What do you consider a good group size

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soonerfan66

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After shooting with friends and after a few jokes about each others targets got to thinking , and no it did not give me a head ache . What do you consider a good group size ? I know it can depend on lots of stuff like 3 or 5 shot groups ,25 , 50 or 100 yards , fast , slow but over all what is your thoughts on it . I think a 2 inch group at 50 makes me pretty happy with my 53 year old eyes and iron sights . And some days if I can keep shots at all on paper am happy . I have to use 1x power reading glasses to focus on front post and still focus on target . My son can get 1 inch all day at about any distance if he lays off the Redbull .
 
What do you consider a good group size
With full size pistols and iron sights, sub 2" groups at 25 yards benched slow fire.

With compact/subcompact, sub 2" groups at 10-15 yards benched slow fire.

Offhand, sub 2" groups at 10 yards slow fire.

With unsighted fast point shooting at 7 yards, all shots inside multiple 1/2 sheet of copy paper targets.

For decades, I have used the following for accuracy reference of factory pistols with decent ammunition:
  • 1" groups at 7 yards
  • 2" groups at 10-15 yards
  • 3" groups at 25 yards
And many factory pistols are capable of sub 2" at 25 yards (and some not), depending on the ammunition - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/pistol-handloads-what’s-accurate-to-you.853942/page-2#post-11186517
 
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My son can get 1 inch all day at about any distance if he lays off the Redbull .
Your son must be a really good shot. I've been shooting for over 65 years, never even tasted a Redbull, and I can't shoot 1 inch groups "all day," with any gun, at "any distance," with or without any rest.:D
What I'm getting at is, what type of gun, what type of "iron sights" (I do better with some than others), what distance, and what type of rest, if any?
With a good rest (the rail around our rear deck), most of the time I can shoot 1", 3-shot groups at 20 yards with my Sheridan Blue Streak pellet rifle. It has a "peep sight.":)
 
really depends on what I'm shooting.

I expect to be able to be in the ball park of the mechanical limits of a scoped rifle out to a hundred yards or so, depending on conditions and position.
Open sights I'm lucky to hold 4-5"
Peeps 1.5-2" same for a dot.

Big handgun
rested I can usually hold a couple inches at 50 and min of milk jug at 100.
freehand I'm just begining to be able to keep shots on paper at 50yds now....give me a few thousand more rounds.

Little handgun
lucky to hit anything outside of touch distance, maybe put 1/2 a mag on a folder paper at 15-20yds.
Tiny handgun (keltecp32 with a thumb and middle finger grip)
actually about the same as the small handguns.

A month or so ago we goofed off at the range shooting steel targets and I had much less trouble just "hitting" those than trying to shoot groups....way more fun too.

I'll probably just start doing that with handguns.
 
Ok let me get more precise in what I want to ask . With your favorite gun that you feel you can shoot the best , at the distance you shoot the most , lets keep scopes out of the equation . Just say on the average day you have went shooting for fun and felt that this target is a good group . And yes I maybe , might of , a little bit bragged on my son's shooting "some" . But did I mention what his last report card was ????
 
Ok let me get more precise in what I want to ask . With your favorite gun that you feel you can shoot the best

And maybe for giggles and grins what firearm used
With pistols that are well broken in with smooth trigger that won't move the front sight when the hammer/striker is released with good ammunition, I would say 2" groups at 25 yards is my threshold for accuracy - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ts-and-discussions.778197/page-6#post-9924922

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And on occasion, we have good range days but not typical - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ick-plated-bullets.761471/page-4#post-9646469

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53 year old eyes and iron sights
I am 53 also. Recently with Glaucoma and touch of cataract developing, I got these groups with my new GSG 1911 after break in using iron sights shooting off Caldwell pistol rest - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...endence-from-work.853305/page-3#post-11212458

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Ok let me get more precise in what I want to ask . With your favorite gun that you feel you can shoot the best , at the distance you shoot the most , lets keep scopes out of the equation . Just say on the average day you have went shooting for fun and felt that this target is a good group . And yes I maybe , might of , a little bit bragged on my son's shooting "some" . But did I mention what his last report card was ????
Lol 1" at 100with irons is bragging right grouping as far as I'm concerned.
1.5-2moa is absolutely the best I can do with ANY consistency, and I generally considered myself a pretty good rifle shot out till judging wind becomes an issue.
 
No formal standard but at or below 3" at 25 yards for benched handguns is nice. For rifles that size group at 100 yards benched.
I'll second what LaneP said - 3" at 25 yards from a bench with most of my handguns. I probably can't do much better than 6", 5 shot groups at 25 yards with my .38 Special snubby though.
I can only think of two of my rifles that aren't scoped - my Model 94, 30-30, and my wife's Model 94, 32 Special. I can probably keep 3 shots in 3" at 100 yards with either one of them.
 
