What is Accuracy?

Posted by Ofc Ponch on Dec 31, 2012 in Articles | 0 comments

ac·cu·ra·cy n. 1) Conformity to fact. 2) Precision; exactness. 3) The ability of a measurement to match the actual value of the quantity being measured For what we will be discussing, I actually don’t like the most common definition, as a  measure of a guns ability. Instead we’ll focus on the word Precision, as its definition is more suitable to this article. pre·ci·sion n. 1) The state or quality of being precise; exactness. 2)The ability of a measurement to be consistently reproduced. 3)The number of significant digits to which a value has been reliably measured. So now that we have the definitions squared away, we’ll see how this all relates to our guns. The ability of a measurement to be consistently reproduced. Before we continue let me state that there is no standardized test in the firearms industry for accuracy. There is no set # of shots fired or a set distance shots must be fired at. But there are guidelines.  For the most part, the industry has used the following to police its accuracy claims. NOTE: NOT ALL FIREARMS MFG. ADHERE TO THESE NUMBERS. FOR PISTOLS: 3 – 5 rounds fired at a given target @ 50 FEET From a mechanical Ransom Rest FOR RIFLES: 3 – 5 rounds fired at a given target @ 100 YARDS From a bench rest Inherently, most firearms are considered to be COMBAT ACCURATE.  Combat accuracy means that a gun, when pushed to its absolute limits, is capable of producing group sizes in the realm of 3″ – 5″ @ 50 feet. It also means that a gun has been built to function in a wide variety of conditions. Glock, Beretta, Colt, Sig, S.A., H&K USP, are all examples of Combat Accurate firearms. Combat accurate firearms by design only need to this “accurate” since the average HUMAN target falls well within those specifications. I stand 5′ 7″ tall and weigh 195lbs. The circle across my chest measures exactly 4.5″ in diameter. At 50 feet a Combat Accurate firearm should have no problem putting ALL rounds fired from it within that white circle. TARGET ACCURACY can only be achieved by very few firearms. Target accurate firearms NEED to shoot 2″ or better...

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