Left vs right rifle twist

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Left vs right rifle twist

Post by vexesus » 09 Dec 2013, 12:25 pm

Hi guys,

Is there any difference in a barrel with a left twist vs a right twist barrel?

Do different gun brands go either way for a specific reason at all?

Or is it six of one half dozen of the other?
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Re: Left vs right rifle twist

Post by Norton » 09 Dec 2013, 12:45 pm

vexesus wrote:Or is it six of one half dozen of the other?


That it is.
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Re: Left vs right rifle twist

Post by Noisydad » 09 Dec 2013, 2:32 pm

Might depend on which hemisphere you live in.
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Re: Left vs right rifle twist

Post by Blackened » 09 Dec 2013, 3:20 pm

Noisydad wrote:Might depend on which hemisphere you live in.


Sooo, if I take my rifle to the US, the bullets will go backwards?
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Re: Left vs right rifle twist

Post by Kaine » 10 Dec 2013, 6:09 am

Blackened wrote:
Noisydad wrote:Might depend on which hemisphere you live in.


Sooo, if I take my rifle to the US, the bullets will go backwards?


Yes, though that does depend on what time of day it is, and what stage of the lunar cycle you are in. ;)
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Re: Left vs right rifle twist

Post by Hadoku » 10 Dec 2013, 8:09 am

Kaine wrote:Yes, though that does depend on what time of day it is, and what stage of the lunar cycle you are in. ;)


Er, Werewolf bullets now? :shock:
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Re: Left vs right rifle twist

Post by Monty » 10 Dec 2013, 10:53 am

As you probably already know, the purpose of rifling is to stabilise the bullet for flight.

The bullet will stabilise whether regardless of which direction it's spinning, so left or right rifling makes no difference.
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Re: Left vs right rifle twist

Post by Baldrick314 » 10 Dec 2013, 11:35 am

I imagine the only difference would be which way they drift at longe range due to spin drift. Hardly something the average shooter has to worry about
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Re: Left vs right rifle twist

Post by Techc » 10 Dec 2013, 2:12 pm

Baldrick314 wrote:I imagine the only difference would be which way they drift at longe range due to spin drift. Hardly something the average shooter has to worry about


And you would have to correct for it (if you wanted to) either way anyway, so doesn't make a difference regardless.
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Re: Left vs right rifle twist

Post by SendIt » 06 Jul 2014, 9:45 am

Noisydad wrote:Might depend on which hemisphere you live in.


Kaine wrote:Yes, though that does depend on what time of day it is, and what stage of the lunar cycle you are in. ;)


Target shooters are OCD enough as it is.

Waiting for someone to add lunar gravity to a ballistics calculator now :lol:

Shooting at night the moons gravity removes 0.00000001" drop at 1,000 yards :D
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Re: Left vs right rifle twist

Post by brett1868 » 06 Jul 2014, 11:55 am

This difference really only comes into play at extended ranges and has dependencies on caliber, velocity and compass bearing to target.

For example you are shooting a target 1,000M due North using a RH Twist barrel the compensation will be different then shooting the same target with a LH Twist barrel and different again for the same target due south.

As distance increases the number of variables including Spin Drift, Vertical deflection, Coriolis and Magnetic variation become more and more critical. I'm currently shooting several calibers at ranges in excess of 1,500 Metres and you'd be surprised the effect an otherwise insignificant variable has on accuracy.

I won't bore you with the math on powder temp, scope calibration, wind, air pressure, angles etc etc. Punch http://www.lextalus.com into your browser if you want to learn more about firing solutions.

I don't look at my 50 cal as a rifle, I see it more as field artillery and do the math accordingly :)
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Re: Left vs right rifle twist

Post by vexesus » 07 Jul 2014, 10:39 am

Nah mate that's all way more than I'll be doing with my shooting.

Only time I'd ever be shooting 1,000m would be for kicks. And not expecting to hit much :lol:

Appreciate the info though, all interesting :)
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Re: Left vs right rifle twist

Post by bunnybuster » 07 Jul 2014, 12:11 pm

Waaay back I heard a story that heavier centrefires and artillery had to use RH twist to prevent the torque of the projectile entering the rifling from progressively unscrewing the barrel from the action - now the worm can is open,

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Re: Left vs right rifle twist

Post by Chronos » 07 Jul 2014, 12:23 pm

bunnybuster wrote:Waaay back I heard a story that heavier centrefires and artillery had to use RH twist to prevent the torque of the projectile entering the rifling from progressively unscrewing the barrel from the action - now the worm can is open


Sounds logical to me, a heavy artillery shell would put some torque through a barrel. I know my rifle shooting 180gr pills tries to torque itself up its bipod to cock its leg. Lol

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Re: Left vs right rifle twist

Post by Westy » 08 Jul 2014, 7:27 am

Hey Chronos,

Maybe you should have bought a left hand drive Remington and it could sit down to shoot! :lol: :D :lol:
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Re: Left vs right rifle twist

Post by disko » 09 Jul 2014, 12:10 pm

bunnybuster wrote:Waaay back I heard a story that heavier centrefires and artillery had to use RH twist to prevent the torque of the projectile entering the rifling from progressively unscrewing the barrel from the action


:shock:

That would get the heart pumping. You'd get the scare of a lifetime when the artillery your sitting behind suddenly flings it's barrel off :lol:
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