it all the time. In both 50 and 54 cal with charges up to 60 grains of 3f or Pyro P it's pretty hard to tell the difference from slow twist barrels out to 50 yards, our normal shooting range. Heck, with small game loads down at 30-35 grains you can stack the balls on top of each other.

Over 60 grains the groups do tend to open up. But only enough to be a concern to target shooters. I'll hunt deer all day long with a ball over 80 grains of powder delivering a 2-3" group at 50. That's cuzz our shooting is usually at 50 yards or less. I'm not worried about what balls are doing at 100 yards from fast twists, and in fact I've never tried it. No need and no worries.

Most of my guns have slow twists and that's fine too because I don't usually hunt with conicals. But I'm not worried enough about the fast twist models to go to the expense of switching them over to slow twist.

If you're using fast twist at longish ranges, then yeah, it's worth testing hunting loads out there. If they're not performing to your specs, by all means invest in a slow twist. If they're shooting fine, no one will shame you about fast twist unless you tell them you've got the dreaded condition.

 

[rhwestfall]

Thanks for the confirmation of what I was thinking. I was asked this from a friend who is recently getting into the traditional BP side of the sport. Wanted to throw it out for some comments. I've been away from the forum for a fair amount of time. Good to see a few names from the past....

I had switched barrels on my .50 GPH flint to a GPR back a few years ago when I got a real steal on a slow twist barrel, though never really concentrated on why it was a better idea......

Likewise, I never could get my TC Firestorm to the accuracy I wanted with PRB's and just stuck with conicals with it. Being a fast twist, is likely the cause.

And due to it being a big bore slow twist barrel, I only shoot PRB's from my .58 CVA Mountain Rifle.

Thanks again for the thoughts.

 

The one thing I didn't see mentioned was that fast twist will foul quicker than a slower twist.

C

 

[paulvallandigham]

Does that matter if you clean between shots?

 

[PreglerD]

I made the same expirience with a 1 in 28'' twist. With medium loads in cal. 50, about 50 grs, and shooting not more than 40 yds the accuracy was good. But more powder and more distance was bad for accuracy.

Regards

Kirrmeister

 

Nope doesn't matter if you clean between shots, but if you are like me and know your guns fairly well. I can go 5 shots in two of my rifles before accuracy starts to suffer, 3 shots in most of them, and in a couple that I have it's every shot or accuracy suffers.

 

[bingo1952]

I shoot a Dixie Jaeger in .54 with RB over 85 grains of 2F powder and get 3-4" groups at 100 yards so I would have to say no it is not a problem. Your results may vary of course and only the shooting will tell the story.

 

[tg]

I believe that some members is the past have found originals with rather fast twist these would be pre-conical guns, the grooves may have been deeper but in the past it seems that fast barrels worked with balls.