What Makes A Rifle Accurate?

action - is it true and square
bolt as above, general style of bolt action
tight accurate smooth chamber
barrel quality and dimensions help
action bedding - barrel floating
trigger - let off, smoothness
accuaracy potential of the round being selected including recoil and your ability to abosrb it
stock design - does it fit
optics and mounts

plus any of a number other considerations that i have likely missed or could go into in greater detail but it is a list nonetheless.
 
accurate rifle

l would say jason hit on the nose with the person pulling the trigger as being a major component,you can have a rifle that will shoot as straight as a lazer,but practice is the key thing for me,even if a rifle has had everything done to to it possible to make it accurate ,it will only shoot as good as the fellow behind it.l see people punching paper at a hundred yards and making one hole,but things change a lot at 500 to a 1000 yards,and that grouping at 100 dont mean #### all at these ranges.so practise at the distance you shoot ?thats just my opinion
 
In my opinion the nut behind the bolt is the most important factor in determining the accuracy of a rifle. In ideal situations (which is never encountered in the field), ie: controlled conditions in a mechanical rest I think a match grade barrel is most important with match ammunition being the second.
 
In our quest for accuracy there are two dynamics which sometimes confuses the issue. The first is, "What makes the rifle accurate?" and the second is "What makes the rifle easy to shoot accurately"

Perhaps our first job is to define accuracy. The hunter and the bench rest champion may have very different requirements, but let us agree that accuracy can be described as the potential of a combination of rifle and ammunition to deliver a cold barrel shot on the target, and the potential to put a number of subsequent rounds in close proximity to the cold barrel shot, regardless of external influences of local weather conditions, elevation, or the negative influences of the shooter on the combination.

Those things that make a rifle accurate include; a chamber that very closely matches the dimensions of the loaded round, the length of the lead with respect to the choice of bullet, a barrel with uniform interior dimensions, barrel weight appropriate to the number of rounds to be fired in a string, a bolt face that is square to the barrel, stock material that is stable in a broad range of environmental conditions, bedding that is appropriate for the style of receiver and weight of barrel, the precision with which the components of the rifle can be assembled and bedded into the stock, uniform ammunition appropriate for the job at hand, with bullet weight appropriate for the barrel's twist.

Those things which make the rifle easier to shoot accurately include; a trigger which has a crisp break and light let off with no appreciable movement, fast lock time, an ergonimic stock that fits the shooter and when proper cheek weld is attained, aligns the eye with the sight, a sight that allows the shooter to see the target and provides contrast between the aimning point and the target, and the sight must be easily adjustable with predictable movement, but robust enough not to move during the course of firing.
 
The Accurate Rifle is somewhat dated. More than that, it is just like any such book written by one who is not an experienced accuracy gunsmith; it is superficial.
The methodology for the building of superemely accurate rifles probably reached it's peak about 25 years ago. At that time, the best BR gunsmiths were able to produce rifles which, providing the bullets were up to the task, would reliably shoot at the 1/8 moa level. It is interesting that other disciplines have eschewed BR methodology, in many respects, but are beginning to approach 1/4 minute accuracy levels.
In the late sixties and early seventies, barrels were as good as they are today but there are many more makers producing quality barrels today.
Precision actions are much more commonly available.
In general, I believe the shortest route to ultimate accuracy is to emulate short range BR practice as much as possible; compromising only where necessry due to different requirements. For instance: A flat forend is not that disirable in a hand held rifle. A glued in action is not desirable in a rifle used in inclement conditions. A 2 ounce trigger not practical in the field. A short, stiff barrel may not be the ideal when trying to reach 1000 yds.
There is little doubt however, that an action which is straight, square and concentric; fitted with a barrel with is straight, well finished and uniform in dimension; properly bedded into a stock which is stiff and inert; will produce a rifle which will provide precision accuracy. The addition of good sighting equipment (again, unimproved in the last 30 years), a good trigger, and a competent shooter, will allow this potential to be realized.
Regards, Bill.
 
Max, for my money, this is how I spend it when building a rifle that is competitive in F Class. Your needs may demand a slight twist on the list below depending on what matters most in your shooting discipline.

