3 moa 3 shot groups !

[badkneesbro]

Early this year, I bought a cheap lightweight rifle, to see if I would like a rifle that light.(7# all up) Problem is that it is hard to get much better than 2 to 3 moa, 3 shot groups out of this thing. Their customer service says it wont do any better. I most definately plan on buying a quality light rifle like a t3 when I get the chance. My shots will be 300 yards max. The rifle I previously used with great success shoots 1 moa & is 9# all up. So what do u all think? Do u think a 3 moa rifle will b adequate out to 300 yards, or would u go back to the heavy better shootn gun until u could afford the t3 ?

 

[BuckSnort]

With out a doubt I would rather carry the extra 2 lbs and have the accuracy... Hell an extra 5 lbs is worth the confidence alone...

What make/model of rifle is it?
Have you ruled out other possibilities for bad accuracy such as bad scope, loose mounts ect....
Hows the trigger?
Have you fed it several different brands/types of ammo?

 

[Mckinnon]

I take the heavier one no questions asked. Confidence is king for me, I want the rifle in my hands that I KNOW without a second thought is gonna hit right where I put it.

I am also curious as to your setup....?

 

[badkneesbro]

With out a doubt I would rather carry the extra 2 lbs and have the accuracy... Hell an extra 5 lbs is worth the confidence alone...

What make/model of rifle is it?
Have you ruled out other possibilities for bad accuracy such as bad scope, loose mounts ect....
Hows the trigger?
Have you fed it several different brands/types of ammo?

Yep! The confidence thing is really eatin at me. The light gun is a cva scout I got for $265. In their defence, this one is not guaranteed moa like their other centerfires & muzzle loaders & it doesnt come with their famous bergara bbls. Scope is good, mounts stay tight, fired several types of ammo, trigger is light & not bad.(advertised @ 3#) I do have to admit I shot for the first time last weak after not shooting for months, I have gotten 3 shot 1.5 moa out of it with practice. My other rifle is a ruger hawkeye , it shoots all ammo in the same hole with a heavy (7#) but crisp trigger.

 

[belly-deep]

I do have to admit I shot for the first time last weak after not shooting for months, I have gotten 3 shot 1.5 moa out of it with practice. .

Lighter rifles do take some practice to shoot. I have a Kimber Montana .308 and know from personal experience that they can be tough to hold still.

However, if the gun is capable of 1.5 MOA accuracy (note: not just ONE group, but several) then you should probably look to other factors first. I would start by:

1) Making sure the barrel is good and CLEAN. Get some copper solvent (I like Montana Extreme) and keep cleaning until there is NO blue left on the patches.

2) Verify the scope. Let me first say I've never broken a scope. But, I've heard from several good sources that most scopes don't go bonkers when they break, they just start shooting groups a little bigger than normal. Throw the scope on a rifle of known and repeatable accuracy (like your Ruger) and test it.

A 7lb gun is light, but you should still be able to shoot it, especially from a bench. Also make sure you are resting the rifle in the same place on the fore end for every shot. Some guns are very sensitive to such things.

 

[RosinBag]

I know nothing about that particular rifle, but I would say you get what you pay for most of the time with most of the products. A $265 rifle seems pretty cheap and I wouldn't expect it to be a tack driver.

As far as the original question, go with the rifle that is proven. 3 MOA at 300 is a 9" group, which will equate to a miss on a lot of animals.

 

[belly-deep]

Also, let your hunting style dictate your rifle choice.

As I mentioned, I have a Kimber .308. I love to carry it, but I don't like shooting it much over 250-300 yard. It is just plain too hard to hold still when my heart is pounding from buck fever or climbing a hill and I'm out of breath.

And so, I try to carry the Kimber in places where I'll most likely have a limited distance shot. I have a heavier .280 and an even heavier 7STW that I prefer for longer shots.

 

[badkneesbro]

The scope came off the Ruger(Leupy vx2). This was an experiment to see how the .270 would recoil on a light rifle & to see if Im recoil shy.(Im not) The Ruger is also a .270. I figured if it didnt work out, I would sell it & take a modest loss. I dont see myself hunting anything but these little California mulies for the foreseeable future, maybe blackbear. So, I dont see myself buying an expensive custom rifle,but I think I answered my own question (along with Belly deep) about accuracy, practice & lightweight rifles. I hunt the south sierra in heavy cover so shots are relateivly close. Im going to take your advise "belly deep" but I suspect before the season is over, that scope will end up back on my Ruger.(I feel like I cheated on my Ruger). You all are likely more experienced at this backpack hunting than I am, Ive been doin it since 09 and killed 2 bucks, so chime in about your lightweight rifles & if it took time to break in on them etc.

 

[hunting1]

Like others have said it takes a different procedure to shoot light rifles. I have a G1 Ti in 30-06 and it jumps if you do not hold on when off the bench. This is a good read!
http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Resources/Articles/Hold+that+Forend.html

I can do 1MOA if I do my part and handloads, but it isn't my 10-lb .308!

 

[tstowater]

My other rifle is a ruger hawkeye , it shoots all ammo in the same hole with a heavy (7#) but crisp trigger.

Is the rifle 7 lbs. or the trigger pull 7 lbs.? If it is the trigger pull, find a way to fix that or get rid of the gun or concede that you will have a hard time getting a better group. All my Rugers are terrible factory trigger pull that I have fixed and made a huge difference.

 

[big10hunter]

Honestly, I have owned many T3's and turned friends on to them, you will hardly ever hear negatives about them anywhere. I too have struggled with bad rifles in the past, and throwing money away trying to make them shoot is frustrating. For me, every box of shells or trip to the gunsmith should have been money saved for a new rifle. I would have a hard time trusting a rifle that could not do 1 MOA, and Tikka's are guaranteed to do this. Not sure what your budget is, but I think you can find the Stainless for around $600. I would see what you can get in trade on one or two guns, find a great caliber that can do it all for you (270WSM, 300WSM, 7MM), and get one soon and don't look back. Tikka's have good triggers also. Good luck!