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RIFLING TWIST VS. ACCURACY

notdownorout
I RECENTLY BOUGHT A RUGER 77 IN 22 HORNET AND I NEED SOME HELP. CAN SOMEBODY GIVE ME THE CORRECT COMBO OF BULLET WEIGHT TO TWIST RATE? IS IT THE LIGHTER GRAIN BULLETS FOR THE FASTER TWIST OR JUST THE OPPOSITE? I WAS SHOOTING HORNADY 35 GRAIN V-MAX AND I CAN'T GET THE GUN TO PRINT CONSISTENTLY. I SHOT SOME WINCHESTER 46 GRAIN HOLLOW POINTS AND THE GUN HOLDS A CONSISTENT PATTERN.

DOES ANYONE KNOW THE TWIST RATE FOR RUGER 77 22 HORNET?

DOES ANYONE KNOW THE TWIST RATE FOR N.E.F. 22 HORNET?

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR RESPONSE.

NO, I'M NOT EXPRESSING ANGER! I TYPE WITH CAPS BECAUSE I ONLY HAVE THE USE OF ONE HAND!
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • Tailgunner1954
    The NEF is a 1-10 I believe.
    The longer (not heavier, although the 2 normaly go together) the bullet is, the faster the twist rate required.
    The standard twist for a Hornet is 1-16, some manfactures as have used a 1-14
    Twist is stated as 1 (turn in) X inches so a 1-16" is slower than a 1-10"

    The website's for Ruger and NEF should show the twist rates they use, check out the "spec's" for the diferent rifles.
    Some guys like a mag full of lead, I still prefer one round to the head.
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  • Kdub
    The Ruger will have a 1:14 twist.

    The NEF will have a 1:12 twist.

    The faster the twist rate, the heavier bullet it will stabilize.

    The Ruger should stabilize the 35 gr Hornady V-Max with little trouble. I use that bullet with 13.0 gr Hodgdon Li'l Gun and a CCI BR4 primer in W-W cases in my Ruger 77/22 Hornet. Shoots sub-MOA groups all day when I do my part. It does well with the 40 grain bullets, but starts tailing off with the standard 45 grainers. Your rifle just may like the heavier bullets - some are like that. No two are the same.

    Keep off the Ridgeline
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  • nononsense
    Jim,

    I don't think that you're seeing the wrong twist rate or a bad selection of bullets. Your little Ruger is notorious for not shooting any bullets accurately, at all. The same story is being posted on many shooting sites on the internet. Groups generally run 4" or more at 100 yards. Ruger is aware of the poor accuracy of this model and like the Mini 14, they refuse to fix the problem or take the rifle back.

    But you do have a selection of alternatives.

    - Have your rifle re-chambered to the K-Hornet by a good gunsmith that understands the Ruger problem. This can work in some of the cases but not all.

    - Replace the barrel completely with an aftermarket barrel.

    - Don't do anything to your rifle except to clean it up perfectly and then sell it. It may not be worth the hassle of trying to fix it by putting more money into it.

    - Use the money from the sale of the Ruger to buy a CZ-527 chambered in the 22 Hornet. This rifle has been proven to be very accurate and is reasonably priced.

    http://www.ct-precision.com/page3.html

    http://www.pac-nor.com

    http://www.cz-usa.com

    Use the links for more information. Hope it helps!

    Best.
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  • TED GAR
    I had the same question, on the 223. Some of the longer 24 inch barrels are 1/12 twist, and the shorter ones are 1/9 to 1/7 twist.
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  • notdownorout
    nononsense,
    you make an interesting point. i have a ruger 77/17 caliber and it is a real tack driver and my 77/22mag shoots great also. why were these 22 hornet models so inaccurate? has ruger addressed the problem or is it a sore subject with them? actually, i found and bought the gun for a friend. he encountered the problem with the 35 grain hornady ammo, but says the gun shoots the winchester 46 gr hp great. he has two brother-in-laws that have ruger 77's in 22 hornet and they claim their guns will not shoot the hornady round either. same problem...all over the paper. i will make him aware of your respons.
    thanks for your input.

    NO, I'M NOT EXPRESSING ANGER! I TYPE WITH CAPS BECAUSE I ONLY HAVE THE USE OF ONE HAND!
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  • Mr Gee
    wrong post sorry
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  • notdownorout
    okay now i am really confused. i just left ruger's site and what i found i am confused about. everyone says the heavier (longer) bullets need a faster twist rate for stability. now, on ruger's site the model 77/17 (17 grain bullet) is a 1:9 twist. the ruger 77/22 hornet is listed as a 1:14 twist. isn't that the opposite of heavier bullet faster twist rate?

    someone help me out here. is it really heavier bullet faster twist rate? or, am i just understanding the twist rate thing wrong?

    NO, I'M NOT EXPRESSING ANGER! I TYPE WITH CAPS BECAUSE I ONLY HAVE THE USE OF ONE HAND!
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  • Tailgunner1954
    In a given caliber, it's the length (of the bullet) measured in calibers. I know everyone uses weight in the charts, and weight holds true until you start playing with "un-comventional" bullets IE: Barnes solids, VLD's etc.
    Sorry about the confussion.
    Here is a recogmended twist rate chart from the Shilen website.
    http://www.shilen.com/calibers.htm
    Here is a C&P of the .224 section. Note that "Muzzle velocity" comes into play also, as we are actualy looking at a RPM requirement.
    .224 CF
    8" For bullets heavier than 70 gr.
    9" For bullets up to 70 gr.
    12" For bullets up to 63 gr.
    14" For bullets up to 55 gr.
    15"* For bullets up to 55 gr. driven 4,100 fps or more
    16"* For bullets up to 55 gr. driven 4,300 fps or more
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  • nononsense
    Jim,

    Here is another twist rate chart to reference: http://www.riflebarrels.com/products/caliber_twist_rates.htm

    As I said above, Ruger is aware and has been aware of the drawbacks with your model as well as the Mini-14, but they choose not to do anything about it.

    I think that what you will find, is that there will be a particular bullet shape and weight that may shoot adequately in your rifle. But in the long run the majority of bullets will not perform. Unfortunately, I am tied up with way too many projects already or I would get one of these and try to wring it out. Use a good search engine and locate some of the articles and bulletin board threads about this problem. You will be amazed at how prevelent it is.

    Best.
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  • luv1800s
    notdownorout i'm not an expert by far but it seems that part of the confusion between the .17 and .22 is part of the confusion in itself. isn't that comparing apples oranges. hopefully someone will prove me wrong, i would like to know myself.
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