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Gene L
Senior MemberPosts: 12,750 Senior Member
Acceptable accuracy

What is your standards for "acceptable accuracy?" A general question, I know, and variable. My acceptable accuracy with iron sights is maybe 2 1/2 moa, with a scope, a lot less. For hunting (I don't hunt) what is acceptable? I've had bughole guns with a scope, and 5 moa with a Mosin Nagant, and 3" with a K 31.
I think it depends....I don't shoot scopes much any more. I know I can hit far more than necessary with a scoped rifles and find irons to be more challenging. On another forum, I noted a post for Russian ammo ammo that was related to about 3.1 inches at 300 meters with a PU sniper rifle which is pretty damn good. This was on the package, it was noted that this was "competition ammo" not necessarily sniper ammo...according to the informed poster.
How about you?
Concealed carry is for protection, open carry is for attention.
Replies
1.5 th 2.0 inches with my scoped bolt action at 100 yards put three elk in the freezer.
A 6 to 8 inches for ten shots at 50 yards with my SKS feels good.
When I took my Ruger SBH with me bear hunting I was happy with 3 to 4 inches at 25 yards. Same size at 7 to 15 yards close to POA with my other handguns.
Both rifles used for elk would hit within a one inch circle at the designated distance for the first shot consistently. More important than groups for the intended use.
It takes practice to be accurate. Im not willing to sacrafice whats necessary right now. Maybe later in life I hope.
My Sharps are 3" guns at 100 yard as are the lever guns.
I find that with a lot of rifles, folks get what they settle for...
What it does off the bench is pretty meaningless for field shots where the human factor is the bigger limitation. I'm more concerned with my own ability to hit a simulated deer heart (soup can) with nothing supporting the gun but my noodly arms.
"Nothing is safe from stupid." - Zee
It depends on the individual gun. I expect more from a heavy barrel target rifle than a lightweight
What are these "iron sights" of which you speak? Must be some sort of shotgun thang.
All of the rifles I use have scopes, so that's my baseline. For hunting larger antelope, I want 1 1/2 MOA or better. For prairie dog size varmints, divide that by 3.
Gun control laws make about as much sense as taking ex-lax to cure a cough.
JAY
Pdog rig, .375 or less.
Benchrest....... .25 at least, and I'm not thrilled with even that.
Handgun......if I can load it, I'm happy.
Mike
N454casull
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
..."scopes"...what are those?
I used to shoot a 270. I've shot 130, 140 and 150 grain bullets at pretty much max velocities. I have never understood writers who talked about the light recoil of the 270. It's always seemed to me to be about on a par with the 30-06. But maybe that's just me.
Even shooting 150 bullets, the recoil is not as bad as my 358, 7 mag with 175 grain bullets, or my 338x284 loaded with 225 grain bullets, but it's still enough to get my attention.
Gun control laws make about as much sense as taking ex-lax to cure a cough.
I have a heavy long barreled double barrel 12ga shotgun and a light short barrel 12ga pump gun. I'd rather shoot heavy loads from the smaller lighter pump gun any day. For some illusive reason the double barrel gun kicks like a mad karate instructor.
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.... now who's bringing the hot wings? :jester:
Neat, a thread that conflates the concepts of "accuracy" and "precision" as the premise.
I love it when I read people talking about scoped centerfire rifles producing groups at 100 yards to handguns producing groups at 25 yards as if they were talking about the same thing, "accuracy".
Precision is the inherent ability of the firearm, sighting system and ammo to produce a certain size group.
Accuracy is the ability of the shooter to place that group on target. Not the same thing at all.
I can accept the premise that you can measure the precision of a rifle at 100 yards as long as the rifle is on a rest or a solid bipod, with a rear rest and a high magnification scope. I don't think conditions would have much effect in 100 yards.
For a pistol, that's when you pull out the Ransom rest or equivalent. Anything that takes the shooter out of the equation.
Now once, you have the precision of the firearm nailed down, you can then introduce the shooter and conditions into the equation and measure accuracy, the ability to put the precision group on target.
I believe the OP was talking about precision of firearms and what standards people adhere to. Then again, that could be wrong because the OP immediately jumps into accuracy by talking about putting meat in the freezer, which essentially has very little to do with precision.
In this day and age, as long as the bullet is not tumbling coming out of the barrel, the precision of modern firearms is really not the deciding factor in accuracy. Some shooters may be able to outshoot a some firearms (ie, actually be limited by the precision of the firearm) but that's rare and even rarer as the distances grow, and conditions come into play, along with marksmanship. This goes treble with handguns.
Mike
N454casull
You never miss an opportunity to jump up on your soap box. Not one person in the 20 posts previous to yours mentioned "precision". The thread relates to the level of accuracy that is acceptable to different people as was clearly stated in the title and it seems that you are the only one that didn't understand that. I don't see where anyone requested a book on firearm precision. Get over yourself.
Is it a lever rifle you only plink with in completely uninhabited woods?
Is it a home protection rifle?
Is it a precision duty weapon?
The questions are endless.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.