SmallCaliberCentral

Factory rifles have a twist of 1:12 which is good for bullets up to 40gr. A 1:10 twist is good up to 50gr. How good would a 1:8 twist be? Could lighter bullets be used with this twist?
Thanks.

Lighter bullets could be used, but whether they'll hold together is a good question, which probably has more to do with bore condition than anything else. A rough bore would likely damage the jacket and make it more prone to ripping apart. I'm not familiar with any company making an 8 twist .20 barrel, 1-9 seems to be the fastest I've seen offered.

The 1:8 is a custom barrel

Berger recommends a 9 twist for their 50gn bullet.
Pac-Nor offers an 8.5 and 7 twist.
8.5 I can understand as insurance. Not sure what they plan on sending down a 7 twist tube
There were and still are some custom .20 cal bullet makers out there. Maybe they have something a little longer than the big Berg.

theres a post on our local board about savages new releases for 2008. the author mentioned a 1 in 7 twist 204. i told him to double check (too lazy myself) as I didnt think a bullet existed that could need that twist

trevort wrote:theres a post on our local board about savages new releases for 2008. the author mentioned a 1 in 7 twist 204. i told him to double check (too lazy myself) as I didnt think a bullet existed that could need that twist

PacNor for one makes a 7" and an 8.50" twist 20 caliber barrel. Probably others too.

Keep in mind that there are serious 20 caliber shooters who for years - long before the 204 Ruger - have been playing with big cased 20 caliber rifles (like the 20-250 and bigger ) and extra long custom bullets. Making a heavy 20 caliber bullet is just a matte of combing a lead core with a proper bullet jacket that together weigh 70 grains or whatever...

These folks typically aren't worried about barrel life, etc. per se like the average factory shooter. They are looking for extra performance for special applications... Because bullet BC across the board in 20 caliber custom bullets is generally good, the 20 caliber has long been a subject for folks wanting to reach out a little bit further with small bullets.

Get a subscription to SCN and it will really open your eyes as to what's going on in the small caliber world. And what's going on in 20 caliber is definitely not all about the 204 Ruger...

-BCB

SCN? Enlighten me please.

SCN = Small Caliber News

Thank you. I'll check it out.