Ideal twist rate 30-06

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Okay I'm gonna be asking a bunch of questions here over the next little while.

Long story short (sort of), I'd like to replicate my fathers Weatherby made in Southgate on a FN Mauser action. His is in 7mm Wby Mag and it kicks like my wife, but it feels great (the rifle not the kick). I'd like to make mine on a BRNO/Persian Contract Mauser 98. I'd chambered in 30-06. Talked around and looked, and it seems that a barrel w/a 1:10 twist is about what the major manufactures are barreling for '06 although I still have not decided I'm leaning to a 1:11 or 12 for lighter ammo? Picking out the barrel (Which I haven't yet) got me really looking at ammo. Any suggestions on twist? I may take a bear but it hasn't worked out so far, so about the heaviest bullet shot most often would be 165gr. which is large for Coyotes, Should I be loading a lighter load (less powerful) or lighter bullets? I can't change the twist so I'm not sure if I can do it all with just one gun, but I'd like too.

I'm looking at punching paper/plinking (100-200 yards) and hunting with this rifle in North America (can't afford to go over there). Shots will be all done within, at no more then, 200 yards. (with the exception of yotes) As often as I shoot, even when I shot often, its as far as I feel comfortable.

Now what do you all think about this project. The actions almost a done deal. I know I could continue to use my Rem700 Mountain in '06 but I'd like to have something a bit special. I know that for what I'm going to spend on a custom I could buy a couple of great rifles, heck the 700 is a great rifle.

I have gotten yotes (110gr accelerators poor groups) and deer (165gr.sp) with my 700 which I believe is a 1:10. While shooting it I found it really really like 165 gr soft points. and didn't care for 180gr. When I say it like the 165 it would shoot with me having a good day 1"-2" some times less never more. range was at 130 yards. Now the 180's seemed to stay on the plate but never looked like a group neither did the sabots. I just figure some guns like certain ammo. Well it does because of the twist?

The way to get the most from any rifle will be ammo so I'm going to start hand loading to get the best for each bullet weight. Looking at prices for components, brass, bullets, powder, I see theres a lot more to it all then I figured.

Midways got Lupa and other brands of brass, Whats the difference?

Whats "Boxer Primed"?

Can the Greek surplus ammo be reloaded? Figure I could practice with it save the cost of brass, if the shells are brass not steel.

I shoot my .22's a bunch since its a much cheaper I don't mind getting the barrels warm with these as I plink, and when I'm shooting seriously I'll wait for the barrel to cool before the next group. How many rounds do you bring to the range when working up a load?

Not sure where the nearest range is anymore since I was using a friends parents farm for the 130yrd range. I was at first thinking of making up 10-20 rounds each of different weight and type to see how the rifle handled them.

I'll stop here for now any suggestion?

Thanks in advance.

[LDBennett]

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There is a formula for determining what works in the way of twist: the Greenhill formula. The twist is a function of the bullet diameter squared and inversely to the bullet length and NOT the weight of the bullet. But obviously the heavier bullets tend to be long bullets and the light bullets tend to be short. It turns out that of the generally available bullets, the standard 1 in 10 inch twist does fine up to about 190 grain commonly available bullets. Heavier (longer) bullets really require a faster twist, like 1 in 9 or even faster.

In most circumstances you can not over spin a bullet (there are exceptions I'll talk about later) so you want the fastest twist you can readily get and you can use it on both short and long bullets. For 308 that's one in 10 inches.


"overstabilization" is a misnomer as it takes a minimum of the Greenhill formula twist rate to stabilize any bullet based on its diameter and length. A faster twist rate is not necessarly bad. But some bullets when spun too fast will fly apart. I have not seen this in 308 bullets because the range of bullet lengths available is relatively limited but I have seen it in 223 where the range of bullet weights (lengths) is huge. In my experience I have seen short 223 non-match bullets completely fragment before getting to the target at 100 yds when shot in my one in 8 inch twist for 223.

"Midways got Lupa and other brands of brass, Whats the difference?"

Some claim the more expensive European brass gets more reloads before it has to be retired. Some claim it is made more accurately. But I claim it is more expensive compared to American brass. I use Remington and Winchester for rifle brass with good results.

'Whats "Boxer Primed"?"

Two priming systems exist in the world today: Boxer and Berdan. Boxer primers were developed in Europe and are used exclusively in American ammo. Berdan primers were developed in America and are used exclusively in European ammo...confusing isn't it.

Boxer prime uses a central flash hole for the primer to shoot the fire into the case to ignite the powder charge while Berdan prime uses a pair of small non-central holes. That makes it extremely difficult to reload Berdan primed cases and easy to reload Boxer primed cases. Any surplus ammo that you buy and expect to save the brass for reloading MUST be Boxer primed. Berdan primmed brass is reloadable but only with special tooling not readily available in America or by hydraulic means, messy at best.

As for the Greek ammo, it is reloadable IF it is Boxer primed and is brass NOT STEEL cased.

Your questions lead me to believe you have not read or thoroughly understand the "how to" section of your reloading manuals. Before taking on any reloading you MUST understand how ammo works and how we reload it and how we do all this SAFELY. I suggest you get a Hornady Reloading Manual as it does the best job of explain how ammo works with good understandable illustrations. But any manual has a section on 'how to" reload and would have easily answered your questions. I don't mind explaining reloading but I think it best in any reloaders safety interest to read their manuals.

LDBennett

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Thanks LDBennett for your reply. Your right I've not read the front section of the "how to manual", in fact, I was planning on building a rifle to begin with not take up reloading. I just wanted to understand a few things before I started to order a barrel. But it now seems prudent for me to reload my own to get the most out of the rifle. I actually have just gotten a copy of Handloaders Digest (6th ed) edited by John Amber, I realize it isn't a reloading manual but it seems full of info, its another place for me to start. I will be sure that before I buy anything in the way of components or equipment I have the book read and my questions answered.


Thanks again

[JLA]

my 03' springfield has an old 2 groove remington arms barrel which shoots 150 gr. bullets into a 1.5 inch group @ 100 yds, and will shoot 180 gr. bullets into a 1 inch group at the same distance.

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Thanks for you info JLA I was debating originally weather I'd build on a '03 Springfield action or the Mauser and it seemed that the Mauser was the more viable option.

Are those factory loads or handloads?