300 Blackout 1-7 vs 1-8 Twist (2022 UPDATE) Is One Better? (2024)

FAQs

Whats better 1/7 twist or 1/8 twist? ›

It is absolutely true that heavier, longer bullets in the 69-85 grain flavors like faster rifle twists of 1:8, or 1:7. When someone tells you, “if you want to shoot some operator level Mk262 77 grain OTM ammo, you need a 1:7 twist”, believe that they have your best interest at heart.

While 62-grain bullets prefer a rate of twist around 1:8, 77-grain bullets weights favor a 1:7 twist rate.

A 1:7 or 1:8 twist rate works best with . 300 BLK. If you'll be shooting mostly supersonic loads with lighter projectiles (80 to 125 grains), opt for a barrel with a 1:7 twist rate. Because subsonic loads are made with heavier projectiles (usually 225 grains or more), you may be better served by a 1:8 twist rate.

1-in-8 Inches Twist Rate

This twist rate will comfortably stabilize bullets up to 80-grains, and the excellent 75- and 77-grain bullets also work great at a wider spectrum of velocities — which means barrel length isn't critical.

Most modern AR-15 barrels will come in three twist rates: 1:9, 1:8, and 1:7. The 1:9 barrel is best for stabilizing lighter and mid-weight bullets between 45 and 77 grains. The 1:8 twist barrel is the most versatile of the bunch, the perfect option for16-inch carbine AR-15 (the most common configuration on the market.)

Give 1:7 a try. Both are extremely common, and I have little doubt you'll find what you need for most uses. As a general rule, you can get away with a faster spin rate than necessary for a specific bullet, but twist a bullet too slowly and you'll lose some of your accuracy and stability.

The 1:8 twist barrel is the most versatile of the bunch. This twist rate gives you the most flexibility, effectively stabilizing projectiles up to 80 grains but not over stabilizing lighter ammunition. The 1:9 barrel is best for stabilizing lighter and mid-weight bullets ranging between 45 and 77 grains.

It's important that your barrel has an adequate twist rate to stabilize the bullets you're shooting. A barrel that is a 1:10” twist means that the rifling will spin the bullet one revolution in 10 inches. The lower the number of the twist, the faster the twist rate or the faster the bullet will spin.

Barrel Length Doesn't Change Rifling Twist Rate

It's the rate, angle or degree of the rifling twist, not the linear distance, that matters. A groove that turns at a degree sufficient to complete a full turn in 48 inches is a 1:48” twist rate regardless of barrel length.

A 9" barrel is the optimal barrel length for 300 Blackout.

300 BLK cartridges burn all their powder, achieving optimal velocity with the shortest barrel length possible. This length will provide similar performance to an AR-15 chambered in 5.56 or . 223 with a 14.5" to 16" barrel.

What is 300 BLK good for? ›

300 BLK and 5.56 NATO are intermediate-class rifle cartridges for target shooting, hunting, home defense, and plinking. The 5.56 is half the cost of 300 BLK and is available in more high-end loading suitable for precision rifle fire. It also shoots flatter, experiences less recoil, and ammunition weighs about 40% less.

300 AAC Blackout was designed to give the AR platform extra umph in terms of power and penetration on intermediate ranges with reduce recoil while holding the 30 round mag. Its original intent was to provide outstanding terminal performance and accuracy going through suppressed with subsonic or standard ammunition.

Green-tip ammunition is most common in 5.56/. 223 Rem caliber and is mainly designed for use with the AR platform. These rounds were originally considered controversial, as they meet one of the criteria of the federal definition of armor-piercing ammunition.

After all the smoke cleared, we found that muzzle velocity correlates to twist rate at the rate of approximately 1.33 fps per inch of twist. In other words, your velocity is reduced by about 5 fps if you go from a 1:12” twist to a 1:8” twist.

Being able to punch through a barrier without needing a larger cartridge does have its advantages. Green-tipped ammo is a quality round that fires reliably and will not cause excess carbon build-up in your rifle like poorly made ammo.

It's always OK to spin a bullet faster than recommended, but not slower. One caveat is if the bullet is on the verge of failure, a much faster twist rate may put it over the edge but this is a rare problem.

A fast twist rate such as a 1:7” twist barrel will work better with long-range modern bullets where as a shorter twist such as 1:10” or 1:11” twist barrel will work better with shorter bullets.

If you're looking to make accurate shots in excess of 400 meters, a barrel length of 20 inches or longer is a good way to ensure that velocity is maintained and that the bullet remains stabilized and supersonic for as long as possible.

Our military has used Colts (1 in 7) twist with 55 gr. ammo since about 1963. Another great thing about the 1 in 7 twist rate is that those barrels will shoot any ammo you put through them-- from 55 gr. to 75 gr. "Do your duty in all things.

The heavier grain bullets are usually reserved for the military and their tracer rounds. With normal cartridges, you're most likely to see 55-grain and 62-grain bullets. These are fine to shoot in 1:7 to 1:9 barrels and you probably won't even notice a difference up to 300-yards.

Is 223 Wylde worth the money? ›

223 and 5.56 NATO completely safely. But with the ability to create sub-MOA AR-15s in 5.56 NATO, the accuracy gain presented by using . 223 Wylde really isn't very much. And almost never worth the price hike you'll normally pay.

