AK74 shoots holes in holes at 25 yds...

[SilentStalker]

Ok, my new AK74 is extremely accurate out to 25 yds or s, like shooting holes in holes accurate. However, when I bump it back to 50 or 100 its not nearly as accurate. I realize this is not really a 300 yard rifle. I mean it could be but I think it shines at less distances than that. In any case, the groups open up quite a bit from 25-50 yds. So, do you think it is rifle or shooter? How can I improve?

Whoops. I just realized this was posted in General. Sorry guys. Mods please feel free to move to the rifle forums.

 

[Cosmoline]

The AK iron sights are not really set up for pinpoint accuracy. I noticed a similar decline in precision when I went from 25 out to 100. I picked up one of these, which does help lock in on fine targets:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/228287/kns-front-sight-ak-47-sks-ball-post-052-diameter-steel-black

Otherwise the front post is gigantic compared with a bull at 100 yards.

Also you can use a brighter, larger bullseye.

I realize this is not really a 300 yard rifle.

It is actually, but it's not designed for target shooting. It's a 300 meter man-accurate rifle.

 

[SilentStalker]

Oh, forgot to mention this was with using a red dot. Unfortunately, when I got the rail system I got the wrong handguard to allow me to cowitness but its not that big of a deal. I found my irons to be spot on to 50 yds. The current situation I am talking about is with the red dot. I just sighted her in last weekend at 25 yds. I didnt do any more sighting it past that as I did not see the point. Unless, you guys tell me I should have sighted in for 100 lol but like we said this is not a precision rifle here. it was definitely doing about 6-8" groups at 50 yds or so, maybe less. Either way that is well within a man size target.

 

[Caliper_Mi]

What was your shooting position at 50yd? What group sizes are you shooting at 25yd? Center hold or 6:00 hold?

 

[SilentStalker]

Ah yes, I did forget to mention that I was shooting from a benchrest at 25 yds while sighting in and I did shoot offhand at 50. So, that alone is probably the difference. However, I think I tried it again off of the bench and got pretty close to the same results as standing. I will have to try it out again this weekend to know more precisely. That was my first time taking it out for a drive.

 

[RedBowTies88]

my akm in .223 does a heck of a lot better then 6-8" at 50 yards.

I'm going to say either shooter or very poor quality ammo.

I can pop soda cans @ 50 yards all day with mine and iron sights.

 

[C-grunt]

Try it off the bench first. That is really bad for any rifle. AK74s are generally known to be a little more accurate than the AK47s. Every 74 that I have shot was easily sub 4 MOA and some were around 2 MOA.

That being said I have heard that some of the AK74s coming out a few years ago had bad barrels that were keyholing and super innacurate.

 

[Cosmoline]

I did forget to mention that I was shooting from a benchrest at 25 yds while sighting in and I did shoot offhand at 50. So, that alone is probably the difference.

The only way to test accuracy of loads or of a rifle is to shoot the same way each time, with minimal variables. Shooting offhand tests *you*, so really what you've discovered is like most of us you need more practice offhand. To see if there are problems with the dot size or other actual accuracy issues, you must shoot the same way each time and from a bench or other secure rest.

 

[Ignition Override]

C-grunt: On the Youtube channel of "Surmgewehr", he had a video of his Century Arms AK-74.

It made nasty keyholes at 100 yards. Let's be clear that when he returned the gun to Century, They Admitted that They Knew that a number or them (before they were bought) were assembled with 5.56 bores in a gun which uses 5.45 bullets!
Century's warranty reportedly began when the gun was manufactured-Not when it is bought by a customer in a store.

He said that he was really lucky that they were willing to make a free barrel replacement.
This is just one reason why I will never buy any semi-auto gun assembled by Century, and after I decided against considering a CETME rifle.

 

[Caliper_Mi]

Ah yes, I did forget to mention that I was shooting from a benchrest at 25 yds while sighting in and I did shoot offhand at 50.

6-8" at 50yd is 12-16MOA, which may not sound hot on the internet, but is respectable for offhand shooting. Certainly meets the rifles purpose out to 100yd or so.

 

[DPris]

Of course it'll open up considerably beyond 25 yards, and if you want it to shoot to point of aim at 100 yards, you need to zero it at 100 yards.
25 yards tells you nothing about either 100-yard accuracy or 100-yard point of impact in a rifle.
Denis

 

[nathan]

As long its within fist sized groups at 100 yrds, that is very good.

 

[SilentStalker]

Yeah, something else I forgot to mention was that when I got those groups it was very fast back to back shooting. It wasn't like take a shot, re-aim, reset then shoot again. It was just fast continuous shooting to see how well I could keep it on target.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

Ok, my new AK74 is extremely accurate out to 25 yds or s, like shooting holes in holes accurate. However, when I bump it back to 50 or 100 its not nearly as accurate. I realize this is not really a 300 yard rifle. I mean it could be but I think it shines at less distances than that. In any case, the groups open up quite a bit from 25-50 yds. So, do you think it is rifle or shooter? How can I improve?

Whoops. I just realized this was posted in General. Sorry guys. Mods please feel free to move to the rifle forums.

Yeah, something else I forgot to mention was that when I got those groups it was very fast back to back shooting. It wasn't like take a shot, re-aim, reset then shoot again. It was just fast continuous shooting to see how well I could keep it on target.

Something else you forgot to mention: what, exactly, is "not nearly as accurate"?

I shoot a rifle at 25 yards, I expect better accuracy than at 100 yards, 300 yards, or whatever. This is because minor deviations in sight picture are much more dramatically magnified as the range opens up, if for no other reason.

In keeping with your other postings, if you want to compare accuracy, then you need to establish a consistent, repeatable set of initial conditions. Among those repeatable initial conditions is a steady sight picture, which should be established from a bench rest with plenty of attention to slow, methodical precision shot placement with each trigger pull.

Go back to the range and set up to bench shoot appropriately at 25, 50, and 100 yards, taking time to properly shoot from a bench rest, then mark and measure your targets accordingly afterwards.

THEN you can start comparing meaningful information.