Hunting Rifle Accuracy Testing

THE first thing the owner of a new rifle will want to know is what kind of accuracy the rifle is capable of not only with his own handloads, but perhaps factory ammo as well. He'll shoot a number of groups in search of the ammo that gives the best results his rifle is capable of. One thing I've noticed with a new rifle is that often accuracy improves as I fire more rounds. This may be due to polishing the barrel's bore from bullet friction, or it may be a matter of the barrelled action settling into the stock, particularly if it's made of wood. Personally, if I have a new rifle, I'll have the action glass-bedded and the barrel floated before I get started. But some current rifles have a decent bedding system to start off with.

My usual accuracy test procedure is to fire three 5-shot groups with my reloads that