Rifle or Ammo MOST Important?

[Bill Norris]

I agree. It has to be a complete triangle between the three. All 3 have to be at the top of performance in order to have a good outcome.

 

[Phil3]

I am the original poster (OP) and the consensus seems to be that a combination of good rifle, ammo, and shooter skills are needed to achieve better accuracy. I suppose ideally, none of those three are a weak link in the rifle/ammo/shooter "system".

It also appears to me an improvement in any of those three is likely to generate superior accuracy, but improving two of the three might deliver more, and improving all three is optimal. This is especially true if one improves substantially a single weak link. I saw this demonstrated when I shot an H-S Precision custom rifle in 308 at about 100 yards, and I was able to shoot a group under 1/2" (I loved the gun!). Another young guy present then tried the same rifle and his best was about a 3" group. I am not a great shooter, but clearly, the shooter was the weak link in this "system" of rifle/ammo/shooter.

I do wonder about luck and its impact. Or drawing conclusions from target data that is not statistically valid or significant. I am no statistician so can't comment. That is for another post, which I will put up shortly.

Thanks for the comments. They do help with my next rifle build specifications.