Twist ? for .35cal

[cavhasbeen]

Not sure if this is the right section but; I am contemplating putting together a short bolt gun for a walk about piece. Due to long toed bears and such I am leaning towards a short action 358 chambering.Using gas checked 225gr+ cast boolits, ran fairly hard. I am looking for suggestions on twist rate. Any help? Thanks, S.

[bruce drake]

Either a 1-12" or a 1-14" twist rate will serve you well and give you the best options from 180-250gr in bullet weight.

[Larry Gibson]

A 1 in 14" twist barrel is the fastest I recommend for 35 cal cartridges. Consider Remington brought out the M700 in 35 Whelan with a 16" twist. The 14 and 16" twist allows replication of factory ballistics with accuracy using cast bullets.

[cavhasbeen]

Thank you gentlemen for the quick replies. Next step maybe a stop at McGowan barrels. They are pretty local to me and may be worth starting up an acquaintance. Quick and easy will be a Remage set up but in my heart would be a crf action. Lets see now, dies,moulds, .35 gas checks etc. What fun! Oh yeah,another tax stamp followed by another muffler.............

[Outpost75]

I have a 16" twist in my Winchester 1894 which was relined and chambered for the .35/30-30 and it stabilizes the Accurate 36-245D bullet subsonic for low noise, with good accuracy using only 8 grains of Bullseye. Full charge hunting load is the same bullet with 30 grains of IMR4895, 4064, RL15 or Varget.

224241

[cavhasbeen]

That boolit looks like a thumper now!

[Kraschenbirn]

Lately, been researching this myself. Earlier, I started a thread asking for opinions for a rebore on a heavy-barrel .308 and have pretty decided to go with .358 Win. Looking at what's commercially available 1-14 seems to be the most common...slowest twist offered by Hart, Shilen, Shaw, and Douglas...with only McGowan listing both 1-14 and 1-16. Right now, I'm thinking 1-16 for long, heavy boolits but haven't yet called JES to find out what twist options they can offer.

Bill

[Texas by God]

Is the projected weight of that design 245 grain? It seems like different mold makers use different numbers to designate things such as this. It certainly looks like a hammer for hunting.

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[Outpost75]

Is the projected weight of that design 245 grain? It seems like different mold makers use different numbers to designate things such as this. It certainly looks like a hammer for hunting.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

245-grains is the calculated weight based on the projectile volume and presuming wheelweight alloy.

I use 1:30 tin-lead for hunting and in that mix the bullet weighs 250 grains.

Yes, it is "a hammer" for hunting. That was its design intent.

[Wayne Dobbs]

245-grains is the calculated weight based on the projectile volume and presuming wheelweight alloy.

I use 1:30 tin-lead for hunting and in that mix the bullet weighs 250 grains.

Yes, it is "a hammer" for hunting. That was its design intent.

Suitable for .35 Remington also?

[Outpost75]

Suitable for .35 Remington also?

Base to crimp groove length would place the bullet base below neck ofthe .35 Remington and may also result in cartridge OAL being too long to feed from the magazine. This bullet was originally designed for the .35/.30-30, but does work well in the .35 Whelen as a close-in woods deer load or as a coup de gras with 10 grains of Bullseye at 1250-1300 fps. Performs like black powder .38-55 load, but with better penetration.

[NSB]

I've had several guns custom built in .358 caliber and I've found that 1:14 or 1:16 to be the best all around twist. I recently ordered an MGM barrel in .357max and they talked me into a 1:20 twist based on their "experts" findings. They swore it would stabilize a 180 or 200 grain bullet. IT WILL NOT. I'm going to take the liberty here of calling myself an "expert" in .358 barrels. I've been shooting them for fifty years and I shoot a LOT. I spend hours at the loading bench and a lot more hours at the shooting bench just shooting groups with different bullets, powders, primers, etc. I keep meticulous records and I can tell you for a fact that a 1:20 twist barrel will rarely shoot a good group, and never shoot as good a group as a 1:16 will. I should have listened to my instincts and experience on this. I very reluctantly purchased the 1:20 from them based on their continual reference to "their experts" advice. They need a new expert. Their six hundred dollar barrel doesn't shoot as well as any of my other .358 barrels. I'm pretty much stuck shooting lighter bullets with this barrel.

[Outpost75]

I can validate the above on a 1:20" twist, I have a Green Mountain barrel of that twist on a .357 Magnum BSA Martini Cadet. Very accurate with 125-158 grain factory and short, blunt 180 grain cowboy bullets and the similar 190-grain Hunter's Supply FN even if subsonic, but no joy with any 200-grainer even when pushed as hard as I can load them.

But 1:10" twist 9mm Parabellum gunsmith special blank chambered in .38 S&W is accurate with 200 grain lead UK Mk1 service bullet clone at lowest velocity which exits the 20-inch barrel, about 500 fps with 1.7 grains of Bullssye, no louder than an air rifle, no can required.

[cavhasbeen]

I stopped in at McGowan today and ordered up a 1:14 threaded and chambered prefit, #7 contour at 18" They said eight weeks so I'll have to start gathering moulds and dies and such.

[Yodogsandman]

I like the idea of my 1-12 twist, 35 Whelen with heavy, long boolits for really big or angry stuff. Mine stabilizes the Lyman 280gr 358009 or the NOE 35 Thumper, 310gr 360-310 FN and shoots great. It still does very good with boolits down to 200gr. A 1-14 twist should do very well, too.

[waksupi]

I've built using both 1-12, and 1-14. Both shot equally well with heavy bullets. Being in NW Montana, I can't see using light bullets.

[John Boy]

SAMMI twist ratio for 358 Win i 1:12

[Larry Gibson]

SAMMI twist ratio for 358 Win i 1:12

That is based on the use of jacketed bullets not cast bullets.

[McFred]

I too have been lusting after a .35 Rem or .358 Winchester bolt action. I have a 7mm-08 rifle that I have considered sending out for re-bore, but I can get a 26" No. 4 contour stainless 1:12 Wilson barrel (https://raggedholebarrels.net/collections/wilson-barrels/products/358-cal-barrel-blank-1-12-twist) for ~$170 shipped and I have a reamer sitting in a box that would cost less money (but not time).

So would you re-bore or re-barrel assuming you have the skills/tools to plumb it all together yourself?

Are there any negatives to having a faster twist? I intend to just shoot 158-220gr cast projectiles at modest velocities. I might get around to tinkering with the 310gr HP subsonics for fun someday though.

[cavhasbeen]

Mc Gowan called day before yesterday to tell me my barrel was ready. I stopped in yesterday to pick it up but found the muzzle was not threaded. Could have been oversight but likely just a communication breakdown, probably my fault. They said it would be done next business day so likely Monday. I thought I had time to find mould and dies but them fellers wasted no time! Less than three weeks from time I ordered. I best get off the pot and get a mould ordered.