After lots of saving, I'm finally close to getting a Ballard Rifle and I've chosen to make it in the grand old 9.3X74R. Which twist rate would you recommend for this caliber? Most of the factory loaded ammo is in or around 286 grains. The only exception that I can think of is a 232 grain load by Norma but there may be others that I do not know of. Is there a twist rate that "covers all"?
Thank you.

FWIW, Sako uses a 1:14 twist for the 9.3x62, and ballistically the two rounds are almost identical. Lou

kaschi..
Most AR guys are fast twister types as they seem to think you need a SD of 300 to well over that to kill stuff...
If you are going to be using the bullets the cart. was designed for ie. 286gr/.307SD, then 1:14 will be fine...If you are going to shoot cast also it is alot easier if you have the 1:14 twist as cast bullets are softer than jacketed and tend to strip just ahead of the throat before they start rotating...The heavier the cast bullet, the faster you push it and the faster the twist the more stripping and leading you'll get...
BTW the 9.3X74R round is a great round for cast bullets as most loads are low pressure compared to smaller cased rounds in the same cal...Low pressure along with the right twist,bullet fit, alloy and hardness make for cast bullet shooting fun!

Here is a twist calulator.. http://www.uslink.net/~tom1/twistrate.htm
I sure hope you post a picture of your Ballard Rifle High Wall here when it is completed!

Thanks for the good information, gents. When I last called Ballard, the gentleman there said they would "love to build" an 1885 in 9.3x74R and up to that point, they had not built one in that caliber. I'll have to give them another ring and, just for the heck of it, ask which twist rate they recommend. If the answer is s/thing other than the 1:14 you both suggest, then I can give them the helpful info you provided. Thanks again.

Just today received a Midway USA catalog and saw that they offer barrel blanks. They offer Douglas(25 1/2" length and Krieger(27" length) ones in 9.3mm with a 1:12" twist, but they had nothing in 1:14". I have not yet called Ballard Rifle, but does anybody know if they make their own barrels or which ones they use? I'm pretty sure their 1885 rifle bbl lengths are usually
28" or 30".

Going off memeory, I think the so-called U.S. twist (SAAMI) is 1 turn in 12". The C.I.P. rate is 14". So, Douglas, Lilja, Shilen, Pac-Nor, and I think Loather Walther (US program barrels - not pre-chambered) are all 12" twist. I doubt it's a big deal either way, with conventional bullets. I had a 9.3x74 barrel made for the Encore in 12" twist, and found it to be very satisfactory. I don't use cast bullets, and I like the Swift 300 gr bullets and especially 285 - 286 gr anything. The 9.3x74 is a real practical and fun cartridge. I found it really easy to develop several very satisfying loads. I plan to spend more time with it in the future, and maybe actually hunt something with it.

I wish I could afford a double rifle with that chamber. Humm - maybe if I sold a bunch of my Mausers, I could buy one really good double rifle.

KB

quote:

Originally posted by kaschi:
Just today received a Midway USA catalog and saw that they offer barrel blanks. They offer Douglas(25 1/2" length and Krieger(27" length) ones in 9.3mm with a 1:12" twist, but they had nothing in 1:14". I have not yet called Ballard Rifle, but does anybody know if they make their own barrels or which ones they use? I'm pretty sure their 1885 rifle bbl lengths are usually
28" or 30".

kaschi...Like Kabluewy says if you are going to shoot just jacketed bullets the 1:12 is fine..Ruger is using a 1:10 twist on their #1- 9.3X74R single shot...You can shoot cast in a 1:12 or 1:10 also but you'll have less options than a slower twist...I have just started working up loads for a Ruger #1 in 35 Whelen with a 1:12 twist....Once I found the proper bullet size it is shooting pretty darn good with a 283gr (9.3 sized down slightly) cast bullet some what under 2000FPS..

I have a Ruger #1 in 9.3 X74R, (1:10) and have several loads that shoot 1" @ 100 no problem. The 250gr. TSX and solids, the 286gr TSX and solids and 286gr Nosler Partitions all fall into this catagory. Haven't really found anything that won't shoot to most peoples ability with this one.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

Thanks for the additional posts. I will be probably be shooting jacketed bullets exclusively, so as you suggest, there should be no problem with the 1:12. I'll let you know how things are going as the project develops!