how good would I have to be. before you said I was a good shot

[horatioo]

At a hundred yards if I could consisitently hit with iron sights

• a basketball size target
• a volley ball size target
• a softball size target
• a tennis ball size target
• a golf ball size target
• a marble size target

What is the biggest one I could consistently hit and you still think I was a 'good' shot? Not great or anything, just good?

Thanks

 

[zoomie]

With what rifle? With a custom 6mmBR, a "good" shot could hit a golf ball. With an iron-sighted Marlin 444, a "good" shot could hit a softball, maybe volleyball.

 

[horatioo]

with iron sights and an m1 garand

 

[Ifishsum]

It would depend some on the rifle used - for a typical scoped bolt action from a supported position I'd say softball = good, golf ball = excellent, marble = amazing. For a semi with iron sights I'd probably cut you a little more slack and bump the scale up a size.

 

[Jimro]

For hunting, from a standing position with no rest, three shots into a pie plate at 100 yards is a good shot. From the bench off of sandbags with the same hunting rifle, into a baseball is a good shot.

With a service match rifle or tactical F class rifle, from a standing position, into a baseball is a good shot. From sandbags into a golf ball is a good shot.

With a benchrest rifle, from a benchrest, into a marble is not going to win matches. Need tighter groups than that.

Being a good shot isn't always about group size, it is about accomplishing your intent when you pull the trigger. If your target is the 12" heart/lung area of a deer and you can put lead into that EVERY time at 100 yards, that is good shooting.

Jimro

 

[mapsjanhere]

Open sights, accuracy of your rifle +1". If your garand produces 1" groups from a benchrest, a good shot should hit a tennis ball reliably. But you can easily get a garand with which you're lucky to get 5 rounds on a volley ball.

 

[horatioo]

Open sights, accuracy of your rifle +1". If your garand produces 1" groups from a benchrest, a good shot should hit a tennis ball reliably. But you can easily get a garand with which you're lucky to get 5 rounds on a volley ball.

I am getting my Garand from CMP. I thought these guns were supposed to be pretty accurate. Is that not so? I think I am going to join a range this spring and they have a 500 yard range, I think. I want to learn how to shoot out to that distance. Are you suggesting my Garand might not be capable of that unless I get a 'good' one?

Thanks

 

[Jimro]

A rack grade Garand shooting service M2 ball ammo should give you about 4-5 inch groups at 100 if everything is in good working order.

If a rack grade Garand shoots tighter than that, consider yourself lucky.

You can usually develop a handload for a particular rifle that cuts the groups considerably if you have a decent throat, bore, and crown on your barrel. For a Garand I'd get an adjustable gas plug so I could use longer/heavier bullets to wring more accuracy.

Jimro

 

[L_Killkenny]

I like the response of plus 1". You aren't gonna hit a marble much from field positions with a gun only capable of 3 moa off a bench. 1" might be a little tight though. Let's make it 2" instead before you are good. 1" would be excellent.

Good =
1 moa gun = 3" offhand
2 moa gun = 4" offhand
3 moa gun = 5" offhand
etc, etc, etc

LK

BTW, looking at my definition, I need to do some work!!!!

 

[horatioo]

I am getting a service grade M1 Garand. What kind of groups should I expect with that?

I have an norinco SKS now. Will the Garand be more accurate then that? I dont know how accurate the SKS is.

I am just getting more involved in shooting and only shoot a 22 at 25 meters in practice. I dont have a lot more length to shoot right now.

 

[azredhawk44]

A shot-out garand may not keep 4MOA (4" circle, or roughly a softball).

That same shot-out garand, with a new barrel, may shoot 1.5MOA with surplus and 0.75MOA with match ammo.

A garand with a good barrel can shoot a perfectly good 2MOA. It's just a question of whether or not the shooter adds more error to the rifle's accuracy potential.

To me, a good field position shooter adds no more than 2MOA error to his rifle's accuracy potential.

The cynical part of me suggests that a "good" bench shooter slaps his rifle into a lead sled, secures the butt, ties a string around the trigger, steps back 10 feet and gently pulls the string. Not much left to the shooter when bench shooting since he's not supporting the rifle at all.

I'm a good shooter from prone and seated. I'm still pretty wobbly when standing though, using only a sling for rifle support.

 

[James R. Burke]

L Killkenny post sounds about right to me.

 

[PetahW]

"At a hundred yards if I could consisitently hit with iron sights:
*a basketball size target
*a volley ball size target
*a softball size target
*a tennis ball size target
* golf ball size target
* marble size target

What is the biggest one I could consistently hit and you still think I was a 'good' shot?
Not great or anything, just good? Thanks"

None of the above.

I'm with Jimro - IMO a "good shot" is a person who can consistantly hit their target with their FIRST shot, regardless of it's size, especially at a random/unknown distance.

.

 

[dgludwig]

Most things are relative and I think this question is. For instance, how well I could shoot when I was 20 years old as compared to what I can shoot at age 66. Whereas golf balls used to be the norm, I'm now happy with softballs.

 

[horatioo]

I'm with Jimro - IMO a "good shot" is a person who can consistantly hit their target with their FIRST shot, regardless of it's size, especially at a random/unknown distance.

So a guy shooting at the center ring of a target and misses a lot, but is consistently close, you would say he is not a good shot? By that definition I am a better shot then some world class shooter, because I can hit my 25 yard target and they miss their 1000 yard target.

 

[Chipperman]

If you are shooting a run of the mill M1 Garand off-hand with iron sights.

I'd call you a decent shooter if you could consistently hit a volleyball at 100 yards.

I'd call you a good shooter if you could consistently hit a softball at 100 yards.

I'd call you a great shooter if you could consistently hit a tennis ball at 100 yards.

That's my opinion of it.

 

[NWPilgrim]

If you are shooting a run of the mill M1 Garand off-hand with iron sights.

I'd call you a decent shooter if you could consistently hit a volleyball at 100 yards.

I'd call you a good shooter if you could consistently hit a softball at 100 yards.

I'd call you a great shooter if you could consistently hit a tennis ball at 100 yards.

That's my opinion of it.

+1 with Chipperman

We often shoot at a gravel pit with AR15 and M1 Garand (CMP service grade, no mods) and once warmed up at various distances can hit clay pigeons at 90-100 yds about 3 out of 4 times from standing, no sling. With a fairly new AR15 I can hit them about 9 times out of ten same distance and position. This is not slow deliberate fire, just plinking/blasting. A clay pigeon is maybe 4" or 5" at most.

I don't consider myself a great shot, maybe a good one. At least a decent shot. Getting harder with 55 yr old eyes to get that front sight sharp!

I think hits would go way up with any kind of scope, using a sling, or supported position like sitting, prone, or a rest.

 

[LongRifles Inc.]

300 meter free rifle competitors shoot at an X ring that's 1.5" in diameter. It's 20 rounds standing, kneeling, and prone (60 total) all shot with iron sights.

You better be 297 or higher and a 80% X count at a world/international event to have any hopes of taking a medal home. Quite often shooters go clean on the course.

 

[badlander]

When you are better then me I will call you A good shot.

 

[Pathfinder45]

A good shot on paper.....

......is a lot different than a good shot on game. A deer at 100 yards with a kill zone the size of a basket-ball sounds easy enough but you have to get that shot off before he wanders off into the brush. Trying to be too precise can sometimes work against a hunter. Target shooting is a whole different game. You have to beat someone else's score, rather than bring home the venison.