How much accuracy do you need?

[Bart B.]

Here's something I learned years ago. It makes total sense to me. Others may disagree.

We know that all bullets fired do not go into a hole the size of the bullet. Nothing's that accurate. Can't make components and rifles good enough to do that. So we have to accept the fact that groups get bigger as range increases. Typically about 10% or more minutes of angle for each additional 100 yards of range starting at 100 yards. A 1-inch group at 100 yards will be about 1.1 MOA at 200 yards or about 2.2 inches. Groups don't stay the same MOA value as range increases; never have, never will.

How much accuracy do we need?

Consider the target shooter using a scoped rifle in a 1000-yard match. The best of them hold well enough that their wobble area on paper is about 8 inches and they try to get their shots off in the middle of that area. When their shot breaks, they want the bullet to strike no more away from where it's called than 3 to 4 inches. Which means they have to shoot their rifle and its ammo all the time no worse than 8 inches at 1000 yards; twice the distance they want to miss their call.

Big game hunters may well have other demands for accuracy. At 200 or 300 yards, they may well accept missing their point of aim by 2 inches. On deer, elk, moose and others of the same size, that's good enough. Which means they've got to shoot their rifle's ammo into no worse than 4 inches at 200 or 300 yards.

 

[loadedround]

Bart:
All well and good but I don't get your point.

 

[Eb1]

I don't get it either, but I will answer the question from my point of view.

The question is "How much accuracy do you need?"

I read your explanation, and I don't agree with some of it. There are rifles that will shoot one hole groups consistently. The factor that keeps them from doing it are the shooters.

I have 30-30s that shoot 3 hole clovers or one hole groups, and my AR-15 can do the same. Does it all the time? No. Because I am not that accurate all the time.

As far as a hunter and a bench shooter. I shoot at animals, paper off a bench, and in High Power. The accuracy that I strive for never changes. I want as much as I can get. So the answer to your question for me is "AS ACCURATE AS I CAN BE."

 

[Bart B.]

loadedround mentions:

All well and good but I don't get your point.

My point is, your rifle's sights are aligned at some point on the target. When it fires, what's the most you want to miss that point by?

Double that number and that's what you have to shoot it to meet your objective.

Example: I'm a competitive shooter. If I aim my rifle at a target and am having a bad day at 600 yards, I don't care too much if the sights are way out in the 8 ring when it goes off. If I call the shot at 2 o'clock in the middle of the 8 ring, I don't want the shot to miss that point by more than 2 inches. So, my rifle and ammo have to shoot no worse than 4 inches at 600 yards to do that.

 

[Walkalong]

Yep, it took me awhile to figure out my little 1/8 minute dot on my fine crosshairs did not have to be perfectly aligned every time the round went off. Too many other variables that made a bigger difference. Trigger control, recoil control, reading the wind. The crosshairs being just right everytime was just a bonus. If I missed the right time (wind wise) to pull the trigger because my crosshairs weren't "perfect" I could very well make a much worse shot when I did.

Then for hunting. Heck, just get a load that shoots well, get your crosshairs close to right, and make a good shot without yanking the trigger etc.

For handgun plinking. If the load will shoot 2" rested at 25 yards, it will shoot better than I can offhand at my best, much less if I am just playing around.

 

[Afy]

bart I for one believe as much accuracy as possible.

Would love to be able to shoot in the low 1's @100-300 meters.

 

[Ol` Joe]

bart I for one believe as much accuracy as possible.

Would love to be able to shoot in the low 1's @100-300 meters.

+1
I want all I can get get.

 

[30Cal]

Some people are willing to pay any price in time and effort to get negligible gains. It's widely assumed that everything matters and will have an impact on the target. Very few bother to validate that claim.

 

[Redneck with a 40]

At a minimum, I want an inch at 100 yards, which my SPS Tactical Remmy 700 delivers pretty regularly. My best so far, is 1.25" at 200 yards, my handloads using 168 SMK's.

 

[rogn]

Someone came up with a 5" radius as the "kill zone" for big hunting and i suppose thats rweasonable. Now if your rifle is somewher at those limits and you are extending your limits on a given day then having a rifle tat is constant and hopefully both PRECISE and accurate should hpefully keep you in that kill zone. As an example picture doing a 200" climb to overlook a target species walking over a saddle, hopefully the rifles performance(small a group as possible at given range) will help compensate for your puffing and your pounding heart.

 

[41 Mag]

I strive for groups to be at or less than 1" at 200yds. This means most are worked up to run tight little clusters at 100.

What this gives me in the field is confidence in my rifle and load, which allows me to concentrate on other things like the game, conditions, and whether or not I can get closer or have to make the shot from where I am at.

Top it off with the above mentioned scenerio where the trophy you have searched for you whole life steps into a clear shooting lane, and I know that everything I have done for the rifle and load is good, and the rest lays upon my shoulders.

If one of my rifles will not shoot to my personal expectations, then I either work with it until I am satisfied that the rifle needs work or, until I hit a good shooting load. Most times I find a good load which will work for the task I have in mind. Some rifles have a couple of loads, and some only have the one. However everyone that I hunt with will shoot nice little clovers from the bench before they hit the field.

 

[USSR]

Consider the target shooter using a scoped rifle in a 1000-yard match. The best of them hold well enough that their wobble area on paper is about 8 inches and they try to get their shots off in the middle of that area. When their shot breaks, they want the bullet to strike no more away from where it's called than 3 to 4 inches.

I have shot at 1000 yards for quite a few years. My concern begins with and ends with wind.

Don

 

[Ankeny]

Under field conditions with a near zero value wind, I expect to be able to thump a 2 minute of angle target to 600 yards with my long range hunting rifle.

 

[Walkalong]

My concern begins with and ends with wind.

Even at 100 yards, wind doping is 90% of the game. Those that don't believe need to shoot a gun capable of shooting zeros, in a little bit of wind, against someone who can read the wind.