ctafoya Report post Posted April 25, 2021 I have a question on weights VS twist for two rifles. First is a Christensen Arms Mesa in 7MM. it has a 1 in 9 twist with a 24 inch barrel. I don't have it yet. I'm trading a friend of mine who lives in Minnesota, so we have some logistics to figure out to keep everything legal, but I wanted to start getting projectiles. He won it in an auction, but he cant shoot right handed. He also drinks white claws..... Would a 197 grain bullet be a little too heavy for it? I'm looking at sierra match kings 175, 180, and 197. The other rifle is a DPMS AR in .223 with a 1 in 9 twist with a 24 inch barrel. This has been sitting in the safe for a few years so I decided I better do something with it. What bullet would you guys recommend for it? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SHOOTER Report post Posted April 26, 2021 Every load/rifle will be a little different but you should have no problems getting the 175 and 180s to stabilize out of that gun and the 197s will be iffy but I would bet the 197s will be ok as well. The 197s are pretty heavy for the 7RM in general and the 175- 180s will probably carry energy further. I've loaded 175-180s out of 1:9.5 and 1:9.25 twist with great results. With the 223 my 1:9s have shot everything I've run through them but a 60+ gr bullet will be best. I like 69 gr match kings, 60gr vmax and 75 gr ELDm. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lancetkenyon Report post Posted April 26, 2021 The 197 SMK is a very long, high BC bullet. 1:7.5" minimum twist requirement. I would not consider it for a 1:9" twist, at all. I would look at up to 175s. Even the 183 SMK & 180 SMK states a 1:8" minimum. Know this....when a company says "Minimum", that is not always the OPTIMAL twist rate. If you hunt high country, that helps with the air density and bullet stability. I have had great results with the 175 Elite, 175 SGK, 168 VLD, 175 SMK in 1:9" twist .280AIs and 7RMs. For the 1:9" .223, I like the 69 SMK too. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ctafoya Report post Posted April 26, 2021 Thanks for the input. I'll shop accordingly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ShutYourLib Report post Posted April 26, 2021 https://bergerbullets.com/twist-rate-calculator/ 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
L Cazador Report post Posted April 29, 2021 On 4/25/2021 at 1:09 PM, ctafoya said: I have a question on weights VS twist for two rifles. First is a Christensen Arms Mesa in 7MM. it has a 1 in 9 twist with a 24 inch barrel. I don't have it yet. I'm trading a friend of mine who lives in Minnesota, so we have some logistics to figure out to keep everything legal, but I wanted to start getting projectiles. He won it in an auction, but he cant shoot right handed. He also drinks white claws..... Would a 197 grain bullet be a little too heavy for it? I'm looking at sierra match kings 175, 180, and 197. The other rifle is a DPMS AR in .223 with a 1 in 9 twist with a 24 inch barrel. This has been sitting in the safe for a few years so I decided I better do something with it. What bullet would you guys recommend for it? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. It's length not weight that you are stabilizing. The 175-180 will be marginal. You're best off with 168's . That deer, elk, or antelope will not know the difference in those 12 grain lighter bullets. Besides accuracy trumps velocity or a weight difference of 12 grains. Touche! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
