Re: Wind, BC, muzzle velocity, and barrel length...?
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Lowlight</div><div class="ubbcode-body">How does one loose or gain precision simply by changing a bullet... is precision something you gain through practice, or is precision given out like a BC, the higher the BC the more precision you get.
Because I feel precision is earned, not achieved simply by adding a few fps or a few extra inches to your barrel. The 308 was originally designed as an 800m cartridge, we shoot it farther because we are arrogant and we can, not because it was meant to do so... just because someone can push it faster and farther, does mean you can't go shorter better or easier.
answering a question with a question is easy, and what is even easier is avoiding the question altogether.
You're arguing it is the arrow not the indian, which I don't agree with. </div></div>
Then we shall have to agree to disagree, because it believe it is both the arrow and the indian.
One gains precision with proper tools and that includes proper bullets. It is difficult to be precise with lousy tools or arrows, if you will. On the other hand, accuracy is something that is earned and gained by experience and shooting and learning to read the wind and building your position and so on.
When you marry the precision of the rifle and bullets (the arrows) with the accuracy of the consumate rifleman (the indian,) then you have something worthwhile. A rifleman can be accurate with a less precise rifle setup, for example Carlos Hathcock was very effective with a 2MOA rifle, but the precision is not there to extract tiny groups from such a setup, which is why I asked what kind of precision the OP was looking for and gave some examples.
In this forum, we talk a lot about how to make the rifles and bullets more precise, and at long ranges the BC value of a GOOD bullet will come into play. I'm sure you know, but just for others who may read this thread and not know, the BC value of a bullet has nothing to do with how precise it can be. There are wonderfully precise bullets who have a BC that says they stop after 300 yards. But bullets must be matched to the rifle, or to continue your analogy, you must match the arrows to the bow. There are some threads here that talk about accuracy from the point of view of the rifleman but the vast majority of discussions are about precision enhancements to the rifle, ammo, bipod, etc.
As for your question about whether a 32 inch barrel .308 rifle shooting 155gr SMK will do better than your 18.5 inch .260, I have no clue. I do not use the 155gr SMK and you did not specify what the object of the game is. On the other hand, if you ask whether I could outshoot you at 1000 yards using my .308 with my regular bullets against your .260 in an 18.5 inch barrel, I would say "why don't we find out?"
Finally, even the best indian will not be able to do well with arrows that are unable to reach the target or that do not fly true, which is what makes the whole thing very interesting. I have yet to see a top competitor come to the 1000 yard line with surplus ammo and a lever or pump action rifle, however, every year this combination will kill a lot of deer.
