Smooth twists?

[yorkiets]

What’s the current state of affairs with smooth twist and smooth twist x barrels in .177 sub 12ftlbs?

Iirc initial tests weren’t encouraging with poor grouping at range?

Does anyone have any real world experience of more recent testing or know if fx have addressed the issue (assuming it was actually an issue)

[hmangphilly]

What’s the current state of affairs with smooth twist and smooth twist x barrels in .177 sub 12ftlbs?

Iirc initial tests weren’t encouraging with poor grouping at range?

Does anyone have any real world experience of more recent testing or know if fx have addressed the issue (assuming it was actually an issue)

Oooh
hang on .

Aren't the slower ( >20ish :1 )twist rate barrels now being talked about as better at long range than faster (<20ish :1 )

There was an idea that the smooth twists were happier at power levels above what we are allowed without fac

[where's it gone]

I've have a FX Bobcat with smooth twist . 22 and I can honestly say that it's spot on with many different pellets. The hype about smooth twist barrels not being pellet fussy was actually right. Fine tuneing on many pellets was on the elevation turret of the scope, either up or down.

[NeilMac]

I have an ACZ / FX Streamline in .177 with the STX full length smooth twist barrel, it has a 1:16 twist, but can be ordered with 1:18, 1:20 or 1:22.

In brief, I have found it is just as pellet fussy as anything else I have shot / owned (and that's a lot of rifles), it takes just as much wind as many other rifles, better then most, but no better than my best rifles, it likes larger diameter pellets so I use mainly H&N's, it needs a better single shot tray, I got mine from SMW Engineering, it was cheap as chips and is far superior to the factory 'thing'. The barrel does not like to be cleaned and if you do clean it do not Not NOT use a pull through, I really thought I had done some sort of damage to the barrel but it eventually came good again.

It is accurate, very accurate and I am about to start using it for 25m outdoor bench rest, but the amount of work and cost involved in finding the right pellets (and I'm not certain I have, yet) was no less than I have spent on other rifles and the gains, given the cost of the rifle, we minimal or even non existent.

It's a well made accurate rifle with a reasonable trigger (better than the TM1000, far better than the HFT500 / S400), but it is no leap forward, just something a little different.

[yorkiets]

I have an ACZ / FX Streamline in .177 with the STX full length smooth twist barrel, it has a 1:16 twist, but can be ordered with 1:18, 1:20 or 1:22.

In brief, I have found it is just as pellet fussy as anything else I have shot / owned (and that's a lot of rifles), it takes just as much wind as many other rifles, better then most, but no better than my best rifles, it likes larger diameter pellets so I use mainly H&N's, it needs a better single shot tray, I got mine from SMW Engineering, it was cheap as chips and is far superior to the factory 'thing'. The barrel does not like to be cleaned and if you do clean it do not Not NOT use a pull through, I really thought I had done some sort of damage to the barrel but it eventually came good again.

It is accurate, very accurate and I am about to start using it for 25m outdoor bench rest, but the amount of work and cost involved in finding the right pellets (and I'm not certain I have, yet) was no less than I have spent on other rifles and the gains, given the cost of the rifle, we minimal or even non existent.

It's a well made accurate rifle with a reasonable trigger (better than the TM1000, far better than the HFT500 / S400), but it is no leap forward, just something a little different.

Many thanks for the comprehensive response, Neil.

So perhaps the x barrels are performing better in sub 12 than the original smooth twist.

I’ve been resisting scratching a smooth twist itch because of the bad grouping anecdotal evidence but maybe it’s time to look again at the x version.

[Spray1Mark]

The latest FX IMPACT has the new reg design which seems to work much better at 12FPE, the accuraccy is amazing from mine.

I think that the new reg design is also being used in the latest Crowns.

[NeilMac]

Many thanks for the comprehensive response, Neil.

So perhaps the x barrels are performing better in sub 12 than the original smooth twist.

I’ve been resisting scratching a smooth twist itch because of the bad grouping anecdotal evidence but maybe it’s time to look again at the x version.

The STX barrel works in .177, I think the other smoothtwist barrels are a little 'hit or miss' in .177 at 12 ft lbs, but seem to work well in .22 and above, and all of them seem to work really well at FAC / American velocities.

I bought the Streamline to scratch an itch, which it has done, but the theoretical gains are not really there, it is a nice rifle, it shoots well and can be extremely accurate, but in truth it does nothing any better than any other decent rifle.