Originally Posted by
Ridge Runner
you won't regret it, a faster twist will not overstabilize bullets, even with the lightweights it will still shoot well, but the added spin makes a big difference in terminal performance
last month I found myself on the range with a guy shooting a 264 win mag, we were both shooting 140 bergers, I from the 6.5 Gibbs, him from the 264 winny, comparing notes we were shooting about the same MV, he was running a 9.5 twist in the winny, me an 8 in the Gibbs, at 800 yards his bullets were splashing on a 3/8's plate, mine were all but penetrating, my impacts looked like they were drilled.
RR
Well I had a great conversation today with Daniel Lilja of famed Lilja Barrels...after a lengthy discussion I decided to go order a Lilja barrel (it helps that he actually had it in stock and it has already shipped). I ordered a 1:10 (#3) Stainless Steel .25 cal barrel for a couple reasons...
1: Lilja doesn't make a 1:9 in .25....
2: He provided me with test data showing me his 1:10 performs well with 115 and 120g bullets including Bergers.
3: He actually had the barrel in stock and was able to ship it immediately...my smith will have it by Thursday
4: The folks at Shilen said it would take 14-16 weeks to get a 1:9 (or even a 1:10 in stainless...if I wanted a Chrome Moly barrel I could have it today...no thanks!)...the folks at Pac-Nor didn't respond to my e-mail or phone message...
5: The Lilja was only $50 more than the Shilen and barely more than a Pac-Nor...and again...unlike the others, it was available to ship in less than 14 weeks!
I am guessin' I can't go wrong with a Lilja!