Best Weight Bullet .30-06 1 in 11 twist

[Daniel75]

Is this barrel going to prefer lighter (150 grain) or heavier (165) weight bullets in the appropriate deer/hog weight ammo? Tikka T3 Lite, shows 1 in 11" twist. I've already bought Nosler Trophy Grade 150 grain Nosler Partitions and Federal Premium 165 grain Trophy Bonded Tip but haven't bought the rifle yet (Monday for sure ) Wondering if I should get some 165 grain Federal Premium NP's too or maybe some 165 grain Sierra Game Kings.

[TacticalCowboy]

I think you'll be fine with up to a 165.

[Daniel75]

I think you'll be fine with up to a 165.

I'll shoot either/or but I would prefer to shoot that 150 NP.....3000 fps at the muzzle, SOB is smoking out of there, although I'm sure that's with a 24" barrel, mines a 22" 7/16"

[UltraMax]

The M1 Garand has a 1 in 10 twist rate and could accurately shoot 150 grain bullets (used in the pacific) and 173 grain armor piercing bullets (used in Europe).

I think you'll be good with whatever bullet you choose.

[DuramaxDude]

Its been awhile but I think this is the just of the bullet rifling game. The lighter/faster/shorter the bullet the longer/slower the twist rate the is the norm. The heavier/slower/longer bullets shoot better with a shorter/faster twist rate. I would say 165gr may be a little better. It may not hurt to check and see how many full revolutions you are getting out of that barrel also. The longer/slower twist the less wear on the barrel also. I believe the norm or avg in a 30-06 is 1:10 180gr. I bet the 1:11 will sling 150gr-180gr pretty well. All that being said it is always good to try a few out and see what the barrel likes best. A 30-06 in a Tikka T3 Lite get a kick pad or something to reduce recoil to it is gonna pack a punch. LOL
I have and FNAR .308 with a 1:12 twist 20" barrel and it likes the 150gr hornady superformance sst best and then the federal gold metal match sierra 168gr matchking bthp.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/rifling_twist_rate.htm

http://www.accurateshooter.com/technical-articles/gunsmithing/how-to-determine-barrel-twist-rate/

http://www.gunnersden.com/index.htm.rifle-reloading-bullets.html

[Troy]

I haven't really had much luck reading about what my guns want to eat. They seem to have preferences.
So, I do the only practical thing.

Range time anyone? Its so much more fun.

[LWD]

Twist rate has little, if anything, to do with what bullet weight a gun will shoot accurately. This is true because accuracy with a particular load depends on a lot of factors. Remember, too, that bullets of comparable weight can be very differently constructed, and something as slight a the difference between boat tail and flat base can lead to very different results.

A 1:10" twist in a .30-06 will stabilize up to at least a 190 grain BTHP or a 220 grain round nose flat base bullet.

LWD

[Slick8]

Twist rate has little, if anything, to do with what bullet weight a gun will shoot accurately. This is true because accuracy with a particular load depends on a lot of factors. Remember, too, that bullets of comparable weight can be very differently constructed, and something as slight a the difference between boat tail and flat base can lead to very different results.

A 1:10" twist in a .30-06 will stabilize up to at least a 190 grain BTHP or a 220 grain round nose flat base bullet.

LWD

Hmmmm.....

While I agree that a 1:10 or 1:11 should be a very foregiving rate for a 30-06 this is not an accurate statement.

Try shooting an 80 grain VLD in a 22-250 with a typical 1:14 twist...it will not be pretty.

Generally speaking the longer the bullet, the faster the twist you need. The 30 cal is that nearly magic bullet that doesn't vary as much as others.

[LWD]

Well, DUH. Shoot and stabilize aren't the same thing. All bullet weights—more correctly bullet length for which bullet weight is used as a proxy—require some minimum twist to stabilize. At the opposite extreme, a 40 grain varmint bullet shot in a .22-250 with a fast twist barrel designed for an 80 grain VLD will be torn apart from the centrifugal forces imparted by the excessive twist.

LWD

[gatorgrizz27]

What I was planning to shoot with it is what I'd base my decision on, 1:11" twist should stabilize anything from 130 gr to 180 gr hunting bullets, it may not stabilize the long range bullets with BC's approaching 0.5.

I still want to try a 130 gr Barnes TTSX loaded light (2800ish) for deer and 180 gr Nosler Partitions for stuff out west. The ballistics calculator claims they are dead even out to 300 and 1" different at 400. Interesting.