I have a new Remington 700 Classic in .308 Winchester. I can shoot a benchrested .75 inch group at 100 yards.
I've been practicing shooting from field positions (off the bench!), and my groups sure do open up from that .75 inch benchrest group . What I'm trying to accomplish is to quickly and reliably hit a target from a field position with reasonable accuracy (within 6 inches or so of the bullseye).
So here's the point: shooting a hunting rifle which produces sub-moa groups from the bench is, for the most part, irrelevant. Don't get me wrong here -- if the rifle shoots 4 to 6 inch groups from the benchrest, I'd be worried. But it seems to me that a hunting rifle which shoots a 2" group from the bench is, as a practical matter, just as effective as a hunting rifle which will shoot a .75" group from the bench. After all, unless you shoot deer/elk from a benchrest (an interesting idea if you have deer wandering onto the shooting range during huntin' season!), those tiny groups don't mean much when you are in the field and have to shoot fairly quickly at an animal and you use a modified rest (such as a tree, log, etc.), while kneeling, or even while standing.
Keep in mind that I know that sub-moa groups are important to the paper-punchers. And I'll admit I'm very happy that my rifle will shoot sub-moa groups from the bench (it will certainly outshoot me -- go Remington!). We all want to shoot an accurate rifle. But I'm talking about using a hunting rifle in hunting conditions, and what amount of practical accuracy a hunter really requires in the field.
The reason I'm raising this issue is that I often see threads from members who are distressed because their hunting rifle won't shoot a sub-moa group from the bench, especially when they see threads from members who shoot tiny groups with a sniper or varmit gun (which often weigh 11 pounds or more, have bipods, and huge scopes). For example: "my hunting gun will 'only' shoot a 1.75 inch group, what should I do...."
My question is this: does a hunter really need sub-moa groups to hunt effectively? What do you think?
I've been practicing shooting from field positions (off the bench!), and my groups sure do open up from that .75 inch benchrest group . What I'm trying to accomplish is to quickly and reliably hit a target from a field position with reasonable accuracy (within 6 inches or so of the bullseye).
So here's the point: shooting a hunting rifle which produces sub-moa groups from the bench is, for the most part, irrelevant. Don't get me wrong here -- if the rifle shoots 4 to 6 inch groups from the benchrest, I'd be worried. But it seems to me that a hunting rifle which shoots a 2" group from the bench is, as a practical matter, just as effective as a hunting rifle which will shoot a .75" group from the bench. After all, unless you shoot deer/elk from a benchrest (an interesting idea if you have deer wandering onto the shooting range during huntin' season!), those tiny groups don't mean much when you are in the field and have to shoot fairly quickly at an animal and you use a modified rest (such as a tree, log, etc.), while kneeling, or even while standing.
Keep in mind that I know that sub-moa groups are important to the paper-punchers. And I'll admit I'm very happy that my rifle will shoot sub-moa groups from the bench (it will certainly outshoot me -- go Remington!). We all want to shoot an accurate rifle. But I'm talking about using a hunting rifle in hunting conditions, and what amount of practical accuracy a hunter really requires in the field.
The reason I'm raising this issue is that I often see threads from members who are distressed because their hunting rifle won't shoot a sub-moa group from the bench, especially when they see threads from members who shoot tiny groups with a sniper or varmit gun (which often weigh 11 pounds or more, have bipods, and huge scopes). For example: "my hunting gun will 'only' shoot a 1.75 inch group, what should I do...."
My question is this: does a hunter really need sub-moa groups to hunt effectively? What do you think?