Who Can Outshoot Their Rifle?

[Jammer Six]

I don't know. But in formal logic, that's called "The Fallacy of Numbers".

 

[SheepDog]

Alex,
I shoot in small bore silhouette and any time you shoot off hand standing you are going to be humbled. The capability of the rifle is one of the last considerations in this sport. You are buffeted by the wind, weak muscles and your heartbeat while trying to hold on a postage stamp sized animal metal cutout. Your instincts tell you to jerk that trigger when your sights coast across the target when all that does is force a miss.
None of the competitors get 75% hits and I am in the top three with an average of 50%. It's a challenge regardless of your equipment because it is just you and your rifle. There are no slings, shooting jackets, no resting your elbow on your gut - no support outside of your shoulder and two arms. I know that I have a hard time shooting a strangers gun - no matter what the quality of the firearm. It is new to me and it is not "comfortable". I do occasionally have to shoot a strangers gun - I am an RSO at the local range so I help folks sight their guns in. I can usually produce a group small enough to make the sight adjustments but the shooter has to eventually adjust the sights for the way he/she holds and fires the gun. I guess what I am trying to say is that you have to be familiar with your gun and possess the skill along with having a gun that is capable.

 

[Jammer Six]

I think as long as someone else can shoot tighter groups with my rifle than I can, I have work to do.

And I think there will always be someone who can, just like there's always someone faster in pistol.

 

[BoydAllen]

Several times in the past, when I had finished shooting my benchrest rifle for the day, and conditions (the wind) were light, if I had seen that someone seemed to be interested in my equipment, I would ask him if he wanted to try shooting my rifle. If he wanted to, I would load a few more rounds, and let him. First I would show him how the rest controls work, mention what I was looking for on the flags, and have him take a number of dry shots to get used to the trigger. I would also mention how the rifle likes to be shot, as far as contact and so forth. After watching the dry fire practice to be able to correct any issues, I would hand him the ammunition, and tell him to shoot carefully and not to rush. At that point I would walk off so that he would not be distracted. Generally the result would be the smallest group that he had ever shot, something on the order of a quarter inch. When he finished, after congratulating him on his performance, I would tell him that the point of the exercise was that he was a much better shot than he had known, and that equipment plays a major role in accuracy, in essence that that is what had been holding him back. Obviously, I had done the work of assembling the equipment, and the load was well tuned right there at the range during the time before he shot, so those problems had been handled for him, but the shooting was his, and his alone. When it comes to the finest accuracy, equipment is huge. You may not have to pay a fortune, but a top barrel and chambering job, a suitable action well bedded, a light trigger, and a high magnification scope properly adjusted to eliminate parallax all make the job much easier. Add to these, a stock design that lends itself to the task, a good rest setup, and some ways to see what the wind is doing between bench and target, and you have a real chance at excellence.