Quarter-MOA, Half-MOA? How Much Precision Is Really Enough?
This impressive 15-round group was shot by Jim See of Elite Accuracy.
Different shooting disciplines demand different levels of precision/accuracy. In the rapid-fire 3-Gun game, you could probably “clean” most stages with a 2-MOA rifle. By contrast, in the short-range group benchrest game, to compete with the best, you’ll need a rifle that shoots in the “ones” (i.e. 0.1-0.19 MOA) in perfect conditions. In 1000-yard F-Class competition, the top shooters want a rifle that will hold one-third-MOA of vertical at that distance.
What is your standard of accuracy? How good is “good enough”. Jim See, a skilled gunsmith and successful PRS competitor, has answered that question for his tactical discipline. For the kind of matches Jim shoots, he likes to have a rifle that will hold half-MOA for five (5) shots, 3/4-MOA for 15 shots, and 1 MOA for twenty shots. Remarkably, Jim’s rifle can do that with factory ammo. Above is an impressive 15-shot group shot with .260 Remington Federal Premium Ammo.
“I say it all the time, my loads need to print 5 under 1/2″, 10 under 3/4″, and 20 under 1″. It’s simple, if a hot barrel will keep 20 rounds fired in succession under my standard it will be a good barrel and load for Precision Match Shooting. Federal Premium Gold Metal Match .260 with Sierra bullets made the cut for me today. 15 consecutive shots under 3/4 MOA.” –Jim See
It’s said that you “can never have too much accuracy”, but there are acceptable standards for each discipline, and they’re not the same. A 100/200 yard Benchrest shooter will be sorely disappointed with a rifle/ammo set-up that can only deliver half-MOA. On the other hand, a PRS competitor like Jim See can achieve great success with a lesser degree of precision. This means you can save time and money. You can run your barrels longer between cleanings, and you don’t have to go “full OCD” when loading your ammo. The PRS shooter does not need to weigh-sort primers, or load powder to single-kernel standards. Proof is the performance. Jim See recently took third place at the Spearpoint Shootout, and he has been a podium finisher at other events. Learn more about Jim’s gunsmithing and training operations at EliteAccuracy.com.
Download This Load Development Target
Jim’s target seemed a bit familiar. AccurateShooter.com created this Diamond and Dot Target a few years back. On each aiming point, there are high-contrast black horizontal and vertical lines for aligning your cross-hairs. The gray circle lets you see the bullet impacts above, without obliterating the red diamond, which is quite useful for precise aiming (we put fine cross-hairs on the points of the diamond). This target sheet includes data entry tables below each of the three aim points. There are many other free targets out there, but this format is very popular. We’re pleased to see Jim using it. You can download this and dozens of other FREE Targets from the AccurateShooter.com Target Page.
Similar Posts:
- How Much Accuracy is Enough — What Works for Your Discipline?
- How Much Accuracy Is Essential for Your Shooting Discipline?
- What Level of Accuracy is “Good Enough” for Your Discipline?
- FREE Downloadable Targets for Practice, Precision, and Fun
- Precision Targets By the Roll from Midsouth
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Tags: Accuracy, Benchrest, Load Development, Precision, PRS, Testing
To keep it real on accuracy expectations, we need to be mindful of mirage. It takes a lot of experience to shoot small groups when mirage is moving the target image around while you are shooting.
As soon as the weather breaks, I will post a video how I like to to watch, test for and compensate for mirage refraction, but for now, here’s a link showing how mirage will push the target image around. Shooting small groups in mirage like this is no small thing… no mater what rifle you have.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_kViFN2wyw
Pure accuracy is important, however the shooter must be able to effectively use their equipment in ever changing conditions. This is true in both smallbore as well as bigbore and pure accuracy seldom is the reason why someone wins a particular match. Great starting point but shot execution, and wind reading abilities are actually more important than a rifle that will shoot an exceptionally small group while being tested.
It is plain to see his rifle does not like that ammunition. That would be a good 300 yard group in ideal conditions.
You only need to have enough MOA, for the shoot you are in, to beat out the other shooters groups. And that will vary for match to match.