mauser rifles accuracy standards

[africa]

Mauser sporting rifles enjoy a deserved fame, or so I hear. Well, a collector showed me a vintage (1971) Mauser 66 cal.7x64, still in the box, with a target shot at the factory, at 100 meters, an eye-opening 0.6 inch 3 shot group. BUT, unless I can't read german anymore, a statement about accuracy standards for their rifles says: " 100 meter 3 shot groups: up to 5 centimeters - outstanding; Up to 7 cm. - very good; Up to 10 cm. - good. My friend's translation showed no discrepancies. Since I suppose german stags and boars are not that oversized or overtamed, they consider a 4 inch 100 yd group from a different perspective than we do...
I have mixed feelings about the idea of hunting with a 4 incher, since I keep my shots to/under 200 yds.
What do you think?

[Urny]

The only scoped rifle in this family that descends to their definition of good is the Model 94 Trapper in .45 Colt. But if they're talking about iron sighted rifles, well I gotta agree with that. In fact, most of the time with open sights, 10 cm seems pretty good. Aperature is another story. BTW, even though I hunt mostly in the open deserts of the Great Basin, 200 yards is about the limit here, too. Just prefer hunting to sniping.

[Buckshot]

..............I would consider 2" for 3 rounds a maximum allowed for a scoped hunting rifle, and would work to make that better still. However, in real world hunting where you're not glassing high tension line clearings, beet, or alfalfa fields and EXPECT to possibly make a 300+ yard shot, 2" at 100 is fine.

Most hunters I see at the range aren't proficient beyond 100 yards, sad to say. Nor am I, but if I thought the need would arise, I'd sure practice to be. Beyond practicing I would also shoot at the longest range acceptable to me. The buttstock would carry a sticker of holdover info too. I've only shot 7 big game animals in my entire life and all were easily within 100 yards.

Any one of them would have been handily dispatched with a rifle shooting 2" at 100 yards.

I'll never forget one time these 4 guys showed up at the range. After signing in and waiting for a ceasefire to be called, one of the guys was regailing his 3 buddies about this trememdous long shot he'd made. He turned to the rangemaster, and pointing to the 200 yard berm he asked, "What is that out there, 4-500 yards?". Kenny calmly replied, "Naw, that's 200 yards".

Instant deflation, and credibility check time.

................Buckshot

[versifier]

8" at 200yds still passes the old "pieplate" test for "minute of deer". Most hunters can't do it at 200yds and iron sights even with a match rifle. Sad, but true. Many can't even manage it with a scope. Even sadder, but true. I try to find some kind of rest, even when I'm shooting at a tree rat, and I know that my deer rifle will do better than MOA, even if I can't in a real world hunting situation. The rifle's potential does a lot for my confidence level, as does a lot of practice from offhand. The most important element is not the rifle, but the shooter. You have to know not only the rifle's potential, but also be honest with yourself about what you can and cannot do with it. If you practice from the least stable position, i.e. offhand, you will gain familiarity with the rifle as you achieve better control and greater confidence. All of my testing and working up loads is all done from the bench to eliminate the human factor, but once the load is decided on, I practice only offhand and rely on the human factor, the only thing I can depend on when shooting at live game. If there is any kind of rest I can use, log, tree limb, daypack, and there is time for me to make the shot using it, I do. No brainer. It increases the accuracy of the shot and the likelihood of a clean and humane kill. If I were hunting with a rifle or shotgun that I knew was only capable of pieplate accuracy, I would know that only close shots would be possible. Similarly, I would never fire a handgun at game beyond 50yds, not because the revolver or Contender in my hand isn't capable of making a clean kill out to 100yds and maybe beyond, but because I can't shoot it well enough offhand to be sure of a clean hit beyond my self imposed range. I have nothing but contempt for the "spray and pray" mentality, having wasted too much of my time in my younger days trying to track the resulting wounded deer and bear for others who could not be honest with themselves about their own limitations. It all comes down to ethics and common sense.

[fiberoptik]

My best shot was in the Marine Corps. I'd been in a few years, and grew up with a .22 in hand. The sniper-coach comes along tellin me I've got my sights off, and needed to "Follow his directions" & come a few clicks right & down. Now keep in mind that I'm shooting an M-16a2, stock sights, and crappy battle ammo in the prone position. I'm at the 500 yd. line. On the 200 yd. line, right in front of me pops up a chipmunk. I said to him,"See the chipmunk?". He said,"yeah?", wereupon I headshot it. 300 yds. +1? and I drilled the little rodent a third eye. Course I was only 19-20 at the time. Can't see like I used to... :violin: