Author Topic: Optimum twist rate for 221 Fireball?  (Read 887 times)

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Offline Ol BW

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Optimum twist rate for 221 Fireball?
« on: February 22, 2014, 09:28:00 PM »
I am posting this in several forums at once, so please excuse me if you see it more than once.

Does anybody know or have any experience with 221 Fireball regarding the best twist rate for the widest range of bullet weights in a 22" rifle barrel?  I have not found any definitive answers, as most I have read concentrate on this cartridge in handgun length barrels.  As I understand, that length makes a difference along with bullet shape and velocity.

Any help would be appreciated.  Comments, opinions, and outright laughing/ridicule will be accepted. :D

BW

Offline Luckyducker

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Re: Optimum twist rate for 221 Fireball?
« Reply #1 on: February 23, 2014, 11:28:32 AM »
I have no actual experience with the 221FB but have shot and loaded for a couple other .224" bore calibers and with the slower muzzle velocity of the FB you need a slightly faster twist to stabilize the same weight bullets.  A 22/250 will stabilize a 55 grain bullet with a 1/14" twist tube but I will propose that the FB will require a 1/10" tube.  It seems that a lot of loaders think that as long as a bullet isn't key holing that it is stabilized but I have tried to shoot heavier bullets in a barrel that had a marginal twist rate that just wouldn't give the accuracy they should have no matter how much mojo was put into it.  I will always err on the side of too fast of twist than a maybe too slow of twist.   Usually a faster twist will stabilize light for caliber bullets without atomizing them but a too slow of twist rate will seldom or never give proper performance with the heavier slugs.   Some barrels with a certain twist will do a good job and another barrel with the same ROT and chambered for the same caliber will not.  For an example, I had a custom rifle rebarreled to 264Win and had the smith use a Shilen 1/9" barrel because a guy I knew and trusted had two pre-64 Wins in this cartridge that shot 140 grain bullets very well.  When I started load development with my 264 it would shoot 129 grain bullets like a dream but just wouldn't perform very well at all with the 140.  I then looked up Shilens twist recommendation on their website and Shilen wrote for 140 grain bullets to opt for the 1/8" twist.  Lesson learned the hard way.