Factory accuracy
- Thread starter kenjohnson69
- Start date
Every rifle is a crap shoot....
You win some you loose some. For off the shelf, average hunter not wanting any mods done, in other words keep it stock, I would go Tikka or Sako. No guarantee on accuracy. It is only as good as the ammo and your skill as a shooter.
You win some you loose some. For off the shelf, average hunter not wanting any mods done, in other words keep it stock, I would go Tikka or Sako. No guarantee on accuracy. It is only as good as the ammo and your skill as a shooter.
Tikka ! jmo RJ
Most factory rifles, coupled with decent optics, and the right ammo will shoot better than a newbie shooter will allow. What I mean is, in most cases, the limiting factor is often the shooter. So get out there and shoot!
Tikka and Sako both excellent. Not sure on Franchi or Benelli rifles but they are Beretta brands, so who knows. We'll see.
Remington was usually pretty good as far as their target/varmint rifles went, so long as the ammo was good. That includes the Model 700, Model 7, and the 783 which was just starting to get some great traction in the aftermarket. Bergara is very similar IMO, and they seem to be very well-made and accurate. Their HMR is a popular entry-level competition rifle, and the Ridge is a solid crossover gun with a heavy-ish barrel, decent trigger, oversized bolt knob, and traditional ergonomics.
I've had very good luck with Weatherby rifles as well, Vanguard and Mark V rifles have both been sub-MOA for me long before their whole "sub-MOA" marketing kicked in. Some weird twist rates in older guns though.
Winchesters have been pretty good, probably a bit less so than the above, but not by much. The newer Browning-made Winchester M70 and the X-Bolt are both very accurate. Haven't shot my XPR yet but hoping for magic. Never tried the Browning AB3.
Savage rifles are decent, but I've had more variability here than with any other brand. I hate the Accutrigger! Same with the Ruger American trigger. The good old M77 was not a tack driver, more of a sledgehammer, "hunting gun" accurate. Just my experience.
Remington was usually pretty good as far as their target/varmint rifles went, so long as the ammo was good. That includes the Model 700, Model 7, and the 783 which was just starting to get some great traction in the aftermarket. Bergara is very similar IMO, and they seem to be very well-made and accurate. Their HMR is a popular entry-level competition rifle, and the Ridge is a solid crossover gun with a heavy-ish barrel, decent trigger, oversized bolt knob, and traditional ergonomics.
I've had very good luck with Weatherby rifles as well, Vanguard and Mark V rifles have both been sub-MOA for me long before their whole "sub-MOA" marketing kicked in. Some weird twist rates in older guns though.
Winchesters have been pretty good, probably a bit less so than the above, but not by much. The newer Browning-made Winchester M70 and the X-Bolt are both very accurate. Haven't shot my XPR yet but hoping for magic. Never tried the Browning AB3.
Savage rifles are decent, but I've had more variability here than with any other brand. I hate the Accutrigger! Same with the Ruger American trigger. The good old M77 was not a tack driver, more of a sledgehammer, "hunting gun" accurate. Just my experience.
Weatherby quality well built rifles 0.99 or less with Weatherby / Premium factory ammo.
I proved this the other day after I sighted in the scope - I shot three 3 shots groups at 109 yards (100m) all three groups under 1 inch. I have a hunting rifle (240wby) so no need to do 5-10 shot groups - if you have to do this in the field you are one lousy shooter.
All rifles can shoot good with factory ammo - if it's a hunting rig your after - a few things to consider such as weight and what your going to hunt with - if it's deer size game than a 240 wby would suffice - a little larger than a 257 wby. It's cheaper in the long run to pay a premium for ammo knowing that it's accurate then to spend time and money rolling your own ammo. Even though I reload I WILL NOT be reloading for my 240 wby.
I proved this the other day after I sighted in the scope - I shot three 3 shots groups at 109 yards (100m) all three groups under 1 inch. I have a hunting rifle (240wby) so no need to do 5-10 shot groups - if you have to do this in the field you are one lousy shooter.
All rifles can shoot good with factory ammo - if it's a hunting rig your after - a few things to consider such as weight and what your going to hunt with - if it's deer size game than a 240 wby would suffice - a little larger than a 257 wby. It's cheaper in the long run to pay a premium for ammo knowing that it's accurate then to spend time and money rolling your own ammo. Even though I reload I WILL NOT be reloading for my 240 wby.
I think a few posters have hit the nail on the head with regards to accuracy and the impact of the skill and experience of the shooter. It is no different than anything else - golf clubs, hockey sticks, etc. You can have someone new buy a $5000 set of Ping golf clubs and still slice shots into the woods, even if they were using $10 Titleist balls which the pros use. Conversely I have seen veteran golfers use crummy wooden 1970s MacGregor sets with crappy Top Flite balls and beat someone who is fairly new at golf but using an expensive top of the line set.
Same goes with shooting. Some guns are better than others, but the skill of the shooter and the ammo they use and maybe the optics all contribute. Case in point - I recently got a magnifier for my red dot. Got a good deal on it on the EE and I thought it was a cool accessory to put on. Well, I used the same gun, same distance, same ammo, and with the magnifier, it made a HUGE difference. It wasn't the gun. And it wasn't the ammo. It was me and my bad eyes. Without the magnifier, my groups were fairly sparse whereas with the magnifier it was tighter. That said, others can shoot much tighter groups with my gun and my ammo without the magnifier. With more range time, I am sure I can improve on the performance.
Whether you have a Ruger, Savage, Tikka or a Cadex...nothing beats familiarity and practice with the chosen firearm. Maybe with a lot of experience one may notice the nuances of one gun over another, but that's after a lot of trigger time and a lot of experimentation.
Same goes with shooting. Some guns are better than others, but the skill of the shooter and the ammo they use and maybe the optics all contribute. Case in point - I recently got a magnifier for my red dot. Got a good deal on it on the EE and I thought it was a cool accessory to put on. Well, I used the same gun, same distance, same ammo, and with the magnifier, it made a HUGE difference. It wasn't the gun. And it wasn't the ammo. It was me and my bad eyes. Without the magnifier, my groups were fairly sparse whereas with the magnifier it was tighter. That said, others can shoot much tighter groups with my gun and my ammo without the magnifier. With more range time, I am sure I can improve on the performance.
Whether you have a Ruger, Savage, Tikka or a Cadex...nothing beats familiarity and practice with the chosen firearm. Maybe with a lot of experience one may notice the nuances of one gun over another, but that's after a lot of trigger time and a lot of experimentation.
Like my dad always says "A good carpenter doesn't blame his tools"
I see it most when a group of us heads out for an afternoon of trap shooting. Inevitably someone says "ahh this new shotgun doesn't shoot for sh*t" and puts it down. Then one of the grey-beards picks it up and proceeds to smash every clay we throw. Nothing can replace hands-on time
brenden270
CGN Regular
- Location
- Kootenays BC
A good Tikka T3 will shoot with the best of them. Seriously I’ve seen many sub .5 MOA 6.5 tikkas.
thatmikeguy
Regular
- Location
- Steinbach, Manitoba
Tikka is my favorite. My 243 shoots 1 moa with factory ammo and that's with PPU Rifle Line. I made hand loads for it and WOW.
Recently bought a Sauer 100 xt classic in 6.5x55 Swede. Regularly prints 1/2 moa groups at 100 yards with factory ammo and hand loads. Excellent accuracy for a factory sporter barrel, excellent factory trigger and great fit and finish. Would not hesitate to buy another. Very impressed with the Sauer, they are a real bang for the buck when you can find them on sale.
