Why is the MRPA hosting this class?
Several reasons! We are a not for profit 501c4 whose mission revolves around helping its members become better marksmen - whether target shooting or hunting. Find a long range competitor in the MRPA and likely you will find a big game hunter. Hunting is an area of interest for MRPA members to request assistance with education and training. The number one objective of the MRPA is to educate and train responsible youth and adult citizens in the safe and efficient use of arms. The efficient use of arms is acquired in a well-organized and competent manner. Responsibility, safety, efficiency and competence parallel and complement each other when using arms for various activities.
We are putting this class together in order to help individuals determine what their ethical, cold bore or first shot on big game should be primarily in terms of using distance and position selection as a control measure. The total hunting scenario is dynamic with influences from the shooters skill, environmental influences, firing position, and the accuracy and precision of the hunting system. Simply put, this class will leave the shooter with the knowledge of whether or not they should take a shot in a particular situation or attempt to use control measures, such as distance, to get closer (or even farther) to increase the probability of an ethical first shot kill. This class will also provide guides with a method to fairly quickly determine the capabilities of their clients based off the most likely hunting conditions to be encountered. Some of us have, unfortunately, witnessed the blemish of hunters taking too far of shots and repeatedly missing. Or worse still, wounding big game, and unable to get follow on shots in the vitals. This does a great disservice to the hunting community as a whole. Wildlife are a public resource, belonging to all, and we need to manage them appropriately, including their ethical harvest.
Data Capture from Competitive Shooting
This past season the MRPA took an effort to utilize F-Class competition as a way to capture efficiency on known sized targets at known distance. A large data set from F-Class shooting was used to estimate first shot or cold bore hit percentage against record score. Efficiency can be captured in terms of hit percentage. High hit percentage reflects high efficiency likewise low hit percentage reflects low efficiency. Target efficiency through target practice is a common method toward estimating field big game hunting efficiency.
To further make a correlation of efficiency with target shooting transitioning to big game hunting, similarities and differences between F-Class competition and hunting need addressed. First, F-Class target shooting is more of a static event compared to hunting. F-Class targets and firing positions are fixed at known distance. Firing positions are cleared and level. Competitors travel little distance from vehicles to the firing points. Rifles are often built to near the rulebook weight limit of 18 pounds with several surpassing 20 pounds for the open class. Range flags used as wind indicators are located throughout the range. Second, Deep Creek Rifle Range outside Missoula, Montana was used to collect data from the 2016 competitive season. Deep Creek has a reputation to be one of the most forgiving places to shoot long range.
The data collected this year from Deep Creek included scores from the Michigan Army National Guard sniper team that won the 2016 International Sniper Competition, long range national record holders in both F-Class and Benchrest, prior state and regional long range champions, Benchrest competitors, PRS competitors, and a large group of about the best precision hand-loaders from around the region and country. Competitors who partake in cold bore accuracy hunting report their field hunting conditions, at best, equal the target shooting environment at the Deep Creek Rifle Range. More often, the dynamics of hunting present greater difficulty and challenge than what is encountered on a rifle range.
While competitors were not informed how their scores would be utilized, there was encouragement to make first sighting shots down range count. Awards during the season included cash gift cards and custom match barrels drawn for initial sighting shots connecting with the ten ring. Having awards for the initial sighting shots provided a mechanism to compel competitors to make their first sighting shot the best shot they could possibly make - in often the ideal conditions at a top competitive range. A fairly large data set of several thousand shots fired by numerous competitors at 13 Matches fired in the Spring through Fall were collected.
What the Data Showed
(See attached pdf for tables/info) The top table illustrates first round sighting shot percentage connecting with the nine or ten ring on perfect scores fired throughout the season. Thirty four perfect scores were recorded. As noted, first shots connecting with a 1 MOA(+) ten ring remains low with an average of approximately 30%. In other words, the seasoned competitors firing perfect record scores are only hitting the 1 MOA ten ring one out of every three initial sighting shots.
The second table illustrates the season average from the various range fired. First round sighting shots on a 1 MOA(+) sized target remains low. However following sighting shots, hit percentage on a 2 MOA(+) sized target is high. Additionally, 100% of the competitors were able to hit a 1 MOA ten ring at least once if not multiple times during record fire. With sighting shots and being able to see where the previous record shot hit, every competitor was able to hit a 1 MOA 10 ring every match. In contrast, NO competitor was able to hit the 10 ring with 90% or higher efficiency with their first round. Simply, to achieve efficiency in a target shooting environment, sighting shots on a 1 MOA target are necessary even by the most experienced long range competitors using target rifles in a target range environment.
The third table breaks out the different classes and percentages.
The Benchrest statistics illustrate precision (group size) and accuracy (score) complementing each other. It is difficult to obtain high scores without the ability for a rifle to shoot good groups. The Benchrest example illustrates on season average, precision plays equal importance to accuracy. However, sighting shots were not taken into account in this illustration only the record scores and groups.
The last 2016 F-Class nationals illustration was a check to the 2016 Deep Creek results. With the sampling from F-Class nationals, first round sighting shots remain low in percentage on a ten ring 1 MOA target.
Findings of Data and its application to hunting
The common misguided credence of target precision and/or target accuracy being an equal comparison to cold bore efficiency is misleading and an apples to oranges comparison. An example to this mistaken belief would be evident by comparing the 800 yard record scores to first round sighting shots. As mentioned in the first table, 20 perfect scores at 800 yards were recorded during the season with more than half the shots landing within the X-ring 2.5" or less from center! This might, wrongly, suggest to one their marksmanship and rifle/ammo accuracy would be perfectly ethical for an 800yd shot on an animal. The average X count on the 20 perfect scores was 10 for an average score of 150-10X. It would be difficult in today's competitive environment if not impossible to find a single competitor who would not be content to shoot a perfect score with two thirds X count on average during a Long Range F-Class match. However, if the 20 first round sighting shots from the perfect score cards were added together to compile a record string, the resulting score would be 184-1X. Scale this score to a 15 shot 800 yard match and the result would be 138-1X. A for record score of 138-1X would have placed in the bottom 5% of competitor scores overall. Only 35% of the first sighters landed in the 10" ten ring. In big game hunting, the first shot is predominately considered the "for record shot."
In closing, some of the finest serving professionals and long range competitors are not hitting a 1 MOA sized target with a respectable level of efficiency with first round shots. The vital zone of a deer is commonly equated to a 10" disk or the equivalent of the ten ring at 1000 yards. This data is compelling in that even the top of the pyramid of long range competitors, on average, require a 2 MOA sized target for first round shots to obtain an approximate 60%-78% level of efficiency. The MRPA considers a first shot efficiency rate of 90%-99% during practice a responsible and appropriate percentage to consider before attempting to take big game while hunting. The MRPA is committed to training and education with the responsible, safe and efficient use of arms. As such, the MRPA will be hosting a free 3-4 day cold bore accuracy hunting course the Spring of 2017 instructed by well versed long range competitors and established cold bore accuracy hunters. This class is open to all, and not just MRPA members. In the end, three different methods of estimating field hunting first round shot success against the vitals of the intended big game animal will be instructed, discussed, and practiced. More information regarding this course will be posted on a later date.
