which barrel twist for 40/50 grain subsonic?

[Beaumont78]

Hi all, do you guys know which barrel twist you normally would need to stabilise a subsonic 40/50 grain lead .22 bullet ? barrel length would be 25 inch. looking for max accuracy at out to 100 yards.
Thanks :drinks:

[Wicky]

I would be looking at a 1:16 or 1:14 twist. The 1:14 might be the better with 50 grainers.

[Buckshot]

..............The normal 22RF twist is 16". Most target loads are subsonic and of those most feature a 40 gr slug. If you're wanting to 'do' 100 yards my suggestion would be to go to the Aquila SSS Super Snipers. These are a 60gr RN lead slug in a 22 short size case. They were made for longer range sub-sonic work. Check the Brownells catalog as they sell a barrel specificly for the 60 grainer. IIRC it's a 14" twist, and if I don't RC it's a 12" twist :-)

Speaking of 22RF's, they're weird and odd creatures, and hard to fathom. As to those Super Snipers, a super accurate M12/15 Martini target rifle I have will produce a 2" or so group with them at 50 yards. I also have a Rem 581, Rem 582, CZ452 Trainer, and 2 Savage-Stevens M84's. All these rifles shoot the SS's with differing amounts of enthusiam. From scattering wildly to largish groups with marginal tipping.

That is except for one of the Savages. So far as I know, ALL these rifles have a 16" twist. The Savages are nice, but nothing special. They are very much like what would have been sold in say, a Western Auto store in the 60's or 70's. One treats the SS's like the other rifles do. But the other shoots them very well. Call it a scant inch at 50 yards. It does no better with labeled target grade ammo. Why it handles these 60 gr slugs so well when other more refined rifles will not is just one of those things about 22's I suspect.

..................Buckshot

[Sam]

Best rifling twist for the SSS is 1-9

I'm in the middle of building on for a customer.
Groups at 100 are right on 1.25 most all day long. It is wind sensitive though

Sam