shot groups

[chemist308]

Question for those who do compete with rifles. What kind of shot groups do you get at 300 and 400 yards? What do you consider "good" at that range?

edit: I do mean with the use of a scope.

 

[spitballer]

I'm just visiting from the reloading blog and I haven't competed in years but with my .223 bolt action I seldom do better than 3" groups at 300 yards, with 55 grain bullets. I can do 1/2 moa consistently at 100 yards, but a lot of factors come into play as yardage increases, not the least of which is wind!

 

[chemist308]

Thanks spitballer. I'm asking the question because once I got zeroed at 400 yards last Sunday, this was my 3 round shot group. Between rides down to the target, I covered most of my zeroing holes. I didn't bother covering the one in the upper right corner. The 3 surrounding the circle are the group. The circle itself is 3" I believe.

 

[Ankeny]

What kind of competition? Being able to hold a 3" group at 400 yards would rock proned out in a Tactical Rifle Match. OTOH, a bench rest shooter would hang his/her head in shame.

 

[chemist308]

Well, I guess the answer is that I'm not comparing to a competition type and didn't think of it since don't compete. I just shoot for fun. But since I got access to a range with multiple longer range backstops late this summer my accuracy has improved somewhat, and for the first time in my life I'm able to claim making a shot over 300 yards.

So I'm trying to figure out where you folks are, because I'm just curious where I stack up. Most of my shots are taken from a bench with the front of the rifle resting on a small Porta-aim tripod--not the most stable--and the back of the rifle supported by my shoulder and left fist. Also the rifle is gripped as the trigger is pulled. So I guess that's not a true bench rest style either, since bench rest styles I've seen involve rear sand bags, rifles so heavy they barely jump, and a trigger pull that really doesn't really involve a grip.

 

[tuj]

you can always use MOA to figure out your accuracy regardless of range. 1MOA at any range is considered pretty much 'good'. If you can get to sub-1MOA then your rifle is really shooting well. Below 1/2MOA and you've got a very accurate rifle. For 5-shot groups of course, no 3-shots, those are worthless.

If you want the best groups possible, you want a full bench rest rig and hand loads.

 

[Trent]

My last 2 NRA F-class targets, above, were shot at 300 yards (MR-63FC). (Conditions were 8-14mph gusting wind from 4-5 o'clock, late evening, sunset behind me, with some mirage from the ground)

Those were shot prone.

For scale, the X ring is

X ring .......1.42
10 ring ......2.85
9 ring .......5.85
8 ring .......8.85
7 ring .......11.85
6 ring .......17.85

To get a "perfect" score of 200, you have to shoot sub MOA. 1 MOA at 300 yards is 3.141". So you need a rig that can shoot a 20 shot group of .907 MOA.

Shooting a 20 shot group that is sub MOA is far more difficult than shooting a 3 or 5 shot group that is sub MOA.

I've shot 5 shot groups with that rifle from the bench, with that load, at 100 yards which were .220 MOA during load development and confirmation. But shooting a 20 shot string, over (up to) 20 minutes, prone, introduces a whole new host of variables.

Fatigue in body.
Barrel heat & mirage.
Changes to wind / weather.
Changing light conditions (esp. if it's partly cloudy).

You've got to do everything exactly perfect every single time. Cheek weld must be consistent. Parallax on scope must be precisely set. Bipod must be stable. Body position must be perfect and relaxed (otherwise *something* will start shaking, at some point.. neck, arms, back, etc). Then you have to wait for the right wind.. and do everything right on the shot itself. Breathing, paying attention to heartbeat rhythm, trigger pull, follow through... it's all got to be perfect. Every single shot. For 20 shots in a row.

Not easy to do.

I've been chasing a perfect score for the last year and a half now, and although I'm consistently in the high 190's, I still can't get that perfect string.

 

[jtischauser]

For 3-gun I require a 3" group or less at 400 yards for a big match.

For a club match I am happy using cheaper ammo that only gives 4-6" group at 300 yards.

 

[Ankeny]

Yeah, I too like an accurate rifle no matter what I am doing. Alas. I can't wring all of that accuracy out of my sub MOA rifles in the field.