The first rifle I ever built was on a Sako barreled action in .222. I got it from Herters (remember them) mailed to my doorstep.

Anyhow, the barrel was neglected over the years and is significantly pitted. I am going to rebarrel in .223. What twist do you recommend for 55 grain bullets in the .223? I think I am leaning toward 1 in 12, but I don't want to do something I'd later regret. What are the advantages of a faster or slower rate? I will be doing the rebarrel myself, so I can use just about anything I can buy a blank for.

Thanks in advance,

Clemson

My Sako L-461 was purchased in a action only and it's now a .223. I used a take off barrel from a M-70 22-250 which is 1-14 and it works fine.

If I was to rebarrel it'd be a 1-12 twist as I can find no reason to use a faster twist on this cartridge. I shoot 50 grain bullets and occasionally the 40 grainers. Others might want heavier bullets but in the 223 the 55 and under is all I'm interested in.

1:12 is very common for barrels in .223. That twist rate offers more versatility than the 1:14 often found in .222 and .22-250 barrels. This will be perfect if 55 grs bullets are what you are looking to shoot.

1:10 is also used by some manufacturers, Blaser springs to mind. This will give you even more versatility, should you want to shoot heavier bullets (e.g. 70 grs).

If you want to use your .223 for truely long range shooting, and take advantage of the new breed of heavy match-type bullets, you'll be better off with a 1:9.

In days past, it was important to get a barrel with a twist rate just fast enough to stabilize the bullet weights you were planning to shoot. These days, this so-called "over stabilization" is much less of an issue, due to better bullets. It is common for 1:12 barrels to shoot 40 grs bullets really well, say. In certain circumstances, it is possible to have a bullet come apart from too fast a spin, but I have personally never heard of that happening at .223 speeds.

- mike

I had a Sako 461 (H&R sporter) rebarreled from 1:14 222 to a 1:9 223 with no troubles. It works fine with 50-70 gr bullets.

quote:

In certain circumstances, it is possible to have a bullet come apart from too fast a spin, but I have personally never heard of that happening at .223 speeds.

I have seen Sierra's blitz come apart in a Savage 1-9 twist in the 223. However the Speer TNT held up fine and the darn gun was extremely accurate.....not because of the twist rate mind you....they are just accurate guns.

OK, 1 in 12 it is! Thanks to all for your help.

Now another question: The original barrel on my L461 has no cylindrical section at the breech end. What diameter did you guys use for the barrels on your Sako's so that the proportions look right? I will likely go with a Hart #2 contour, but I will have to cut down the breech end considerably. I guess I would like to know both the diameter and cylindrical length that you found give "good" proportions for a light sporter.

Clemson

I used to do a lot of prairie dog shooting and owned six .223 rifles for the task.....and all at the same time.

They ranged from the Remington stainless fluted heavy barrel to the ADL standard barrel to the Mini Mauser light 20" barrel and even a rare M-70 featherweight barrel.

Absolutely all of them shot great.....but the lightest of all was the featherweight barrel on the M-70 and it shot the best of all. It just creamed prairie dogs and out to 250 yards all day long.

This wide range of successful .223 barrels means only that one should pick the barrel most pleasing to his eye.

Your Hart #2 will likely do just fine for you, but so will a lot of other choices you have at your disposal.

I used a Shilen #3
Butch

Just so you understand, with a 1-in-12 you almost certainly won't be able to stabilize either the 75 or 80 grain bullets currently becoming the rage for long range accuracy.

Experience of the mouse gun shooters at Perry and similar places with lots of flat and plenty of wind, indicates that some 1-in-9" twist barrels will reliably stabilize 75 gr. bullets to 1,000 yards, but the 1-in-8" twist is much more reliable with both 75's and 80's. Some are even going to 1-in-6&1/2" twists and shooting 90 grain and heavier bullets at Perry these days.

I'm looking to shoot varmints with 50-55 grain bullets. I don't see 1000 yard shots in my future as a crow hunter, but thanks for the caution.

Clemson

Clemson:

e/m me if you still need outside dia. info.
I've got a take off .222mag from this gun. Vixen L461. It's handy and I'd be happy to mic it for you.

The new barrel was turned long for rechambering in case of future burn out.

georgeld@hotmail.com

The new barrel is 1:14", 26" long and does great with 55's down to 35gr. Best shooter in 40gr V max. My load is: 25gr AA2200, or 25gr 4895. 55's 3100fps, 40's and 35's the same 3640fps.

The 35's go wild beyond 225yds though. Up to 200yds they are less than 1/2".

The 40's are perfect coyote fur loads as they don't exit. Just a .22 hole going in and instant death.

George

For a small fee you can get many barrel makers to copy your contour exactly. Just send them yours when you place the order and they'll turn the blank to match.