Hi gang, I am curious as to what everyone out there calls acceptable hunting accuracy from themselves and there equiptment from there hunting rifle, I am from North America and of course my criteria will differ from yours.
Here is my criteria:
For the rifle, consistant 3 shot groups of no larger than 1.25" at 100 yards from a good rest.
For myself my maximum hunting distance is where I can no longer get 4 out of 5 shots into a 11x14" target from the offhand position, and this is determined on a 3 for 3 consistancy on 3 different visits.
I think seeing everyone elses thoughts will be interesting.

Southpaw, different strokes for different folks, I don't have a problem with any self imposed limitations that a person demonstrates to their own satisfaction.

I see the rational behind your approach, mine is a little different. First I think your 100 yard litmus is a bit stringent. Of course I have to rationalize taking my mod 94 into the woods and it will never meet your standard. On the other hand, I don't have any scoped rifles that won't better the same standard from a rest, which is my M.O. when possible. Offhand and rested are two distinctly different scenarios and I will govern myself accordingly. I use a paper plate for determining my effective limits on big game, when I can't contain ALL of my shots on the plate I back up until I can. I shoot cold bore, and fouled, usually not more that 3 whacks at a plate. I have a #1 with an excellent trigger that I can shoot sub 3"-100 yard groups with on my hind legs, MOA when I'm sitting or prone. The groups get smaller from a rest, and I mean by that a tree or post. Maybe it's windy, maybe not. Situations vary, so too my confidence.

Varmints are a different story.

SouthpawDV, Your system is probably as good as any but personally I don't know if I would have my offhand shooting be as prominant. I haven't taken an offhand shot at game in 6 or 7 years. I used to shoot a lot of High-Power Silhouette and it wasn't uncommon to hit 8 or 9 Ram targets at 500 Meters. Shooting offhand at a deer with the same caliber rifle as my silhouette gun I missed a standing deer five shots in a row at 200 yds. I haven't taken an offhand shot at a game animal since. For me there is a huge difference in shooting in a match and shooting at game especially where offhand shooting is involved. I probably wouldn't take an offhand shot over 75-100yds, longer than that I think 90% of the time you should have enough time to get steadier.
And I probably won't hunt with a rifle that I haven't found at least some load that will shoot 3 shots into less than 1" at 100yds. I have plenty that do so why use a less accurate one........DJ

I missed leaving the discussion limited to scoped big game rifles, of course a muzzle loader or a rifle with iron sights will have a different criteria, as will your varmint rig.
I use the offhand criteria for maximum effective range so to keep from jumbling the stats in my head, worse case is the limit.

I envy the shooting ability of some of the posters here, I also envy guys that have the opportunity to shoot apractice at extended ranges. The range near me has a 200 yd and 100yd. I can shoot about 180 at my house soon to be about 250. I however usually shoot a couple rounds from my bench, then I shoot in every position thinkable, even left handed ,at many different ranges. I guess it is what a guy does when he isn't able to practice farther. I would like to think that when shooting at game a guy should know and respect his limitations, shooting cans or paper is another thing. Just my opinion. Thanks JL

DJP:
I use the offhand position for criteria development, because factor in your heart rate and maybe being winded, even if you take some sort of rest or more stable shooting position, I feel that the offhand position comes pretty darn close when you are huffn and puffn.

I like all of my big game rifles to break 1moa, but I am happy w/ 1.5moa in a rifle that always delivers that all important 1st shot where I want it. That gets me to 300yds & I will only shoot farther w/ a rifle I know can do that job.

My standard is the rifle must shoot 1 1/2 inch @ 100 yards from positions I use in the field.

Nothing greater than 3/4" at 100 yrds off a bench rest is what I will accept with a scoped rifle. I like to practice standing without any rest at 100yrds but groop size will vary depending on the wind and how much my back is bothering me that day. I had 2 vertibre fuzed and am not a steady free-hand shooter for that reason.

When shooting my Muzzle Loader I practice more standing and I must get 5 into a paper plate at 50yrds with open sites. If I rest the same Muzzle Loader I want no more than 3" at 100yrds with open sites.

1 inch groups at 100 yards works good for me. But I do a lot of shooting at 200 yards. I expect about the same as 100 yards but it always opens up a little.

Swede44:
I like your phraise about the jerk behind the trigger. That must very much like the nut behind the bolt.

My buddies and I hunt thick country. Our average on deer has been about 30 feet for the last seven years, but last year I got one at 90m and skewed the numbers. We work more on hitting a 6" ball fast at 50m than we do on anything past 100m.

I'm the only one of us who hunts open country, and I still usually shoot inside 250m. That's partly self-imposed, as I have no place to practice farther than that and no place to shoot in the wind. At that range 2-3 MOA is fine. My rifles do 1.5-2 MOA, but a better shot than me should be able to tighten that up some.

