I agree that out to 200 an inch and a half will do.
MILES not directed at you.It's the notion I dispute, not your opinion.
Caveat: If you have a rifle that stacks them all at 100 into one hole, more power to you.I love rifles like that.(You have to say that on here or someone will jump down your throat for settling for low accuracy standards ).
And I agree that it isn't hard today to do better. In truth it never has been in my lifetime.
But let's look at this for the sake of those poor slobs who feel inadequate because their rifle nudges over an inch with their factory fodder.Can they kill BG animals past 200 yards with such "shoddy" performance? Of course they can.
The rifle that throws three shots into 1.5 inches at 100 will theoretically put them in 3" at 200,4.5" at 300,and 6" at 400.
This means that at 400 yards, any one of those three shots will land within 2" of where the cross hairs rest( valid since we never kill animals with "groups"). And is likely less than many reticles will subtend at that distance.
Given Mule Deer's standard of a volley ball,you should hit it every time at 400 yards with a 1.5" rifle and a solid rest.
Drop the group size at 100 yards to 1",and we have(theoretically) a 4" three shot group at 400 yards...which places all three shots within 1.33" of the center of the reticle....so we are shooting a whole 3/4" tighter at 400 yards.
I would submit, that if you miss with one, you are going to miss with the other...and it won't be the rifle nor the load that needs work...it's the shooter.
I come to this conclusion having killed BG animals with rifles capable of both types of accuracy at 300-400 yards,so believe the notion is valid.YMMV.
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