The short technical answer is that barrel twist starts the bullet spinning at a given rate to stabilize the bullet. The rate has to be constant for the utmost accuracy. On the opposite end of the spectrum – Decreasing the twist rate will almost certainly result in a dramatic decrease in accuracy.

Longer barrels are not more accurate. If anything, it's quite the opposite. Shorter, stiffer barrels tend to vibrate more consistently and are probably more accurate on average. However, quality of barrel and bedding are far more important, so we will leave accuracy out of this discussion.

The higher the weight, the longer the bullet, and the faster the twist rate.

browning should be a 1-10 twist in 300wm, not 1-8. most everything other than tikka is 1-10 for the . 30 cal's.

The length, diameter, shape and velocity of a given projectile determine the twist rate that best stabilizes it in flight. Shorter higher-caliber (read: larger-diameter) bullets tend to require slower twist rates, while longer, smaller-caliber bullets require higher twist rates.

The basic factors are well known – in simple terms, the longer the projectile in relation to calibre, the faster the twist required to stabilize the projectile in flight. It follows that the longer projectiles are also heavier in weight for any given calibre.

For most loads, 5.56 NATO and . 223 Rem do best with a 16" barrel and 1:8 twist rate. For . 308 and 7.62 NATO, a 20" barrel and 1:12 twist rate works best for all loads.

Longer barrels give the propellant force more time to work on propelling the bullet. For this reason longer barrels generally provide higher velocities, everything else being equal. As the bullet moves down the bore, however, the propellant's gas pressure behind it diminishes.

30 calibers are not necessarily more cooperative, but most . 30 caliber cartridges were designed for bullets up to 220 grains. The 1:10 twist standard to most . 30 caliber cartridges will stabilize even long match bullets up to about 230 grains.

What is the maximum effective range of a 300 Blackout? ›

Using M4 military standards, the max effective range of 300 AAC Blackout from a 16 inch barrel is 460 meters. From a 9 inch barrel (2050 fps): – 100 inches drop at 410 meters – 41 inches drift at 470 meters – 291 ft-lbs of energy at 625 meters, so 440 meter max effective range for a 9 inch.

The bullet drops about 4 inches at 100 yards, 2.5 feet at 200 yards, 8 feet at 300 yards, 18 feet at 400 yards, and 30 feet at 500 yards. This issue isn't unique to 300 Blackout bullets, though.

From a 16 in (410 mm) barrel, a 125 gr (8.1 g) 300 BLK round has a lower velocity and similar bullet drop and drift at shorter distances. However, it has the same amount of energy at 700 meters that the M855 has at 500 meters. In terms of hit probability, the Blackout has an effective range of 460 meters.

recently unveiled a new AR-style rifle that can quickly change from 5.56mm to . 300 Blackout ammunition and is designed for special operations forces.

300 Blackout and 7.62x39mm loads have a flatter trajectory and retain more energy than the . 30-30 out past 200 yards. The 7.62×39 has a little more kinetic energy, but the . 300 Blackout has a slightly flatter trajectory due to higher ballistic coefficient of the .

Instead of waiting on the companies to provide you with completed ammo for your guns, I highly recommend reloading your own ammo. Reloading . 300 Blackout and 7.62x39mm ammo can save hundreds of dollars per range day if done correctly.

However, the . 300 Blackout uses heavier and larger diameter bullets with more kinetic energy. For this reason, it's arguably a better cartridge for shots on big game inside 150 yards than the . 223 Remington (especially when used in a rifle with a good .

The only problem nowadays is ammo is incredibly hard to come by. In the 2021 ammo shortage, 300 Blk seems to be even more scarce than high-demand rounds like 5.56 NATO and 9x19mm. Even 300 Blk brass and components are nearly impossible to get.

Quick Tip: Using .300 Blackout Mags in a 5.56 / .223 Rifle - YouTube

What is The Red Tip? The red tip attached to the bullet is a plastic tip. The tip is molded into a streamlined shape to generate a spitzer-like design. The tip is anchored into the bullet, but will disengage when the round strikes your target. These bullets are designed for rifles or rifle-caliber pistols.

What does a blue tipped bullet mean? ›

Some manufacturers use blue tips on their rifle bullets to denote that the round is for aerodynamics in an expanding hunting bullet. On the other hand, some military rounds with a steel core or tracers, or those rounds that are classified as incendiary by the military, have a blue tip.

You can't shoot green tip ammo at most shooting ranges because it's made to penetrate steel, and most indoor shooting ranges use steel to catch bullets. While the steel backdrop would likely still stop a green tip bullet, it would incur a lot of damage, costing the range a lot of money.

For most loads, 5.56 NATO and . 223 Rem do best with a 16" barrel and 1:8 twist rate. For . 308 and 7.62 NATO, a 20" barrel and 1:12 twist rate works best for all loads.

Green-tip ammunition is most common in 5.56/. 223 Rem caliber and is mainly designed for use with the AR platform. These rounds were originally considered controversial, as they meet one of the criteria of the federal definition of armor-piercing ammunition.

If you're looking to make accurate shots in excess of 400 meters, a barrel length of 20 inches or longer is a good way to ensure that velocity is maintained and that the bullet remains stabilized and supersonic for as long as possible.

According to theUS Army Technical Manual, the 556 cartridge has a 547-yard range for individual or point targets with a carbine (area target range is up to 650 yards). When used in a rifle, the individual or point targets range is up to 602 yards, and the area target is up to 875 yards.