Originally Posted by
Failure2Stop
In my experience, 5-round groups tend to help reduce shooter error.
This usually isn't a big deal right out of the gate, but when you get into the 200 round area shooter fatigue becomes more of a thing.
Still, that 5-round group on its own is a data point, but that data needs to be populated with several (at least 4) groups to accurately indicate anything usable.
This comes around to zeroing.
After my initial zero, I won't touch the turrets until I have at least 4 groups from which to determine actual group center.
If the group center isn't consistent with regard to point of aim, I want to check heat, and will generally shoot 4X 5-round groups, with enough time between strings to allow the barrel to cool.
If the group centers become more consistent, I do a heat work-up, shooting 40 to 50 rounds in 5-round groups with only enough time between groups to ensure good natural point of aim and correct position/NPA.
If the group to group dispersion does not improve, I at least know that the issue is probably something other than heat.
When it comes to data collection, I am more interested in group centers in relation to the POA than I am in individual group size. After shooting the gun for a while, I know what the groups should look like, and anything weird (large) gets noted.