Mozella -
So your saying the bullet you used to win that F/TR and BR match is not the most accurate bullet in that barrel?
My experience is, raw accuracy has the ballistic advantage, by having less dispersion built in.
Donovan
In zero wind, I would agree. But where I shoot, we have wind, lots of it, and it's devilishly shifty as well. "Dead Calm" is considered a foreign language.
Therefore, raw accuracy (precision actually) does not tell the whole story. Muzzle velocity and BC have a lot to do with having success at 600 yards in nasty wind conditions.
For example, I've tested 1068 carefully recorded rounds in my current 6mm BR gun, so I have a good idea of what works and what doesn't. The most accurate no-wind bullet/powder combination that I've tested so far is the Berger VLD 95gr with Vihtavuori N-140. However, my competition load is Berger VLDH 105gr with IMR 4895.
The 105s shoot slightly larger groups and have a worse Mean Radius as well. By the way, not everyone calculates Mean Radius for their test groups, but I think it's an important factor, especially when shooting for score.
So why use the less precise 105s? Here is one example using carefully recorded data from my numerous test sessions: Even though the 105gr load is not as precise as the best one for 95gr bullets, if I make a wind call error of 2 mph (12mph vs 10mph, easy for me to do) the less precise 105gr load will have a computed advantage at 600 yards of 0.864" after taking into account both the better performance and the basic accuracy disadvantage of the 105gr load. That's nearly 7/8", enough to make the difference between winning and coming in mid-pack.
Doing the math for my .223 F/TR competition recipe results in different numbers, but the same conclusion; i.e. a sacrifice in precision to gain an advantage in either MV or BC or both is worth it for me.
Anyone can do the math for their particular situation if they know the real performance of various recipes in their particular gun.
Bottom line: Accuracy is nice; however, MV and BC are not to be ignored when selecting the best combination for competition. Of course, no two shooters (or their equipment or their situation or their wind skills) are the same, so you gotta' do both the testing and the math to make an informed decision.