I hope it didn’t come across as down talking, I’m just trying to pontificate on two different but related concepts.Funny how the internet makes everyone an expert nowadays. It amazes me how everyone on Facebook is now a Virologist. I can Google, so now I am an expert. One only has to read a few threads on any gun forum to see folks, for the most part refer to their guns and ammo as accurate. Precise is very seldom talked about. Groups of less than 1" MOA are considered accurate. Guns in general, from my life experience with them for over half a century is that they are considered accurate or not. Like the clip thing, life is too short for me to get my undies in a bundle because someone thinks they are the self appointed Grammar Nazi for today. If you want to bicker over the small stuff and talk down to other wise responsible gun owners.....so be it. Not my priority.
Nice! Maybe I’ll have to get a subscription!Accuracy v. Precision is discussed in this month’s Guns & Ammo magazine.
The small orange circle is precision, the large black circle is accurate.
I like this observation, because it highlights the importance of understanding words in context.in all of my years in shooting I have never heard of anyone describing a rifle as being "precise" I have never seen a course or book in making a rifle precise, while there abounds books and courses in accurizing a rifle.
While I can't do anything about the getting old thing...
They can't make me grow up.
Daniel craig and Craig_VA have it right. Accuracy is how far from the mark the center of the group is. Precision is how tight the group is.
For those that need a visual aid:
View attachment 928207
OK, maybe this better explains accuracy vs precision as illustrated by various 22LR matches we had on THR:
So on our various THR 22LR matches, tighter groups that produced holes away from the center of target produced lower score than larger groups that were scattered around the center of target.
- Accuracy is being able to produce holes closer to the center of target (point of aim)
- Precision is being able to produce smaller groups even though holes do not come close to the center of target (point of aim)
I hope it didn’t come across as down talking, I’m just trying to pontificate on tow different but related concepts.
Edit: the intent here wasn’t to call anyone dumb or take a “holier than than thou” position. I like talking through concepts, and trying to explain them helps me see if I understand the concepts correctly. I’m not saying that you do is wrong or that you should change how you’ve always done things.
You’re going to hurt your hand, @redneck2.
That’s why you use a stick, or really long paragraphs
Since spotting this in THR some weeks back, this has become my very most favoritest ever sig line.Just sayin'..........
Theiyr're...........take that Grammar Nazis!
For those that need a visual aid:
View attachment 928207
Velocity is a vector, and it requires both a speed and a direction.
Yup, I already did in post #3 of "combat precision" in terms of fast unsighted defensive point shooting vs slow fire sighted shootingI dont know if anyone's mentioned that term yet. So trying to get hits on or in a 8" COM at various distances is acceptable "accuracy", while running around shooting around things and from all sorts of different positions while reloading along the way.
Obviously very different from bench shooting.
Another perspective is I like point shooting option for defensive purposes and there are "accurate" pistols that can produce smaller groups under sighted slow fire conditions but I prefer to have carry/defensive pistols that can produce consistent groups at natural point of aim even under unsighted point shooting with fast fire/mag dump shooting conditions and I would deem these pistols having reliable "combat precision".
To me accuracy has always been how small the rifle can shoot, with precision being how close to a specific spot you can put a round, but these two terms mean different things to different people. They both go hand in hand, so I guess there is no wrong answer.