I see on a lot of companies websites that they guarantee one minute of angle or sub one minute of angle accuracy on their rifles.

I started to wonder what exactly does this guarantee mean? Does it mean that the rifle is guaranteed to shoot one MOA with a specific brand of ammunition only some of the time the way that some Shooters say they're rifles or half minute of angle because once upon a time they had a 3 shot group that measured under 1/2 inch at 100.

Does it mean that the rifle will consistently shoot 5 shot or 10 shot one minute of angle groups all the time or certain brands of ammunition? Or does it mean something in between how is one to know?

To me it seems like a nice claim to me but one that can only be verified after the purchaser has already spent their hard-earned money.

What have your experiences been when various companies accuracy guarantees?

It usually means they've tested their rifle or handgun, and guarantee a certain level of performance with a certain load from a fixed rest.

There is no way they can guarantee the shooter is accurate.

Better companies furnish a test target with the weapon, showing it was tested to that standard.

the manufacturer made it as finely tuned as possible.

All of the above. All guns can shoot better than their owner. Few shooters can gain the maximum accuracy with their gun.

I like to make the claim "I'm accurate to xxx yards with this rifle/pistol." And this means being able to hit a human-head-sized target out to xxx yards. (I like to use 6" pie plates for my practice targets.)

But if I give my AR or my .45 to, say, a gunny, I'll bet a box of donuts he's a better shot.

I've personally seen a test target that shipped from one of these "better companies" with a gun that lacked a chamber.

What company and model rifle was that?

It's not important.  The takeaway is take all claims (even the "substantiated" ones) with a grain of salt.

Before I transferred to the east coast, i was a member of a shooting club in a state I won't mention.  The range was basically located in a canyon surrounded on three sides by high terrain and with the 4th side facing a direction the wind never blew, so you could reliably count on having "no wind" conditions.  

There were two well known gun manufacturers in the area who made high end rifles with accuracy guarantees.  They both had their own indoor ranges but from time to time those ranges would go down for maintenance.  When that happened, they'd use our range for accuracy testing.

Both companies had a 1/2 MOA guarantee and included a test target to back it up.  That sounds great, until you realize what went into getting those successful test targets.  

In essence, with both companies the test shooter would show up with a truck load of rifles and start shooting 3 shot groups on targets placed at 100 yards. Care was taken to make sure the target was numbered/tagged to the rifle so he could tell which was which.  If he happened to get a 3 shot group of 1/2" or less on the first round, all was good and the rifle was boxed with the test target.  If not, the rifle was left to shoot again in a second round where another 3 shot group was fired at a new target placed at 100 yards.  Basically, it was rinse and repeat until the test shooter got a 1/2" group for every rifle.

These rifles were arguably 1 MOA rifles that would shoot consistent 1 MOA groups, and after enough repetitions most rifles would eventually produce a 3 shot 1/2" group.  It's just an artifact of normal distribution, the small group size, and shooting enough groups to get one where three shots fell inside 1/2" inch.  

These rifles were not what I would call a "1/2 MOA" rifle.  In order to do that, I'd need to see consistent 1/2 MOA targets.  Maybe not all of them, but at least 2/3rds of them.  And I'd want to see 5 shot rather than 3 shot groups.  Show me a rifle that will shoot 5 shot 1/2 MOA groups 7 out of 10 times in a row at 100 yards and I'll agree you can call it a "1/2 MOA" rifle. I'd prefer to see 9 out of 10 or 19 out of 20, but I'll accept 7 out of 10.

What I learned studying their methodology was that their rifles consistently shots groups that were, on average, about twice as large the 1/2 MOA guarantee.  I think that's probably a safe assumption any time you see a rifle with an accuracy guarantee that involves only 3 rounds.

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Not surprisingly, some of these rifles were sent back by customers who had companies about accuracy.   They might get tweaked at the factory - or not - but in the end they'd go through the same process to produce a 3 shot 1/2 MOA test target to "prove" they were 1/2 MOA rifles.

What I did find surprising was how few rifles were returned with accuracy complaints - given that many of the rifles from one particular company were sold as police sniper rifles.  I assume either:

1. the shooters in most cases couldn't shoot well enough to notice, or
2. were satisfied with the more realistic 1 MOA accuracy the rifles actually produced, or
3. were embarrassed to report they could not achieve 1/2MOA accuracy with them (blaming themselves or their ammo, rather than the rifle).    

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This kind of 1/2 MOA accuracy guarantee isn't necessarily bad, as a rifle does have to have reasonable accuracy to shoot the occasional 3 shot 1/2 MOA group.  I'm also not real concerned if a rifle is really a 1 MOA rifle rather than a 1/2 MOA rifle, provided it is consistent.

For example I heavy barreled Rem 700 that will shoot 10 shot groups that are 1.0 to 1.2" inches in diameter at 100 yards and it'll do it all day long at any reasonable rate of fire.  It also holds it's zero exceptionally well.   It's not "tack driver" accurate, but it is acceptably accurate and exceptionally consistent. It is a solid 1 MOA rifle, but if you want, I can shoot some 3 shot groups with that rifle and no doubt come up with "1/2 MOA" groups a fair percentage of the time.  

That's basically what companies with accuracy guarantees are doing, and they do it because we'll buy a "1/2" MOA rifle, when we'd regard a 1 MOA rifle with disdain.

However, I'll take 1 MOA consistently and I'll greatly prefer it over "1/2 MOA" some the time and 1 1/2 MOA the rest of the time.  1 MOA will get the job down out to the 600 yards or so that I usually shoot, so it's good enough.  

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In short, if someone says they have an accuracy guarantee, ask them how they do their testing.

Very well put. Can we assume your Screenname has nothing to do with the former state?

WHAT??? I was under the understanding if I bought a larue I would become submoa???

another poster talked about getting 1/2 MOA 3 shot groups, there is reason 5 shots is so much more statistically releveant. Hell I can shoot .1 MOA 1 shot groups all day long.... and  sub 1/2 MOA  2 shot groups, give me 100 round groups and then well illbe lucky to get 1 moa from ANY rifle.

It's like uptime .99999% uptime or we give ypu credit.  What's the upside, give you your money back, $10k reward?

Guarantees are just there to make you feel comfortable. I fell for it when I bought my mega 5.56 barrel, it was in the price range I budgeted and it made me feel comfortable. 1moa with match ammo..... It will do it, but barely.  I'm not a great shot so I blame a little on me. I wish I had a rest to clamp it in to test. With good handloads and sandbags front and rear on a concrete bench I can get 1 moa 50% of the time with 5 shot groups and consistent low wind. My anschutz 54 didn't have a guarantee, but the test target was consistent with what it shot for me. 10 shot Cloverleaf or less at 50

I have only sent one upper back to be check on an MOA guarantee.

The company had me buy Federal GMM ammo to shoot the test and report back. The results were the same as my reloads. I sent the upper in and 2 weeks later got it back. The accuracy problems were gone and I was very happy. I ended up shooting one of my best 5 shot groups with that upper at .2".

The guarantee may get you to buy the gun, its the service will keep you as a customer.

I am a dedicated customer now.

That's a good news story. May I ask what company?

It was LaRue. That upper got me my 2nd entry in the MOA challenge.