jake smith09

I have a Savage 10FP .223 and i was wondering if anyone has experience with the 1:9 twist on this firearm? What is the lightest bullet you would want to use on it? Any other tips?? Thanks in advanced!

biscuit jake

Noone is jumping on this so just a few thoughts from one who does not own a Savage at the moment. I would try 55 through 70 grain bullets first. If you don't reload & are buying boxed ammo, remember to expect bulk groups from bulk ammo. May not be very stellar, but fun to shoot. Also, each rifle has its own preferences. For hunting, I would sample Federal, Hornady & Winchester. Try Remington if you can get some. Also, some rifles prefer flat base bullets, & some prefer boat-tail. It is largely trial and error. I have heard some shooters report that a fast twist will tear some of the lighter bullets up mid-air. I have been able to shoot 45 grainers through a 1:8 twist, Winchester White Box. Not fabulously accurate but it did not burn into a trail of smoke enroute to target, either.

#40Fan

I have used 40 gr up to 55 gr with great success. Just about anything you can put in that Savage will shoot good.

biscuit jake

40 grainers would be zipping right along. What bullet do you use?

jake smith09

First i use some 55gr. Wolf FMJ and tried 55gr. Wolf HP but they grouped horrible. Then i went to 52gr. ultra max hollow points and they werent bad. Does anyone think that since the 55gr. didnt shoot well and the 52 did that lighter bullets may shoot better? The Wolfs were like $3 a box so maybe you get what you pay for, the ultra max was $20 for 50 rounds!!! Thanks for the help guys

RJH

The faster twist rate should stabilize the lighter bullets well also.I have 1 in 8 and have shot 40 grain to 77 grain. winchester white box 45 grain hollow points shoot really well through mine and it is cheap. The white box hollow points expand very violently and if you hit a bone they could splash on the bone.Wolf is not what I would be trying to get groupd with I got 600 rounds of it but I use it just for fun and actually don't like to use it because I find it real dirty. Black hills remanufactured ammo is very nice I buy it when I see it. Here is some info Ihad on twist rate hope it helps.
[ul][*]1x7
Technically too tight of a twist for any .224 bullet widely available, including the 80 grain. Manufactured originally to stabilize SS109 and/or tracer ammo, but further military testing has shown other twists to be superior. Some of the very heavy custom stuff (87 grain?) may work well, but why?[*]1x8
Great twist for 69-80 grain bullets. Sierra once informed me that the perfect twist for their 80gr was 1x8.2xxxxx (blah blah blah big long engineers explanation followed).[*]1x9
Good all around twist ratio. Best suited for 52-69 grain, but either end of the envelope will be questionable.[*]1x10
Practically the same as 1x9, but favors the lighter side a little more.[*]1x12
Great for the 40-52 grain bullets. Most often found on bolt action rifles as their primary use is varminting. All right for the 55 grain, but not the best.[*]1x14
If you want to under stabilize the .224 bullet, use this twist. Useless except for tumbling effect it causes upon bullet impact. IMHO, better to shoot straight with a good HP bullet as your chances to hit are better and damage will most likely be greater also. [/ul]

#40Fan

Sierra HPs. They make everything go pop. No need to load them at 4,000 fps like they can go. 3,700 is just enough.

jake smith09

Thanks to everyone... this stuff really helped! Anymore comments would be appreciated!

jsb57

i have a stevens 200 with a 1in9 twist and it really likes 50-55 grain bullets i shoot store bought ammo cant afford a reloader but it will shoot anything in this range into 1 to 1.5 inch groups even wolf fmj 55 grainers

jake smith09

jsb57.... What kind of distance from the target were you when you got those groups? Thanks (I shot some more of those Wolf hollow points today at 75 yards and i was hitting a 1" group, Is that good)