Just for the heck of it

[PapaG]

How many variables contribute (or negatively affect) accuracy. After shooting for seventy years in many disciplines and having made some unbelievable groups good and bad, I've been amused with threads and claims of " being able to...every time". Maybe yes, maybe no, but to do the impossible (or improbable) means all the stars were miraculously aligned. What can affect accuracy?
A. The gun itself (condition of bore, bedding, trigger and a myriad of details like harmonics, etc)
B. The ammo's quality and suitability for the gun (subsets would include bullet, prep, etc)
C. Shooter,'s skill
D. Position and stability
E. Technique
F. Weather
G. Lighting
H. Sights
Get the idea? What else has an effect?

 

[twofewscrews]

I. The condition of the shooter (Empty belly vs full belly, Coffee and nicotine or lack of, 6 hours of sleep vs 2 hours of sleep, ETC)
J. The bystander effect ( .25 MOA groups when your all alone but the second someone shows up its 1.5 MOA)

 

[Riomouse911]

Caffeine intake affects me. I get antsy if I drink some before shooting.

Attitude. There are days when you feel good, things are going right and your shots just fall into place. And there are days when you are physically there at the range/trap-skeet club/in the field, but your mind is focusing on things elsewhere. You shoot your shots (or even take a pass on game), pack up and head home.

Stay safe.

 

[PapaG]

I found at Friendship one beer with a light lunch helped me make my best scores including a 50 yard musket record. Coffee and Diet Coke was the edge maker for trap

 

[FROGO207]

For me all things shooter have the biggest influence on accuracy. You going into a match with food in you and reasonable temperatures, lack of wind are the most conductive to a good score/hunt result. Firearm quality and ammo quality also inter into things but not as much as shooter at least for me.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Number one is shooter variables.

All the rest vary in importance based on a nearly unlimited number of variables.

 

[Jim Watson]

For rifle shooting, my main limitation was weather; I never felt like I was reading the wind and holding for the conditions.

 

[Mk-211]

I would agree that the shooter is the #1 issue. It takes a lot of practice to overcome shooter influences.

Even then, the shooter can still do something, to influence a hit or miss.

 

[Rockrivr1]

I wouldn’t discount clothing and option chosen for carry. In games I’ve seen folks unexpectedly get their gun caught up in a shirt or jacket when drawing. This can fluster and if you’re going for time this will throw off your rhythm.

 

[Steve S.]

If you shoot enough, you know what your challenges are going to be. My aggravating challenge (or variable) is forcing or trying to make the shot happen (especially at the beginning of a shooting session) - after a couple of rounds down the tube, I settle in and I am fine. Wind probably falls in second place (for me) and I would guess for most people. Most of the variables are manageable or even static in my shooting sessions. But by leaps and bounds, the hardest variable to control is my brain.

 

[Mal H]

K. Hearing protection. If you're shooting a loud firearm without it (when hunting, etc.) or even with it for some boomers, the first shot might be on the bullseye, but subsequent shots can be affected by anticipating the noise.

 

[entropy]

A good shooter can learn to shoot a bad gun decently quickly, but the reverse is not true. Shooter adaptability is key to all around accuracy.

 

[doubleh]

What affects my shooting the most is how well my essential tremors medication happens to be working. I quit smoking in March of 1972 and am immune to the effects of caffeine and did a test to make sure. I switched to decaf for several months and then no coffee at all. No difference at all and I was glad to get back to my coffee because I enjoy its taste and when bench shooting rifles almost always have an Rtic insulated cup of coffee on the bench to sip from. Where the shakey hands really gets me is off hand pistol shooting and the tired I get the worse they become. I take my medication just before leaving for the range as it effects decline with time and are gone within 8 hours. I quit trying to shoot one handed quite a while ago.

 

[a1a2a3]

earth's rotation
mirage

 

[FL-NC]

As a former sniper instructor, the single variable that matters the most is the shooter's ability. The second factor that makes rifle accuracy the most difficult is wind and the shooter/spotter ability to assess the speed and direction and make the needed corrections.

 

[lightman]

Papa, I think you have about got it covered! FL-NC makes a good point. Reading the wind and mirage can make or break the shot.

 

[Sniper66]

Obviously we all have strengths and weaknesses that will emerge as conditions change and targets shift. I shoot targets at the rifle range and focus on many of the same things we all do....trigger squeeze, breath control, etc. Then I go squirrel hunting or prairie dog shooting and everything changes. I'm very happy that my excitement sometimes interferes with concentration, breathing, trigger squeeze, etc. Happy because I've hunted for 70 years and I still get excited enough to lose focus. When that does not happen, they can close the lid.

 

[Theinkman]

As a former sniper instructor, the single variable that matters the most is the shooter's ability. The second factor that makes rifle accuracy the most difficult is wind and the shooter/spotter ability to assess the speed and direction and make the needed corrections.

Couldn't agree more on both. The more time I have spent shooting the better my ability to shoot accurately has become. Shooting in a prairie dog field there is always wind and frequently the shots are at pretty long range. Knowing how to make corrections is vital and something that for me only comes with time behind the rifle.

 

[Necessary_Nutrient]

I think practice and technique are the most important aspects for me so that falls into the shooter skill/conditioning as mentioned.

 

[jmr40]

A good shooter can learn to shoot a bad gun decently quickly,

A good shooter might be able to get all of the potential out of a bad gun while a bad shooter will never get all of the potential out of a good gun. But even the best shooter will be limited by his equipment. Give a good shooter good equipment and they can do more with it than a bad shooter.

Reminds me of a conversation I had years ago with a friend while playing tennis. He had a $150 racket while I was playing with my $15 racket from K-Mart. When I asked him if the $150 racket was really that much better, he replied, "In your hands there is no difference, but I can do things with the $150 racket that I can't do with the $15 one".

I already knew I wasn't any good at tennis, so I wasn't insulted. He just spoke the truth.

 

[hps1]

Practice.

 

[Sniper66]

I am a fair/poor pistol shooter. Partly because I rarely shoot my pistols, but mostly because I was born with a disorder that gives me a permanent tremor. With practice, I have become an adequate pistol shot. 'Adequate' to me means I am reasonably confident that I could hit an intruder coming down the hallway toward me and my wife if I was forced to.

I have a good friend who is a very good pistol shooter so when I was trying out new pistols, I always have him shoot them to make sure it's me, not the pistol.

2nd story: With experience and knowledge I've become a good rifle shooter. Not great, but good enough for me and good enough to head-shoot most squirrels and hit most of the p-dogs I shoot at with several different calibers. Was at the range one day and three guys were taking turns shooting a CZ 512 .22WMR. Our conversation revealed that they were clearly novice shooters. They invited me to shoot the rifle. I managed to place 3 shots touching at 100. They were excited because they feared they had a lemon and realized all they needed was practice and maybe a coach.

 

[ojh]

This may be included in technique but as for pistol shooting, keeping a consistent grip is essential. Recoil inevitably flips the gun and if that flip is inconsistent, good accuracy can't be achieved.

 

[luv2safari]

This may be included in technique but as for pistol shooting, keeping a consistent grip is essential. Recoil inevitably flips the gun and if that flip is inconsistent, good accuracy can't be achieved.

Exactly

So many don't realize that recoil starts when the bullet first moves, not when it exits the barrel. It's why heavy bullets print higher than light fast ones.

 

[hps1]

So many don't realize that recoil starts when the bullet first moves, not when it exits the barrel. It's why heavy bullets print higher than light fast ones.

Bingo!