69 SMK success in 1x12

[txsharpshooter]

Hello everyone, I've been hanging around here doing some reading for a while but just now posting. I have a Remington 700 VLS in 223 with a factory 1x12 twist barrel. I recently had it shortened to 22 inches. I have had past success with the 60 grain V-max out to 500 yards, but have always thought I was at the end of the performance spectrum bullet weight wise for the slow twist barrel. Everything I've always read said the 69 grain sierra matchking required a minimum 1x9 twist and wouldn't stabilize at all. I decided I didn't have anything to lose and loaded up some of them in front of H4895 and fired a 3 shot group at 100 yards that measured about .8". I was amazed that it actually stabilized. Do any of you have any similar experiences with 223 and 1x12 twist? If it stabilized at 100 yards, will it continue to be stable at say 500, or will the reduction in velocity cause it to start tumbling? It will be a while before I get to shoot at distance again to try it out, but I thought I'd get some opinions from all of you knowledgeable folks. Thanks!

 

[Kevin Thomas]

Txsharpshooter,

The optimal twist for the 69 SMK is actually closer to 1x10", and there's still some wiggle room to go a tad slower under the right conditions. I suspect that you've got several factors in conjunction here that were all (or mostly) working in your favor here. For one, that supposed 1x12" barrel you've got on the M700 could be significantly faster than that, perhaps a 1x11.5" or even closer to a 1x11". This is common to buttoned barrels, with the true twist being the result of the helix on the button itself, as well as the hardness and uniformity of the barrel steel determining the final measurement. In some cases this may work in your favor, in others, not so much. Luck of the draw here, and it sounds that this time it worked for you. You might try this again, but I suspect that your results here are borderline, and may be impacted by atmospheric conditions and location (altitude) in future shoots. Maybe it'll repeat, maybe not. Worth a try, but don't be shocked if you see different results down the road.

As for stability downrange, yes, bullets tend to become more stable, not less. If it's stable at 100, it'll remain so all the way down range until you reach the transonic zone. At that point, all bets are off, as some bullets make the transition quite nicely while others don't. The reduced velocity will work against you here, but again, if you're stable at short range, they will remain so downrange.

Hope this helps!

 

[txsharpshooter]

Thank you very much for your informative response. I guess I got pretty lucky with that rifle. It actually came with a 3 pound trigger from the factory, which I thought was pretty rare. I am anxious to try these bullets at 500 yards. It's very hot here in TX right now, and was nearing 100 degrees when I shot the last group. I'm curious to see the results in the cold winter temps. I guess if they don't consistently stabilize, I'll just have to stick with the 60 v-max. Thanks again for the great info.

 

[Salar600]

just to share my tried, I shot them in my 22-250 with a 1x12.

Velocity between 3100-3300fps as per Hodgdon loading data.

First I tried what seems to be the powder producing the more velocity (I4350) but didn't get good accuracy .650'' to 1.00'' 3 shots groups at 110y.

Switch to I4064 and H4350, one group of 5 shots each at max load and I get .339'' and .432''

In my mind it's definitely marginal in term of stability but to say the least, it will be fun to try at longer distance.

Salar