mikemyers
Member
This thread has more to do with understanding and/or evaluating shooting, than actual shooting. If you're not interested in that sort of thing, it will probably seem very dull and boring. In my case, I'm tired of getting my mords wixed up, so maybe after a few responses, I'll have a better understanding of things...
Every time I think I know what "accuracy" and "precision" mean, I end up reading something that makes me wonder if I'm really using the terms correctly. Instead of asking the usual questions, what is accuracy, and what is precision, maybe I'll understand better if someone can explain it in reverse.
You are asked to analyze the accuracy and precision of a target that has already been shot at. It has the concentric rings for scoring, and a dozen or so bullet holes in it. You don't know anything about the conditions under which it was shot, what kind of gun was used, slow-fire or rapid-fire, or anything else - all you have to go on is the target.
Question:
This thread is all about accuracy and precision, so feel free to bring up anything I didn't think of, that needs to be added. For example:
Every time I think I know what "accuracy" and "precision" mean, I end up reading something that makes me wonder if I'm really using the terms correctly. Instead of asking the usual questions, what is accuracy, and what is precision, maybe I'll understand better if someone can explain it in reverse.
You are asked to analyze the accuracy and precision of a target that has already been shot at. It has the concentric rings for scoring, and a dozen or so bullet holes in it. You don't know anything about the conditions under which it was shot, what kind of gun was used, slow-fire or rapid-fire, or anything else - all you have to go on is the target.
Question:
- Can you say anything about the "accuracy" and the "precision" with nothing more to go by, than the target? If so, how would you figure out how the positions of the holes might indicate better/worse accuracy and precision?
- If only the above information is not enough to allow you to comment on the accuracy and precision, what else might you need to know?
This thread is all about accuracy and precision, so feel free to bring up anything I didn't think of, that needs to be added. For example:
- If accuracy and precision are a function of the target, then the target is all you need to have, to comment on both.
- If accuracy and precision are a function of what the shooter was trying to do (self defense, target shooting, speed contest, gun testing) then more information might be required?
- If accuracy and precision are a comparison with other people, or past/future shooting ability, then more targets need to be evaluated to give an answer?
- If accuracy and precision are needed as part of a gun review, then even more information is needed before being able to comment on this particular target?
- Were all these shots fired one at a time, or if the shooter loaded many more shots, and reloaded as needed so he could quickly go through the dozen shots??
- Probably lots more things I haven't thought of........