The Accuracy Data the Rifle Makers Never Wanted Published

The Rifle Accuracy Database (RAD) is Backfire’s independent, unbiased, statistically-significant test of rifles across the industry.

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Shots Fired in Testing

Rifles Tested

Rifles Shot 1 MOA (Avg of four 5-shot groups)

Rifle Brands Tested

Rifles Put 20 Consecutive Shots in 1 MOA

Insights from the RAD

Are More Expensive Rifles More Accurate?

We found a statistically significant correlation (p = 0.003) suggesting that higher-priced rifles generally deliver better accuracy. HOWEVER, that’s ONLY if you include custom rifles and precision rifles that skew the data. When only considering factory hunting rifles, there was no correlation–meaning more money on factory hunting rifles does not make your rifle more likely to be accurate.

$2708

average price of the 10 most accurate rifles

$1313

Average price of the 10 least accurate rifles

TESTING PROCEDURE

Rifle Prep

Each rifle is broken in first. We then clean the rifle thoroughly, foul the barrel with at least 3 shots, and use a known-good scope so that the rifle has the best chance of performing well in the test. Rifles are only tested if wind conditions are less than 3mph.

Setup

Each rifle is shot with a bipod or front bag, and a rear sandbag at 100 yds. We don’t use accuracy fixtures or Lead Sleds that mask rifle flaws like bendy stocks and bad triggers by clamping the rifle down; they produce pretty groups, but you won’t see that type of result in the real world.

20-Shot Groups

Rifles are tested with no less than a 20-shot group. Every five shots, we let the rifle cool down for 10 minutes and then the shooter produces another cold-bore shot. A 20-shot group gives high confidence that the result is statistically significant. 3-shot and 5-shot groups simply aren’t enough.

Multiple Loads

You may notice multiple tests in the RAD for some rifles. Whenever possible, we run the test with multiple different loads to see how the rifle performs with different ammo–generally starting with known good loads. Poor performing ammo/rifle combos are not hidden, though. We show it all.

Notes

Some rifles need special conditions to shoot well. For example, the CZ 600+ Alpha’s weak forend shoots poorly with a bipod but better with a wide front sandbag to spread the weight. Each test has a notes section where we highlight changes we made in order to get the rifle shooting well.

Human Shooters

We could put the rifle in an accuracy fixture to eliminate human error, but that hides real-world flaws in rifle design—like a poor trigger that makes it hard to stay on target during the trigger press. Instead, we use expert human shooters so the results reflect how the rifle will perform in the real world.

“Let’s make 3-shot groups extinct in the gun industry.”

– Nerds

Also, this AI-generated dude who loves math, guns, and weights.

THE NERDY STUFF

Understanding the Results

Statistically, a 5-shot group is meaningless. Flip a coin 5 times and it’s pretty common to go on a streak of all heads or all tails. Luck plays a role.

Every rifle is tested with at least a 20-shot group in the Rifle Accuracy Database (and often much more), which dramatically reduces random error—but it doesn’t eliminate it entirely. A rifle at #4 might edge out #3 on a re-test, but the data gives us strong confidence that each rifle lands in the correct general performance tier.

What’s mean radius?

The average distance between the center of the group and each impact.

It’s a far better measurement than “group size” that measures only the two furthest-out impacts and ignores all other data points.

Some rifles stack tight groups, but throw some odd fliers when you shoot enough shots to see it. In this case, the mean radius would still be relatively low, but the average group size would increase dramatically. For this reason, we include both numbers. Also, look at the total 20-shot group size, which highlights the worst flier.

What’s a good score for mean radius?

UNDER .1″
An elite competition rifle. Probably unachievable in a lightweight hunting rifle. Likely, all 20 shots land in half-MOA.

UNDER .2″
Good for a precision rifle, rare in hunting rifles. 5-shot groups are sub-half MOA.

UNDER .3″
A very nice hunting rifle. Similar to half-MOA 5-shot groups.

UNDER .4″
Similar to .75″ 5-shot groups without ignoring any fliers or cold bore shots.

UNDER .5″
An average hunting rifle. Similar to shooting 1 MOA”ish”. Common for magnum cartridges in light rifles.

OVER 0.5″
Sub-par accuracy, or a hunting rifle shooting a load it doesn’t shoot well.

Insights from the RAD

Are Heavier Rifles More Accurate?

We initially found only a weak correlation between rifle weight and accuracy–largely because recoil wasn’t accounted for. However, when we combined the weight of the rifle (plus suppressor, if equipped) and divided it by the cartridge’s kinetic energy, the correlation with accuracy became strong.
What does this mean? If you want accuracy, don’t pair hard-hitting cartridges with lightweight rifles. Weight matters—a lot.

8.9 lbs

average WEIGHT of the 15 most accurate rifles

7 lbs

Average WEIGHT of the 15 least accurate rifles

We’re not perfect, but keep in mind that we shot the top-scoring 1/4 MOA groups in this database as well so we can’t be that bad, right? Top scoring rifles are putting TWENTY shots in a 0.46″ group. So unless that’s poor performance for what you can accomplish, then the data should be useful. But yes, there is a human element to this. That’s intentional. We want to know what a real human shooter can do with these rifles in actual practice when the rifle is not clamped down in an accuracy fixture.

