Which twist would you choose for this application, a 1 in 10" or a 1 in 12"? The barrel will be 24".

I think they would both work fine but wonder if there might be an advantage to one over the other that I'm not seeing.

Terry

1-12 if you never want to go too much heavier than 175. 1-10 covers pretty much all weights. You might get better info in the target shooting forum.

A 1 in 12 will work with Sierra Matchkings...

HOWEVER, I would never build a 308 that did not have a 1 in 10 twist barrel.

They will work for 150 to 200gr bullets.

So I recommend if you are building a rifle and have a choice go 1 in 10...

1-10, why hamstring yourself if you decide to go up in weight.

quote:

1-10,

Thanks everybody!

Terry

All my 308 caliber rifles sport 1 in 10 barrels

Big fan of 1/10 as well. If you are going tactical rifle and thinking only 168gr think again! You will want to shoot some of the heavies sooner or later and after that you'll wanna play with some lighter offerings.

1/10 the way to go!

I recently had an action barreled in 308 12" twist, with no hesitation making the decision. I'll shoot 130-168gr bullets, and so far it works just like it's supposed to. Everything I've put through it so far shoots well, but I settled on 165gr Sierras for now because I have several boxes on the shelf.

However, I also have another 308 with a factory barrel in 10" twist which so far I shoot 180 gr bullets in, but that's bacause I have a bunch of them.

Anyway, my thinking is to save the heavier bullets for a 30-06, and use 168gr and lighter in the 308s, in which case the 12" twist rate is better.

If I was making the decision again, I would do a 12" twist rate in the 308 and not look back, or take advice to the contrary.

BTW, I have another 308 in Texas that I momentarily forgot about, with a 12" twist Shilen barrel. I've only used 165gr Accubonds in it, and the accuracy is awesome. It's a super hog and deer killer.

I think the 308 and 12" twist barrels and 165 - 168gr bullets were made for each other, as a hunting combo.

I resist the one-size-fits-all mentality when it comes to a custom barrel. To me that kinda partially defeats the concept of "custom". After all, if one-size-fit-all they wouldn't even offer a variety of twist rates in .308, and the competition shooters would all be using 10" twist.

If your question had been about using 180gr bullets, the answer may have been different, but that wasn't the question.

Furthermore, when I made my decision to go with a 12" twist rate, I also had the 'Smith cut the throat to specifically match up to the 165gr Sierra, which also is just right for the 168gr, and many others, including Nosler factory ammo. What it's not right for is the 200 - 220 gr bullets, which is what a 10" twist is for, and I never intend to use.

KB

Don't go looser than 1-10. I like shooting heavy bullets for their long range energy retention. I have built .308's with 1-8 and they work great with the heavier bullets. It will work with lighter bullets as long as you slow them down. That's not a popular move so most use 1-10.....Tom

I'm going to have to say the 12" twist is the better choice. Actucal extensive tests measuring the BCs of fired bullets show that the 12" twist gives the highest BCs in the 150 - 180 gr bullet weights over the 10" twist. The higher BC equates to a more stabilized bullet that is flying through the air better.

The 12" twist is/was the standard twist for the .308W and handles bullets in the 100 - 200 gr weight range very well. If match bullets of 150 - 175 gr are to be used the 12" twist is the definate choice, especially for a 24"+ length barrel. Note that Remington has switched from the 10" twist to the 12" twist in most all of their .308W chambered rifles. There is a reason for that, get the 12" twist.

Larry Gibson

1/12 twist, is what I think the military uses for their sniper barrels.

For the 308 Win, were I building a custom, I'd go 1-11"... I think. Otherwise, the standard 1-12" would be my choice.

I won a 1000 yard long range match yesterday with a 1:10 308 barrel and 175's. Shot similiar scores at that distance with 190's.

I regularly shoot HM scores out to 300 yards with a 1:10 barrel and 168's. Then I switch over to 175's at 600 yards.

Will be trying 185 Bergers soon.

I have never ever seen a good on target reason for a 1:12 twist 308 barrel either in 30-06 or 308. A 1:10 will shoot 110 grain bullets up to 220 (Krag) with sub MOA accuracy. I have shot 200's in the 30-06 at 1000 yards, kick like hell but very accurate in a 1:10 tube.

I think there is a lot of overthinking on barrel twist, the major shooting errors are from sight alignment and trigger pull, position, and your wind call.