What is a 1/2 moa rifle?

[Witchhunter]

A .5 MOA rifle will just barely stay on a soda can (laying on end) at 500 yards. I have a couple of rifles that will outshoot me on my best day. Invite one of those guys from the barber shop out to the dog towns if you want. All of a sudden their "scope must be off". For years I measured my groups outside to outside edge. I had a .220 Swift that would shoot 3/8" 100 yard groups. I met a guy that said he had a .22/250 that shot well too, so we went shooting pdogs and that is how I learned that a lot of guys get their scope knocked off somehow.

 

[Minesweeper3433]

A lot of this has to do with the details behind the claim to 1/2 MOA rifle. I can't shoot my 300 winmag into 1/2 MOA at 100 yards or even out far (lack of practice at distance) but if someone claims I can't shoot 1/2 MOA with that rifle I'll just set up at 200 yards were I get consistent 3/4 inch or smaller groups. Now if that same person asks me to do it any further I won't even know were my rounds are going till I shoot at a huge target due to no experience with longer distances with this rifle and I stink at reading the wind. Still fun to get called out on this though at the range when I have access to 200 yards instead of 100.

 

[Jay Christopherson]

Most of the guys that say their rifles shoot 1/2 MOA "all day long" have never shot all day long. They are usually talking about 3 shot groups at 100 yards.
I have shot some 20 shot strings at about 1/2 MOA at 1,000 yards, but those are very rare.

However, if you had such a good group going and then a shot dropped that far low, you need to work on your reloading skills. I have shot many 3-4" 5 shot groups at 1,000 yards, it's when you have to shoot 20 that things get harder.

Nailed it.