AusVarmint

It seems BT's new style "Smooth Twist" barrel has been taken up for production by FX. Logical really.
Should make for some interesting rifles later this year.
Here is the news from the horses mouth so to speak.
http://www.airgunbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=363236" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Ray.

RayG wrote:It seems BT's new style "Smooth Twist" barrel has been taken up for production by FX. Logical really.
Should make for some interesting rifles later this year.
Here is the news from the horses mouth so to speak.
http://www.airgunbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=363236" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Ray.

When I see groups that better my BSAs and old FX Excalibre I may find some interest. I'm not holding my breath though.... Kind regards, Harry.

What the hell is a smooth twist barrel?

kjd wrote:What the hell is a smooth twist barrel?

Just put it down to age Keith. How old are you now:
http://ausvarmint.kjd84.com/forum/viewt ... rel#p44690" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Note your comment on this topic some time ago.......

Further comment. Diabolo pellets will fly point first and do quite well from a very well made smooth bore with a choked muzzle. If Ben's barrels will optimize that and give some spin at all then they may well do OK. As I wrote, when anything comes along that will outperform my three rifles at 100 yards, then I'll sit up.
In the meantime I await Neil's assessment and ignore the hype.

Kind regards, Harry.

Yrrah wrote:

RayG wrote:It seems BT's new style "Smooth Twist" barrel has been taken up for production by FX. Logical really.
Should make for some interesting rifles later this year.
Here is the news from the horses mouth so to speak.
http://www.airgunbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=363236" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Ray.

When I see groups that better my BSAs and old FX Excalibre I may find some interest. I'm not holding my breath though.... Kind regards, Harry.

Yes Harry the old story,Its like waiting for the other boot to drop to see how well it performs. I,m no expert but I cannot see how a semi smooth barrel can outperform a good quality rifled barrel.
Neil has been keeping me up to speed on the subject. He seems quite keen about the whole project so I guess we will get the good with the bad news as it happens.

Cheers Ray.

Yrrah wrote:

kjd wrote:What the hell is a smooth twist barrel?

Just put it down to age Keith. How old are you now:
http://ausvarmint.kjd84.com/forum/viewt ... rel#p44690" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Kind regards, Harry.

It may be magazine photo distortion but take a close look at two things:
#1. The bottom left corner of the skirt of the smooth twist Taylor barrel fired pellet. It has the appearance of being off-square.
#2. The rifling marks on the head of the other Barracuda pellet compared to the rifling marks on the skirt. The skirt marks are clean cut. This does not gel with the corresponding marks on the head some of which seem to be shaved of ( before? or after? shooting). If the shaving occurred before shooting then it happened most probably because the head of the pellet was shaved by the transfer port during chambering in a sloppy chamber ( whose rifle) ; or as the result of an off-centre probe. The pellet head should still have picked up some rifling engraving by those lands however.
If it happened after the shooting then how and why? In any case it is certainly not representative of a good "normal" barrel's product.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/ ... ellets.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Strange .......... Kind regards, Harry.

We wait and see Harry. If it matches the best match barrels in performance and then gives less lead fouling at speed, or more speed with retained accuracy it will be something for me to try. I don't bother with the mags either except for advertising. Hypes no good for me, I need to knock them rabbits over.

Best regards Neil

stillair1 wrote:We wait and see Harry. If it matches the best match barrels in performance and then gives less lead fouling at speed, or more speed with retained accuracy it will be something for me to try. I don't bother with the mags either except for advertising. Hypes no good for me, I need to knock them rabbits over.

Best regards Neil

You are right Neil, as with any new venture we should give it some slack and see how it performs in the short and long run.

The penny has just dropped as to how the Baracuda pellet in that picture got so peculiarly mangled by the conventionally rifled barrel. I'll make a new response to explain my thoughts ...... Keep whacking those bunnies and clean your barrels REGULARLY if you get to do any looonng range shooting for groups. Lampies Lamprecht and I have gradually come to the same conclusion.... Kind regards, Harry.

Yrrah wrote:

Yrrah wrote:

kjd wrote:What the hell is a smooth twist barrel?

Just put it down to age Keith. How old are you now:
http://ausvarmint.kjd84.com/forum/viewt ... rel#p44690" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Kind regards, Harry.

It may be magazine photo distortion but take a close look at two things:
#1. The bottom left corner of the skirt of the smooth twist Taylor barrel fired pellet. It has the appearance of being off-square.
#2. The rifling marks on the head of the other Barracuda pellet compared to the rifling marks on the skirt. The skirt marks are clean cut. This does not gel with the corresponding marks on the head some of which seem to be shaved off ( before? or after? shooting). If the shaving occurred before shooting then it happened most probably because the head of the pellet was shaved by the transfer port during chambering in a sloppy chamber ( whose rifle) ; or as the result of an off-centre probe. The pellet head should still have picked up some rifling engraving by those lands however.
If it happened after the shooting then how and why? In any case it is certainly not representative of a good "normal" barrel's product.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/ ... ellets.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Strange .......... Kind regards, Harry.

