Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles What is: "Hunting Accuracy" Defining the term.

My goal is 3 rounds from a rest into 1-1.5" consistently. I'd prefer 1"or less, and most of my rifles will do so for 3 shots. But in the real world even 2" is probably acceptable. But it is no great feat to get 3 shots in 1" anymore. I could care less what the groups look like for 5 rounds. I'm not shooting a target rifle.

I've shot a lot of 1/2" groups (and even smaller) over the years with my hunting rifles. But not consistently and I'd not give up 100 fps nor sweat the details to improve on 1". Once I find a load that will give near max speed and 1" groups my load development is over.

As long as I know what the rifle, scope and load is capable of the rest is up to me. At this point my goal is to hit a 9" paper plate consistently from field positions. Once I reach the range where I can't do that then I have no business shooting at that range.

Hunting accuracy is a term people use to make themselves feel better about whatever rifle/shooter combination they want to elevate or reinforce. YMMV.

"Hunting accuracy" is the ability to hit your target without the use of a bench rest.

Apparently my old smooth bore Ithaca 37 Deerslayer had adequate hunting accuracy because I killed a double shytload of deer with it. It would print 4-5" groups at 80 yards and proved wickedly deadly on any whitetail inside that range many times.

Laffin...c'mon. We don't really believe that. Do we?

Ken - Does that mean you can hit the 'deer' w/o throwing the bench too ?


Jerry

Not for me it isn't. I'd never try a 400 yard field shot on deer with a 3 MOA rifle.

Yup.

"Hunting Accuracy" is a term synonymous with "good enough".

Its a level of accuracy of which hunters are content and confident with their rifle and ammo to a point where they believe it is good enough to get the job done.

It is a step below "accurate" and a step above MOPPFTHOMT (minute of pie plate off the hood of my truck).

Well...I'm close to that!
Only exception is; I want both accuracy and velocity.
Get it by experimenting with the rifle if accurate but at lower than desired velocity.

Anyway... Only have one rifle that still wants to shoot a cold barrel flyer. But had 3 that shoot a clean barrel flyer (now 2 - I fixed 1). And a bunch that do neither As do friends. So take you want from my experience, but I see many more rifles that shoot CLEAN barrel flyers than COLD.

So yes, I also sight-in and leave'em dirty for hunting.

So long as my rifle hits in a consistant manner and 1" or less....time and time again....I'm cool with that. Now, they may not get to hang around because we only like guns that are more accurate than 1". Funny thing is, day to day with our intervention, many folks can't consistantly shoot 1/2" groups(me included). I think the take away is, if you can confidently squeeze th trigger and hit where you are aiming, you can go hunting. Just my 2 cents. I've killed a bunch of white-tails and I've used rifles from sub 1/2" guns to 3" guns at 100. Deer has no idea what it shoots like when you hit them in the pump house....and an average Georgia white-tail pump house is WAY bigger than and inch or two.

My Dad hunted deer in the Ozarks with a Trapdoor Springfield during the '30s. I have it today and it's only minute of dinner plate at 100 yards. I'm sure he knew his rifle and chose his shots well. He never worried about MOA, he just knew if he could make the shot. That was hunting accuracy - what one is capable of with the tool in hand in field conditions. If the tool is crap it will hinder you. If your skills and judgement are crap it will hinder you no matter the accuracy of the tool.

Hunting accuracy is not the rifle, it's the shooter. The rifle doesn't know if it's shooting paper or game. The shooter's ability to shoot from field positions means way more than what the rifle prints off a bench.
Cracks me up when people brag about their rifle's little tiny groups but can't hit a bull in the azzz with a scoop shovel off hand.

What's hunting accuracy?

I aim at the animal and hit it where I want.

Yup.

I don't like a rifle that gets in the way of what I'm trying to hit! That often means something different in the field than on the bench, and vise versa.

Ya'

with the rifles I hunt with, If I miss, 99% of the time its the operator, not the rifle.

Just sayin'


GWB

GW ain't it the truth!

I generally prefer not to respond to your posts but I am desperately bored tonight, so here goes;


It is the term used by those who cannot otherwise explain why their rifle doesn't hit what they are aiming at unless the rifle is tucked into the left ear of the target.

Nope,there was an earthquake when I pulled the trigger.

A grain of sand got in my eye.

A bird pooped on my scope and could not see the target when trigger was pulled.