If possible, I would really want mechanical accuracy to be under 2MOA.
That said, in an actual defensive shoot, shooting under 10MOA is usually more than adequate to get the job done. If you’re shooting within rock-throwing distances, in the midst of an adrenaline dump, trying not to become perforated yourself, you’re probably going to miss part of the time, so balancing speed and accuracy becomes more important.
A reliable gun with a shot-out barrel: if the rifle has a good zero, you’re still looking at a solid hit out to 150m when the shooter sends the round on target.
Like any hobby, shooters will spend more money on hardware to wring out that tiny bit of gain because having to eat the humble pie to just go our and practice to make huge gains isn’t as fun. This applies to me.
Truer words were never spoken. You can definitely spend alot of time at the reloading bench to acquire sub MOA accuracy. I would rather take a 3MOA rifle to the range and get in alot of trigger time at closer distances, say 25 meters to 200 meters. It’s more practical, more fun and requires less ammunition prep.
For home defense I would be more worried about how fast you can get to yoour rifle and then how fast you can put 2 rounds to the chest of a humanoid size target after fetching your rifle.
If you can make a 5-10" two shot group in under a couple seconds you are good to go.
Also,get a buddy with a timer or buzzer or something that will put you on the clock,nothing like being under preassure,even in training, that buzzer,bell,clock will make you make mistakes !!!
Acceptable accuracy for a defense situation is one that leaves me not leaking any body fluids, and the other guy disabled or deceased.
Flatly, I do not care if three shots are 12" apart @ 5yds if the other guy doesn’t get any holes in me.
That being said, a lot of the above is also true. Most modern firearms will better a new, or learning, shooter. Shoot for the best accuracy you can, learn the basics from a competent instructor, and then work on speed as you progress.
If you are doing drills at any SD/HD distance to 25yd, and can’t keep them in the black, you need to slow down. As you get better the speed will come.
I was recently at the NRA range function testing my AR-10 SBR. I had the target set at 10yds, was shooting offhand, and kept every round in the 8"x3" Shoot&See without trying too hard - or fast. If I had been shooting for time, or against a threat, I should have definitely sped up a lot.
I’ve heard Ken H. and LAV say more than once that when the shooting starts no one is going to have to tell you to shoot faster, so work on doing the basics 100% right and get 100% hits.
Work on correct form and accuracy. Speed will come through practice.
Keep in mind that in a real incident, be it self defense, home defense, SHTF (All variants of the same concept, protecting yourself), the odds are that other factors can come into play. You may be out of breath from running or stress. The lighting conditions may be low light or no light, requiring some type of flashlight. The weather may suck if you are outside, you may be cold and/or wet. You may be exhausted. You may be shooting while moving. Your target may also be shooting while moving. You may be injured from a fall or a wound.
Get some competent training and practice what you learned through training. You will find that it’s a never ending process of training and practice.
If you can hit a 3"x5" from 10 yds, under any and all of the above conditions, you’re getting there.
I wanted to re-visit this a little without starting another thread. Has anyone else thought more about “acceptable accuracy”? I got to thinking in light of the shooting session yesterday with my brother in law. We set up our steel hanger plate (10"x14") and moved out to a position about 400 yards from away.
We were consistently hitting the target with my 11.5" SBR outfitted with an ACOG and M4-2000 suppressor using 55gr. steel case TAP ammo. We didn’t look at group sizes, as I consider that irrelevant for the most part.
Does anyone doubt that this would be considered acceptably accurate?
sounds pretty damn good to me.
10x 14 at 400 yards with an sbr. id be proud
Now if i may let me ask some of the more senior members here what would be better for a guy like me. i know my handgun and can double tap and put both rounds in the head without using sites. not bragging just saying been shooting the a pistol for a long time. now with my rifle (m4 type) im still having problems of where the front site post and wings go when looking thru the rear site. im ok but need more practice, my question is what would be better an appleseed shoot or a carbine 1 class. thanks jason
somewhat yes. some people say the wings go halfway centered in the rear site. i switch too much between the o-2 site and the small peep hole. id like to be taught the proper way to aim with the ar sites so i know wich one to use and when. i use the dd a1.5 and the standard front site
I almost never use the 0-2 setting. I zero them with the small aperture and call it a day. But, I do not use the “traditional” sights. My SBR uses an ACOG with Troy back ups and my Noveske is outfitted with a Leupold Mark 4 MR/T.
Thanks IG and sorry about the highjack. Yes that helped alot, I just need to save and get an acog. When i sight down and look thru the sites, the 0-2 just makes things harder to hit. i guess it would be good for cq shooting
