Gunsmithing .308 Barrel Twist Rate...Which to Choose?

[pmclaine]

9.5 gain twist to 8.75, left hand.

I think I’m up to 130 rounds or so. It should kick in after 200.

 

[hlee]

9.5 gain twist to 8.75, left hand.

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I think I’m up to 130 rounds or so. It should kick in after 200.

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Looks like you’re all around it, but not quite there. Maybe a skosh more aggressive on the gain twist?

 

[Alaska]

No, they are more accurate because they said so. 5R definitely was not a hyped marketing ploy to sell more stuff. This is the gun community, we are smarter than falling for these low iq tricks.

5R just a little easier to clean barrel due to shape of lands. Accuracy no diiferent than a good quality conventional rifling. I agree just a lot of hype. Several good barrel makers Douglas XX Prem is what I run on my MK 12 Mod 0 from Frank White at Compass. Bergara has some excellent barrels I prefer the No 5 weight on the Bergara Ridge .

 

[Bender]

5R just a little easier to clean barrel due to shape of lands. Accuracy no diiferent than a good quality conventional rifling. I agree just a lot of hype. Several good barrel makers Douglas XX Prem is what I run on my MK 12 Mod 0 . Bergara has some excellent barrels I prefer the No 5 weight on the Bergara Ridge .

I don’t even clean my guns. Sooo…..

 

[Alaska]

I don’t even clean my guns. Sooo…..

UnAmerican !

 

[Terry Cross]

No, they are more accurate because they said so. 5R definitely was not a hyped marketing ploy to sell more stuff. This is the gun community, we are smarter than falling for these low iq tricks.

The vast majority of the gun community would look at most of these SH conversations like a cow looking at a new gate for the first time.......
......then immediately whip out their Platinum VISA to order whatever YouTubeLongRangeHuntingELRTacticalPRS elite ninja blog recommends.

But in all fairness to the top barrel blank producers, they (just like scope companies) will default to what the market asks for even if it is superior in spirit and theory only. To do otherwise would be a poor business decision.


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[Terry Cross]

Terry, Just curious what your thoughts would be for the ideal barrel set up for a long range 308 based on your experience..... barrel brand, rifling, twist, chamber incl. throat, barrel length , etc.. Using 155/168/178 variants

With all due respect, barrel brand, rifling, twist, chamber incl. throat, barrel length , etc.. Using 155/168/178 variants...... etc. should the least of your concerns in consistently hitting long range targets, especially with a .308.

Brand: In no particular order: Krieger, Bartlein, Brux, Hawk Hill, Mullerworks, Rock Creek
Twist: 8.5" to 12" depending on the length of your bullets.
Chamber/Throat": Any known performer in the .308Win Match arena.
Barrel Length: Has little to do with technical accuracy. Generally a longer barrel gives > V = <TOF = <Wind Correction
Bullets: 155 to 180gr that shoots best in your gun with the lowest ES/SD

Even if you get all of the above delivered to you in the prefect rifle, you will still hit fewer long range targets than an experienced .308 driver running a stock 700P shooting AB39.

My suggestion would be to build/buy a decent rifle with decent glass and excellent ammunition then spend 5X that $ going to multiple known and vetted LR courses that have a lot of .308 shooting clientele. (Badlands Tactical and MDS come to mind among many more).

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[Oryx]

Appreciate the response and info. Didn’t know whether or not you had a recommendation based on your experience and what you thought would be best suited.

Thanks again!

 

[Terry Cross]

Appreciate the response and info. Didn’t know whether or not you had a recommendation based on your experience and what you thought would be best suited.

Thanks again!

I build a ton of .308s but my niche is a relatively narrow lane. Overall gun size and barrel length is usually limited. Same with almost all ammo being factory produced and mission specific.

You would likely be better served and receive much better guidance asking the same questions to a dedicated builder/shooter of F-Class/HighPower/ etc. where they concentrate on squeezing the last bit of performance out of the .308s at distance.

We have to deliver performance at distance but a lot of our problems are at closer ranges, very small unobstructed flight paths and very small target areas on otherwise large targets.

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[viking78]

Given a barrel length of 20" and only shooting bullet weights from 147 to 185 grain, what twist rate would be recommended? From the research I've done, it would seem that a twist rate of 1:11 or 1:12 would work best. Many recommend just going with 1:10 as the best "all around" twist rate. But for the bullet weights I would be shooting it seems that would be too fast of a twist rate?

A friend of mine shot hi´s Sako TRG barrel out, and hi bought a Shielen SM 1/10" twist barrel heavy varmint profile.
It shoots lights out with bullet weight from123gr up to 185gr.

 

[pmclaine]

I like my guns to be pretty.

If it was about performance I’d buy something in a chassis and beat it like a red headed stepchild.

Fortunately all my pretty rifles shoot pretty good and I think that’s a factor of good builder and quality parts.

 

[pineoak]

I like my guns to be pretty.

If it was about performance I’d buy something in a chassis and beat it like a red headed stepchild.

Prince Harry could use a good beating...

 

[pmclaine]

Prince Harry could use a good beating...

I think he is defined as a “red headed bastard”……words matter with royalty.