What kind of accuracy do you shoot for with hunting ammo?

[Mule3006Elk]

Groups aren’t the whole story on a hunting rifle. The cold bore shot is what matters. Does it put that one in the same spot every time? A lot of times when my hunting rifle goes to the range, it only makes the one shot. Sometimes it is on paper, often it is on 1 moa steel at 3-600.


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Like it! I have a slight variation to your protocol but same principle. Once my load is dialed to my satisfaction I only shoot 2 shots, back-to-back, at a time. Adjust my POI based on those results for hunting season. I also shoot my ammo at hunting temperatures (40 degrees).

 

[ckleeves]

Groups aren’t the whole story on a hunting rifle. The cold bore shot is what matters. Does it put that one in the same spot every time? A lot of times when my hunting rifle goes to the range, it only makes the one shot. Sometimes it is on paper, often it is on 1 moa steel at 3-600.


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It better put it right in the rest of the group or else that barrel is getting pulled!


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[RazzleDazzle]

My advice is to go shoot a heap of coyotes at ranges you hope to achieve and go check your work.

I'm lucky enough to have about a zillion acres of yote country out my door and the confidence that inspires makes dropping the hammer on a big target much easier.

No offense but it always pains me to hear this. Practicing on live animals seems to be un-ethical. Shouldn't we as sportsman practice till we're dialed and then at that point, go out and hunt live animals? Like I said, I mean no offense and to each his own.

That being said, to the OP, MOA is a fine goal. Sub MOA is even better. At 500 and under if you can hold MOA its not too bad. Personally, anything farther and I expect my setup to hold sub. But then again if you can make it hold sub than why not strive for that

 

[Megalodon]

No offense but it always pains me to hear this. Practicing on live animals seems to be un-ethical. Shouldn't we as sportsman practice till we're dialed and then at that point, go out and hunt live animals? Like I said, I mean no offense and to each his own.

That being said, to the OP, MOA is a fine goal. Sub MOA is even better. At 500 and under if you can hold MOA its not too bad. Personally, anything farther and I expect my setup to hold sub. But then again if you can make it hold sub than why not strive for that

Why set an arbitrary distance at 500 yards. Shouldn’t that distance be determined by the vital area of your target?

 

[RazzleDazzle]

Why set an arbitrary distance at 500 yards. Shouldn’t that distance be determined by the vital area of your target?

I didn't set any distance, it's what the OP said I believe. Personally I would strive for sub and I do. But if I had an MOA rig I wouldn't feel the least bit worried about my abilities of killing any mammal (coyote and larger,) sub 500. If we're getting out past that then a sub MOA rig is the only thing I'd shoot. I think we all understand why.

Also, I'm not being a smart a$$ but honestly I'm wondering what your reference to the "distance of the target be determined by the vital area of your target" means. I'm not understanding the relevance of the distance having to do with the vital area size?

 

[WeiserBucks]

No offense but it always pains me to hear this. Practicing on live animals seems to be un-ethical. Shouldn't we as sportsman practice till we're dialed and then at that point, go out and hunt live animals? Like I said, I mean no offense and to each his own.

That being said, to the OP, MOA is a fine goal. Sub MOA is even better. At 500 and under if you can hold MOA its not too bad. Personally, anything farther and I expect my setup to hold sub. But then again if you can make it hold sub than why not strive for that

We also trap coyotes and poison them with cyanide? Is that unethical?

 

[RazzleDazzle]

We also trap coyotes and poison them with cyanide? Is that unethical?

It's just how I was raised. As I said to each his own. No need for anyone to get up in arms over. I'm sure there is validity to either side. The comment is directed more towards the art of shooting LR than the practice of killing animals. Just throwing out the fact that with the growing dislike for what we do as LR hunting it seems to me that we should be giving advice to get dialed and effective at LR before we start sending bullets down range at animals rather than the opposite.

 

[DangerRanger]

Depends what it’s for, what it’s made of and where the gun is at.

I set up a first gun for my brother in law last year and got it to 3/4-11/4 consistent with the bullet I wanted and stopped there for now. May readdress later after it’s broken in good and we have time to tinker.

On my last custom it shot a .4 out of the gate and I’ll leave it there until 100 rounds and then do a 600 yard ladder and really lean on it.

An eastern 200 yard whitetail gun has different expectations than a gun I expect to perform at or over 600 yards on game.

 

[Newtosavage]

I'm more interested in where my first round hits than what kind of group I am able to shoot. All my hunting rifles have proven over and over again that the first shot at the range is going to be within 3/4" of where I expect it to be at 100, or within 1.5" at 200, or within 2" at 300. Often they are better than that, but I keep a log of my first shots at the range with all my rifles. Because those are the ones that matter most.

 

[Frank Grimes]

Hunting accuracy?
Consistent 3 inch groups off hand at a 100meters.

 

[wyosam]

[QUOTE="

Also, I'm not being a smart a$$ but honestly I'm wondering what your reference to the "distance of the target be determined by the vital area of your target" means. I'm not understanding the relevance of the distance having to do with the vital area size?[/QUOTE]

Well, if you are shooting 1 moa, then your max distance should happen before the size of the vitals is smaller than that. If the animal has a 4 inch vital zone, and you and your MOA rifle go banging away at it at 800 yards, your MOA group is twice the size of your target area.



