Hunting level Accuracy.

[tj3006]

It was not long ago, I had 2 safes full of rifles in various calibers. 
  In most cases I could get them to shoot well with one or more hand loads. Those that proved to stubborn went down the road. I never bought a varmint or target style gun. All hunting rifles. In those day's I would argue with guy's on 24 hour campfire, and at the range where I used to shoot about hunting loads. And the same would apply to handguns I think too. 
  The guy's I argued with were on the side that said always choose the most accurate load. And My side of the argument was that you need enough of both power and accuracy to kill the animal you are hunting, at the range you intend to shoot.
Case in point. I had a Ruger #1 A in 7X57. Using H-414 I could put a 140 grain Ballistic tip into tiny little clusters at 2600 fps. At 2900 I could still get MOA. I used the faster load. 
  I limit my big game shooting to 300 yards or maybe just a little more if conditions are right. An Moa rifle and load is easily capable of putting a hole in a target as big as mule deer's boiler room at 300 yards if the shooter is good enough. 
  Why sacrifice 300 FPS , over 10% of you power, when you are still plenty accurate enough for your purpose. 
    
      ...tj

[jeffh]

While squeezing the absolute best accuracy one can from a given gun is gratifying, the idea of "hunting accuracy" is not lost on me.

Unless shooting at a coyote or woodchuck, I tend to limit myself to 200 yards. Oddly, I always end up closer, hedging my bet by GETTING closer and not taking hail Mary shots. Except for varmints/vermin, I've always managed to be under two hundred yards. Do I NEED a load that shoots under a half-inch at a hundred if shooting at a deer within TWO hundred? NO!

Still, it's fun to continue the quest. If we were all dead-practical about it, we'd only own hunting arms that shot 3 MOA and anchored with authority - and shoot one or two rounds per year. We NEED the excuse of ultimate accuracy to justify the expenditure of thousands of dollars to refine a gun/load combination which will deliver near bench-rest accuracy to shoot a deer, elk, moose, bear within a hundred yards....

I don't make excuses or bother to rationalizing any more. I just ENJOY messing around until I can get something to shoot sub-MOA that isn't SUPPOSED to shoot sub-MOA.

A 30/30 that shoots 3 MOA and a 150-yard shot make a deadly combination, but what's the fun in settling for that when we could be expending more primers and burning more powder throughout the year?

[ldmay375]

I guess it boils down to if you want smaller groups or the velocity. Or feel that you need one or the other. As long as the accuracy for intended target, desired trajectory and performance of the bullet is there, I don't sweat either method.

I am still pretty happy with a consistent 1 MOA load/rifle for my use. But, I am not a distance shooter, nor I am shooting 2" vital zones.

[tj3006]

Jefeth,
I had a 1895 Marlin, that would 350 grain Hornady FPs in into, Just A we bit over MOA. That was at about 1900 FPS. It was a bit much seated at the bench. It hat a 1X4 Leupold on it. I did most of my Shooting at about 2.5 Power, at 4 power the Eye relief was lacking. Painfully lacking...tj

[prisedefer]

A while ago it was a 5 inch paper pie plate at 100 yards while standing tall on your hind legs like the gods intended. Then the pie plates got to be 6 inches. And now the pies are smaller.

[blackmamba]

My David Gentry Mark X 35 Whelen AI was a wonderful reloading experience. I tried bullets from 180-275 grains (including cup and core, partitions and solid X bullets), and at least 6 different powders. My most accurate load was Hornady 250 spire point Interlocks over Varget for ½ MOA, but eventually I decided to do all my hunting with 250 Partitions over 2000 MR for 1¼ MOA. The Varget load was Cup & Cores at 2560 fps, while the 2000 MR load was Partitions at 2620 fps. Just no comparison in the killing power of the two loads.

[magnumwheelman]

I don't think you can specifically say accuracy in MOA (s)... it just depends on what you are hunting... if you are hunting field mice, you need a tighter group, if you are shooting crows, they are typically a longer shot, & if you are hunting Kodiak Brown bear... those MOA's get bigger, & more power is needed...

I think its member squirrelhunter, longhunter??? that is always making head shots on squirrels with handguns... way beyond what I can do...

I too sold off about half my hunting rifles, but kept a good variety... my loads are all accuracy loads, I just need to pick enough caliber for the game... ( I can justify using the accuracy loads... I need all the help I can get... a rifle that's capable of shooting a 4 leaf clover off the bench at 300 yards, turns into a dinner plate size group at 100 free standing... I try to use a field rest whenever I can )

[tj3006]

No Question the size of the target and range at which you shoot, will tell you the accuracy you need.
...tj

[cas]

There can be lots of variables for sure. Usually I'll trade speed for accuracy, because it helps my margin of error when shooting in the field.

I mean it would be kind of silly to fret over the fact that my .30-06 is only shooting a 150 grain bullet at 2700 fps instead of 2900 fps... when I also hunt the same things in the same place with a .308, 30-30 and a bunch of other things all shooting the same bullet weight considerably slower than the .30-06.

[bigbore5]

I've got a rifle that cost me thousands of dollars. It's heavy enough to be a burden to carry all day. Ammo is stupid expensive for it. On It's best days with it's favorite ammo, it may make it's best groups of 6-7" at 100yds. It kicks like a mule. So why keep it?

Every time I have been charged or had to go into the brush to sort out something big and nasty, that Wesley-Richards 475 is the first thing I reach for. It does today exactly what it has done for nearly a century. Gets the hunter home.

Accuracy is relevant to your needs. As long as it's good enough for the job at hand, it's all that matters.

[rangersedge]

Admittedly, some people get too carried away with accuracy for their use; however...

If an average shooter is only good enough to do 8 moa offhand and they're toting an 8 moa rifle, the bad shot potential is a lot higher than if they're toting a 1 moa rifle.

[lar4570]

If I can get 1-1.5" groups at 100yds from a scoped rifle, then I feel confident to use it on game at extended ranges if the situation calls for it.
I had a Rem 600 in .308 that I couldn't get to shoot better than 6" at 25yds. I traded it off with full disclosure.

[bisleyfan41]

Seeking accuracy to the nth degree from hunting arms is futile, except for those who find joy in the process. A 1" gun and a 2" gun will "bring home the bacon" in most any realistic big game hunting situation with little difference noticed by the shooter.

I view seeking the last fps out of a load simply to flatten trajectory by 1" at 300 yds similarly.

Of course, my long range battery now consists of a .30-30 94 that has not failed ever inside 200 yds. Much prefer hunting to sniping. For deer anyway.

Now that I hunt exclusively with iron-sighted sixguns, none of the above concerns me. My practice includes paper plate targets at 50 yds, field positions. Within reason, trajectory, velocity, and fps matter little.

[potatojudge]

I think a lot of anxiety creeps into decisions related to hunting, which I get. It's a big investment of time and money and discomfort, and it's easy to be unsuccessful.

For a hunting gun, match the impact velocity to the performance window of the bullet you choose, decide your maximum range for a shot, and factor in some imperfect shooting. There's your needs. Everything more just bolsters confidence in those who might need it.

[bigbore5]

Oct 29, 2023 20:37:49 GMT -5 rangersedge said:

Admittedly, some people get too carried away with accuracy for their use; however...

If an average shooter is only good enough to do 8 moa offhand and they're toting an 8 moa rifle, the bad shot potential is a lot higher than if they're toting a 1 moa rifle.

That person should spend his budget on practice ammo.