1) top quality barrel
2) top quality installation - chamber cut true with the bore with a shape to suit the bullet desired.
3) perfect bedding and barrel support
4) best optics, rings, and mounts I can get - doesn't mean the most expensive.
5) proper fitted and shaped stock that has good balance - most aftermarket stocks will not fit you so ensure that you can modify or have some level of adjustment.
6) lightest trigger
7) anything to reduce recoil
8) best rests I can get
9) action - I use the Savage/Stevens exclusively so don't need to spend a fortune on fixing problems from the factory. Custom action would do the same thing.

Use the best bullets that your barrel likes. Stuff properly prepped/concentric cases with clean burning powder lit by match primers. Tune the load so that you have the accuracy that barrel will deliver.

practise so you can be as good as your equipment.

Jerry
 
The quality of answers on this forum is fantastic. Problem is that newbies ask simple questions for whaich the answers are somewhat complex and make sense to the experienced reader but lack priority to the newbie.

let me answer a different way. There is no substitute for expereince. You can only learn so much by shooting a computer.

After you have shot a few thousand rounds you will develop a certain consistancy in your shooting so that you will be able to tell the difference between a good load and a poor one.

Your rifle should be as high a quality as posssible. Best value for the dollar is propbably a used target rifle in 308 or a used bench rest rifle in 6BR. Remember, barrels wear out, so calibers can be changed.

Don't buy any junk. A single shot action will give your far more performace than a repeater.
 
Boomer said:
In our quest for accuracy there are two dynamics which sometimes confuses the issue. The first is, "What makes the rifle accurate?" and the second is "What makes the rifle easy to shoot accurately"

Perhaps our first job is to define accuracy. The hunter and the bench rest champion may have very different requirements, but let us agree that accuracy can be described as the potential of a combination of rifle and ammunition to deliver a cold barrel shot on the target, and the potential to put a number of subsequent rounds in close proximity to the cold barrel shot, regardless of external influences of local weather conditions, elevation, or the negative influences of the shooter on the combination.

Those things that make a rifle accurate include; a chamber that very closely matches the dimensions of the loaded round, the length of the lead with respect to the choice of bullet, a barrel with uniform interior dimensions, barrel weight appropriate to the number of rounds to be fired in a string, a bolt face that is square to the barrel, stock material that is stable in a broad range of environmental conditions, bedding that is appropriate for the style of receiver and weight of barrel, the precision with which the components of the rifle can be assembled and bedded into the stock, uniform ammunition appropriate for the job at hand, with bullet weight appropriate for the barrel's twist.

Those things which make the rifle easier to shoot accurately include; a trigger which has a crisp break and light let off with no appreciable movement, fast lock time, an ergonimic stock that fits the shooter and when proper cheek weld is attained, aligns the eye with the sight, a sight that allows the shooter to see the target and provides contrast between the aimning point and the target, and the sight must be easily adjustable with predictable movement, but robust enough not to move during the course of firing.
Click to expand...
Very well said Boomer 2+++
 
The rifle is a complete system. Failure to treat it as such and you will NEVER be able to maximize accuracy! .......going one step further....and POOR loads and no barrel will shoot well. This project goes right to the reloading components.

Get the highest quality components you can live with buying.
 
I once had a conversation on this topic with a CF armourer who worked with the PPCLI snipers. His answer was that after a lot of experimentation and given competant shooting, it all came down to the three "B"s; Barrel, Bedding and Bullets.
 
I used to test various lots of military ammo to see which lots were good enough for training and competition. 10 shot groups would run between 2 and 4 minutes.

By pulling out the military bullets and substituting a match bullet the groups would shrink to about 1 minute - half the size or better.

I agree with the 3 Bs above.

The original question asked for little things, too. here are two:

The bolt locking locks should both (or all 3, or all 4) bear on the reeciver. You can usually see this by the wear pattern. If not sure, degrease the bolt lugs and cold blue them. After awhile the wear will be obvious. If they all don't touch, or the wear is not even, some lapping will fix it quickly.

second, the action bolts should not touch the sids of the inside of the hole though the stock and bedding. If you see any sign of thread marks inside the bolt hole, run a 9/32 drill bit through the hole.
 
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