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[wyosam]

Accuracy goal depends on the rifle. Scopes bolt action better be sub MOA, how much sub is based on maximum shot range. Iron sighted Lever gun for the timber? 4 inch quick offhand at 100, half that for hasty supported field positions. Better is welcome, but if it’s in the vitals at 100, it’s doing what I need it to do.


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[Nostradamus]

Aim small, shoot small. I'm shooting at 5" grouping from 70 yards with my compound bow. Hope to get it tighter.

 

[RazzleDazzle]

[QUOTE="

Also, I'm not being a smart a$$ but honestly I'm wondering what your reference to the "distance of the target be determined by the vital area of your target" means. I'm not understanding the relevance of the distance having to do with the vital area size?

Well, if you are shooting 1 moa, then your max distance should happen before the size of the vitals is smaller than that. If the animal has a 4 inch vital zone, and you and your MOA rifle go banging away at it at 800 yards, your MOA group is twice the size of your target area.



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I'm fully aware of how to measure MOA and yes technically that is correct. MOA at 500 yards (which is what the OP asked about) is 5 inches (5.235 to be exact). If his .300 is holding MOA at 500 yards I'm pretty sure that's going to cover any mammal game species vitals he would encounter in north America. Maybe even the world but I dont know. Heck maybe even varmints depending on how fat the squirrel is haha. Which lead me to wonder what the distance vs. vital size analogy was referring to. Sorry if I assumed, I hate doing that. But I just assumed the distance and size of vitals was pretty much covered. If we were talking 800 or 1000 I'm still pretty sure were holding withing vitals of everything except maybe ground dwelling varmints?

 

[Wrench]

No offense but it always pains me to hear this. Practicing on live animals seems to be un-ethical. Shouldn't we as sportsman practice till we're dialed and then at that point, go out and hunt live animals? Like I said, I mean no offense and to each his own.

That being said, to the OP, MOA is a fine goal. Sub MOA is even better. At 500 and under if you can hold MOA its not too bad. Personally, anything farther and I expect my setup to hold sub. But then again if you can make it hold sub than why not strive for that

I'm basically unoffendable. I own my actions. When my neighbors call because their sheep and chickens got tore up and they know I'm a killer, I just go help. Do I care if it is a neck shot, heart, lung or guts on the yotes that just wiped them out?....nope.

I'd wager that getting a bullet launched at them by me is going to end plenty fast, but the times it does not, I don't bat an eye.....I pick my lead and roll their cousins as they run for cover.

Hope that doesn't offend anyone, but shit can get a bit western in coyote country.

 

[RazzleDazzle]

I'm basically unoffendable. I own my actions. When my neighbors call because their sheep and chickens got tore up and they know I'm a killer, I just go help. Do I care if it is a neck shot, heart, lung or guts on the yotes that just wiped them out?....nope.

I'd wager that getting a bullet launched at them by me is going to end plenty fast, but the times it does not, I don't bat an eye.....I pick my lead and roll their cousins as they run for cover.

Hope that doesn't offend anyone, but shit can get a bit western in coyote country.

Copy that sounds fun

 

[Fireman03]

Accurate

 

[COOPDUCK]

I’ve started working on a new load for my 300 win mag since H1000 has become nonexistent. My previous load with 212 gr ELD-X shot under 1/2” groups at 100 but it took a lot of work to get that good. I don’t exactly love shooting this rifle since it is so light and I don’t wanna have to shoot 100 rounds just to work up a load. What kind of accuracy do you guys expect out of rifles that you hunt with out to 500 yards?

to me I don’t get the idea of reloading for the bench versus hunting. I don’t benchrest shoot, but why wouldn’t I want my ammo to be as accurate as possible, even if “I’m only hunting with it?” I go for the tightest groups I can get.

 

[Rich M]

I might be the only hunter on the internet who doesn’t consistently shoot sub MOA.

Here’s a question: You go to the range and get to shoot exactly one 3-shot group at 100 yards. No second chances. How confident are you that it will be an inch or less? How about a 5-shot group? How about with no sled?

I’m sure there are many people who can honestly say they can do that with high confidence. I am not one of them, and I bet I’m not the only one.

But you can if you want to.

Not everyone is driven for this stuff - if your gun & load & you combo shoots say 2.5 inches (bottom of soda/beer can) at 100 and you take a deer/elk/etc. every year, then there is no problem. All systems are functioning well.

I've got a 357 magnum rifle that throws a 158 gr XTP flat point some 1900 fps and shoots close to 3 inches at 120 yards. That is one deer killing rifle. Not a precision gun but I'll brag on it weighing 5# and how the deer usually drop at the shot. Consider it a 100 yard gun.

If missing or passing decent shots due to not knowing the gun or where the bullet will hit, then there is an issue but it is nothing that a couple hundred rounds and some range time won't fix. IMO, no-one should hunt and not know "exactly" what their gun will do inside their comfort zone.

 

[Raggedwolf]

1” groups @ 350 yards, 5 shot group. 30-378