1 in 10 twist in 25-06 and .308. shoots light bullets better?

bakerboy

bakerboy

New member
I thought 1 in 10 was best for heavy bullets. My 25-06 shoots a dime size group all day with 75 gr. bullets. I've tried all kinds of 100 and 120 gr. bullets and various powders and 1.5 inch groups is it. So I buy a .308 to shoot heavier bullets than the 25-06 and it to is 1 in 10. So far
with it I'm shooting only 1.5 inch groups with Nosler 150 gr. silver tips and Sierra 168 gr. matchkings. I'm getting a sizable collection of bullets. Do I need to even bother trying any 190-200 gr. bullets or is it like my 25-06 and probably loves 120 gr. bullets?
 
There is more to accuracy than twist rate and regarding bullet selection more to it than accuracy. The one in ten in the 25 06 or 308 should shoot all the common weight bullet associated with that caliber well.
If not there are so many more varibles than jumping to the conclusion that it is the twist rate.
Regarding sticking with your current bullet weight/choices depending how their design criteria fit the job you expect of them should determine that.
Reloading equals many half full boxes of bullets(grin)
 
bakerboy,
Your new .308 should shoot well with the 150-180 grain bullets. Maybe you need a trigger job, and maybe free floating of the barrel. Regarding your .25-06, you probably just need to play around with different powders and charge weights. IMR-4350 and IMR-4831 usually work well in the .25-06, but the .25-06 can be finnicky about what what you feed them.
 
I've got the trigger and setup, and I've tried probably 30 different 100 gr combinations. The 25 is a 75 gr tack driver and ok in anything larger. The question is should i try smaller than 150 or larger than 168 in the 1 in 10 .308?
 
Hey Bakerboy

What is your bullet depth for the 100? Are you adjusting the bullet depth when changing from 70 gr. to 100gr? Are you trying to push the round beyond the max charge limit? What cases are you using? Out of curiosity try using factory winchester ammo 100gr nothing special just 100gr. see how they perform. If they show a tight group, take a length measurement seat your bullet at that height then build up a charge starting at the medium range, then work your way up. I have found that winchester rounds are always longer then any other factory round and usually show the best accuracy. The 308 ? yes the 150 will work fine and is very accurate and will dispatch most everything in the lower 48. You should also see an increase in velocity
 
If you got a .308 that won't shoot 168 match sierra's something is wrong. There are many variables here. Is your rifle a std hunting rifle? What type of target are you shooting at for groups and what type of rest are you using?
Don't know alot about the .25 but for the 308 hunting bullets are about 1" bullets or larger. 168's should be 1/2" or better. 1 in 10 should shoot well! What powder and loads are you using in the .308 168's? 168's should be seated to an OAL of 2.800 in the .308. We used to shoot 87gr HP's and 120 gr Nosler part. and they would shoot very well. Your rifle may need some tinkering around with the loads to see what it likes best.
 
O.K here are the details. Both 25 and 308 are Encores shot from the same exact setup. The brass is Win. used in this gun only and neck sized, trimmed etc. In the 25, the 100 and 120 gr. bullets have been shot from .010 to .015 off the lands while the 75 has to be .025 off due to its short length. I havn't tried stuffing a 100 that far down the neck and probably won't. In the 308 both the 150 and 168 gr bullets have been shot at 2.8 and 2.91 which is on the lands. The various weights of powder in the 25 are from H4831SC, Re22, IMR 4320 and 4064. The various weights of powder in the 308 are from H335, IMR 4064 and 4320. The 75 gr bullets shoots a dime size group without much effort with either 4320 or 4064 and probably h4831 if i tried hard enough. Really, with all the experimentation and the great group, I believe this 1 in 10 barrel just prefers 75gr bullets. The 1 in 10 308 is shooting 1 inch groups with either the 150 or the 168, but I'm looking for dime sized.
I'll probably try some Varget and then Tubb's final finish before I try another barrel, but the original question remains : Should I even try a heavier bullet in the 180-200 gr. range ?
 
The 1-10 twist in either caliber is not the problem for the bulllet weights you are shooting. The 180 and 200 gr. bullets should shoot accurate enough for deer, but I would stick with the 168 Match King until you have load and rifle issues resolved to the best possible group.

Go over the rifle, scope, and mounts with a fine tooth comb. Everthing tight and no stresses on the barrel.

Clean the barrels. Leave the Tubbs on the store shelf.

Pick one barrel/caliber and the most accurate powder/weight to date. If the load is below max. you could try changing seating depths as a starter. If you have group improvement, adjust the powder wt. up or down by a 1/2 gr. and see if this gives you improved groups. Primers can also affect groups and you could back off a grain and try different primers once you have your best powder and seating group combination. Work back toward the previous best powder weight if you find improvement with a different primer. Always inspect your brass and primers for pressure signs with these changes.

If possible check the speed of your loads.

Why would you want to use the Tubbs Final Finish in a new barrel?
 
bakerboy

Have you tried imr 4350, with horday interlocks. I would assume the nosler bt's you mention are ballistic tips or are they boat tails? If they are boat tails try spitzers. Are you runnig the max or over the max with your loads?
 
Tried Varget in the .308 with very good results. Nosler (Combined Technologies) 150 Silvertips with 47 gr. of Varget
shot a .27" group at 100 yds. @ 2850 FPS. The 168 gr. Matchkings with 46 gr. shot a 0.75" @ 2750. These were 0.13
off the lands at 2.8". The same loads shot on the lands strung out vertically quite badly.
 


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