I shoot the drills in Jeff Cooper's The Art of the Rifle. I also practice assuming position quickly, and getting off a shot while carrying my rifle as I walk down to change targets, etc. I also shoot a LOT of offhand. Gunhandling drills help me more than ultra-accurate rifles and loads, though it's sure nice to drill a tiny little group now and then.

Hope this helps, Okie John.

Gotta make a 9" 3 shot group at expected maximum range in real world position. So if off hand the max range I can do this is 50 yds then I don't take a shot off hand at more than 50 yds. I have several rifles and I like to hunt with all of them some don't group as well as others so I plan my hunt around what rifle I want to use or the other way around.

Me and the rifle must hold a 7" group at 100 metres. Haven't shot an animal from a rest or even taking a handy rest on a tree since dingaan was a boy scout. For the pot I shoot impala - Usual range about 75 paces. For supplimentary income I shoot ele, buff and lion that have an attitude problem. Range normally 10 paces or less. For sport I shoot baboons (although hiding the bycycles afterwards is getting difficult these days ) Range 100-200m

Of late I have found that my eyesight isn't what it was and I had my new rifle (a Custom rifle by North South Outdoors) built with interchangeable rear sights - A scope/peep sight or (on the front scope base) a surefire red dot sight. I find even at 30 paces in the jess that the leopold or Nikkon scopes I have to be very fast provided I keep them on a power of 1.5 or so.

I try to tune handloads and rifle to get consistantly 1 moa off the bench or better. Some days I have gotten .5 Moa and some days 1.25 moa but the zero is consistant. I know that I cannot shoot .5 inch groups every time I go to the range. As long as I know it was "me" and not the rifle I cannot complain.

Southpaw, I would not limit it to scoped rifles at all. Many here, including myself, shoot iron/aperture and optical sights afield. I think the valid litmus boils down to dispersion that results from the integration of rifle/handgun and shooter, sights notwithstanding. Or even shotguns with buckshot for that matter. That is the basis of my philosophy anyway.

Depends entirely on the gun, and the quarry. I shoot a 358 on elk, and it runs about 2 moa for five shots. Plenty fine.

My 7mag is sub moa. Shooting sticks add about a moa of wobble to that, and I'm comfortable on deer to about 400 yards.

My varminters are all half MOA or close. With good, solid rests, I like playing at 500 to 600 yards with them, but then again, I don't care if I nick a rodent. FWIW, Dutch.

Dan:
I dont ;imit this criteria to only my scoped rifles.
I have a personal limit of about 150 yards with my M1 Garand for hunting, and I have drawn the line when I had my traditional muzzle loader of about 80 yards, the sights were horrible. And now I limit myself to about 150 yards with my inline ML with a scope.

The better my equipment gets the more my expectations grow, its a viscious circle.

I starting shooting a standing bench rest a few years back.It has helped my shooting during hunting so much I thought that I could not improve over my former years of shooting.I learned to deal with recoil way better standing instead of normal bench rest.I have shot groups with my 338 win mag down to 3/4" at 200 yards this way.I shot some pronghorn with only a telephone pole to rest on at 375 yards.I learned to get use to my trigger from shooting alot and made easy shots on the pronghorn.I have learned to shoot my guns up to my 416 rem mag this way and can take shots in the feild way better than just shooting bench rest for practice .I like a well balanced rifle for this type of shooting.The light weight rifles with wippy barrels just dont shoot as good as a medium weight tapered barrel .Most of my rifles are 9 pounds to 10.5 pounds.Its a little more to carry but worth it when you have to take long shots that are impossible with light rifles.

Southpaw,

I check hunting accuracy by being able to hit an 8" diameter gong at a given distance and position. I shoot most of my game from the sitting position and offhand. I like using natural rests when they're available. Tops for me from sitting is 300 yards..offhand is 150 yards. It doesn't really matter to me because I almost always try to get closer. I guess thats the latent bowhunter in me coming out!

For load development for my big game rifles anything under 2†is acceptable at the bench. If I can get 1†I will be very happy. Given that is my level of satisfaction, I rarely spend time and effort to get better than 1â€. Both my .243 and .270 have the potential doing better than 1 MOA.

Like everybody else, I usually start my off-hand practice two week before the season and at the same time make sure the rifle is sight in.

During hunting, the condition is different. Rarely do I get the chance to shoot with a rest. Most shoots are off-hand or at best kneeling position, not to mention that the heart rate would be ten times the normal. In this part of the country, the range is usually less than 100 yards. Beyond 250 yards, I don’t see too well and would not normally take the shoot unless I get something to rest on.

I prefer lighter rifles (under 8 lbs including scope) as I can aim better. There is no way I can steady my shoots with a rifle heavier than 10 lbs.

