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rifling twists
- Thread starter wildeagle
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Johnny Tremain
Silversmith in training
1/66 at 33 inches is one of the better twists for 50 cal and below.
1/72 Id not try with smaller calibers, but works well with 54-58 cal.
Yet 1/66 does just fine with large also.
Only two twists I use.
1/72 Id not try with smaller calibers, but works well with 54-58 cal.
Yet 1/66 does just fine with large also.
Only two twists I use.
I agree with Johnny....IMO for round ball shooting under 45 cal and especially 40 and below 1 in 48...45 to 54, 1 in 66...58 and up, 1 in 72...This not to say that faster or slower twists won't work, but they seem to get pretty tempermental if you get out of the more idea twist range...Meaning the powder load seems to make more of a difference...For me, hotter loads seem to work better with slower twists... :winking: ...The Best...The Lizard...
Many Klatch
69 Cal.
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My .54 has a twist of 1 in 55. It works great.
Many Klatch
Many Klatch
MikeChapin
58 Cal.
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Most barrel makers offer a 1:48 twist on .40 and below. While they go up to 1:60 or 1:66 up to about .54. Most usually offer a 1:70 for .58 and larger.
That being said, my experience is that 1:48 works fine for .40 and below. When you start using that twist for larger calibers you run into a different effect. The larger calibers get real cranky as to what load that will give the best accuracy. You usually wind up with two loads that give great accuracy. One is a light load around the caliber of the rifle and the other is a heavy load a little less than double the light load. Once you have found a good accurate load for these barrels much deviation off these loads will spread the groups dramatically. That's one of the reasons these barrels get a bad rap.
Longer twist barrels for the larger calibers are more forgiving as to load. There is still some group spread off the ideal loads but it is not as dramatic as with the faster twist barrels.
That being said, my experience is that 1:48 works fine for .40 and below. When you start using that twist for larger calibers you run into a different effect. The larger calibers get real cranky as to what load that will give the best accuracy. You usually wind up with two loads that give great accuracy. One is a light load around the caliber of the rifle and the other is a heavy load a little less than double the light load. Once you have found a good accurate load for these barrels much deviation off these loads will spread the groups dramatically. That's one of the reasons these barrels get a bad rap.
Longer twist barrels for the larger calibers are more forgiving as to load. There is still some group spread off the ideal loads but it is not as dramatic as with the faster twist barrels.
Yes / I'm tending to agree and understand what you are saying.Powder charge and caliber go hand in hand w/ twist. Lt. james Forsyth-" The sporting rifle and its projectiles",1863 " a larger gauge will require less spiral than a smaller and have less tendency to lose its axis of rotation " He later when on to have barrels built w/ a small spin factor,some as little as 1 turn in 10 or 12 feet, and found them to stabilize balls well beyond black powder ranges. He further concluded that a round ball given 1/4 of a revolutionin its journey through the bore would have sufficient spin to stabilize it out to 150 yrds( large cal.)In support of your statement a slower twist in a larger cal. is more forgiving. I'm also thinking that faster twists have a smaller window for accurate loads,more potent loads possibly causing stripping on the rifling. I'm intrested in any of the other members thoughts on this subject.One other query- does barrel length affect twist? Wild Eagle
They are kind of[url] interrelated...In[/url] a short barreled 62 caliber in a 1 in 72 twist you may not be able to shoot enough powder to gain/get an accurate AND powderfull load...
Say you load up with a 140 grain FFG load in a 62 cal, 36 inch barrel with a 1 in 72 twist....Your going to get the velocity you need to stabilize the ball, get accuracy, and have the knock down you got the 62 for in the first place...The same load in a 24 inch barrel will not give the same result as alot of the power is burning outside the barrel, ahead of the muzzle, lower velocity...There is a load for each caliber/barrel length that all the powder will be burned inside the barrel...Anymore then that is a waste of time as you gain very little velocity and probably a fouled barrel....Look at the tables in the Lyman Black Powder Manual and you can see the cut off point of kind of a worthwhile max load... :winking: ...The Lizard...
Say you load up with a 140 grain FFG load in a 62 cal, 36 inch barrel with a 1 in 72 twist....Your going to get the velocity you need to stabilize the ball, get accuracy, and have the knock down you got the 62 for in the first place...The same load in a 24 inch barrel will not give the same result as alot of the power is burning outside the barrel, ahead of the muzzle, lower velocity...There is a load for each caliber/barrel length that all the powder will be burned inside the barrel...Anymore then that is a waste of time as you gain very little velocity and probably a fouled barrel....Look at the tables in the Lyman Black Powder Manual and you can see the cut off point of kind of a worthwhile max load... :winking: ...The Lizard...
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MikeChapin
58 Cal.
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wildeagle said:
I would doubt it. Assuming a snug load with no burning or stripping of the patch, the ball will be spinning at the same rate whether the barrel is 12" or 42" with the same twist.
As The Lizard mentioned, barrel length has more to do with max charges than most anything else. I like the longer barrels for the additional sighting plane more than anything else. I don't shoot real heavy loads in any of my rifles. A elk hit with 80 grains in a .54 goes down just as fast as one hit with 120 grains. With 80 grains I can place the shot anywhere I want within 100 yards. Would not be able to do that with a 120 grain load and it doesn't hurt as much on the butt end.
