30gr stark bullets

S

Spike

New member
this question is for silverfox from SD. I have a model 7, with a 24" shilen barrel, 1 to 9 twist, chambered for 17rem. I'm shooting 30gr stark bullets, with 23grs of imr4320. velocity 3600fps. what I would like to know is this combination similar to what you use. I have read your experiences with the 17rem on coyotes. I have seen two taken with 25gr hornadys. before I try my combination I'd like to know your thoughts.
thanks spike
 
Spike--I am Silverfox from ND, not SD, but here's the information about my 30 gr. Starke RPV bullet load and rifle. My barrel is 26" long with the same 1 in 9" twist as yours and it has four grooves. However, my barrel is a fluted stainless steel Lilja heavy barrel.

My load is 21.7 gr. of H4895 with a Remington 7 1/2 primer to start the powder burning. I have chronographed this rifle with both IMR4895 and H4895 and have gotten reading from 3,631 to 3,700 fps. My current batch of reloads is clocking at 3,631 average velocity for 10 shots. So, your load of 4320 at 3,600 fps is real close to my velocity.

I used to have a #5 contour Shilen barrel on this action and used IMR4320 with great success with 25 gr. bullets. I tried 4320 in my new barrel, but didn't get good accuracy. Maybe I didn't play around with enough different powder weights. I am, however, happy with H4895 with the 30 gr. Starke bullets. I use Varget with the 20 gr. Hornady V-Max and get superb accuracy.

I use the 30 gr. Starkes on coyote and tried them on prairie dogs too. They work great on both. However, I find the 20 gr. V-Max more economical for prairie dog shooting. I used the little 20 gr. pills in some 20+ mph winds on prairie dogs this past summer and had great success with them. I don't think I'll try the 20 gr. V-Max on coyotes though. I just don't think the 20 gr. pill is near as good as the 30 gr. for putting down a coyote. I like to get as close to instant kills as I can and the extra weight gives me more confidence in my ability to put them down instantly. I hope this answers you question/s.
 
I am surprised that a 9" twist will stabilize those 30 gr bullets. They must be short for the weight. I built a few match rifles for people wanting to shoot the 37 Bergers, and they will not stabilize with less than a 6" twist. When you look down a 6" twist bore, it looks more like threading than rifling.

Jack
 
Jack--I don't profess to be very literate when it comes to gunsmith knowledge and you seem to have some experience in that area. However, I did my research on what twist to use with the 30 grain bullet in the .17 caliber barrels as follows:

If you take a visit to the Lilja Precision Rifle Barrels, Inc. Web page http://www.riflebarrels.com/ and go to the FAQ section and click on the question "Q. Why do you have so many choices in twist rates?", then scroll down a bit, you will find a table of "RECOMMENDED TWIST RATES." In that table you will see that the recommended twist rate for the 30 gr. bullet is a1 in 9" twist. I thought, perhaps, Dan Lilja would have some idea of what twist rate would be good for the 30 gr. pill.

Another resource I drew upon before selecting the 1 in 9" twist for 30 gr. bullets was the Shilen, Inc. Web page. Click on this link to see their list. http://shilen.com/calibers.htm As you can see, they list "a 1 in 9" twist for bullets heavier than 30 gr. and a 1 in 10" twist for bullets up to 30 gr."

The main bullet we have been talking about here is the 30 gr. Starke Red Prairie Varmint bullet. I don't know how it compares as far as length compared to weight, but it sure seems to shoot OK in my 1 in 9" twist barrel. In fact, my barrel seems to handle the 20 gr., 25 gr. and 30 gr. bullets equally well.

I have never had a desire to shoot a 37 gr. bullet in this rifle, but you no doubt have experience in that area that indicates a faster twist is necessary for the heavier 37 gr. bullet, but like I said, the 30 gr. bullet works just fine with a 1 in 9" in my rifle.
 
Jack,
It is a short fat bullet with low BC. It will shoot in my 1-10 Tikka too. That is hard to believe!! It will sure knock the hell out of a P-Dog!!
 
SteveM
I figured that. Thanks for confirming it. The needed twist is determined by length, not weight. Those 37 VLD bullets are very long. They do quite well in 1000 yard matches. But with that 6" twist, the usefull barrel life is very short. In the neighborhood of 5-600 rounds. To be sure you do not drop 10 points because of a bullet blow up, they should be changed at 400 rounds.

This is rather expensive, but winning never was cheap.

Jack
 
Jack,
I hear ya!! It just costs too much money to win anymore. That is why I retired years ago. No barrel is gonna hold up to that amount of RPM's for very long.
 
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