Where to Spend $$$ For Accuracy?

[Joe Salt]

Barrels and Bullets my friend!

Joe Salt

 

[clunker]

I have less experience than everyone else who has already responded, but I will give you my 2 cents as a novice. With less than a year shooting, the single most important investment that improved my shots was a $30 membership at the range and several hundred dollars of ammo. Already had a great trigger and better than average factory barrel. A better scope tightened my groups, and higher quality factory ammo helped. Nothing made me more consistent than practice. Next step is a press and some dies.

 

[Peebles24]

I am going to go with loading consistency. A good set of dies, and a accurate scale. At 600 let alone 1k minor variations in loading make a huge change on paper. A well tuned consistent load in a decent factory barrel will out shoot a inconsistent untuned load out of the best barrel.

Then i will say trigger 2nd. After finally getting a good trigger, i am amazed how much better i am shooting than what i thought was a decent trigger before.

A good bedding job makes a huge difference. So 3rd bedding.

Im seeing a trend in my post. Consistency is the key to accuracy. Everything repeatable.

Chad

 

[Evan]

After finally getting a good trigger, i am amazed how much better i am shooting than what i thought was a decent trigger before.

I think the folks who undervalue a good trigger are the folks who have never shot a really good trigger. It's a whole nuther level and it makes a huge difference in consistency. Imagine if everytime you pressed the gas in your car it gave you a different amount of power. The car would be impossible to try and hustle around a racetrack at the limit of grip.

 

[Phil3]

I am the OP, and wanted to thank all for their answers. Just about every area was cited as an important area to spend $$$ on, but also drew attention to paying attention to those things which are free (or very low cost).

1. Rifle Fit: Can't shoot well if sight picture is off, am uncomfortable, straining, etc. I just finished adjusting one rifle, and OMG, what an improvement! I have not shot it yet with comb raised and scope moved rearward, but even if it does nothing to help accuracy, I am much more comfy now. Cost me nothing, but could result in new rifle hardware.
   
   
2. Practice: Not free, but not too costly (if reloading). I used to road race motorcycles and a friend who won all the time told me, "get as much seat time as you can". His years of riding a motorcycle across frozen Michigan lakes helped his skills, just like guys shooting in the wind all the time become pretty good at that skill.
   
   
3. Record Keeping: They say knowledge is power, and #2 (above) will result in lots of information. All easily noted with a notebook, pencil, and paying attention. Environmental, ammo data (reloaded or not), everything. Some of that info may not contribute to actions that result in improved accuracy, but maybe it will. I have noted that a Lapua 6BR case grows 0.001" in length from the freezer vs 70 degrees. Will a case minimally bumped back in the winter chamber easily and shoot well in 100 degree heat? I don't know, but new info to record and consider.
   
   
4. This Website: Most of you will forget more on accuracy than I will ever know, but the info here is rich in quality and depth, so computer reading time is worthwhile.
   
   
5. Purpose, Requirements, Expectations: This helps in the selection of components. This is just thinking and is free!

I do agree a top notch barrel is essential no matter what. It cost me time only, to find a well regarded gunsmith that can chamber in my desired 6.5 x 47, with a reamer that has the neck size and freebore I want, and is local (no shipping). This is no small feat in my San Francisco bay area!

I have high quality reloading equipment, so am good to go there, but if one did not, that would be a high priority. I have found though that a good barrel can shoot damn near anything better than a lower quality barrel.

Phil

 

[urbanrifleman]

It is a trick question.

You can go to Bass Pro Shop and buy Savage Varmint rifle, bone stock, that will shoot better than most people can shoot with hand loads.

Of course, then there are people who will tell you that is a piece of junk.

 

[Evan]

It cost me time only, to find a well regarded gunsmith that can chamber in my desired 6.5 x 47, with a reamer that has the neck size and freebore I want, and is local (no shipping). This is no small feat in my San Francisco bay area!

Phil

Don't restrict yourself to a local gunsmith unless you have to. Shipping and FFL fees are small in the scheme of things and a great gunsmith with the right reamer and a much shorter lead time could save you headaches.

 

[Evan]

It is a trick question.

You can go to Bass Pro Shop and buy Savage Varmint rifle, bone stock, that will shoot better than most people can shoot with hand loads.

Of course, then there are people who will tell you that is a piece of junk.

I agree on the premise, but I think a lot of folks end up 800 bucks behind with a rifle that disappoints them and no recourse but to try and sell it.

 

[284winner]

Barrel, trigger and time behind the finished product. Obviously a good gunsmith to bed the barreled action to the stock. It's a complete system ultimately including a top quality scope. Bullets aren't any less important than the first two.

 

[ngb1787]

It is hilarious to go to the range and see all these guys with their expensive rifles, electronic targets, lab radars, etc, they spend all year blaming low velocities, high velocities, reamers, mandrels, barrels, triggers, bedding, etc.. They spend week after week after week on the firing line load developing with lab radars etc, if a shot is low in the 9 ring they look at the radar and say hey that was so many fps slower than it should have been. While doing all this nonsense week after week blaming everything in their power but themselves, what they forget to realize is that they just can't read the wind. It is nice to have all the expensive stuff but if you can't read wind it don't fricken matter. Go buy some flags.

 

[mike a]

Barrels and bullets. I'm finally fully convenced that a good custom barrel is the best money spent! Bullets seem more tricky to me. Are we talking custom bullets? Or, are Berger, Sierras, Hornadys good enough? So sticking with the ops question. Is money best spent on CUSTOM bullets or trigger, scope etc.

 

[David247]

I would say a great barrel first and then a great gunsmith to go with it to make everything else work.

This has to be at the top of the list for me because if the barrel and smith aren't as close to perfect as they can be, you can have the best of everything else on it, and the best shooter operating it and if the barrel or the smith suck at what they do, your not going to be happy!!!

