can ya tell any thing from a 50 yd group???

[buckslayer]

i can go to a 50 yd range any time but i can only go to the long range 1 month.  i shot a 50 yd group w/ my .280 that was 3/8''. do ya'll think it will be inside an inch at 100 yds??? thanks for any info!!!!!!!!!!

[fish280]

if you double the range to 100 yards, it SHOULD be 6/8ths, or, in usual parlance, 3/4ths an inch. :eek:

[tomaldridge]

If you're shooting a scope, and the scope isn't true to the bore, your group at longer ranges may go off to one side.

[stiff neck]

The only thing it will show you, is how your rifle shoots at 50 yards.  

At 100 yards, or 500 or 800 for that matter, the little factors add up.  For example, a scope that is not mounted true to your bore will print groups off center at further distances.  Or holding your rifle with a slight cant to one side makes a big difference at distance.  And simply being able to hold your cross hairs on "smaller" targets at distance is harder.  And wobble comes into play.  And then there's parallax to worry about.  

Also, some ammo doesn't "calm down" until further out there.  It might shoot well at 300, but not so well at 100.  Or the other way around.

[Mac11700]

Or...it could be a real good indicator on how well it shoots for you at any range...way to many variables to say one way or the other...but...if your 1 holeing them them at 50 yards...you should be close to the same at 100 yards...look very carefully at the bullet holes...are any tearing olipicticly...are the holes out of round...if they are...it's like stiffneck said...they may not be stablizing at 50. or 100....but might be at 200yards...or beyond...and the only way you'll know how well it shoots at those yardages is to shoot at them...

Mac

[Paul5388]

I would think 50 yard groups are very important in a hunting rifle and couldn't care less what it shoots like at 500 yards.  There are far more deer killed at 50 yards than there are at 500 yards, so just verify the groups are respectable at 100 yards and then continue to practice at 50 yards.  However, don't be surprised if the groups are larger than twice what you are getting at 50 yards.

I would be naturally inclined to think the 100 yard group will be 1" or less, but as stated before, there are a lot of variables to account for.

[Leftoverdj]

You can tell a lot from a 50 yard range. That's all I have at home. Won't tell you which is the best load, but it'll sure tell you when a load is not worth any more effort. It's a 30 mile drive for me to a serious range, and I like to weed the losers out before I make that drive.

It's single groups that don't tell you anything, particularly three shot groups. If you get several three shot groups of 3/8" at 50 yards, you can pretty much count on less than 1" groups at 100.

[mag41vance]

Shooting from 50 is a "Red light" or "Green light" distance as DJ stated. However; parallax can be a problem unless you know your scope. Most scopes for centerfires are set with a 100 yd parallax, and cluster groups are pretty common when shooting at distances under 100yds. Shotgun scopes and some rimfire scopes are set at 50yd parallax, but perhaps the best solution for target shooting is an AO scope. If you eliminate parallax problems, then 50 yards is probably the best distance for evaluation shooting.