What level of accuracy (lunacy) are you aiming for with hunting loads?

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Walleyewhiz

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Like many of you, I keep wondering at what point I am getting carried away with accuracy for hunting. I go through a lot of guns and have been doing this game for a long time. Recently I picked up a Sako A7 in 300 WSM. Typically, I am looking for 1" accuracy for a hunting rifle, as my experience is that almost all guns will do that with handloading. Anyhow, this gun shoots 165TTSX quite well. With 64 gr of IMR 4350 it is .500' and doing about 2900fps. With 66 gr (max in Nosler manual) it is .850" and doing about 3100 fps. So my question is, which would you go with?

I know what I am gonna do, but I wanted to see what you guys are gonna do?

We are ridiculous with this stuff:)
 
I won't take a rifle hunting unless it shoots one moa, one inch groups of three shots each at one hundred yards.
My most accurate rifle, a mint 1954 Husky '06 that I had glass bedded into a Boyd's Classic stock, shoots .4 moa...one ragged hole at 100 yards.
 
In most cases, MOA with 3 shots is what I expect from a modern bolt action (surplus bolt actions, levers and the occasional pump I've owned get some leeway)

The purpose built rifle I had put together for longer range (300-600 yd hunting situations) had higher expectations, and it met them with minimal load development.
 
Play with same load at 200 see how group is again at 300 ....400..... And if you have the room at 500..... You will be able to determine which load is better to use....... Some loads might open up a it at say 100...200 but at 225...250 they might tighten up.... Yea ya we all want that three hole group touching each other but really one inch groups at 200...300..400 ...it's dead.. What ever you going hunting for is dead right there........ Paff boom and then you see it jump ... Kick or shake you know it's dead.....it is kinda interesting when hearing the bullet do the paff boom effect on a target or animal you are hunting....this stuff is like drugs addictive..... now I'm going shooting.....hmmm .223....300...25-06... Which one to play with !!!!!!!!!! Ha ha fun fun!!!
 
If I clamp two of my rifles I can get 1/2" and 5/8" groups @ 100

Once I shoot "how I hunt them" (front supported only), the best I can get is 1 1/2" groups.

That still means 3" @ 200 and 6" @ 400 (which is still the vitals on most big game) - and I never shoot past 200.

So "my answer" is, until "I" can shoot as good as my rifle there is no sense in trying to make "IT" shoot more accurate. It's already 3X more accurate than I am.
 
Walleyewhiz said:
... this gun shoots 165TTSX quite well. With 64 gr of IMR 4350 it is .500' and doing about 2900fps. With 66 gr (max in Nosler manual) it is .850" and doing about 3100 fps.
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Your first load is about what I would expect from a .30-06. I don't see the point in owning a magnum if you aren't going to run it at full throttle. The difference in accuracy is inconsequential.
 
I worry less about groups than cold bore accuracy. If a rifle can't shoot the first shot out of a cold, fouled bore within 1" of where I sighted it in at previously (usually about 1.5"-2" high depending on caliber), it needs tweaking or it's gone if it can't be improved on.
As for groups, if it can hold 3 shots within 1.5"@100 that's fine by me.
 
I'd load up about 20 of each, take them out to 500 or so and find out which shoots better at that range. Unless there is a glaring difference I'd be hunting with the fast one.

Another factor I consider is where the charges a grain over and under shoot. If there is a pronounced difference in POI by dropping a grain your rifle is going to shoot to a different POI every time the sun goes behind a cloud never mind when hunting in fall and winter conditions.. With a decent load you should be able to load 3 different charges a grain apart and still shoot MOA at 100.
 
Depends on the rifle and cartridge... I can put 10 rounds into 3" @ 100 yards with my 77/44... and considering I don't shoot that rifle where I can see past 100 yards, I am happy with that... it will do better benched... that is not acceptable accuracy out of my longer ranged rigs. I generally try to do MOA or better in my hunting rifles and enjoy tweaking loads until they can do it.
 
hoytcanon said:
Depends on the rifle and cartridge... I can put 10 rounds into 3" @ 100 yards with my 77/44... and considering I don't shoot that rifle where I can see past 100 yards, I am happy with that... it will do better benched... that is not acceptable accuracy out of my longer ranged rigs. I generally try to do MOA or better in my hunting rifles and enjoy tweaking loads until they can do it.
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About the same here, for bolt action big game rifles. With lever guns, I'll let that group open up to 2". On the long range and varmint 'stuff', I'm looking for 1/2" groups or less.
 
Johnn Peterson said:
About the same here, for bolt action big game rifles. With lever guns, I'll let that group open up to 2". On the long range and varmint 'stuff', I'm looking for 1/2" groups or less.
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That's about what I try and get . That being said , both my Marlins , a 45/70and a 30/30 , will easily keep three inside 1.5 " at one hundred .
 
Being as though I sometimes shoot F class and SRBR, I do have high expectations. Sometimes those expectations are too high and it's caused me to sell a nice M70 FW in .257 Roberts that I've wished for. I'd like to get that brain fart moment back. :)
 
I'm usually not happy until a hunting rifle shoots MOA with hand loads, fortunately, I often get better than that (sometimes WAY better)...especially after doing a bedding job. Tinkering for accuracy is half the fun!
 
In hunting conditions, lungs or heart seems to do the trick for me, when close enough, the neck works too. I never did pay much attention to MOA, overthinking everything can be a problem.
 
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galamb said:
If I clamp two of my rifles I can get 1/2" and 5/8" groups @ 100

Once I shoot "how I hunt them" (front supported only), the best I can get is 1 1/2" groups.

That still means 3" @ 200 and 6" @ 400 (which is still the vitals on most big game) - and I never shoot past 200.

So "my answer" is, until "I" can shoot as good as my rifle there is no sense in trying to make "IT" shoot more accurate. It's already 3X more accurate than I am.
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Saved me from typing. Hear, hear.
 
I've only even shot anything with my dads 30-30, which I could hit a 2" clay at at 200 yards everytime if I did my job. Honestly I don't think you need that much accuracy for hunting.

Now that ive had to get my own guns for hunting(dad got old, gave guns to uncle out of province) ive got a SKS that shoots 3 MOA or less that I would not hesitate to take a deer with at 100-200 yards. And a Mosin Nagant 91/30 that shoots less than 2 MOA that I would not hesitate to shoot anything walking in north America with out to 300 yards(using irons at the moment, when I get my scope mount figured out ill see its accuracy at longer ranges).
 
Reality is most of today's bolt action rifles are inherently more accurate than most shooters in field conditions.Sand bags are a world away from a downed tree or an elbow propped on your knee. You get moa at the bench consistently and you have yourself a keeper hunting rifle.
 
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