Is it worth worrying about runout for hunting ammo?

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fat but funky

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So I tried some federal gold medal match ammo in my hunting rifle and was getting an average of 0.6 MOA at 200 yards. In comparison, I usually get about 0.9 MOA from my hunting loads in the same rifle. I'm not willing to change the bullet or powder, nor am I going to discard the 150 or so rounds I have made.

However, I could sort those rounds according to runout.

Given that bullet and powder are already set, am I likely to any benefit from trying to control for runout?

Thanks

Fat
 
Yes, less run out.
I would sort it and use the crappy ones for offhand practice.
But seriously if you are happy with .9 moa shoot it.
I can't think of any edible animals that can tell the difference.
And under field conditions you won't either.
 
Years ago I spent all kinds of time sorting ammo by runout. At the end I had a pile of the worst ammo. When I shot the different piles for comparison I discovered to my dismay that the pile of sh!t ammo with the worst runout actually grouped the best. After that I have never bothered to sort for runout. There are so many other variables at work in field shooting and the animal really doesn't care if the bullet hits 0.5" off where it was aimed.
 
fat but funky said:
So I tried some federal gold medal match ammo in my hunting rifle and was getting an average of 0.6 MOA at 200 yards. In comparison, I usually get about 0.9 MOA from my hunting loads in the same rifle. I'm not willing to change the bullet or powder, nor am I going to discard the 150 or so rounds I have made.

However, I could sort those rounds according to runout.

Given that bullet and powder are already set, am I likely to any benefit from trying to control for runout?
Click to expand...

My view is that runout is really only a big problem for those that measure it. Not a major factor in determining accuracy of a load, especially for hunting.
 
5 or 6 thou run out you are unlikely to notice the degradation in accuracy at normal hunting ranges and field conditions.

The point of reduced run out is to cause less damage to the bullet as it enters the rifling.

If you are not going to take steps to reduce the run out then there is not much use measuring it.

For hunting I only load what I will need for a hunt, 10-15 rounds.
 
Unless you're shooting gophers beyond 100, what's your concern? .9 is minute of deer way beyond any responsible shot.
 
I wouldn't worry too much about run out for a hunting rifle unless it's excessive, over.006- .007 . Unless you are hunting really long range. I have found that unless you have a very accurate rifle capable of grouping in the .2 or .3 moa area then run out becomes important.
 
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