Getting into a Twist about your Twist?!
Anyone that spends any amount of time at the rifle range or hunting lease will inevitably find himself within earshot of two people discussing barrel twist. Twist as discussed here, refers to the rifling in the barrel of modern rifles making a full 360 degree turn in a given length of inches. As an example, a 1x7 Twist means the rifling makes one 360 degree turn for every seven inches of barrel.
As it pertains to .223 projectiles, several different twists are currently produced. Not all ammo shoots well in all twist ratios. A barrel with a 1x7 Twist tends to be too tight for most lighter, more commonly fired ammunition. Originally designed for the military's use of SS109 (the official NATO name of 5.56mm, or .223), further military testing concluded other twist ratios are actually superior for this steel core bullet. 1x8 Twist is best suited for 69-80 grain bullets. Our Federal .223 69 Grain BTHP Match Gold Medal is some of the best on the market for this twist ratio. 1x9 and 1x10 twist ratios are sort of the "middle of the road" for .223 projectiles, and these are the most common. We suggest our Hornady TAP 55 Grain. On the lighter side of things, a 1x12 boasts excellent accuracy on standard and lighter projectiles in the 40-52 grain range. Older M16 rifles were manufactured with the 1x12 Twist ratio. Our item number ARR-115 offers a conversion upper for your AR that takes less than a minute to install, and the barrel has a desirable 1x12 twist ratio. If you are buying a varmint rifle chambered in .223, chances are it will sport a 1x12 Twist Ratio. Our Federal Premium .223 Remington 40-Gr NBT is perfect for varminting. Last, we have the 1x14 twist ratio. Probably the least accurate ratio unless you are into bullet tumble as opposed to spin unless you are shooting custom loads.