I've read posts and reviews that state that this or that commercial ammo is more accurate than some other. What is it that makes one brand more "accurate" than another? It seems to me that if you take the shooter out of the equation and just clamp down a gun in a controlled environment, anything shot through it should pretty much just make a single ragged hole time after time. Why is that not the case, or is it and these reports are just subjective?

 

Ken

Lots of factors determine accuracy.

 

The main factor that determines a guns accuracy, is the quality of workmanship that went into the gun. The rifling in the barrel, the bedding of the barrel in the stock, an adjustable smooth trigger pull, etc. The rest is up to the capabilities of the shooter.

 

Match ammo is made under strict tolerences so all the componants will be as close as possible to each other. Bullet weight, case thickness, OAL ect.,ect.

I've read posts and reviews that state that this or that commercial ammo is more accurate than some other. What is it that makes one brand more "accurate" than another? It seems to me that if you take the shooter out of the equation and just clamp down a gun in a controlled environment, anything shot through it should pretty much just make a single ragged hole time after time. Why is that not the case, or is it and these reports are just subjective?

 

You can see from groupings in magazine reviews that the "single hole" thing doesn't happen, and the size of the resulting group (from a vise, etc) gives you an indication of the gun's accuracy.

 

There are a lot of things which can change the accuracy of ammo. Consistency is big. Flash holes all being the same. Primers seated at the exact same depth. Having exactly the same amount of power in each round, to the exact granule (there can be a bunch of granules within a 0.05 of a grain) is probably a big deal. Another is the concentric placement of the bullet in the casing. If the bullet is exactly in the middle of the case, it will shoot better (or different) than a bullet which is offset, or seated at a crooked angle to the centerline of the case.

 

One of the advantages of reloading is that you can decide how far down that path to take it. I know my bullets shoot better than the factory ammo I've tried, but "better" actually means more consistently. My groups are smaller (although since I'm not shooting from a vise the scientific value of my experiments is probably pretty low).

 

-Melgamatic

Thanks. I think I understand some of the variables.

 

K

Different brands of cartridges use different primers, bullets, proprietary or different brands of powders, etc., etc.------