Maximum distance you can reliably first-shot impact 1MOA, 1/2MOA target?

[748rpilot]

Some background for context: In a previous life I was very much into weightlifting, power lifting and the science/programming angle. I recall an interview/podcast with a former member of the Bulgarian Olympic Weightlifting team, Max Aita, where he discussed their training methods and said that because they spent so much time training their lifts at their one-rep max, that on any given day he could walk into a gym and front squat 440# at a moments notice. No warmup, no preparation, just load the bar and go. Which is absolutely super-human strength, like unfathomable strength, and mental strength.

This led me to consider a parallel to precision rifle shooting: On ANY day, with your current skill level and your current equipment, with no preparation, what is the furthest distance you can confidently first-shot impact a 1 MOA target? 1/2 MOA? No warm, no practice, no dry-fire: setup your rifle system and send a single shot. What equipment are you using?

What distances would you consider to be bad, average, good, great, world-class in terms of precision rifle shooting capabilities?

 

[ironpony52]

IMO there are a lot more variables with the shot, to many outside influences. Although if you shot everyday like lifting everyday it maybe me comparable.

 

[MadDuner]

I have good days and bad days.

One day it’s 1/2 MOA at distance.

The next time out it’s 3 MOA at the same distance.

No changes to equipment - just me.
It’s 100% related to pain level from previous injuries. Nothing I can do about it but keep going out and try and not get too frustrated on the bad days.

 

[LuckyLuke80]

What an interesting thought. I couldn’t even venture an accurate guess, but I’m sure it would be 300 yards at the MAX and more than likely it would be a bit less than that. I’ll have to run this as an experiment. I’ve done a lot of this sort of stuff with pistol where I show up on the range and do a speed drill or a bill drill or something like that completely cold and those are often humbling.

 

[taliv]

When I had access to more land I used to shoot almost every day and try to get a hit on a reduced IPSC head at 550. Past 600 my first round hit prob went way down.
Now I mostly have targets from 410-460yd.
Around 2022 I took one shot every day at a 6” circle at those distances, which granted is closer to 1.5 moa. But rain or shine etc, my longest streak was 17 days in a row. That was with a 6.5x47.

After the CK stuff I decided to start again but this time with my 300nm. Today was day 10. Got off to a rough start but am getting more confidence with this rifle. After a few more days I’ll try to keep it in the IPSC A zone on the head. Current streak is 5 hits in a row.
Miss hit hit hit miss hit hit hit hit hit
This is the last 4

Edit to add: equip is AXSR, TT, 338Ultra

 

[Hickswr]

Distance is dependent on wind speed and direction, or lack thereof.

 

[morganlamprecht]

from years of observing other shooters at matches (and myself)...1/2 moa is probably 50 yds and 1 moa would be around 100 yds

my reasoning...

certain matches for years had 100 yd paper stages...something like 5-1" dots at 100 and then 4 progressively smaller dots (KYL) that would be 1", 3/4", 1/2", and 1/4"

there wasnt many shooters outside those of us at the top who would run the 5 dots consistently every time

the KYL, again, not many outside the top guys would even go for the 1/2" and 1/4"...those of us trying to win the match would, but the % of shooters who went for it all and hit it all was always low

a match in Oklahoma (Heatstroke Open) used to have a 1moa troop line, that wasnt straight out in the same firing direction, each target had a slightly different angle. IIRC targets were from like 400-1000 (random distances in that span), and they were all hung on tall T posts with no berms so you didnt get an accurate splash feedback on a miss. So it wasnt a completely blind wind call for each target, but you had to make adjustments for each target wind call for distance and for the direction of fire change. The RO told us the score average for the stage was like 2-3 hits. Our group had a 6 and 7 (out of 10 IIRC), but the group average was still around 3.

if guys are talking about their 1 spot home range where they always shoot and know the wind and conditions because its similar, I'd say the distance can push out some...but talking 1 shot, any range, anywhere, no prior shot knowledge...it aint very far depending on conditions. People forget that hitting a 1moa or 1/2moa target is WAY different than shooting a 1moa or 1/2moa group. There are conditions and outside factors at certain range/terrain features than can cause misses even if the shooter does nothing wrong.

you start going to bare ground flat ranges in the heat with some good mirage and crosswinds laying people prone...they would whiff 1moa at 100 more often than hitting it

 

[taliv]

That’s why I bumped mine to 1.5 which I think is more reasonable. I don’t think ANYONE is hitting 1/2moa consistently at any distance even at 50 yards. Theres a reason why those targets always started big and got smaller instead of starting small.

Home field advantage makes a difference for sure. I used to love the OK matches like shoot for green and heatstroke. Usually shot well there because it was fun to me, being so different than shooting over hollers and mountain top to mountain top here. But the guys shooting those targets all the time definitely had an advantage.

