Rate of Twist

Matt/Howa 22-250

Matt/Howa 22-250

New member
Hey guys, I have a question. I have a Howa Axiom 22-250 24" heavy barrel. I'm trying to figure out if my rate of twist is 1:14 or 1:12. I'm thinking it is a 1:14 but I don't know how to find out for sure. I'm need to find out because that is going to depict what type of bullet I can reload for it because I was looking at the Barnes TSX 53grain but I talked to a rep from Barnes & he said the 1:14 wouldn't be fast enough to stabalize that bullet. If anyone has any info it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
The "standard" 22-250 twist rate is 1:14. It works like a charm for up to 55gr bullets, but falls off in accuracy past that.

Figuring out your rate of twist is very easy.

Use a sharpie and mark your cleaning rod somewhere near the handle. Insert your rod (with a jag and patch) as normal, only count the times the "mark" comes up before the jag/patch comes out of the barrel.

From there it's simple arithmetic.

If your barrel is 24" long and it took two revolutions (the number of times the mark came up) to push the patch out of the muzzle, then you have a 1:12 barrel, i.e. it twisted one complete revolution in 12" (or 2 times in 24").

In other words, barrel length in inches divided by the number of times your cleaning rod turned = twist rate.
 
Twist rates are important. But they are not always the final word. I have a 1in8 Krieger and the rifle shoots 55 grain bullets perfectly. You never really know until you try them. A 1in12 would be better, but you should still try them before deciding. I know I shot 55 grain bullets for 20 years or better out of a Remington 22-250(1in14). But the Barnes bullets may be a little different?? Just an opinion. Tom.
 
Thanks a lot for the advice nmleon & larr I will try it as soon as I get home, & I think I will do like u said hogghead I will just try it out & see how my gun likes them.
 
In my experience, the twist doesn't affect "regular" bullets as much as it does VLD bullets.
You can probably fudge a few grains heavier with a slower twist and still get stability out of heavy bullets (perhaps not accuracy)

Not the case with VLDs...or any bullet that resembles a sewing needle.
 
You should be able to shoot a 53 grain through your rifle. The Barnes are a little bit different when it comes to weight. They don't have the same surface area on the bore that others do, so that could be part of the reason the rep didn't recommend it.
 
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