Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Three shot groups.

I understand the statistical fallacy of overly depending on three shot groups. I recently found a load that really shoots in my Bobby Hart built 7-08, M-700..

140 gr. SGK HPBT over 42.5 gr. Varget, W/W brass and Fed 210 primers. Three (3) shot groups and not on the same day. They were .27", .4", and .64" for an aggregate of .48" for the nine shots. Not a 10 shot group, but close. Shot these groups on an improvised 4 wheeler bench. Will post pictures one of these days. Handy rig.

So, one could conclude this gun likes that load. It also does well (sub MOA) with 120 NBT's and 150 NPT's, but for some reason does not like 140 NPT's (2"),.

I've never killed a deer with a Sierra Gameking HPBT, but plan to do so if I get the chance. I hear they perform well. Will report.

Rifle weighs 7# 14 oz as shown in a Hunters Edge. Hart barrel has Rem sporter contour and is 23". Timney 501, Conquest 3-9x40 with elevation turret. I've posted this one before. This is currently my favorite deer rifle.

DF

A fine shooting rig for sure!

Nice rifle...not too light, but still an easy carry.
Bob

Nice deer rifle!!! I have zero issue with 3 shot groups for a big game rifle. Once you shoot a good number of them over a period of weeks or months you get the full picture of where your rifle puts the first 3 shots. I've never uses more than 2 shots on a game animal in over 25 years


Trystan

Anytime you can keep um under a half inch with a deer rifle.
Your doin good
Looks like a well thought out practical tool to get the job done.
Very nice.

dave

Thanks guys.

It handles and feels lighter than the scale weight. It's just heavy enough to hold steady and not be whippy, but light enough for easy carry. With a light weight Edge stock, weight feel more forward, although it does balance at the front action screw. To me, it's about ideal for what I use it for.

DF

Now, now. You know that shooting multiple 3 shot groups don’t mean anything.
You gotta shoot 10 shot strings to find out anything !!



Nice Rifle, nice weight, nice handling, GREAT shooting.

Jerry

I only shoot three shot groups for load development. After I get my load figured out. I shoot one or shots about a week before deer season. It’s the first shot counts the most.

Great looking rifle! One day I’ll realize that I’m generally over-gunned and buy something more pratical.

Did the groups hit in the same position relative to the POA? What would the composite group look like if you overlaid the targets?

John

Fine looking rifle which should serve you well. Not to worry regarding 3 shot groups imo, they are more than adequate for a hunting rifle. Target shooters may want a larger sample, but for hunting folks who are only going to shoot 2 rounds (at the most) at an animal , a 3 shot group tells you what you need to know. Good hunting...

Unless you are punching targets for score, it is irrelevant whether you shoot three, or five-shot groups. Three is all that will ever matter for a hunting rifle. As long as the load does it with consistency, it is all you need. Most of my loads are way more consistent that I am, anyway.

For me, three shot groups confirm zero and the overall health of what I have going. Plus I am usually too cheap to toss too many rounds down range with factory ammo. With handloads i usually shoot a bunch more.

I usually shoot 3 or 5 shot groups. Not all of us have a great big money tree in the back yard. Mine died.

I can't believe this is an issue. Three shot groups are a perfectly reasonable and sound way to test your rifle's ability to take game and overall accuracy consistency. What's not to like?

JMHO:

3-shot groups are fine to see if your hunting rifle/load is good enough for hunting.

For seeing just how accurate your rifle is, which necessarily includes comparing your rifle to other rifles of know accuracy, 5-shots is the universally accepted number of shots for a group. Of course, regardless of number of shots in a group, the more groups you shoot, the better.

Because there is some "bell-curve randomness" in the printing of groups, a 3-shot group size is not as repeatable as a 5-shot group size. Thus, a single 3-shot group is less likely to show a rifle's true accuracy potential than a 5-shot group. A good rule of thumb is that for a particular rifle and load, the 5-shot group will be *about* twice as big as the corresponding 3-shot group. In other words, a 3-shot one-inch group is *about* equivalent to a 5-shot two inch group. (Notice the word "about" is emphasized)

7- or 10-shot groups are even more reliable, but it is a case of diminishing returns, and the accuracy-minded shooting community has gravitated to the 5-shot group as the acceptable accuracy standard without going overboard on the number of shots required.

Regardless, if you are happy with your rifle's 3-shot groups, and you don't care about its 5-shots groups, then continue to be happy and go hunting, since the whole point of all this is to have fun (unless your a professional sniper where accuracy is serious business and you'll get laughed at if you start bragging about your gun's single 3-shot group).

Again, JMHO.

As we grow older (sometimes wiser) many of us tend toward more practical rounds, away from big boomers to get the job done.

With the 150 NPT, nothing (short of DG) is safe. The 7-08 will duplicate 7x57 performance and that round has a very long and impressive track record. The 7-08 has a pretty good track record itself.

And as oft quoted by our resident guru from the far North, "it's the boolit, not the headstamp". There's truth in that statement. And, where that bullet strikes the critter is probably the most important factor of all.

DF

When working up loads or just plain whiling away time at the shooting bench, I use 5 or 10 shot groups for a better statistical average. Sighting /practicing with a hunting rifle, 3 shot groups are my pleasure, especially with a recently acquired Ruger #1 which prints bughole 3-shotters and then starts walking the 4th and 5th shots upwards an inch.

All were centered, 1 1/2" high at a hundred. I never overlapped them. but POI looked about the same. Groups didn't shift enough to be evident.

Years ago, I bought a 40XB in .244. It came from Remington with an aggregate .38" target of three (3) shot groups, 60 gr. Sierra over 3031. That's the way they tested it. So, my thinking, if it's good enough for Remington, it'll do for me.

Now, if I had shot a 10 shot string, would it still be less than 1/2". I don't know, but think it would be pretty close. If I took the largest group, .64", as the standard, it would still be pretty good. And, my 4 wheeler shooting bench wasn't the best, just very handy.

DF

Fine rig you got there DF!!