Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Three shot groups.

I was thinking more of the precision angle. For example, when there's no wind my new 700 5R Milspec 6.5 Creedmoor has been stacking three rounds Berger factory ammo into a hole that isn't even big enough to cloverleaf. So in this instance three rounds is sufficient for me to make a good call on true group center. If a 6.5-300 Weatherby does the same I'd be able to make the same call.

Wouldn't hold my breath...

The right load should go sub inch, don't think I'd place much of a bet on one hole out of that big boomer. Not surprised about the Creed.

But, I get your point and agree...

DF

For my hunting rifles, I have quit chasing little groups at 100yds. I just don't enjoy it anymore.

If a sporter-weight gun will shoot the bullet I like in a MOA paper group (3 shot) at 200yds, it's worth me looking into. I'll shoot a few more 3-shot groups on 2MOA circles painted on my 300 and 400 yard gongs. If it will drop them in middle of the circles with my JBM dope, I call it good and go hunting. On Saturday, just before I left the range, I shot a .308 sporter that put a pair of 150 NAB's and a pair of 150 NBT's into the 400yd circle, using the same powder charge, seating die setting, and the same reticle dot. I can work with that for a deer/hog rifle.

400 rounds to find a good load? Holy smokes my friend no wonder you don't want to put any more rounds down the pipe . It usually takes me 75 rounds give or take from sight in to finished load with a ladder test, around 100 with an OCW. It's taken a few more at times when loading Berger VLD's to find the best coarse seating depth before starting but even with that it's a fairly quick operation. Find the charge, tune the seating depth, done.

It was a new gun and I was on a mission to try about every combo I could. It was my first dance with a big 6.5.

Maybe not too smart, but a Loony isn't that smart to begin with.

I had a lot of fun playing with that thing.

Once the new wore off and I had some good loads, I was OK. I was also working up loads for my hunting bud's identical rifle. Guess I should have shared the wear and tear with his rifle. I like light monos at warp spead. He likes the 140 NAB and NPT, so that increased the round count..

DF

You and me both.

I really don't understand any contention between field shooters and bench shooters. They are different disciplines which, in my world at least, overlap. I'm the most OCD bastard you'll ever meet about zero. Handgun, rifle, and I expect shotguns to center their pattern right on top of the bead. So I shoot from the bench to attain that and get a baseline accuracy/POI reading on a gun and load.

When I hit the sweet spot, I go straight to field positions. I'm looking for consistent hits on steel, right where I'm holding, from the farthest distance I'm likely to use that rig in the field. When I'm happy with that I work on snap shots close, 'acquire and fire' practice at 50-150 yards and do stable field positions (sitting, prone, over a hay bale etc) to about 350. I lucked into an accurate ArmaLite HBAR and I'm having a blast putting the rifle, and myself, through the wringer.

This is all for a purpose. In my youth I occasionally got caught with a deer, coyote etc looking at me 150-200 yards away in terrain that prohibited a rested or braced sitting shot. A couple of years after staring the precise zero & field shooting regimen, I started taking those shots, under ideal conditions, and making them. Work at the bench provides absolute confidence that the rifle and load will print exactly where they should. Field position practice provides confidence I can do it on game. I'll pass any shot I'm not sure I can make.

I don't claim to be any great marksman, but I'm a substantially better rifleman than I used to be.

Having fun is what it's all about! I've been guilty of loonyism more than a few times myself:D

And, they make barrels every day...

DF

Statistically, multiple 3 shot groups can provide more relevant data than a single 10 shot group.

The problem most people have with 3 shot groups is that the bad one's tend to get thrown out before the data make it to the internet.

So have you done research on this or are you just talking out your wazooo again?

OVERLAID multiple groups.

The rifle shoots nice and tight three shot groups but they're 1.5" apart. A lot of times this is a scope issue. Been there done that.

Here is how it's done, everything from the Savage 10 to the RAR and in between is MOA or better when I am holding the rifle..........

I have plenty more...

I think 5 shots too much, and 3 not enough.
4 is where it's at.

I grew up doing 3 shot groups but back in college switched to 5 shot groups.
Have always overlaid them.

It aint about getting a good group to brag about. It's about finding out what the rifle is repeatably doing so I can kill stuff.

My #1B, and my 700 BDL and ADL sporters (all in .243 win) were sub .5 MOA with handloads.
Good enough for me.

Tried a guys BR rifle at 225yds and did .5 for five shots. P*ssed him off. It was breezy.

My eyes and body aint young any more.
Took my POS 700 ADL synth out (newer one) and got .75" @100 yds w factory 80grainers.
Just a yote rig. I figured it good enough.

It did that after I stiffened the stock.
But opened to 1.25" one day.
Knew I hadn't gotten that sloppy.
Plastic cheap arse trigger guard had cracked.
Got a steel one, torqued it and back it went, to .75"

Took it out this summer, still .75 for 5 at 100. Set 1" high.

I shoot 3 shot groups for hunting load development. 3 shots tell a good story about the load, 5 shots tells a bigger story. But, is unneeded for myself that hunts/shoots inside of 200 yards with most of my shots being well under 100 yards.

Groups also provide information about point of impact and that is the main reason why I shoot 6 to 10 shot groups these days.

Because I feel it is more important to aim at the center of your group than the size of the groupt itself. Within reason, of course.

Merry Xmas to all.

my hunting rifles these days i know what they can do so i just take a couple of shots so i know they are still sighted in. my bench rifles i shoot them plenty for groups out to 600 yards, i don`t save targets or take pictures of groups either,i only record what the groups do for me in my small reloading books.

I use a 2 inch red dot at 100 yds. and only shoot one shot out of a cold barrel, if I hit the dot it is good to go.. for the last 20 or so years I have killed several deer each year... the first bullet out the barrel is the only one that counts... I had one barrel for my Encore that would not do that the first shot would be up to 2 feet away from the bullseye, I sold the barrel after telling the buyer of my problem.. never heard from him again...

This . Three shot groups are good for hunting rifles. Im more concerned with a consistent first shot. One shot is about all I get where I hunt.