I've got it in my head to have a 416 Taylor put together. Will a 1-15" twist give me any trouble? I plan to use 300-400gr bullets in moderate to max loads. I'm thinking 22.5-23" of barrel would be about right, what say you? TIA.

9.3

The most common twist is 14" for the 416's, it is what I chose for a Shilen barreled 416 Taylor.

George Hoffman opined (I recall reading here) that he might choose a 1 in 12" twist over the usual 14" if he were going to build another 416 Hoffman. I like that thought, and it is what I would do to a 416 Taylor if I would do it again.

22" to 26" are my limits for the barrel length, breech to crown. 23" would be very nice.

I went for the 12" twist with my Douglas barrel. Its finished at 23" (and it is a very nice length RIP )

I picked the 12" twist option because there is some theorizing that a faster twist in this caliber may help penetration. I believe the benefit was most likely realized in solids. I believe RIP is right in saying that George Hoffman was one of the proponents of the faster twist.

IIRC, the original Taylor's (Chatfield-Taylor, Bob Hagel and John Wooters) all had a 16" twist. They all reported pretty good accuracy and performance with 400gr bullets.

14" is by far the most common these days. You don't often hear many complaints either.

Cheers,
Canuck

I have a 1-16" twist in my Taylor .It shoots 400 gr bullets very accuratly . 325 gr X bullets into 1/2" groups. I personaly see no reason to go to a 12 twist . Black Powder Cartridge shooters shoot 400 to 450 gr bullets at 1000 yards at 1300 +/- fps so stability is not a problem .

I went with a 1in12 in my taylor barrel. I tend to go with a faster twist if I can when building a rifle. I always had good results doing that.