How accurate is accurate enough??

[Jeffery8mm]

With all of the talk about accuracy and precision, at what point do you realize that your gun is as good as its gonna get??  The 308 is getting bashed around a bit here.  The one I bought used here on the forum is no tack driver, but I could hunt with it right now, and kill deer out to a respectable distance.  Not 300 yards yet, mind you, but a few of us here are working on that!! Just wondered what you all use as you judge to say, OK thats good enough.  Sometimes trying SO hard makes it not fun anymore.
Not trying to start a fight about accuracy, just asking a question!!

Jeff

[quickdtoo]

It's a matter of perspective, my dad has always accepted being able to hit a paper plate a few times at 75yds as his "good enough" standard, it's  worked for him for 78 yrs, so far.....

[Ditchdigger]

I get about .6" with my 223 and consider it a 300 yd coyote gun, any thing farther than that,I use my Ruger 77 varmit gun in 220 Swift. I use my 280 Ultra out to 200 yds,it gets 1.25" at 100 yds,and is good enough for most hogs. Out past 200 I use my Vangaurd in 30 06 or way out there a 300 Wby mag.  Digger

[Greysky]

Accurate enough is when YOU are satisfied it is accurate enough. The whole joy of shooting is working up to that point. Then you will eventually feel the need to start all over again with a different firearm in another caliber.

It's a disease, I tell you.  :-)

We're a twisted lot.  :twisted:

[Jeffery8mm]

I agree with greysky. My idea and your idea of accurate does not always have to be the same......
I just feel that sometimes its just nice to get out and shoot. to heck with the groups that we worry ourselves over.
Just my thoughts.....for now

Jeff

[Mac11700]

Accurate enough is when YOU are satisfied it is accurate enough. The whole joy of shooting is working up to that point. Then you will eventually feel the need to start all over again with a different firearm in another caliber.

It's a disease, I tell you.  :-)

We're a twisted lot.  :twisted:

Jeff:

This about sums it up...how accurate do YOU want it to be??? If 1" or 2" is all you need to be happy with it...fine...if not...keep looking...if your wanting to shoot itty-bitty 1/4" groups then you'll have to wiork at it...for genneral hunting...if your rifle shoots 1"-2" groups off a bench rest...ithen you need to try to match that shooting in the various field positions you will use...it's real nice if you have a good solid rest to shoot off of...but that may not always be the case when your hunting...and if you've never practiced with that rifle and load...you can only hope the bullet will go where your aiming...hunting rifles aren't always bench rest rifles...and buildng confidence in your shooting ability will make it better when that crucial time comes when stalking you animal..even if it only shoots 1" or 2" groups...

Here's my first group with my new 30-06 Ultra Comp...the factory ammo is Winchester 165 grain black ballistic tips...






The orange sticker is a 1" squre that Hornady puts in their die sets...

Is this a great group...nope.. is it an accurate enough group...sure it is...I could hunt all day with it...will I try different loads and handload for it...you betcha...can I do better...I would like to think so...but I may not be able to make it better...that's the challenge....it was the last three shots I took today with it..I had only the 1 box with me at the range...and it took me to these to get it settled down...from a perfectly clean bore and siting in a new scope...the bullet at the 8 ring at 2 o-clock is shot #17...I moved the scope and let it cool down for 10 minutes at 29degrees and very light snow...and no wind...and then fired these and came home...

It's accurate enough...when you say it is...

Mac

PS...I forgot to say..my point of hold is 6 o-clock on the dark green 8 ring...and I have it sited 3" high for 100 yards...

[Brett]

GreySky pegged it pretty well. Accurate enough is when you are satisfied that the gun & caliber will do whatever it is that you want it to do reliably and consistently.  There is a huge difference in the accuracy a  competitive bench rest shooter requires and the accuracy a  deep woods hunter deer hunter requires.

[Coastwatcher]

I enjoy trying to get a little more accuracy out of my rifles.    My ambition is to put everything through the same hole.  I'm not there with anything yet, so I keep experimenting.  It gives me something to think about in my spare moments.  Does it have practical application?  Probably not, but it keeps me entertained.  It's my golf.

[gwhilikerz]

Is it possible to get 1/4" groups with a 45-70, even if all rounds went thru the same hole?

