Cast Boolits - What Accuracy Do You Get?

[Shiloh]

I shoot a Krag and an '03 springfield. Neither are target rifles. I have fired 50 rounds at a 100yd target and had most of them in a 3" circle.
The inner group is surrounded with scattered shots radiating outward.

Pistol rounds have had just over two inch groups at 25 yards from several firearms with other shots radiating outward.
I'm pleased with this.

Shiloh

[209jones]

I always try to achieve 1moa, myself and the wind are the deciding factor usually. Breech seated bullets will do 10 shot groups in 1/2-3/4moa on a good day for me, at 200. Cartridge seated, I have had days that beat 1moa on 10 shots at 100 and 200, if I can do 1-1/2moa @ 100 and 200 consistently with a hunting rifle and a cast bullet, I am happy.

[Smoke4320]

I might be a little extreme but my hunting rifles will not go to the woods if I can't get under 1 MOA
repeatable 3 shot groups
we do not have a lot of deer in my immediate area .. so If I see one I want it dead, not wounded, me not tracking it ect

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

Any boltgun with a good barrel should make it to moa or a bit smaller at 100/200yds for 5 shots.

My only failure is my 550 Gibbs Magnum. 5-shot groups are 3.5-4moa. I think the load may be a bit excessive, 125gr of N160 and a 715gr cast RFN chrono's at 2090 fps +/-.

[barrabruce]

My beat up mongrel bread bitza banger I'll shoot 2 moa consistently and hold that.

I get better and expect a bit over 1 moa out of her for full loads and slow stuff as well.

Some times it comes easier than others.
Sometimes I'm barking up the wrong tree.
But I play and experiment and have "fun" and "enjoy myself" getting what I can and want it do do for me.
I can shoot j words out of it slightly more accurate if I ever care to or need to.

Like the benchrest shooter at the range said as he looked at my bullets " You're just shooting sinkers !!!" as I was wondering why mine don't go all into the same hole like his do.

[TXGunNut]

I expect 2MOA or maybe a bit better after careful component selection and load development for some, but not all of my rifles. Some rifles haven't achieved that...yet, but that's part of the game. Only problem is on most days I'm not an MOA shooter so I quite likely have several rifles capable of MOA, just not with this loose nut behind the trigger and at the loading bench. As Larry pointed out it's difficult to answer this question with such broad parameters so I decided the operative word was "expect" and went with that.

[35 shooter]

This is a trick question right? I'll go hunting with 1 to 2 min. of angle accuracy but prefer 1 to 1 1/2 inch or better.
Depending on rifle and action that can take a bit of doing.(For me at least)

[Kraschenbirn]

All depends upon what rifle I'm shooting at the time. From my M700 .308 with its Burris optics, I've shot enough 1 1/2 MOA (10-shot) groups at 100M and 200M to expect no less but from one of my 'vintage' milsurps with issue sights, I might be really happy 4 MOA at the same distances.

Bill

[osteodoc08]

I expect to achieve 1-2 MOA on a consistent basis if the boolit is set up correctly for the gun and I do my part. Usually it is me that is the limiting factor.

I shoot for fun and for meat. 1-2 MOA is sufficient for both. That is my litmus test.

[Doc Highwall]

As has been mentioned about not stating the parameters for the expected accuracy, I expect more from a heavy target rifle with lighter target loads then a hunting weight rifle with heavy hunting loads like my 458 Winchester magnum.

[dverna]

MOA is not linear. A load that shoots 1/2" at 50 yards will not necessarily shoot into 1" at 100 or 3" at 300.

As others have noted, purpose is important. A .44 lever action for 125 yard deer hunting has a different criteria than a 200 gr bullet in a high velocity caliber for shots up to 300 yards. In fact, it may be easier to get 2 MOA at 125 (2.5") with a .44 than 2 MOA at 300 (6") with a .308.

And then you have velocity. The link to Ben's .30 test showed a great group at 1200 fps at 50 yards. Push that same bullet to 1800-2000 fps and things may change.

Some of us are thrilled with itsy-bitsy groups on paper and others need/want a load that achieves a certain minimum level of velocity and energy in addition to "acceptable" accuracy. For example, would you prefer a 1 MOA load that will not cycle your AR or a 2 MOA load that works every time?

Don Verna

[rsterne]

I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to vote, and comment as well.... I got the answer I rather expected.... Roughly twice as many people voted for 1-2 MOA than all the rest of the choices combined, and the results are a nice bell-curve, which if you looked for the peak would probably be at about 1.6 MOA.... To me, that means that sub-2 MOA groups are realistic with cast boolits, and 1 MOA is achievable with the right gun / bullet combination.... Thanks again for participating....

Bob

[popper]

rsterne - you got the answer you were wanting, you now have a good goal. I do feel this applies to bench/bag shooting, not field work. If you can do MOA unsupported standing - your better than me for sure.

