M1A Standard at 100 yards.
Iron sights
Mostly R1M1 Ball
Black area is 7-13/16" in diameter
Shot while seated at bench - rifle not making contact with bench. Forearm supported by left hand resting on sandbags - overall, not a very comfortable position.
Sight alignment was "center hold" which tended to blend in with the target.
Long time shooter.
Weather conditions were favorable.
At the end of the session, I noticed the gas plug was loose. After a cleaning, anti-seize compound was applied to the threads and it was torqued down to 15 ft. lbs.

Depends. What kind of sights are you using?

Open sights: Groups are OK.

Telescopic sights: Groups are poor.

Your M1A should be able to hold AT LEAST 4 MOA out of the box (IIRC.... someone will be along to correct me I'm sure).

1 MOA - 1 inch at 100 yards.

The shotgun forum is <–––––––––– that way

For iron sights your groups are good for a scope they are bad.

Iron sights from non-bagged position not bad, considering you are firing more than 3 shot groups.

Weeeeellllll......If my M1A shot like that I'd be doing some tweaking. First thing I'd check the basics. You know Stock fit. Gas cylinder. Op rod guide. Basically make sure it's all tight were it's supposed to be tight and loose where it needs to be. And then I would head back out with some better ammo. I bet without too much effort you can cut those groups way down in size. Hell I've shaved off 1 MOA just tightening the gas plug properly. Hate when I leave that little plug loose

Is there a standard torque spec for gas plugs?...... Besides German torque "goodungtite".

Off hand not bad. Bench very bad.

Depends on a number of variables.  Iron sights or scope?  Bench or off hand?  Ammo?  Your experience with the rifle and shooting in general?

It's not a great group but I wouldn't panic.  A stock M1A is about a 3 moa gun for most shooters with most ammo.  It can do better, but it requires some effort.

Not real bad for position shooting unless slung up prone which should be right behind bench rested for accuracy.  That'd be pretty good to average for offhand, marginal for sitting position.  

Bench shooting is ok for setting your sights, after that get off the bench and do some training in field positions to make your skills better for real world applications.  

Just my $0.02 and keep on shooting!

Well I'd say I'd need more info to make an accurate call.

Build quality of a std model = normally not that great

ammo selection = not that great

sights used = unknown

shooting position / shooting aids = unknown

Shooter skill level = unknown

conditions = unknown

I understand and apply the fundamentals of natural point of aim, sight alignment, sight picture, trigger control, follow through, breathing, muscle relaxation, etc.

M1A Walnut STD with my 155gr AMAX handloads

10 shot group iron sight.  Shot from a bench bagged up:

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc313/Belt_Fed_Red/2011-06-21_15-34-11_127.jpg

I torque mine to 120 INCH pounds. Springfield use's German gorilla torque spec.

See OP for more info...

You're so full of shit

















and I thought I was good



ETA:  Wait, does that say 50 yards?

A loose gas plug will change groups from sub 2 moa to 6 moa.

I guess I'd call that half bench rested with a sandbag and forearm rested but I'll assume no rear bag.  Tighten the gas plug and practice and you should be able to pull off 3 moa or better with that ammo.

With milsurp ammo you're not likely to see a 1" group at 100 yards except as a fluke.

Tip;  If you're loosing focus on the front sight tip in the black bull you can try another sight picture that is often used by match shooters.  Use a 6 o'clock hold or slightly lower, "line of white" hold,  That way your black sight doesn't get so lost.  The 6 o'clock hold is one where the tip just touches the bottom of the black and is generally regarded as a more precise hold.  Line of white is where you're holding enough under to discern a line of white below the bull above your sight, which may be what old eyes have to do.  Slightly less precise and relys on the shooter's consistent hold to do it consistently (as with all steps in shooting bullets on top of each other).

I used to shoot center mass (front site tip in dead center) but now shoot 6 o'clock hold.  I can still shoot center mass some days if my eyes don't go fuzzy on me.