"Only accurate rifles are interesting" is a famous quote by Col Townsend Whelen, published in The American Rifleman in 1957. However, when it comes to hunting rifles, I fundamentally disagree. There are more important considerations. Some hunting rifles feel almost alive, are perfectly balanced in the hand, and are easy to shoot quickly, while others definitely are not. Some "accurate" rifles can be real unbalanced logs to lug around in the bush. I will take a happy, lively and "accurate enough" (1.5 - 2 in. groups?) rifle any day over a log that shoots tiny groups at the bench. "Only lively rifles are interesting."
"Only accurate rifles are interesting"
- Thread starter Rob
- Start date
sort of agree.
Degrees of "accuracy".
Plenty of older guys at my club that are all about hunting. As long as their rifle can hit an 8in circle at 100y/m, thats accurate enough for them.
But these days, with the advancements in firearms design/technology, its possible to have both accurate and handy.
Degrees of "accuracy".
Plenty of older guys at my club that are all about hunting. As long as their rifle can hit an 8in circle at 100y/m, thats accurate enough for them.
But these days, with the advancements in firearms design/technology, its possible to have both accurate and handy.
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
The thing is, Whelen was a consummate rifleman. A rifle that could just keep its shots on a pie plate at a hundred yards would have bored the #### out of him, as it would me and probably you. If I'm being honest I would sell a rifle that was only that accurate so fast that it would leave a dust trail.
Some people are just perfectly satisfied with the pie plate rifle. They probably even kill a deer or two with it every year. But they're just consumers looking to put meat in the freezer, which is a great thing. But I'm not just trying to put meat in the freezer. I want to test a rifle, to see what it is capable of. What powder does it prefer? What bullet? Brand and type of primer? Brand of case? Neck size of FL? That's the real fun part for me, and that's the difference between a rifleman and a hunter. One person will buy whatever brand of ammo they have at the local Co-Op or Canadian Tire and be happy so long as it goes bang and kills a deer. A rifleman won't. Neither one is more right or wrong than the other...it just depends what game you're playing at.
So, from Whelen's perspective, I agree 100%...only accurate rifles are interesting.
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
3" at 50 yards? Man, I would sell that rifle so fast you'd get whiplash watching me drive to the post office to get rid of it!
I think "accuracy" in itself is a bit too vague. As has been stated above, it may not be "match accurate" but that does not mean it is not
" hunting accurate".
I don't need my hunting rifles to shoot 1/2MOA off the bench, what I require if them i a first round hit at 100 yards and in from an offhand position or out to 300 rested on my walking staff or a tree branch, etc.
That means they have to be comfortable to carry , come into target acquisition fast, and have either irons or a scope that I can instantly see without hunting for a sight picture.
At the same time, I would not even look at a match rifle that could not shoot reliably into the Vbull at 300 meters.
I'm not about to take my .223 or 308 match rifles hunting and I sure am not going to bring my walking varminters or big game rifles to an fullbore match.
Cat
" hunting accurate".
I don't need my hunting rifles to shoot 1/2MOA off the bench, what I require if them i a first round hit at 100 yards and in from an offhand position or out to 300 rested on my walking staff or a tree branch, etc.
That means they have to be comfortable to carry , come into target acquisition fast, and have either irons or a scope that I can instantly see without hunting for a sight picture.
At the same time, I would not even look at a match rifle that could not shoot reliably into the Vbull at 300 meters.
I'm not about to take my .223 or 308 match rifles hunting and I sure am not going to bring my walking varminters or big game rifles to an fullbore match.
Cat
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I agree with his statement in the sense of the long term.
Short term however I find quite the opposite; few things can rent a corner in my head better than a minute of barn door rifle, especially one that is chambered in something that is generally known to be accurate.
If it isn’t, why…and what do I have to do to get it accurate.
This can be very interesting to me.
That said if the efforts bear no fruit then I find that rifle or cartridge very uninteresting.
Eventually the excitement of something going bang fizzles when the results of such is less than expectations.
Short term however I find quite the opposite; few things can rent a corner in my head better than a minute of barn door rifle, especially one that is chambered in something that is generally known to be accurate.
If it isn’t, why…and what do I have to do to get it accurate.
This can be very interesting to me.
That said if the efforts bear no fruit then I find that rifle or cartridge very uninteresting.
Eventually the excitement of something going bang fizzles when the results of such is less than expectations.
I handload for all my rifles to shoot 1/2" or less at 100 yards. Do I really require that kind of accuracy? Hell no, after killing over 300 big game animals, the average killing distance was about 100 to 125 yards. It's quite enjoyable to achieve personal goals such as: great accuracy and ultra velocities.
I use to hang out at the range a lot and 1.5 to 2 inch groups would be well better than average, especially during that few weeks leading up to hunting season. I would dare say the average hunter couldn't tell the difference between an average and accurate rifle.
Both
That's significant difference.
R.
.Definitely both. It isn't about using the right words, either. It's about doing the right things to achieve an objective. The two are interictally related, but consistency comes first, always. An "accurate" rifle can be just that... once or twice. Everyone has that wallet group they shot that one time. A consistant rifle does that group far more than not.You're talking about rifles or scales?
That's significant difference.
R.