[rsterne]

Bench, I can't hold much better than about 6 MOA offhand unsupported (although in the 70's I could do about 3 MOA)....

Bob

[noylj]

Accuracy? Usually under 2" at 25 yards for handguns. I guess that would be 8MOA, if not higher. For 7mm TCU, I get 1MOA. For .30-30 I get 3 MOA. For .30-06 I get around 2 MOA.

[tygar]

I have gotten MOA at 100 for several sets of 8-shot groups with my Benjamin Marauder, shooting 25 auto boolits from an RCBS mold. The mold could be better, and at the time I was pretty darned green( matter of definition, pick one and I'll say just how green I still am ). I expect that sort of performance from my air rifles, and I am not all that brilliant of a shot. Well, that may be sand bagging a bit, I pulled 232 of 250, in USMC Boot.
cheers,
Douglas

Dam Marine, good, I only shot 229. What was worse was some sandbagger shot a 240, my 2nd hi in the series wasn't even close. lol plt 396, 1965

Used to be able to possible the positions but offhand sucked. Would frequently drop 10. Did do a 197 once in the 200 short course, with a dam AR.

I'm still trying to get this cast bullet stuff down. Only 1 gun so far can shoot 1moa at 50yds. Others 2-3" & all shoot moa at 100 consistently with jacket.

I have numerous rifles that shoot as well as 2" or better at 500 & 10" or better at 1000 but have not even tried them in CBs.

I've been trying the rifle powders since I don't have any 2400 yet. I have always used Unique or RedDot for target stuff & full cases of H110 for mags so been limited. Have a list of powder to get right in front of me;
2400, bludot IMR 4227, H4227, Power pistol, Acc#9 RX7, 5744, N130, 748, anything else I should get?

lol probably have 20+ lbs or pistol powder but its all Reddot & H110 with 1/2 can of Unique left & an easy 150+lbs of rifle but like 20# of RL15, 20 of RL 22, same in cases of H4831, 4350 etc etc.

I am going to try a 6.5-06 hunting rifle I had made for long range antelope/caribou the shoots 2" at 500 as soon as I get a die so I can put on the gas checks.

Any of you guys use 6.5s have recommendations for bullets. My rifles made to shoot 140s.

Thanks
Tom

[Doc_Stihl]

With my hunting rifles I am not concerned as long as the groups are close to 2". A flier on the other hand is what really bothers me. If I shoot a 2" 5 shot group time and time again I'm happy. I don't try harder than that. If it shoots a 1" group for 4 shots but one lands 6" wide, that's a no go.

That being said. My ruger 30/06 has consistantly shoot 3 shot groups hovering right at 1".
My Remington 40x bench gun in 35 Remington has shot quite a few sub 3" 5 shot groups at 300. That's as good as I can make ammo and pull the trigger.

[detox]

Using a 30 power target scope i have shot 1/4" groups. Lower powered scopes usually shoot wider for me.

For cast bullets from pistol with 2 power scope i strive for 2" or less at 50 yrds. I know a scope with higher manification would tighten groups to around 1".

[Bigslug]

Pop and I pretty much perfected jacketed load technique - at least as far as NRA Highpower is concerned - back in the late 1990's and early 2000's. Casting is the hobby of the last 6-7 years and we're still learning, but out of known jacketed tack-drivers, 2-4MOA seems to be our norm for cast.

[220]

Accuracy demands are what we make of them. If I am hunting deer at 100 yards with my Marlin 30-30 do I care if it shoots only 3 inch groups at 100? Most likely not. Same rifle being used for lever action silhouette- I care far more about accuracy because the demands have changed.

True and I think most of us chase better accuracy not because we need it but because it gives us more confidence.
My last deer was taken with a load/rifle combination that only shoots 5moa.
I also shoot lever action silhouette and have had the how much accuracy is needed discussion with a couple of the top shooters down here.
Really accuracy demands aren't that great, a rifle load combination that shoots 5moa won't leave a target standing but the shooter will and the more confidence the shooter has in their rifle/load the better they will shoot.
Last match I shot I didn't have enough of my regular boolits to load for a full match, ended up with a different combination for chicken that only shoots 4-5moa. Shot far better on chickens than anything else 19/20 with 17 straight was a PB for me yet the load is less than half as accurate as my regular loads.
I also shoot a bit of ISSF (Olympic bullseye pistol) again the accuracy demands aren't great, a pistol/load combination that shoots 7moa will shoot at perfect score, plenty of pistols will shoot a fraction of this yet no one has shot a perfect score.
I wouldn't take a 4moa rifle to a varmint shoot I have rifles that have proven themselves to consistently do 1/2moa or better at 300 with J-words but I think in a lot of situations we get hung up on accuracy that while nice to have isn't really needed for the situation.