stagpanther
New member
Hmmmm....for example, what cartridge?That MOA 100 yard group may well be over 16" at 300 yards
Hmmmm....for example, what cartridge?That MOA 100 yard group may well be over 16" at 300 yards
It's not so much about the cartridge as it is about the rifle's vibrations as the bullet exits the muzzle, potentially inducing a destabilizing effect on the bullet. Sometimes, bullet stability is marginally OK at 100 yards and then that stability decays radically as the range increases. Oftentimes the cure is to free-float the barrel. Yet with load experimentation, one may eventually discover a load that shoots very well without changing the barrel bedding.That MOA 100 yard group may well be over 16" at 300 yards
Hmmmm....for example, what cartridge?
If a bullet is inherently unstable for whatever reason--than it's more than likely going to show that at all distances. Now what does happen, though I'm not a real long distance shooter--is that some really high velocity bullet designs needs some reach to fully spin-stabilize in it's trajectory--so I could see for example a load that returns sub MOA at 100 might not be the optimal load for judging how the cartridge will perform at longer distances. Though it may well exist--off the top of my head I can't think of a cartridge combo that could return MOA or better at 100 and go to 5+ MOA at 300 unless it's some short to intermediate range cartridge that loses gas fast??It's not so much about the cartridge as it is about the rifle's vibrations as the bullet exits the muzzle, potentially inducing a destabilizing effect on the bullet. Sometimes, bullet stability is marginally OK at 100 yards and then that stability decays radically as the range increases. Oftentimes the cure is to free-float the barrel. Yet with load experimentation, one may eventually discover a load that shoots very well without changing the barrel bedding.
The other seemingly odd thing that I have noticed is that with some loads, bullet stability may actually improve with increasing range. Thus, the most promising 100 yard loads may be quite undone at 300 yards, being beaten by another recipe that didn't look so promising at 100 yards. Most rifles probably aren't this way, but some certainly are. It always amazes me that some folks will shoot their targets at 100 yards, then figure they are good to go hunting at longer ranges, taking their accuracy and trajectory on blind faith.
But when I think of a scoped, bolt-action rifle intended for, let's say, deer and perhaps Elk hunting, I'm thinking that the whole point of selecting such a rifle instead of a lever-action 30-30, for example; is the expectation of useful accuracy at a much, much further distance than what the typical lever-gun can be relied upon. That's where the, " MOA-5-shot groups at 100 yards are absolutely meaningless...." comes into context. A 30-30 carbine that can only do 3 or 4" groups at 100 yards is just as good a deer rifle as any MOA scoped bolt gun if all the shots will be 100 yards or less. So, I just find it humorous that all the gun-magazines test all these new-fangled rifles and scopes and ammo, publishing the results at 100 yards as if it really meant something significant for you to buy that rifle for a Wyoming Pronghorn hunt where you might take a 400 yard shot. I do think that people put way too much emphasis on 100 yard groups when they really ought to shun that addictive bench and learn to shoot from realistic field positions.I'm also assuming the statement referred to an inherent relationship between distance of target as a function of a projectile's accuracy--assuming the weapon is in good working order.
It's not so much about the cartridge as it is about the rifle's vibrations as the bullet exits the muzzle, potentially inducing a destabilizing effect on the bullet. Sometimes, bullet stability is marginally OK at 100 yards and then that stability decays radically as the range increases. Oftentimes the cure is to free-float the barrel. Yet with load experimentation, one may eventually discover a load that shoots very well without changing the barrel bedding.
The other seemingly odd thing that I have noticed is that with some loads, bullet stability may actually improve with increasing range. Thus, the most promising 100 yard loads may be quite undone at 300 yards, being beaten by another recipe that didn't look so promising at 100 yards. Most rifles probably aren't this way, but some certainly are. It always amazes me that some folks will shoot their targets at 100 yards, then figure they are good to go hunting at longer ranges, taking their accuracy and trajectory on blind faith.
And you should count your lucky stars the firearm didn't blow up on you.
Never thought of that--your weapon may in fact be in violation of the endangered species act!And the stock was not from some rare extinct tree that had been preserved under mud in the ocean for centuries after being used to build the English Dreadnought (the 16th century ship not the class of ship) and damaged by a Spanish Galleon. This is bound to create functional and performance issues beyond the looks of the rifle.