Thinking of building a shorty 308.. What twist rate??

[koobs84]

I've been interested in building a shorty rifle and seeing all the other builds it's just pushing me even more towards that direction. My main purpose for the rifle will be to have one thats easy to carry and maneuver around with. I will be using it for the range as well as hunting hogs with it. Hell, I'll even use it for coyotes when I feel like causing a huge mess, lol. On average, the most distance I will be using it out to will be 4-500 yards. I have access to a range that is 1000 yards, but I'm not quite good enough to hit that distance yet.

I've seen many threads to know that a shorty 308 is capable of 1000 yards so when I decide to start trying at that distance I will have a rifle capable of it. I'm looking to stick with the 308 mainly due to having plenty of brass, bullets, powder and dies for the cartridge. I currently own an SPS Varmint in 308 with a 1-12 twist. This rifle currently has a stock barrel that I had cut to 24 inches. I've had no issues with the stock barrel. I've mainly used 168 and 175 grains bullets without issues. With this rifle possibly being used for hogs, Im not sure what other bullets I will be using yet...

My main question is in regards to the twist rate. I wanted to know if the 1-12 twist will work with a shorty rifle, around 16-18 inches, or if I will need to use a faster twist rate for my needs. I'd prefer to keep my current sps and have the barrel cut down again before having to re-barrel. But if a faster twist rate is needed, I may just do a complete build with a custom action. I'd like to hear from others that have shorty rifles and their opinions on the twist rate. I'll be completely honest, and admit that I don't know much about the various twist rates and if it will even matter. Just don't wanna waste money if I don't need to and also don't wanna end up with something that will not work for my needs. Thanks in advance guys!!

 

[Guest]

I have a Mike Rock 14.5" 1:10 match barrel on my P308 that is extremely accurate but nice and short. It has a pinned brake to make it non SBR. Shoots under .5" @ 100 with hand loads. I typically shoot 175smk and 178amax.

 

[RELOOP]

My stick is an IBA XM-3 with 18.5" / 1in12 twist, Surefire suppressed and I have hit repeatedly out to 850 on a 66% IPSC steel and placed well in comps against guys with 1in10 twist rifles. I needed the 1/12 twist because all I shoot is 168 FGMM. I would think you would be fine.

 

[ZLBubba]

You should be fine with a 1:12. If I were building one from the ground up, then I'd go with a 1:10 or a 1:11.25 twist. However, your current setup should work if you experiment with the loads.

 

[briang7511]

I have a sps in .308 that I cut to 18in and had a brake put on. It has the 12 tw barrel. I have tested several boolits from 155-178 out to 1k. No problems. There was a significant loss in velocity about 250fps from a 26in barrel. I also built it for hunting purposes but I don't hunt in a area where you can use a rifle so I have only used it for target use.