Sporter barrel & heavier bullets?

[Bowhunter57]

I have a Stevens model 200, in .25-06 and it has a sporter barrel. Currently, I'm shooting a Nosler 87gr. BT @ 3300 f.p.s. and getting 5/8" groups at 100 yards and 1 1/4" groups at 200 yards.

If I switched to a heavier bullet, would the groupings become smaller or would the sporter barrel not support or offer enough stability to improve the accuracy?
(I've considered going the other way and using a 75gr. V-Max)

Your opinions and experiences are appreciated.
Thank you, Bowhunter57

 

[texan79]

It's going to depend on the twist rate, not the contour of the barrel. Check the manufacturers specs for the barrel, then compare it with the bullet specs online and it should give you a pretty good idea.

 

[Bowhunter57]

It's going to depend on the twist rate, not the contour of the barrel.

texan79,
My rifle is a Stevens 200, which has a 1:10 twist. I might have to try a heavier bullet, since that rate of twist is high enough. If it were a 1:12 or higher, I'd be more inclined to go with a lighter bullet.

However, I had a Savage in .22-250 that had a 1:12 that shot 55gr. V-Max bullets VERY well. It shot lighter weight bullets, fair, but they had to be loaded at much lower speeds to get the same performance that I was obtaining with the 55gr. bullet weight.

I guess every rifle has its' quirks and it's up to the owner to figure that out.

Good hunting, Bowhunter57

 

[texan79]

Berger recomends a 1 in 10 for their 115 VLD. Based on this, I would say go heavy. I bet Sierra comes in along the same line. Although, I havemt heard of too much stabilization hurting accuracy. May be one of those fish and find out things.