Harold R. Vaughn's "Rifle Accuracy Factors"
by
Uncle_vagny
SKU: 00775
Introduction
About 45 years ago, when I became passionate about big game hunting, I was dissatisfied with the accuracy of commercial rifles. You simply don't want to miss after spending days, and sometimes weeks, in pursuit of a big trophy and finally getting the opportunity to take a shot from three hundred yards or more. Most sporting rifles are not accurate enough for such long-range shooting. The commercial rifles I tested were shooting 5-shot groups ranging from 4 to 12 inches at 300 yards, which is not nearly enough for a serious trophy hunter.
Now many of you may say that their rifle can shoot more accurately than they can. I agree with this if you consider yourself one of those people who simply can't shoot due to fear of shooting or poor eyesight, or for some other reason. Nevertheless, I can't agree with the majority of such shooters because I've fired thousands of rounds from accurate sporters using a rest, where the only skill required is to center the crosshairs of a 20-power scope on the target.
Consistently, I achieved the same accuracy when I and other guys fired from the same rifle from the shoulder in a prone or rested position. Benchrest shooters, for years, have consistently shot 10-shot groups better than 0.3 inches at 100 yards from specially built heavy rifles using carefully prepared ammunition, while a sporter shooting better than 1.5 inches at 100 yards with a 5-shot group is a rarity. It has been convincingly demonstrated that most people can shoot much better than their rifles. In the early 1960s, I had lightweight sporters that consistently shot 2.5-inch groups at 300 yards, which was acceptable for big game hunting. This was achieved after replacing the barrel with a custom-made one with a chamber reamed by me, using a specially made reamer, and the stock replaced with a carefully fitted one.
About 45 years ago, when I became passionate about big game hunting, I was dissatisfied with the accuracy of commercial rifles. You simply don't want to miss after spending days, and sometimes weeks, in pursuit of a big trophy and finally getting the opportunity to take a shot from three hundred yards or more. Most sporting rifles are not accurate enough for such long-range shooting. The commercial rifles I tested were shooting 5-shot groups ranging from 4 to 12 inches at 300 yards, which is not nearly enough for a serious trophy hunter.
Now many of you may say that their rifle can shoot more accurately than they can. I agree with this if you consider yourself one of those people who simply can't shoot due to fear of shooting or poor eyesight, or for some other reason. Nevertheless, I can't agree with the majority of such shooters because I've fired thousands of rounds from accurate sporters using a rest, where the only skill required is to center the crosshairs of a 20-power scope on the target.
Consistently, I achieved the same accuracy when I and other guys fired from the same rifle from the shoulder in a prone or rested position. Benchrest shooters, for years, have consistently shot 10-shot groups better than 0.3 inches at 100 yards from specially built heavy rifles using carefully prepared ammunition, while a sporter shooting better than 1.5 inches at 100 yards with a 5-shot group is a rarity. It has been convincingly demonstrated that most people can shoot much better than their rifles. In the early 1960s, I had lightweight sporters that consistently shot 2.5-inch groups at 300 yards, which was acceptable for big game hunting. This was achieved after replacing the barrel with a custom-made one with a chamber reamed by me, using a specially made reamer, and the stock replaced with a carefully fitted one.
Introduction
About 45 years ago, when I became passionate about big game hunting, I was dissatisfied with the accuracy of commercial rifles. You simply don't want to miss after spending days, and sometimes weeks, in pursuit of a big trophy and finally getting the opportunity to take a shot from three hundred yards or more. Most sporting rifles are not accurate enough for such long-range shooting. The commercial rifles I tested were shooting 5-shot groups ranging from 4 to 12 inches at 300 yards, which is not nearly enough for a serious trophy hunter.
Now many of you may say that their rifle can shoot more accurately than they can. I agree with this if you consider yourself one of those people who simply can't shoot due to fear of shooting or poor eyesight, or for some other reason. Nevertheless, I can't agree with the majority of such shooters because I've fired thousands of rounds from accurate sporters using a rest, where the only skill required is to center the crosshairs of a 20-power scope on the target.
Consistently, I achieved the same accuracy when I and other guys fired from the same rifle from the shoulder in a prone or rested position. Benchrest shooters, for years, have consistently shot 10-shot groups better than 0.3 inches at 100 yards from specially built heavy rifles using carefully prepared ammunition, while a sporter shooting better than 1.5 inches at 100 yards with a 5-shot group is a rarity. It has been convincingly demonstrated that most people can shoot much better than their rifles. In the early 1960s, I had lightweight sporters that consistently shot 2.5-inch groups at 300 yards, which was acceptable for big game hunting. This was achieved after replacing the barrel with a custom-made one with a chamber reamed by me, using a specially made reamer, and the stock replaced with a carefully fitted one.
About 45 years ago, when I became passionate about big game hunting, I was dissatisfied with the accuracy of commercial rifles. You simply don't want to miss after spending days, and sometimes weeks, in pursuit of a big trophy and finally getting the opportunity to take a shot from three hundred yards or more. Most sporting rifles are not accurate enough for such long-range shooting. The commercial rifles I tested were shooting 5-shot groups ranging from 4 to 12 inches at 300 yards, which is not nearly enough for a serious trophy hunter.
Now many of you may say that their rifle can shoot more accurately than they can. I agree with this if you consider yourself one of those people who simply can't shoot due to fear of shooting or poor eyesight, or for some other reason. Nevertheless, I can't agree with the majority of such shooters because I've fired thousands of rounds from accurate sporters using a rest, where the only skill required is to center the crosshairs of a 20-power scope on the target.
Consistently, I achieved the same accuracy when I and other guys fired from the same rifle from the shoulder in a prone or rested position. Benchrest shooters, for years, have consistently shot 10-shot groups better than 0.3 inches at 100 yards from specially built heavy rifles using carefully prepared ammunition, while a sporter shooting better than 1.5 inches at 100 yards with a 5-shot group is a rarity. It has been convincingly demonstrated that most people can shoot much better than their rifles. In the early 1960s, I had lightweight sporters that consistently shot 2.5-inch groups at 300 yards, which was acceptable for big game hunting. This was achieved after replacing the barrel with a custom-made one with a chamber reamed by me, using a specially made reamer, and the stock replaced with a carefully fitted one.