5.

56 TWIST RATE CHART

Posted by Eric | Jun 29, 2022 | Guns 201, Rifle Shooting Tips
5.56 TWIST RATE CHART

Need a 5.56×45 twist rate chart for an AR-15 or other 5.56 firearm? Let’s kick
this 5.56 barrel twist guide off right by getting straight to the point!

4 4 5 5 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 9
0 5 0 5 0 2 5 9 0 5 7 0 5 0
Bu G G G G G G G G G G G G G G
ll r r r r r r r r r r r r r r
et a a a a a a a a a a a a a a
i i i i i i i i i i i i i i
n n n n n n n n n n n n n n

1: G G O O P P P P P P P P P P
16 o o k k o o o o o o o o o o
" o o o o o o o o o o
o o
r r r r r r r r r r
d d

1: G G G O O O P P P P P P P P
14 o o o k k k o o o o o o o o
" o o o o o o o o
o o o
r r r r r r r r
d d d

1: O O G G G O O O O P P P P P
12 k k o o o k k k k o o o o o
" o o o o o
o o o
r r r r r
d d d

1: P O O G G G G G O O O P P P
10 o k k o o o o o k k k o o o
" o o o o
o o o o o
r r r r
d d d d d

1: P O O O G G G G G O O O O P
9" o k k k o o o o o k k k k o
o o
o o o o o
r r
 4 4 5 5 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 9
0 5 0 5 0 2 5 9 0 5 7 0 5 0
Bu G G G G G G G G G G G G G G
ll r r r r r r r r r r r r r r
et a a a a a a a a a a a a a a
i i i i i i i i i i i i i i
n n n n n n n n n n n n n n

d d d d d

1: P P O O O G G G G G G G O O
8" o o k k k o o o o o o o k k
o o
o o o o o o o
r r
d d d d d d d

1: P P P O O O G G G G G G G O
7" o o o k k k o o o o o o o k
o o o
o o o o o o o
r r r
d d d d d d d

1: P P P P O O O O O G G G G G
6" o o o o k k k k k o o o o o
o o o o
o o o o o
r r r r
d d d d d

Need to know why the information on that table is important to an AR-15

owner? Then keep reading!

WHAT IS RIFLING?
 Inside the barrel of a rifle, photo courtesy of Shooting Times.

If you look inside a modern rifle or handgun’s barrel, you will see rifling. (Make
certain the firearm is not loaded before attempting this.) Rifling is the helical
grooves and lands machined into the internal surface (aka the bore) of a
barrel.

Don’t have a gun barrel to look down? No worries – you have already seen
rifling if you have watched a James Bond movie. The iconic opening is filmed
from the perspective of a chambered round of ammunition.
Rifling has an important job to do. Its grooves and lands actively engage with
a bullet as it passes through the barrel. This forces the bullet to rotate – and
thanks the fundamental law of angular momentum, the bullet will continue to
rotate after exiting the barrel.

A bullet which rotates in flight along its longitudinal axis possesses something
called “aerodynamic stability.” Just like an expertly thrown football, a stabilized
bullet keeps its tip pointed forward to achieve better accuracy over longer
distances. This is why rifled barrels are significantly more accurate than
smoothbores.

WHAT IS TWIST RATE?

A gun barrel’s twist rate (aka rate of twist or barrel twist) indicates how many
inches it takes its rifling to make one complete rotation. Twist rate is
expressed as a ratio of 1:X” (i.e. 1 turn per X inches).

It’s easier to understand twist rate with an example. Suppose a 20” barrel has
a twist rate of 1:10”. That means the barrel’s rifling makes exactly two
complete rotations from start to finish. A bullet which passes through such a
barrel would accordingly rotate exactly twice before clearing the muzzle.

Twist rates are often compared to one another as “faster” or “slower.” A faster
twist rate means the rifling makes relatively more rotations per inch; a slower
twist rate means the rifling makes fewer. For example, 1:6” is a faster twist
rate than 1:8”.

WHAT IS THE BEST TWIST RATE FOR AN AR-15?

The best twist rate for a 5.56 firearm (including most AR-15s) depends on the
ammunition it is firing. More specifically, it depends on the weight of that
ammunition’s bullets. This is because heavy bullets have more inertia, and
therefore require more complete rotations to fully stabilize before exiting the
muzzle. Conversely, lighter bullets require fewer rotations before they become
adequately stabilized.

If you once again refer to our 5.56 twist rate chart, you will see just how bullet
weight determines the best rate of twist for an AR-15: green is optimal, yellow
is acceptable, and red is inadvisable. Note how heavy bullets perform better in
conjunction with faster twist rates, and slower twist rates are better suited for
lighter bullets.

The two most popular bullet weights for 5.56 are 55 and 62 grains. From our
chart you will see that the best twist rate for 55 grain ammunition (e.g. PMC
M193) is 1:12” or 1:10”. The best twist rate for 62 grain ammunition (e.g.
M855) is 1:8”, 1:9” or 1:10”. (We would advise sticking to the faster of the
three best twist rates for 62 grain bullets.)

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN TWIST RATE IS TOO SLOW

OR TOO FAST?

When a 5.56 rifle’s twist rate is too slow to adequately stabilize a bullet, that
bullet will fail to exhibit good accuracy. The negative effects of insufficient
twist may not become apparent until the bullet has flown several hundred
yards downrange, but they will inevitably reduce a rifle’s effective range all the
same.
Many shooters worry whether an excessive rate of twist will “overstabilize” a
lightweight bullet, in turn causing the bullet to rotate so quickly that centrifugal
force tears it to pieces. Fortunately, the vast majority of bullets are just too
tough to undergo core/jacket separation in response to overstabilization.
Unless a bullet is of unusually low quality, it will not exhibit significantly worse
accuracy after passing through a barrel with too fast a rate of twist for its
weight.

WHAT ABOUT 5.56 TWIST RATE FOR FRANGIBLE

ROUNDS?

There is an important exception to this rule. Frangible bullets, which are brittle
by design to promote safer target shooting, are also at heightened risk of in-
flight self-destruction if they are overzealously stabilized by too fast a rate of
twist.

Before you study our twist rate chart too closely, take heed that it doesn’t
supply all the information you need to achieve the best accuracy out of your
rifle. The quality of your ammunition, the quality of your rifle and its barrel, and
naturally the quality of your marksmanship all have significant impacts on
performance. Atmospheric conditions all play their own roles in influencing
ballistic performance as well.

But if you have just gotten your first AR-15 and need to know the best ammo
for its barrel, our twist rate chart should prove a great point of reference!