- Joined
- Apr 23, 2018
- Messages
- 6,972
Here's where I have to tell you what's up. You commit to a twist rate, a bore dimension, and a groove dimension when you get a barrel from a good maker. That locks you in to certain bullets (projectiles). The bore measurements you pick typically go by the bullet manufacturer and bullet type for the load you've mapped based on your anticipated use. If you like Lapua Scenar VLD bullets, you will want a tighter bore. Sierra, Hornady, and Berger are in the middle of the road. I don't care about anybody else's bullets. But the Scenars won't shoot out of a loose barrel, and the rest won't shoot out of a tight barrel, so this is a commitment. The twist will lock you in to bullet weight brackets. Heavy bullets need more twist in order to stabilize throughout their flight. If the spin is too slow, the bullet will wobble and tumble and fall out of the sky short of the target. If you like shooting laser beams at ground squirrels out to 300 yards, use a light bullet. If you insist on going past 600 yards, you'll need the fastest twist and heaviest bullet you can find. You can't mix and match here, and with 22s you will either need a 12-14 twist for 55 grains and under, and a 7 twist for bullets starting at 60 grains up. In-betweeners like 9 twist aren't very popular because they're not great at either. Look what other people use. I shoot several types of competition on a biweekly to monthly basis year round, and I learned a long time ago if the winners all use the same or similar kit, then I should consider it too. I talk to them and find out what is working and why. People love talking about their hobbies. Who'd have figured?
To settle bullet weight, you need to know how far you're shooting, how much flight arc you can afford in your activity, and how much point blank you want (and where). A light bullet can reach out there accurately, but they drop off extremely fast and require a lot of vertical dope. Light bullets also fall out of supersonic (stable) flight sooner. They start out flat, so their point blank can go 400 yards (!) but they're worthless beyond that. A heavy bullet takes a less flat path up close, but overall has a flatter path because there is a more gentle elevation drop off. Heavy plus fast gives both good point blank performance and long range with minimal dope- think .22-250 vs. .223. BTW, point blank is where the bullet will hit a target when aimed straight up center of mass, no dope. It usually falls between 100-300 yards for Elmer Fudd's deer rifle. Dope means a calculated sight adjustment. Any jargon I missed?
I know you want to build on the Maus or J.W. Boothe action and do a DIY. You should decide what you want to use it for and how you want it to shoot, then decide on bullet weight and order the right barrel twist and bore for the load you need, whatever it is you want to do with it. Rifles are an optimization game. Optimize early, optimize often.
To settle bullet weight, you need to know how far you're shooting, how much flight arc you can afford in your activity, and how much point blank you want (and where). A light bullet can reach out there accurately, but they drop off extremely fast and require a lot of vertical dope. Light bullets also fall out of supersonic (stable) flight sooner. They start out flat, so their point blank can go 400 yards (!) but they're worthless beyond that. A heavy bullet takes a less flat path up close, but overall has a flatter path because there is a more gentle elevation drop off. Heavy plus fast gives both good point blank performance and long range with minimal dope- think .22-250 vs. .223. BTW, point blank is where the bullet will hit a target when aimed straight up center of mass, no dope. It usually falls between 100-300 yards for Elmer Fudd's deer rifle. Dope means a calculated sight adjustment. Any jargon I missed?
I know you want to build on the Maus or J.W. Boothe action and do a DIY. You should decide what you want to use it for and how you want it to shoot, then decide on bullet weight and order the right barrel twist and bore for the load you need, whatever it is you want to do with it. Rifles are an optimization game. Optimize early, optimize often.
