Inherent Accuracy?

mmattockx

mmattockx

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Lately, I have been seeing lots of comment on how the 6.5x55 cartridge is "inherently accurate". Now, I know it is a great cartridge and I just bought a M96 Swede Mauser for deer this fall, so I do see it's virtues. But why would any one cartridge have any better accuracy than another, all other things being equal in the guns used to shoot them?

Thanks,
Mark
 
I don't believe there is anything like inherent accuracy. I suspect that a round might have just the right sweet spot of mass, ballistic profile, velicity and gun to reduce strain on the shooter so that they do not flinch, or develop any bad habits, but no one cartridge can be inheretly accurate over another.

Quality and consistency of manufacture however of a round can have a huge impact.
 
redman said:
Apparently casing shape, shoulder angle, etc has an effect on powder burn consistency/uniformity, or so I've read...
Click to expand...

If there is anything to that, it is a *SMALL* effect. Perhaps (probably?) relevant to Benchrest levels of accuracy, but for anything else less demanding (i.e. nearly everything else), you would not be able to discern the difference. If you're shooting more than 1/4" at 100y or 7" at 1000y, something else is responsible for your "large" group sizes...
 
The only thing that i can think of in regards to smokeless loads being inherently accurate would be carts. based on the latest benchrest cases, the short squat PPC cases and the BR family. Benchrest results, even CBA, point to these cases and their many variants as being the most inherently accurate cartridges. Most consistent burning of powder is usually listed as the main advantage.
 
From the perspective of an Fclass and LR shooters, cartridges aren't accurate. They just provide the amount of push that you need.

BULLETS and BARRELS and how it is assembled matter.

With the huge assortment of excellent powders and primers, there are precious few cartridges that can't be tuned for as much accuracy as the rifle launching a bullet can achieve.

Jerry
 
It just means the cartridge has characteristics that make it consistently accurate. "Inherent" meaning 'a permanent and inseparable element, quality, or attribute'. A short, fat, case is one.
Bambi, Bullwinkle or Yogi won't know the difference.
 
In short range accuracy (Centerfire Benchrest out to 300 yards) there are case designs that are more accurate than others.

The .222 Remington is one of them... the 6mm x 47 (.222 Rem Mag case) is another... they were replaced by the 6mm BR and the most dominant most accurate cartridge to date the 6mm PPC. There are some cartridges that come close the the 6mmPPC but it is winning the majority of the Benchrest matches today.
 
There are many cartridge designs, that in spite of the best components and barrels, simply do not put one bullet behind the other. There are others such as the 6PPC, that when loaded properly and fired down good barrels, they are phenomenally accurate, and capable of 0 group size.

the reality is that there are virtually no factory firearms out there that are capable of extracting the maximum accuracy out of any given cartridge, so don't worry too much about inherent accuracy with a hunting rifle.

...There are many reasons one does not see 30-30's and 45-70's in benchrest competition.
 
A few years back there was one fellow who did very well at some major BR matches, beating out a bunch of 6ppc's. He was shooting a 30/30.
Accuracy potential of a cartridge is probably related as much to bore capacity as it is to case shape. The 6PPC shoots a bit better than the BR because it is a bit smaller. It shoots better than the 6x47 because it is a bit bigger and uses stronger brass which will withstand higher pressures.
The 6.5x55 won a reputation for accuacy because it was used for so long in Scandinavian countrys as an accuracy cartridge. It is no more accurate than a 6.5x57 or a 260 Remington but these cartridges don't have the track record. I actually think it is a bit too big for best consistency but it works well enough.
The 308 is an accurate cartridge. It may be the only big game cartridge which is capable of near-benchrest accuracy. I personally believe the 300 Savage and the 30/40 Krag are capable of similar accuracy.
As others have pointed out, accuracy potential in the hunting fields is a meaningless attribute. There are other performance criteria which are more important. This probably explains why the 6PPC has made no serious inoads as an elk cartridge. Regards, Bill.
 
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