Weatherby Rifle Twist Rates for .223 Rem and .243 Win in the Model 307 - Readiness for Lead-free

[WeatherbyUK]

Twist rates are an important consideration for the move over to Copper / Lead-free - Weatherby were one of the first to move over to suitable twist rates for these types of projectiles, here are the Weatherby rifle twist rates for common calibers in the UK:

• .223 Rem - 1:8
• .243 Win - 1:7.5

It seems like a lot of people moved over to 6.5 cal and above when the first sniff of the lead ban occurred, but we're now seeing a resurgence in .223 and .243 since the plans were announced - It would be really interesting to hear all your thoughts on caliber choice now, twist rates, and if you're using the smaller calibers for deer still or if these are now more foxing calibers for you?


Full details on calibers and specs can be found on our website - Weatherby Inc UK

 

[Pete6.5]

Is there a reason why not many of the weatherby magnum calibers aren't available?

 

[Pete6.5]

Twist rates are an important consideration for the move over to Copper / Lead-free - Weatherby were one of the first to move over to suitable twist rates for these types of projectiles, here are the Weatherby rifle twist rates for common calibers in the UK:

• .223 Rem - 1:8
• .243 Win - 1:7.5

It seems like a lot of people moved over to 6.5 cal and above when the first sniff of the lead ban occurred, but we're now seeing a resurgence in .223 and .243 since the plans were announced - It would be really interesting to hear all your thoughts on caliber choice now, twist rates, and if you're using the smaller calibers for deer still or if these are now more foxing calibers for you?


Full details on calibers and specs can be found on our website - Weatherby Inc UK

 

[WeatherbyUK]

Is there a reason why not many of the weatherby magnum calibers aren't available?

Hi Pete,

Thanks for your question. Weatherby Magnum calibers are pretty much all still available but Weatherby USA are trying to keep SKU numbers down so they don't list the Weatherby calibers in countries that work to CIP (proof) as there's not massive demand.

6.5 Weatherby RPM is one such caliber that we keep in the UK however the rifle had to be proofed as a wildcat "non standard" and the ammo will probably be another 8-12 months if/when it passes CIP - until then we keep the brass and it's a caliber for reloaders.

We get through a decent amount of the Weatherby magnum brass (340wby, 240wby, 300wby, etc) in the UK so we know that there are people out there using it, however they tend to buy a rifle and never change it so we only know they exist due to the demand for brass.

We keep the 257 Wby Rifles and ammo in stock in the UK as this has proven surprisingly popular, though looking at the ballistics compared to other "flat" calibers it's not that surprising that the 257wby has a following here in the UK.

The 7mm Backcountry might cause proof to reevaluate the pressure limits as at 80,000 PSI it's not gonna pass through CIP - however modern machining and technology is always pushing the limit and Federal aren't going to launch a caliber that's unsafe to use... so with a large outfit like that behind it there's a good chance there will be an adjustment to the requirements. It would be really nice if SAAMI and CIP became one and the same in terms of requirements, but a the moment there are some pretty significant differences.

If there's anything specifically caliber wise you're after please let us know.

Thanks
Wby

 

[Heym SR20]

Eminently sensible as it allows for longer high BC bullets. But to be honest now that Scottish Government has reduced the min bullet weight from 100gn to 80gn the standard 243 with a 1 in 10” twist can stabilise 80 gn monolithic bullets. And the 223 with 1 in 10 or 1 in 12” can stabilise the 50gn monolithics.

However going for a faster twist makes sense, given that in the 223 all the rage are high BC bullets copying 5.56 Nato, and in the 243 win it allows you do anything that the 6mm Creedmoor claims to do, but you can get 243 ammo at any gunshop.

 

[Will the chippy]

Where are you at with 22250. Love mine for small deer but with a 1 in 14 twist it's going to struggle with 50grain copper bullets. I've tried some but it's a bit of a lottery.

 

[BigT]

Is that 1/7.5 on all Weatherby 243’s now including the Vanguard?

 

[WeatherbyUK]

For individual model twist rates, it's best to see the latest on the tech specs on the website, eg: https://weatherby.com/store/vanguard-talon/#techInfo

 

[Keith Edmunds]

Eminently sensible as it allows for longer high BC bullets. But to be honest now that Scottish Government has reduced the min bullet weight from 100gn to 80gn the standard 243 with a 1 in 10” twist can stabilise 80 gn monolithic bullets. And the 223 with 1 in 10 or 1 in 12” can stabilise the 50gn monolithics.

However going for a faster twist makes sense, given that in the 223 all the rage are high BC bullets copying 5.56 Nato, and in the 243 win it allows you do anything that the 6mm Creedmoor claims to do, but you can get 243 ammo at any gunshop.

Agreed, looking at the website it looks like the Mark V and the 307 models in .243 have a 1:7.5 twist rate. I think that this is a very significant move as currently it seems that you would have to go down the re-barrel/custom route to get that twist rate in .243.

However, if you are not a re-loader, I guess you are still limited to factory ammo and won't get the full advantage of a fast twist rate until rifle ammo with longer, heavy bullets are available 'off-the-shelf'