Our test is intentionally brutal. It’s not designed to produce pretty little groups on paper that aren’t repeatable in practice. RAD uses a 20-shot group with four cold-bore shots and four complete break-and-re-address cycles to expose rifles that shift point of impact with even slight stock or hold changes.

“But! I saw so-and-so on Youtube shoot that rifle better!” Other shooters aren’t following our brutal testing procedure, so it makes sense that they’d get a different result. They may be locking the rifle down in a fixture, or only putting 3 or 5 shots in a group. Also, their test probably doesn’t include FOUR cold bore shots being required in the 20-shot group like our test. Others can review however they choose, but we can’t expect the same result with a completely different test.

The RAD doesn’t hide anything–except maybe our tears when a $2,000 rifle sprays like a garden hose.

All we can test is the rifle in front of us. We don’t have your copy of the rifle that may perform much better (or worse). While we generally see rifles of the same make/model and caliber perform similarly, there is a bell curve of performance on every copy that is made. Maybe yours is way at the front of that curve and ours is at the back.

But also remember, are you using the same testing procedure as us? A 20-shot group that includes 4 cold bore shots from a bipod and rear bag at 100 yards? Different test, different test results.

We don’t have a dog in the fight. Our only desire is to publish correct data.

If you think your rifle can perform better than what is being shown in the RAD, contact us at [email protected] Let us know what ammo we should try. Help us troubleshoot the rifle. This whole project is about finding out what each rifle system is capable of, so we’re actually on the same team here.

We’d even be TOTALLY happy to have you send a representative out to shoot the rifle for record if you question our ability. We just require that it’s shot in our presence so we can be sure it follows our testing procedure. It’s gotta be legit. We also won’t put white-out over good data, so if a gun performs poorly but the data is correct, then we’re publishing it whether you like it or not.

We sometimes allow manufacturers to send us rifles, but our deal is the same with every company. We only test off-the-shelf rifles that haven’t been pre-selected by the manufacturer, and we don’t accept payments from manufacturers (other than direct ammo cost if you want extensive testing). We already have plenty of rifles and don’t need more–believe me. Receiving a rifle just means we’re going to include it and potentially show it on the channel, but we’re going to test it fairly and say it like it is–good or bad. Backfire is known for our brutally honest reviews.

SEE SOME OF THE TOP RIFLES

Rifle Make	Rifle Model	Load (May not be safe. Consult a reloading handbook)	Cartridge	Mean Radius (in)	% of Impacts That Landed in a 1 MOA Circle	20-Shot Group Size (in)	Average 5-Shot Group Size (in)	Rifle Category
Custom – Built by Backfire	Custom – Bartlein MTU barrel 28″ prefit chambered by Stuteville, Impact 737R action, Triggertech Diamond Trigger, MDT ACC Elite Chassis, Backstop Recoil Pad, Athlon Chronus scope.	Handload – Berger 105 Hybrid bullet using 32.5gr of Varget in Alpha brass and a Federal 210 primer and a Berger 105.	6 Dasher	0.090	100.00%	0.460	0.228	Precision Rifle
Custom	Custom – Bartlein barrel chambered by Preece Precision (medium varmint contour), Lone Peak medium action, Triggertech diamond, MDT HNT26	Handload – 156 Berger EOL bullet, 57.5 grains of N570, Win mag large rifle primer, lapua brass, 2.99″ COAL	6.5 PRC	0.180	100.00%	0.650	0.462	Hybrid Rifle
Sig	Cross	Handload – 143 grain ELD-X bullet using 41.2 grains of H4350 at a COAL of 2.78″, Lapua small primer brass, and CCI small primers	6.5 Creedmoor	0.190	100.00%	0.780	0.495	Hunting Rifle
Horizon	Vandal X	Hornady Precision Hunter	22 Creedmoor	0.220	100.00%	0.739	0.563	Hunting Rifle
Bergara	Premier HMR Pro	Handload – 140gr ELD-M bullet, Lapua small primer brass, 42gr H4350 (Caution, this may be a hot load!)	6.5 Creedmoor	0.230	100.00%	1.040	0.532	Precision Rifle
Bergara	Premier Competition Rifle	Hornady Match	6.5 Creedmoor	0.240	100.00%	0.870	0.534	Precision Rifle
Horizon	Vandal Prime	Hornady Match	25 Creedmoor	0.290	90.00%	1.160	0.708	Hunting Rifle
Seekins	Havak Hit	Handload – 105 Berger Hybrid bullet, 33.4gr Varget, GAP-stamped brass	6 GT	0.310	100.00%	1.040	0.830	Precision Rifle
Horizon	Vandal X	Hornady V-Match	22 Creedmoor	0.330	95.00%	1.070	0.650	Hunting Rifle
Bergara	Cima CF	Norma Bondstrike	6.5 PRC	0.330	80.00%	1.110	0.830	Hunting Rifle