Tomo67 Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 I have an AR-15 carbine, 16" barrel, 1:9 twist. I have only shot 55 grain bullets at ranges out to 200 yards with it. But how about heavier bullets for 300 or 400 yards. They should be more accurate, handle wind better, etc., but will my slow rate of twist be able to stabilize them? What has been your experience? What would be the heaviest bullet you recommend for 300+ yards in my rifle or don't I need a heavier one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPeel Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 With your rate of twist you won't be able to stabilize a 69 or heavier. You might be able to shoot 62s. Get some and try them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael1778 Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 (edited) I have to respectfully disagree. I decided to consult the book "Applied Ballistics for Long Range Shooting", 2nd edition by Bryan Litz of Berger Bullets. I looked at his table for Sierra MatchKings in 69 and 77 grains. The 77 grain bullets are iffy. Under best case conditions you would be able to stabilize them, but you would be unlikely to have consistent results across different shooting conditions. However, the 69 grain SMKs show stability across the three cases he gives in the text ("Best case", "Nominal", and "Worst Case") Given that, the question becomes do you bother with it or not. Try using the tools at JBM Ballistcs and you could feed in reasonable muzzle velocity values from here: http://www.ar15.com/content/page.html?id=213 It's a tabulation of factory chronograph data for various barrel lengths, bullet types, bullet weights and ammunition manufacturers. At least you could get an idea of what trajectories would be for different bullets out of 16" barrels. You might find that the differences are modest and may not be worth the effort and complexity of setting up for two different types of ammunition. Or you could decide to do all 62 grain, 69 grain or whatever instead of all 55 grain. I like simple myself. Good luck. Edited March 9, 2014 by michael1778 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GM2B Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 69SMK! Buy 100 of them and see if they group tightly if they dont try something lighter. I have seen 69's stabilize in similar barrel specs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stlhead Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 Is it already time to sing the bullet song again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Sierpina Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 A 9" twist will stabilize 69 grain bullets, it MAY stabilize 75 Hornady BTHP's and Sierra 77"s. I've shot Nosler 55 Ballistic Tips out to 550 yards with success, (one shot, one target) Play around with some of the ballistic software, a fast, sleek 55 won't have much different drift than a slow 75/77 grain bullet. Accuracy is the most important factor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outerlimits Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 A 9" twist will stabilize 69 grain bullets, it MAY stabilize 75 Hornady BTHP's and Sierra 77"s. I've shot Nosler 55 Ballistic Tips out to 550 yards with success, (one shot, one target) Play around with some of the ballistic software, a fast, sleek 55 won't have much different drift than a slow 75/77 grain bullet. Accuracy is the most important factor. Dan knows what he spesks- 55 Gr NBT's are the shit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 "NBT's" ?? Nosler boat tails ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outerlimits Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 "NBT's" ?? Nosler boat tails ??? Nosler ballistic tips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Sierpina Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 Nosler Ballistic Tips. Kurt Miller shoots them too, they must work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShootfastRunfaster Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 (edited) Is it already time to sing the bullet song again! Did someone say "bullet song"!!!!!!!! http://youtu.be/D0kSI7ZiTTA On a helpful note, I used to have a Remington PSS .223 with a 1-9 barrel and it shot 77 gr. Sierra's like a dream. My shooting buddy has a 700 LTR that is 1-9 and it runs 77's and 75's with no problems. He keeps talking of pulling the OEM barrel in favor of a faster twist so he can shoot 80gr + VLD's, but it shoots the 77's so well he can't justify the cost. Kuan Edited March 10, 2014 by ShootfastRunfaster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stlhead Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 It does look like someone was able to get his hands on the big book of everything ballistic. Quite a read eh? And let me state for the record one more time with feeling, Heavy bullets are not required or even necessarily better for the sport of three gun. More bullet is not a substitute for proper shooting technique. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael1778 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 It does look like someone was able to get his hands on the big book of everything ballistic. Quite a read eh? And let me state for the record one more time with feeling, Heavy bullets are not required or even necessarily better for the sport of three gun. More bullet is not a substitute for proper shooting technique. Yes, I bought it within a day of your recommendation. Been studying up! Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
openclassterror Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I want to shoot 100gr hollow points out of my 1-14 varmint gun. How fast do I have to run the bullets to get them to stabilize? I want no more than 2" of wind drift at 1,500 yards so I can shoot digger squirrels. What powder should I use to accomplish that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael1778 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 You'll need a railgun. Try asking at DARPA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan45kim Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Start with FF but FFF would also work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo67 Posted March 20, 2014 Author Share Posted March 20, 2014 THANKS to everyone for their advice. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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