What is Your Definition of an Accurate Rifle?

[carlsbad]

The question was how do you define an accurate rifle. I think a lot of the answers you got were to the question "Post your best group". I'll post load development from yesterday. I too have photos of a single hole with a note beside it that this is really 5 shots.

This rifle has almost 600 rounds on it. The barrel sped up and I had to do limited load development again. It has some firecracking in the throat and I'll be happy to get 1000 rounds out of it. The previous load was too hot.

So I'd call this an accurate rifle, but it's not the best group I've ever shot. It'll shoot 980+ in AZ next week if I can figure out the wind.

 

[jds holler]

skeeljc said: ↑
Is accuracy the same as precision?

You could wind up chasing your tail with this question.

How about the case of a rifle that is built with a great deal of precision, but the accuracy "just aint there".

How about this: Precision resides in the equipment, accuracy depends on the operator. jd

 

[Uthink Uknow]

I think of score shooting being tougher than group shooting and that the score shooter has to be more precise than the group shooter. And I hold as evidence that the group shooter can be a little off on his first shot for record in relation to the placement of the sighters. The group shooter can go back to the sighter and find why the first shot was off and then go back to the record with an adjusted POA and shoot a tiny group nowhere near where they were in the sighter. The score shooter has to take a big gulp and try the sighter and start again on target two with some sort of penalty on his first shot.

 

[JSH]

Doing it on more than one occasion, accuracy.
Doing it on demand, precision.

Not here, but other places about I see guys puff up the chest on a good group, something to be happy about.

Shooting “bug holes” on a regular basis, that is something to be proud of.

Doing it once doesn’t make an MOA rifle.

My thoughts.......

 

[BartsBullets]

I like this definition!

Accuracy and Precision: Accuracy refers to the closeness of a measured value to a standard or known value. ... Precision refers to the closeness of two or more measurements to each other. Using the example above, if you weigh a given substance five times, and get 3.2 kg each time, then your measurement is very precise.

 

[Ned Ludd]

Precision has the same meaning as "reproducibility"...all shots converging on the same point, which may or may not have been where you were aiming. Accuracy means all the shots converged on your exact point of aim. In this day and age of quality rifle scopes, the term "accuracy" has less meaning with regard to group shooting than it once did, simply because with good precision, we can twirl the scope knobs to move the group anywhere on the target we wish.

 

[BartsBullets]

Precision has the same meaning as "reproducibility"...all shots converging on the same point, which may or may not have been where you were aiming. Accuracy means all the shots converged on your exact point of aim. In this day and age of quality rifle scopes, the term "accuracy" has less meaning with regard to group shooting than it once did, simply because with good precision, we can twirl the scope knobs to move the group anywhere on the target we wish.

Like I said on another post, “It’s Going to Be a Long Winter!”

Bart

 

[JSH]

^^^^

Has been said here many times before “there are way more MOA rifles than there are MOA shooters”

 

[Liven The Dream]

My Barnard Palma Rifle , Masterclass Stock , Krieger Barrel , 95 Palma Chamber.
Warner Iron sight Rear , 30mm Right Sight up front .

Clean the 1000 yard Target …. 2sighters 15 for record .
Score 150-10X

To add to JRS ! It is not the Arrow , It's the Indian .

 

[Drop Port]

Should I consider this 300 yard group
1- Accurate
2- precise
3- shit house luck

You can call it #1, #2 or what ever you want, as long as you don't use the stupid phrase "all day long" "all day every day"

 

[carlsbad]

This old thread got bumped today and coincidentally I shot this 3 shot group at 300 yards today. It was a combination of all 3. It is a very accurate rifle but if I went back to the range tomorrow to repeat it, it would be very unlikely that I could do it again before the barrel was shot out.

 

[JFrank]

You can call it #1, #2 or what ever you want, as long as you don't use the stupid phrase "all day long" "all day every day"

Or the dreaded ( if I do my part) line that so frequently makes me wonder what I’m doin wrong......

 

[carlsbad]

PS Here is the entire target. It was a very windy day so most groups are not at the same hold point (this was an informal competition rather than a rifle test). However, the group above was shot during constant wind with the same hold point.

 

[snert]

If it shoots within the design specs, its accurate. If it shoots better than it should, its a keeper.

Just don't try to make an AK into a BR rifle, if you get my meaning

 

[jonbearman]

Lets make it simple, for hunting 1 inch and under for a healthy cartridge like say 30-06 and up is decent for hunting. Smaller calibers like .243 then 3/4 of an inch at 100 yards is decent for hunting. Now precision comes in trying to shoot really small like a single ragged hole.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

PS Here is the entire target. It was a very windy day so most groups are not at the same hold point (this was an informal competition rather than a rifle test). However, the group above was shot during constant wind with the same hold point.

View attachment 1157235

You should do like some folks do and lay something over those stray holes like a quarter. Target looks way better that way

 

[carlsbad]

F-class score would have been 448-35x...I had 2 nines. One was shooter error (bulky coat restricted free recoil) and one was a huge wind shift. Clean next month "if I do my part" (for SPJ).

 

[Zero333]

3 shot groups are a waste of target

 

[T-shooter]

3 shots at 215 yards with Hornady 208g ELD and 41.5g of Varget on a 1" dot. It's the only time that day the wind stopped blowing for a couple minutes. The rest of the time it was 10-15 mph at 90° sideways. "Accidents happen!"

 

[Raythemanroe]

All day long if I do my part.

Ray