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Posted: 5/20/2011 10:50:00 PM EDT
| Question to pose for you all concerning accuracy: I see some of you all are shooting sub MOA with your loads, is that from an unsupported position or is that from a bench with gun vice attached to it? I am only managing about 1 1/2" groupings from unsupported....what gives??? |
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I can only speak for myself, but I measure my groups using a bipod, and usually shooting prone, or off a bench. If I shoot off a bench, I usually have a sand bag under the stock.
When I shoot standing, my groups open up some. You have more body movement involved. I can't remember who said it about shooting accurately, but it goes something like this. Don't stand when you can sit, and don't sit when you can lay prone. |
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Quoted:
Question to pose for you all concerning accuracy: I see some of you all are shooting sub MOA with your loads, is that from an unsupported position or is that from a bench with gun vice attached to it? I am only managing about 1 1/2" groupings from unsupported....what gives??? 1 1/2" groupings is pretty good, unsupported. But what distance are you shooting? One minute of anble (MOA) is about 1" at one hundred yards. If you can shoot 1 1/2 MOA while standing, using ANY kind of sights, you are an excellent shooter! Usually when someone talks about that kind of accuracy, he's shooting from a bench. I'd love to be able to put my AR into a vise to see what it'll really do! Also, whatever kind of shooting you do, be aware that MIRAGE will trick you a lot. Heat rising from the ground will tend to displace your target upwards. When that happens, you SEE your target but what you see is actually 1-2 inches or more higher than where it really is. Mirage can also displace your target from side to side. |
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The vise style rests are the worst possible way to hold a rifle on the bench.
Sub minute groups can be fired off good front and rear bags, but it also requires attention to the wind (and mirage at longer distances). Sub minute groups can also be fired from prone with a sling. An adjustable front rest is a refinement, but it may not be necessary for your needs. But here's the thing - good bullets and good barrels have to be the starting place, some rifles will never shoot sub minute, or even less than 2 or 3 or 4 minutes, and good rifles can't make a crappy bullet fly straight. Shooting from a bench can improve your position shooting if you're paying attention. The main transferable skill is trigger pull. Very small gun handling mistakes on the bench can throw a shot an inch out of a group, mistakes so small that an observer can't see what happened. |
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Quoted:
I usually shoot off a bench. Guess I was just starting to think that maybe my loads just really suck when I see others who are shooting at sub-MOA. Then again I haven't really shot any premium bullets yet, just the genaric Remington bullets. The gun you are shooting will also play a big part. Are we talking a 16inch AR? Old mil surplus bolt action? hunting rifle, ect? |
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Double sandbag rest, just like in Wingman26's pic.
Bipods are not your friend for the best accuracy. They are not all created equally. The very worst is a bench vice. No one who knows what they are doing would use one. Unless they had a very heavy recoiling rifle and used shot bags for recoil absorption. |
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I use Uncle Bud's Bull Bag up front with layered rubber sheets underneath to establish the height I need. It's cheaper than a benchrest style front rest, but not as nice. I use a rear bag identical to the one pictured. I also add rubber mats under it until the rifle lays dead on target without me having to touch it. I routinely shoot sub MOA groups without much effort.
Buy premium bullets. Sierra's Match Kings are the standard, but other bullets will shoot better in some rifles. You have to try them to find which one works in yours. 52/53 grain match bullets as well as 68/69 and even 75/77's if you have a 1/8 or 1/7 twist barrel. Sometimes 60 grain varmint bullets will shoot really well. I never shoot fmj's for accuracy. 1.5" groups is about all you can expect from the very best of them (Hornady's). Smaller groups come from better bullets and better barrels. |
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