 

[Makinchips208]

Man! Good thought! I know I can’t hit 1/2 moa most days, and I would probably miss 1moa half the time.

When I worked in the next town with a 20mile drive home I would stop and shoot rifle or pistol at least once every week. Did that for several years, rain, shine, snow. Haven't done that routine in two years, but I will get back into it, thanks to this thread.

 

[Ledzep]

You should see the cards from the B&T Accu-shot challenge at PRS events...

The reality is a much lower % for a 1 MOA target @100yd than most people want to believe. 1/2 MOA is unrealistic IMO. You're in the realm of random draw luck more than capability/skill.

 

[JBoomhauer]

There are too many variables. I know my maximum hunting distance will vary greatly based on conditions.

In dead calm conditions for the following 4 scenarios will be all a different maximum yardage.

90 Degrees high humidity.
65 Degrees Sunny.
65 Degrees Raining.
20 Degrees.

If it is one shot on a deer after being in the woods for 8 hours at 20 degrees F, my maximum might be 50y or less due to shivering.

Same scenario but after being outside for 8 hours on a 65 Degree sunny day, then shooting a 1moa steel target. It might be 4-500 yards.

 

[ironpony52]

So none of you guys can hit a Dinty Moore can at 1000 yds cold bore......

 

[JBoomhauer]

So none of you guys can hit a Dinty Moore can at 1000 yds cold bore......

Cold bore absolutely. It might take a bunch of different days but eventually ill hit it cold bore.

Cold bore every time. Nah.

 

[diggler1833]

So none of you guys can hit a Dinty Moore can at 1000 yds cold bore......

1,700 yards man.

 

[diggler1833]

I'm pretty confident under normal to slightly poor weather conditions to be able to hit within MOA out to 400... But that is a 2 MOA target.

I'll also caveat that my confidence is based on a very stable shooting position, and weather that isn't crappy.

I test myself at 650 a lot on a 1/2 minute dot on a 30" gong, and while I have success a decent amount of the time - I'm also shooting on a 30" gong because I know that I can get "just a bit outside" pretty quickly and frequently. Enough to where I won't ever try a hunting shot at that distance at deer or smaller. 400 is my self-imposed limit, and I will drastically reduce that in bad weather or off of less-stable positions.

A one MOA target cold bore? I'll probably limit myself to 2-300, and won't be placing any bets on my success.

 

[taliv]

update to prev post just because i'm bored right now... last 5 shots, all in the ipsc A zone which is 1 7/8" x 3 7/8" so at the distance I'm shooting, just barely under 1/2 MOA vertically and just barely under 1 MOA horizontally.

Only shooting 1 round per day, different times of day, different light/mirage/wind conditions. Also, mix of prone and shooting off bed cover on a truck, just a bipod and rear bag. My goal is just practicing making adjustments for conditions so I'm putting all rounds on same target, and I'm spending at least 5 min observing conditions before shooting. So far my vertical adjustments for conditions have been 0 - .25 mil and wind has been .1 - .4

I'm doing a little better than I expected right now and will still be happy if i make it to ten days in a row inside 1.5 MOA. Driving around the country shooting at different locations would be way more fun and challenging. Maybe I'll try that in the spring.

Still, this would be way easier with my 6dasher and on a flat range.

Edit:
Another day, another a zone (attached). Early morning dark and rainy.
edit again:
streak ended at 7, 6 of which were in A-zone. Garmin showed the round almost 70fps below mean and it landed 1/2" into the neck. oh well.

 

[Jack_L]

Looking at zeroing targets at precision rifle matches I have attended would put that 1 MOA at 100 yards at maybe 50% on that particular day at that specific event. Maybe 10-20% 1/2 MOA.
The larger question becomes; is 1 MOA really the requirement?

 

[taliv]

The larger question becomes; is 1 MOA really the requirement?

Nope. The question should be, given the vital zone of my target, how far out is a hit a sure thing?

 

[camotoe]

So none of you guys can hit a Dinty Moore can at 1000 yds cold bore......

Id bet money I could hit it at 600.....

 

[ironpony52]

Id bet money I could hit it at 600.....

Single serving not the family bulk container

 

[supercorndogs]

So none of you guys can hit a Dinty Moore can at 1000 yds cold bore......

I am.gonna run put the real firing pin in my rifle and try it.

 

[TheOtherAndrew]

is hitting 1" at 300yd just as impressive as 1/4" at 100yd?

 

[supercorndogs]

More so. The farther out you go, the more the wind plays a part.

 

[bulletbluesky]

Well, the sniper guys of special police units are normally trained to take a shot up to 400 m in order to eliminate "stationary target". The requirement is 1/2 MOA. They are also trained to engage "moderately moving target" (whatever that means) up to 250 m. If the ranges are longer they will not take a shot unless they don't have other option. OTOH, military sniper is trained to engage "targets" much further away than that but their doctrines and tasks differ greatly