After shooting with friends and after a few jokes about each others targets got to thinking , and no it did not give me a head ache . What do you consider a good group size ? I know it can depend on lots of stuff like 3 or 5 shot groups ,25 , 50 or 100 yards , fast , slow but over all what is your thoughts on it . I think a 2 inch group at 50 makes me pretty happy with my 53 year old eyes and iron sights . And some days if I can keep shots at all on paper am happy . I have to use 1x power reading glasses to focus on front post and still focus on target . My son can get 1 inch all day at about any distance if he lays off the Redbull .
After shooting with friends and after a few jokes about each others targets got to thinking , and no it did not give me a head ache . What do you consider a good group size ? I know it can depend on lots of stuff like 3 or 5 shot groups ,25 , 50 or 100 yards , fast , slow but over all what is your thoughts on it . I think a 2 inch group at 50 makes me pretty happy with my 53 year old eyes and iron sights . And some days if I can keep shots at all on paper am happy . I have to use 1x power reading glasses to focus on front post and still focus on target . My son can get 1 inch all day at about any distance if he lays off the Redbull .
In the military between us range masters, at 25 yard reduced targets, if you weren't cutting holes in the bullseye you weren't very good. However the annual service NRA matches separated the real experts from the rest of us. I never could score above average out of the hundreds of competitors. But the people that placed 1st through 3rd spent thousands on equipment, ammo, and range hours shooting. By comparison I was so poor In those early days (late 80's), I'd show up with my cast M14 receiver and a diaper bag to hold my gear lol.
 
A good group should measure 7.

Now, the unit of measurement varies depending upon many factors. But without information such as the type of firearm, the load used, sighting system, position of shooter, and environmental conditions, I can't get much more specific than 7.
 
After a fair trial, any of my center fire rifles that won't group a inch and one half or better at 100 yards with my loads are gone . hdbiker
 
To get 2" group at 50 yards must admit the stars have to be alined up just right and that is with a rifle with a rest . I mostly shoot old milsurp rifles WW2 stuff to old flintlock front stuffers . The very best rifle that is mine and more accurate then any other I got is a Springfield Krag someone put a old Redfield peep sight on and the front is a thin blade type . Not sure if the front sight was changed or not but with my reloads for it can hit 1 1/2 inch groups somedays with it . But with 8 herniated discs and 3 shoulder surgeries under me sometimes the groups really open up . That is just one of my many exuses at least thou . Like handguns to but just can not get any good groups with them . Best of them is my Colt Walker reproduction 44 cal black powder but after 3 shots with it need to set down cause it's so heavy and the holes start string downward . That is excuse #2 for the ones not counting .
 
I have always tried for a dime size group at 110 meters some times I have to settle for 3 shots around a Quarter size then sometimes it is larger so I change bullets or change powers and primers. Some times all does not go as planned but I love doing what it takes.
 
I hear you , sometimes have to double check and see if shooting shotshells . Like I said before I like to shoot and like history but some off them older rifles have some of the worst sights on them . I know that some of them are blocky front sights for a quick sight picture in combat and some like the Mausers that have a small v notch that you better have good eyes . But even the ones I got that just don't shoot good period hard to let go of .
 
With full size pistols and iron sights, sub 2" groups at 25 yards benched slow fire.

With compact/subcompact, sub 2" groups at 10-15 yards benched slow fire.

Offhand, sub 2" groups at 10 yards slow fire.
Really? The first time I shot a Glock 17, I was already terribly far-sighted at the age of 40+ at the time, with the bone stock trigger that resembles more of a staple gun than a firearm, I shot pretty consistent 2-2½ 10-shot groups offhand at 25m (27.3yd) all day long, no problem at all. An I'm definitely not a world-class shooter, just a decent amateur. No mag dumps but I wouldn't exactly call that slow fire.

Whenever I see people practising offhand slow fire at something like 30', I have a hard time trying not to laugh. For quick draw practise that might be appropriate but once you've familiarized yourself with the gun you should challenge yourself, at least to a degree.

I'm not talking about the benchrest competition ½" groups at 330yd or trying to halve the inch-groups of a hunting rifle at 100, but some reality checks of what's practical and what's good accuracy. A friend of mine (well... 2M+ round former pro) won a bet of $50 when I was sure he couldn't knock over a silhouette ram with a .357 snub offhand on the first try so there ARE different degrees of accuracy, but in general it seems to be exaggerated with long guns and underestimated with handguns these days.

IMO all the accuracy you'll ever really need is that your next group is smaller than the previous one and that you'll keep practising. Guns these days are plenty accurate, fewer shooters are, which is a a crying shame.
 
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