[hellacatcher]

Let's see I would think if 45-70 all went through the same hole that would be a 1/2 in. group, now drop down to a 25-06 that mite be a 1/4in. :lol:  wonder what I can get with a 17 cal. through the same hole.  Thus could get to be fun. :wink:

[Big Blue]

Intention of use has a lot to do with whether your accurate enough. Obviously a deer rifle doesn't need to have the accuracy of a varmint rifle. If you can hit a target, the size of the vital area of your intended game every time, that's accurate enough. For target shooters, accurate enough is when the hole in your target is the same size as the diameter of your bullet.
Don

[Mac11700]

Let's see I would think if 45-70 all went through the same hole that would be a 1/2 in. group, now drop down to a 25-06 that mite be a 1/4in. :lol:  wonder what I can get with a 17 cal. through the same hole.  Thus could get to be fun. :wink:

Actually if you could get them to all go thru the same hole...it would be a perfect group...0.000...and just have one perfect hole in the paper...as if you had only shot 1 time  and that would be AWSOOOOOME :wink:

Mac

[Lynn Alan Kietzman]

When I consider accuracy, I consider what I'm going to shoot and at what distance. I became satisfied with my NEF 17HMR when I found ammo that would do 1-1/2" at 100 yards. I'm only going to be shooting ground puppies and they are about 2" or so. I would consider 150 yards to be about max yardage so providing I'm doing my part and mother nature isn't against me that day, one shot, one kill. My .416 Remington shoots 2" at 100 yards with open sights. The game I would use it for are slightly larger than a squirrel so I'm a happy hunter. My 257 Roberts Improved is more dual purpose. That fact is shoots fireforming loads at 5/8" is slightly more than I would like, but if for some reason it should never shoot any better, I can live with that.

[riddleofsteel]

Depends on the games to be hunted. Once we sight in we move off of paper targets and start shooting reactive targets like gongs, metal animals, cans and plastic bottles, empty shotgun shells, empty rifle brass.
For tree rats I like a rifle to be able to hit an empty shotgun shell at hunting distances (up to 75 yards) from field rest posistions. This allows for head shots or chest/lung killing shots.
For medium varmits I like to be able to hit a soda can or 20 oz. soda bottle at hunting distance (out to 300 yards) from a bipod or cross stick rest.
For large varmits and deer size game if I can hit a shotgun clay or paper plate size gong from my tree stand rest or propped on a tree trunk (out to 300 yards) I think that is plenty good enough.
Any greater accuracy is just bragging rights or the area of specialty hunting like busting groundhogs on the next mountain or hunting deer over a massive beanfields from a tower stand. I have a rifle made for that but I use it less than 10% of the time.

[nipprdog]

Let's see I would think if 45-70 all went through the same hole that would be a 1/2 in. group, now drop down to a 25-06 that mite be a 1/4in. :lol:  wonder what I can get with a 17 cal. through the same hole.  Thus could get to be fun. :wink:

groups are measured from axis(center of hole) to axis.  :wink:

like Mac said.   :grin:

[quickdtoo]

Ah come on now, bullet holes don't have no axles, trucks and trailers have axles! :roll:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

[gwhilikerz]

I thought we got rid of the axis in WW11?

[Brett]

I thought we got rid of the axis in WW11?

World War eleven??!  When did I miss 3 thru 10? :mrgreen:

[Badnews Bob]

This group of guyz is nutz.... Wait a minute I'm part of this group of guyz! :eek:  :eek:  :eek:  :-D

[Jeffery8mm]

Thanks to all of you!!  I really appreciate all of your input.  I want to shoot the best that I can and really enjoy time behind the trigger, as someone said, thats thier golf. Trigger time to me should be relaxing but sometimes I get frustrated :x  and loose perspective on the fact that this is FUN. :lol:

Thanks guys.
Jeff

[jrcanoe]

First there is no such thing as too accurate. Accurate enough depends on what your target is, you and your rest. I have a .223 target that shoots 1/4 inch groups sand bag rested at 100 yards. I also have a pump 22mag that shoots 2in groups sand bagged at 100 yards.  Now ask me to choose between the two for a 100 yard off hand shot at a groundhog I'll grab that pump every time. I couldn't hit a paper plate off hand with the .223 even if I could keep it in the field of view of the lowest 8x setting of the scope. I am bored with both rifles they both have been pronounced accurate enough as tools for the jobs intended. For me to be happy I must have a Gun that is pissing me off. My 22hornet is shooting 2inch groups at best and I know it can do better. The Quest for accurate enough is what makes me happy. Once a gun shoots better than I do it's time for a new gun. Sometimes I will get lucky and run out of a now discontinued component and have to start over with working a load, then I am in hog heaven pissing and moaning at Hornady for example while I working with a simular sierra with a nice high bar set with the old bullet load.