The scouts were from in/around Hunt County. Not exactly the sticks, but well outside the Metroplex. Suburban to Rural is a pretty accurate description.
I'm not saying that these kids should have been getting regular trips to the range to practice with a .22 rifle, I'm saying that I was surprised that they hadn't even been shooting airguns. That's a BIG change from when I was their age.
Shooting groups isn't all that fun, but then Merit Badges aren't necessarily about fun, they're about learning new skills and demonstrating those skills. Shooting groups is a good way to demonstrate shooting skill.
The ammo was match ammo, the guns were all easily capable of the accuracy required. We allowed all the boys to shoot at once, but we had enough instructor/helpers there to allow one scout per instructor/helper with a dedicated RSO and head instructor besides.
1" groups at 50 feet is not hard with an iron-sighted rifle from a benchrest. It's not even that hard from the standing position. There was wind, but it was primarily from behind and also fairly constant. The reason they didn't qualify was that they had no experience at all with shooting prior to the training, not because the requirements were too stringent or the equipment was inadequate or the conditions were too harsh.
There is a followup in the works.
This isn't sad because the scouts all failed, it's sad because it was clear that they have had no exposure to shooting other than what they see on TV.