Further to the above. Here is a revised explanation: I think that the pellets in the photo were chambered and pushed into the bore not fired.

The pellet pushed into the normal rifling ( of a rifle with barrel complete ), far enough to engage the rifling, was then pushed back out with a rod that perhaps had the cleaning attachment removed.
Note the shiny semi- circular "ring" on the pellet head.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/ ... ellets.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Then as the pressure was off centre on the head, the head of the pellet was shaved by the transfer port on the way back out thus removing the rifling marks and leaving a large shaved area. In any case, regardless of how it happened, the damage is certainly not "normal" and it is remiss of the caption to imply such. ........... Kind regards, Harry.

Dear Harry and others.
Would I be corect in thinking that to do this test properly it would be best if the pellets were inserted into the barrel in the usual manner and then forced through the barrel in a gentle manner using either compressed air (or some other fluid) at a lower pressure than would be needed to fire the pellet some distance out of the gun. Basically just enough force to get the pellet to pop out the end of the barrel and land on something soft. The pellet could then be closely examined as the only damage would be caused by the rifling.
I think?
Dennis

For anybody having problems with pellet shaving on ports or bad rifling it's possible to catch the pellet after firing with little damage

http://snap30.photobox.co.uk/5449158810 ... a104fa.jpg
Neil

stillair1 wrote:For anybody having problems with pellet shaving on ports or bad rifling it's possible to catch the pellet after firing with little damage

Neil

The image isn't showing Neil.
Some years ago I started using raw sheep fleece, carded and teased as it was readily available to me. A loose ball of about 40 cm will stop all my pellets which catch and ball up the wool and bring it to a stop. Others have since suggested pillow stuffing which seems to work OK too.

Here is an unfired normal Exact .22 and one that has been fired into wool at MV 875 fps and POI of around 840 fps. You can put the wool out as far as you like.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/ ... wool-1.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A Korean Eunjin 28 gr .22 shot into wool:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/ ... gmarks.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Edit: Predator pellets: one shot through a pest Myna bird and the other shot into raw wool at the same range.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/ ... yna5-1.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Wool in a thin plastic bag. The plastic isn't a bother but it is easy to leave an opening to shoot through:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/ ... eece-1.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I have re-shot such pellets after retrieval into 1/4" groups at 25m from the Excalibre in years past.
Water is fine for most round nosed pellets but Predators, CMs and other hollow points and wadcutters expand and flatten at any reasonable velocity.

So Dennis there is no problem getting real life shots retrieved in virtually pristine condition. I don't favour pushing a pellet through in order to make real comparisons. It is OK for checking chamber and transfer port damage but many rifles are difficult to manage this without partially taking them apart.

The wool works and we have a fair bit of it in this sunburned land! .. Drenching rain here in Wollongong just now and the weather map shows our farm getting good rain from that Qld spin off ........... Kind regards, Harry.

Sorry Harry photobox not playing for the larger version. I use an old rolled up synthetic duvet, same principle as yours. A 13.5 tog kingsize stops a .22lr. Not tried it with hmr, but I believe that stops too from what I have seen, safety first as always though.
Back on topic picked up a small sample of the 18gn during the week. Chronoed a couple at 915fps from my rapid that does 965fps with the 16gn version. Hopefully test tomorrow weather being kind.
Nice pics btw, I've got to do another test on the 16gn jsb as I have a theory on the rapid mag system. Peeing down here as well but good for the garden I've been told!

Regards neil

stillair1 wrote: ...........................................................
Back on topic picked up a small sample of the 18gn during the week. Chronoed a couple at 915fps from my rapid that does 965fps with the 16gn version. Hopefully test tomorrow weather being kind.

Regards neil

That's 33.65 fpe for the 18.1 gr compared to 32.88 fpe for the 15.9 gr. I think you will enjoy them. From my two Hornets they shoot pretty much the same groups from 840 fps to 1015 fps.
They are sub MOA 100 yd pellets on any reasonable day; or night .......

Other pics of pellets caught in sheep fleece (Late Edit: the JSB Exact on the left was shot, the one on the right was pushed through thus demonstrating how the shot pellet's skirt is bulged by the interaction between the initial air blast and the inertia of the head of the pellet before things get moving ):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/ ... sureT2.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/ ... ellet1.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Have fun, Kind regards, Harry.

Thanks Harry
will post some recovered .22lr pics later in the week to.

Regards Neil (rushing the decorating to get out there)