Author Topic: 357 twist  (Read 873 times)

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Offline T.M.

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357 twist
« on: August 01, 2008, 03:54:54 PM »
Would A 14 twist in 357 mag. work with cast bullets?

Offline ND Sharpshooter

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Re: 357 twist
« Reply #1 on: August 04, 2008, 03:33:35 AM »
Had a 1 in 14 Douglas put on my Marlin 1894 20+ years ago.  Works just fine with anything I've put thru it---have used only cast bullets---from 140 to 225 grains. 
Never said I didn''t know how to use one.  :wink:

Offline Veral

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Re: 357 twist
« Reply #2 on: August 05, 2008, 07:27:05 PM »
  In my opinion, Americans are too caught up with the Greenhill formula, which causes a lot of twist worries.
  In my experiance faster twist is better as long as it isn't extreme, and slow twist isn't critical if the bullet can be pushed into the barrel with precision balance.  This last is the major concern about twist and the reason shooters have problems with too slow or fast a twist barrel.
  Years ago, built a 357 single shot pistol using a piece of used rifle barrel out of a scrap bin, which as I recall had a 10 inch twist.  It shot anything I fed it just great.  I gave that as a too much spin experiance.

  1-10 twist in a 30-06 is supposedly good for about 220 gr bullets max, I believe, and that with stout loads.  Yet one day I was playing with a 1-12 twist 06 and 250 gr bullet from a mold I had made.  I slowed them down to 1200 fps to see at what velocity they would start flying wild.  I was shooting at a hill about 400 yards away, just aiming at small rocks.  It shot like a lazer at 1200 fps and would snit those rocks into the air if I held the trajectory right.

  So, yes, 1-14 twist in a 357 is just fine.

  Before I walk of from the above statements with my neck in a noose, I must qualify what I've said.  --  Bullets MUST be well balanced as they traverse the bore for them to be immune to twist rate.  Commercial jacketed bullets of standard diameter shot in sloppy chamber/throated guns, need a fairly precise spin to keep them on track.  What i've wrote above assumes you have a decent handle on what I teach about fitting bullets for perfect balance, and getting them moving without knocking them out of balance.
Veral Smith