Danny Boy

I'm pretty happy as long as my rifle can keep 3 shots under 1.5" off the bench. I often strive for 1" or better, but not all of my big game rifles (or maybe it's me) will do it. I limit my offhand shooting to under 100 yards, but much prefer a rest and usually have sticks with me just in case I can't find one. For a hunting rifle, I am more concerned about having a gun that shoots to a consistent POI first shot out of a cold barrel time and again after I take it out of the safe or case after travel than one that will shoot bitty groups.

-Lou

I avoid off-hand like the plague - I'd much prefer to take one knee in the field wherever possible.

I know my 7mm Rem Mag will shoot under 3/4" but I don't always do it even on clam days from the bench.

However I have found that shooting at game off a knee or sitting my impact points tend to be very close to my aim points - almost like a bench rest result. Offhand results vary significantly in practice and that is enough to discourage me from shooting thay way if there are options.

I try to use the loads that give me 1 inch or less for 3 shots at 100 yds from a bench. I know that this is really not necessary for most hunting and really something more along the lines of 1 1/2 or even 2 inches is OK, I just like seeing those small groups!

As far as hunting applications, I limit my range to that in which I can put at least 9 out of 10 shots in a standard paper plate at hunting distances, whether that is offhand or whatever. For me, I limit offhand shots to around 100 yards, either scoped or iron sights. Off a rest, I can usually take the irons or peep sight to 125-150 yds. I limit most of my scoped shots to 300 or so. I have taken one big game animal at 410 yds,(by laser rangefinder) as it was the only shot available and the last couple hours of the hunt. It was, however, off a pair of shooting sticks. I never would have tried it offhand. The other thing is, the target was a bull moose, which gives a little more margin of error than my paper plates!

yes, to me, it depends upon the size of targeted critter

an elk kill zone at 300 yds is rather different than a pronghorn

but, regardless, I like to see consistently under 1.5" for any of my rifle/load combos

I also like to see first shot out of cold barrel going to a consistent point, I prefer not to shoot twice.

For me hunting accuracy (for deer sized game and above) is routinely putting all my shots on a 9" pie plate from field positions. Whatever range at which this starts to dwindle is where I call it quits.

To me a scoped big game rifle that shoots 1" to 2" groups from the bench at 100 yards is acceptable. When you get to field positions and place short time limits on your shots I apply the pie plate standard above for deer or larger.

I don't shoot much from the bench other than when working up loads and doing my sighting in. Once the sights are set I get off the bench and shoot from field positions throughout the year - sitting, kneeling, using a tree, boulders, prone, up and downhill, etc. I practice with snapshots alot and get thoroughly familiar with the rifle and load at all distances. I set up my targets where they're partially obstructed by brush, limbs, etc and get used to the limited exposure of the target. I primarily use steel plates and have them permanently set up on my little ranch where I can grab my rifle and just take a walk thru the forest and plink at the plates as I walk. Taking different paths thru the forest changes angles and distances and keeps it fun.

Know your rifle and your load intimately and stick with one good load and you'll master that rifle, making it a part of you.

As I stated at the start I put this post on a few forums I frequent. And a glaringly obvious trend developed. The Canadian sites I posted this on the replies were few and poorly addressed (mostly about rifle capabilities) While most of the sites with origins outside of Canada drew more exacting responses(rifle ability and shooter ability) and the responses were generous and quite interesting.
Just things that make you go HMMM.

Southpaw,

That's an interesting observation you mention about the two different demographic groups. Not sure what to attribute it to however...

I prefer 1 moa or better, my father who has killed many more animals than I only requests minute of mule deer - I have never seen him take a shot past 100 yards..

I try several loads that should be good for that rifle caliber. I look for the one that gives me the tightest groups at 50 yds. 50 yds, tells me what the load and rifle are capable of.

100 yds or better tell me what I can do with that rifle and load.

If I have no confidence in a rifle and a load, I am not out in the field with it. It will set in my gun safe and eventually find itself being rebarreled or down at the gun shop looking for a new owner.

Most of my rifles I don't have to worry about the load or the the rifle. If I did, I don't own them any more. Picky rifles do have one load out there somewhere that they will shoot and shoot well. That becomes their diet for the rest of their life in my ownership.

So I know when I am in the field and hunting, and if I shoot and miss, I don't blame it on the rifle or the scope. The only thing to fault is the shooter. Too many hunters, have a problem blaming that last item, the hunter.


Cheers
thunderbolt

Hey 458RugerNo1 or I guess anyone else that does this, how thick of a steel plate do you need for these rifles? I have 3/8's I use for cowboy ammo as 1/4 inch plates dented a little witha 45 Colt rifle at 50 yards. Would I need 3/4 inch? and what happens to the bullets? do they splatter nicely or bounce off?