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Bryan Webster

The need for faster barrel twists is not dependent on wanting to improve terminal ballistics. We all have heard mention of light bullets spinning too fast causing blowup in the air and maybe even on impact and do not need that. The internet is full of mention of new rifle builds with fast twists etc for a lot of reasons, perhaps some right and some wrong ones.

In my opinion all that matters is bullet stability. If I am shooting a 7mm Remington Magnum with a 162 grain bullet in a 1:9.5 twist barrel I am going to be a happy camper - until Hornady announces they are going to release a new ELD-X bullet in 180 grain that is gong to be really long. A 1:9.5 twist may not stabilize it, so as my current barrel is shot out I ordered a Benchmark 1:9 twist barrel and the barrel maker says it will be perfect for that bullet...just waiting now. We hear all the time about someone buying a .243 or .223 then realizing he or she cannot shoot the heavier more recent bullets and those who give these people advice online tell them they need a faster twist barrel. Yes they do, but do they always really need to shoot those heavier bullets that do really well in their present rifle/barrels. OFten it is not the case but more the internet hype related to long range competition shooting that has created an interest in doing these longer kinds of ranges. More power to them, and as we are finding an ever increasing interest in longer range shots, there is also a lot more interest by a lot more people in getting into shooting and hunting sports.

I understand what this thread has leaned into as far as bullet RPM, but when I switch to a 1:9 twist in my 7mm Remington Magnum, I doubt that it will ever be used with the lighter bullets I often used in it with the 1:9.5 although there is little doubt they would be fine if perhaps at a bit less velocity. I recently bought a box of Sierra heavy 7mm matchings that say they must be shot from an even faster twist bore and I will likely try them on targets before banging steel in our part of the world in open country with ever present high winds. Certainly the velocity is not going to be high but they will be stable and defy wind better.