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  #1  
Old 10-01-2021, 02:41 PM
Gale Johnson Gale Johnson is offline
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Default Faster twist

I haven't been shooting many varmint's the last couple years but we have decided to head out to OR and shoot some sage rats again. I am not a long ranger and really just like splattering varmint. I have read some of the past posts of Neil, William, etc and just curious how the faster twist Fireball's are doing these days.

thank you all
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  #2  
Old 10-01-2021, 03:21 PM
B23 B23 is offline
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If you aren't looking to push the yardage all that much about any bullet with the appropriate twist in any of the different Fireball cartridges 17, 20, or 22 caliber, will make you smile.

The Fireball case isn't very big so I don't know that you'd really benefit from having a fast twist 221FB to shoot a high BC heavy for caliber bullets and except for the 20 cal 55gr Berger they don't really make any high BC bullets in 17 or 20 cal so the standard 9tw for 17's and 11-12tw for the 20's is really all you need.

Depending on where in Or. you'll be shooting sage rats it can often be pretty high volume shooting where you can go through 2-500rnds per day so the most popular choice is hands down the 17 HMR. If you're in an area that allows shots options of well over 200++ yards then the centerfires certainly have their advantages but the volume of shooting is usually substantially less.

When I've gone my 17HMR was my weapon of choice but a few years ago I bought a 17 WSM so my 17HMR's don't see a great deal of action. My 17WSM and 17Hornet get the vast majority of use with my 17HMR's a distant third.
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Old 10-01-2021, 03:32 PM
Bill K Bill K is offline
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With case capacity and the lack of longer/heavier bullets, for the most part. You will be just fine with a 1/9 twist on the 17's and a 1/11 twist for the 20 & 224 fireballs.
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  #4  
Old 10-01-2021, 04:45 PM
Gale Johnson Gale Johnson is offline
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Default FB

Thanks for the replies folks, I am looking at doing a faster twist 221 for close range rats and PD's. I tend to go to the fast 20's for long range work.
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  #5  
Old 10-01-2021, 04:59 PM
B23 B23 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gale Johnson View Post
Thanks for the replies folks, I am looking at doing a faster twist 221 for close range rats and PD's. I tend to go to the fast 20's for long range work.
Curious, when you say "faster twist 221" what twist are you referring to and which bullet/s would you want to shoot?

For me, with regard to rat smackin using a CF, I definitely like the 20's better than the 17's. A 20-221 shooting 32gr or 39gr tipped bullets would be a fun one.
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  #6  
Old 10-01-2021, 06:55 PM
Gale Johnson Gale Johnson is offline
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Default twist

1:7, maybe 8 or 9, I like to shoot 40 gr V Max but don't have many of them right now but have plenty of Nosler Varmegeddon. I agree the rat smackage is better with the 20's than the 17's but I have a lot of cases and the standard 221 FB really thumps them. I am looking for maximum carnage at shorter ranges. Just need to be Minute of Rat at 150 or so
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  #7  
Old 10-01-2021, 08:31 PM
B23 B23 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gale Johnson View Post
1:7, maybe 8 or 9, I like to shoot 40 gr V Max but don't have many of them right now but have plenty of Nosler Varmegeddon. I agree the rat smackage is better with the 20's than the 17's but I have a lot of cases and the standard 221 FB really thumps them. I am looking for maximum carnage at shorter ranges. Just need to be Minute of Rat at 150 or so
Heck even at 221FB velocities a 14tw or 12 at the fastest if you maybe wanted to shoot something a little heavier is all you'd need for 40-50 grain bullets.
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  #8  
Old 10-01-2021, 10:02 PM
TinMan TinMan is offline
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I have a factory 221 Fireball in a bench rifle, a walking rifle and a 12" Contender, and have shot factory loads on 50gr SP and 40gr VMAX. Without digging up the Chrony data, I find the faster 40gr bullets to more effective/explosive than the 50gr. This is for PDs, and have shot them out to maybe 250yds.
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  #9  
Old 10-02-2021, 03:06 PM
Dean2 Dean2 is offline
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I have found too slow a twist to not work well with longer bullets, I have never found a fast twist to not shoot lighter bullets well. If I have a choice I get fast twist barrels, 1;9 for 223, 1;9 for 22-250, 1:8 for 221 FB etc. Like ricksrevenge I find that faster spinning bullets to be more explosive, and a 50 grain SPSX will come apart in flight at 3500 fps out of a 1:7 223, yet be just fine at that speed out of a typical 1;12 twist 223.

For varmint shooting I see no downside to the faster twist barrels, and it does give you the option to shoot longer bullets if you ever decide you want to. Best of luck.
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  #10  
Old 10-02-2021, 05:52 PM
TOU TOU is offline
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At the direction of my mentor (Bill O...R.I.P.) I have a CZ 527 1:7 twist 22 TCM that is one of my favorites for <225 yards. The carnage is unbelievable for such a small bottle neck cartridge. Not 22-250, .204R etc. but so efficient & amazingly destructive as well as accurate. (I have had heads come off at the neck & pop straight on the air +10'.) I think much of this has to do with that Lilja 1:7 twist SS barrel.

I LOVE walking about with a pocket full of this ammo much like a pocket full of WMR.
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