 

[jimmymac]

Was wondering how people prioritize their dollars on a rifle build when accuracy is the primary objective. Do you prioritize one or two things (i.e., barrel, trigger, or...?) over something else (i.e., the stock, front rest, or...?). Or do you try to keep all components more or less on the same level quality wise (and $$$) as everything else? A custom chambered Bartlein with stellar trigger, put into an ordinary, non-bedded stock makes no more sense, than a stock Remington barreled action into a $1000+ stock or chassis sitting in a Farley front rest. How does one know where to spend to get the most for their dollars?

I don't know how you define accuracy, but as someone who is looking at this from a BR perspective where accuracy is the primary objective, there are no shortcuts. Extreme accuracy costs money. You can only learn so much from shooting middle of the road equipment. You'll tend to blame yourself for bad groups even though there is a good chance you are shooting better than what your equipment is capable of. You'll only shoot as good as the weakest link in your system whether it's the gun, the reloads, the wobbly bench, the rest setup or the disregard of what the wind flags are telling you provided you are using them at all!

If you want competition level accuracy and precision, you better have good components put together by an accomplished smith. Once you have a rifle that can out shoot you, then you can put all that practice to really good use and actually learn some things about yourself as a reloader, wind reader and shooter.

IMO, this can be a bit discouraging when you add up what's required to agg in the 2's on a regular basis. It's a significant investment with much more to it than the rifle itself. Good used equipment is my friend. If I had to buy everything new, I wouldn't be doing this.

 

[284winner]

I don't know how you define accuracy, but as someone who is looking at this from a BR perspective where accuracy is the primary objective, there are no shortcuts. Extreme accuracy costs money. You can only learn so much from shooting middle of the road equipment. You'll tend to blame yourself for bad groups even though there is a good chance you are shooting better than what your equipment is capable of. You'll only shoot as good as the weakest link in your system whether it's the gun, the reloads, the wobbly bench, the rest setup or the disregard of what the wind flags are telling you provided you are using them at all!

If you want competition level accuracy and precision, you better have good components put together by an accomplished smith. Once you have a rifle that can out shoot you, then you can put that all practice to really good use and actually learn some things about yourself as a reloader, wind reader and shooter.

IMO, this can be a bit discouraging when you add up what's required to agg in the 2's on a regular basis. It's a significant investment with much more to it than the rifle itself. Good used equipment is my friend. If I had to buy everything new, I wouldn't be doing this.

Great point. Accuracy is in the eye of the beholder. Hunter accuracy vs competition accuracy are two different worlds...mine being the latter but still strive to achieve .25 in all my LR guns.

 

[Evan]

Great point. Accuracy is in the eye of the beholder. Hunter accuracy vs competition accuracy are two different worlds...mine being the latter but still strive to achieve .25 in all my LR guns.

I have shot many various hunting rifles in my life that could clover-leaf 3 shots consistently but the minute you try 5 shot groups you'd have fliers. Moving from 5 shot groups up to 10 is a similar deal, and then doing 5 sets of 5 shots is another step again. I think that's why some guys get upset and call BS when someone says they have a 0.25MOA rifle. They do, for 3 shots but not for 5 or 10 or 5x5. Completely different standard for accuracy.

Deciding where you want to be is important because the requirements for accuracy change for different uses. A 1000yrd record setting benchrest gun wouldn't rank top 10 in a 100/200 benchrest setting except by luck every now and again; everything would be set up wrong. You don't see Dashers winning the short range game just like you don't see 6 PPCs on the 1000yrd line. Scopes are different, stocks are different, barrel lengths are different. Reloading habits are VASTLY different. You wouldn't say the 1000yrd gun is less accurate than the 100/200 gun though.

 

[284winner]

I have shot many various hunting rifles in my life that could clover-leaf 3 shots consistently but the minute you try 5 shot groups you'd have fliers. Moving from 5 shot groups up to 10 is a similar deal, and then doing 5 sets of 5 shots is another step again. I think that's why some guys get upset and call BS when someone says they have a 0.25MOA rifle. They do, for 3 shots but not for 5 or 10 or 5x5. Completely different standard for accuracy.

Deciding where you want to be is important because the requirements for accuracy change for different uses. A 1000yrd record setting benchrest gun wouldn't rank top 10 in a 100/200 benchrest setting except by luck every now and again; everything would be set up wrong. You don't see Dashers winning the short range game just like you don't see 6 PPCs on the 1000yrd line. Scopes are different, stocks are different, barrel lengths are different. Reloading habits are VASTLY different. You wouldn't say the 1000yrd gun is less accurate than the 100/200 gun though.

I'm talking about consistent .25 for 5,6,7...10. Not saying I succeed in getting that accuracy in every gun but I sure do my best to obtain it. I have a couple guns that are there in .224 caliber. Most of them are there for 3-5 shots. Here's the problem. Wind. Beyond 100,200,300 yards, wind wrecks all that. Reading it plays a major role in long range group consistency. I fail more than succeed in that area.

 

[Evan]

I'm talking about consistent .25 for 5,6,7...10. Not saying I succeed in getting that accuracy in every gun but I sure do my best to obtain it. I have a couple guns that are there in .224 caliber. Most of them are there for 3-5 shots. Here's the problem. Wind. Beyond 100,200,300 yards, wind wrecks all that. Reading it plays a major role in long range group consistency. I fail more than succeed in that area.

Agree 1000%. Obsessing over cutting your gun from 0.4 down to 0.3MOA really doesn't serve much purpose in long range shooting. Got $3000 to spend on improving accuracy at >200yards and you've got a factory rifle that shoots 3/4" at 100 all day long? Buy $2800 in ammo and $200 for wind flags.