What level of accuracy do insist on for a deer rifle?

[GeauxLSU]

I'm a bit of an accuracy nut (father was a prolific bench rest shooter so it's sort of ingrained) and simply don't tolerate inaccurate rifles. But I've never really had to deal with one (until potentially now). So obviously a deer's vitals are fairly large and most shots are certainly fairly close in Georgia, so for YOU, at what point would you say it's 'unacceptable'?

I'm going to go with 2MOA but only because I like to hunt places that often allow shooting relatively long distances and that includes coyotes.

 

[DinkyDau]

I am pin point on accuracy.. These Alaska shows they have on now, just light my ass up..They live and survive by harvesting animals..Yet they are the worst at shooting, go figure..I hunt and I don't have to shoot twice..Know what your weapon can do, and how capable you are..I don't shoot unless I eat it or, it is going to eat me..But when I do shoot, I have a responsibly to dispatch the animal as humanly as possible

 

[Dawn2Dusk]

I said 2 MOA but I'm very particular in that I want my rifles shooting MOA or better if possible.

But some of my pumpkin rollers with the heavy duplex scopes make shooting bug hole groups at 100 yards a bit difficult for me.

 

[tuck6114]

I wouldn't feel comfortable with anything more than 2 MOA.

 

[timbgtm]

I am pin point on accuracy.. These Alaska shows they have on now, just light my ass up..They live and survive by harvesting animals..Yet they are the worst at shooting, go figure..I hunt and I don't have to shoot twice..Know what your weapon can do, and how capable you are..I don't shoot unless I eat it or, it is going to eat me..But when I do shoot, I have a responsibly to dispatch the animal as humanly as possible

Agreed. On doe's especially. I try for head shots to conserve the amount of meat.I've only saw one Alaska show with a decent shot,a female took down a deer with a mosin appeared to be between 150-200 yards with iron sights.

 

[Jack O A T]

IMHO, the accuracy of the rifle is just one of the many variables to consider when hitting the deer woods. I would place strong confidence in saying that nearly any modern off the shelf rifle is at least as accurate as the hunter who's hands it will grace. The ability of the shooter to place accurate fire will just play a role in other choices like maximum distance, shot placement, or stand selection.

All that being said, I personally think it would be a waste of time and energy to sit in a stand with a rifle/shooter combination not capable of keeping then inside 4MOA at the range. Double that in a hunting environment and keep the max distance to 50yds and limited to broadside shots and you'd still be pretty capable. Again, JMHO.

 

[BIKER13]

8 for 8 last 2 years.1 inch

 

[jamie1475]

No more than 1" at 100 yds. Rarely get a shot further where I hunt but I don't feel warm and fuzzy with 2". I do not sight my 308 1" or 2" high either but that's just me since I usually have 100 yd and less shots

 

[cullen1780]

I always hunt with a smoothbore; never take a shot over 60 yds.

 

[Bear44]

IMHO, the accuracy of the rifle is just one of the many variables to consider when hitting the deer woods. I would place strong confidence in saying that nearly any modern off the shelf rifle is at least as accurate as the hunter who's hands it will grace. The ability of the shooter to place accurate fire will just play a role in other choices like maximum distance, shot placement, or stand selection.

All that being said, I personally think it would be a waste of time and energy to sit in a stand with a rifle/shooter combination not capable of keeping then inside 4MOA at the range. Double that in a hunting environment and keep the max distance to 50yds and limited to broadside shots and you'd still be pretty capable. Again, JMHO.

This all makes sense except that part about an off the shelf rifle being as accurate as the hunter. Those two things are not related. Accuracy errors are cumulative, so to say that the rifles is more accurate than the shooter does not make sense. If the rifle is a 2MOA weapon and the shooter is a 3MOA shooter, that's 5MOA. You say as much later in your post, but people need to stop thinking that an inaccurate shooter makes an inaccurate rifle moot. The exact opposite is true. A poor shot needs all the help they can get. The opposite is also true. The less accurate the rifle, the more skilled the shooter needs to be, but no matter how good the shooter is they can't make a rifle more accurate than it is. All they can do is reduce the accumulation of accuracy flaws.