What is the group size you are happy with?

[glennjones]

For 98% of the hunting I do 3 moa is fine as the majority of the critters I kill are well under 200 yards. I've got a couple rifles that shoot 1-1.5 moa and they are a blast to shoot but absolutely not necessary.

 

[Harvey_NW]

Cold bore is what your going to get when your hunting, so why not practice that way.

Because with a properly manufactured barrel the cold bore will fall within the cone of fire, so it's not necessary.

 

[Weldor]

Whatever works for you. sounds like your an expert, we'll leave it at that. You shoot your way I'll shoot mine.

 

[Harvey_NW]

Whatever works for you. sounds like your an expert, we'll leave it at that. You shoot your way I'll shoot mine.

Just trying to help.

 

[coyotekilla]

For 98% of the hunting I do 3 moa is fine as the majority of the critters I kill are well under 200 yards. I've got a couple rifles that shoot 1-1.5 moa and they are a blast to shoot but absolutely not necessary.

98% of the hunting i do, 3 moa is a miss. A foxes vitals are about 3 moa, a 100 yd neck shot on whitetail is 3 ish. I will take 1 moa, but prefer 1/2.

 

[RandalH]

Under 1” makes me happy.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

If I can’t put 10 shots into an inch shooting from the bench at 100 yards with a new rifle, I am not interested in the rifle unless it has some cool factor. For some of my older rifles, I will accept less.

For instance, I can put 10 shots into a four inch circle from the bench with my old Model 1886 .45-70. To me, that was “good enough” for deer at up to about 150 yards to hunt with it until I got a buck with it. Yes, I know that a whitetails vitals are approximately 8”. But, it is unrealistic to expect bench accuracy in the field. There are tons of known unknowns in the field and often unknown unknowns too. I hunted with it for a few days each season, usually in rainy or foggy weather when visibility was limited and I could move really quietly, until I got a nice buck with it. But I don’t plan to use it again anytime soon. Unless the Commonwealth ever decides to let us use a .45-70 during blackpowder season.

I know that I am the largest source of error, so I want to minimize other sources of error to a reasonable extent where I can. And that means I want the smallest group practicable and that I practice a lot shooting from field positions.


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[5811]

As soon as I read Form and others talk about Wez hit rates not changing much from 1 to 1.5 moa, I decided 1.5 was my limit for hunting rifles. It has served me well. I'm getting the hits I want and not wasting time and $ and barrel life.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

As soon as I read Form and others talk about Wez hit rates not changing much from 1 to 1.5 moa, I decided 1.5 was my limit for hunting rifles. It has served me well. I'm getting the hits I want and not wasting time and $ and barrel life.

Yes, I agree with that. I’d still prefer under an inch though. Just something special about that number. Psychologically.

When I was younger, I got a .270 that my dad cast off because it only shot a 1.5” group with factory ammunition. He suggested I try reloading for it to see if more could be done with it. So, I ordered 100 pieces of new Winchester brass and 600 130-grain bullets for it. But, before I reloaded with it, I decided to shoot it some more. I discovered that she would do that 1.5” group for box after box of Remington factory ammunition. Thirty years and dozens of groundhogs, a pile of deer, a couple of wild turkeys, and a lot of paper later, I have about 800 pieces of fired Remington brass, 100 pieces of unfired Winchester brass, and 600 130-grain bullets. She isn’t the first rifle I choose to get out of the safe, but she never disappoints. If I could find a woman that good, I wouldn’t be divorced.

Edit - for the sake of completing the story... My beloved father decided the rifle wasn't good enough for him after firing six shots from it. Three to sight it in. Three for a group. Please don't be that dad.


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“Keep on keepin’ on…”