TLDR

• Align reticle and NPA on the target for every shot if you want the highest hit percentage for your skill level and rifle system.
• Even small amounts of torque can significantly impact shot groups, so be mindful of the influence of torque.
• Just because its possible to hit a target doing things wrong, it’s a better plan to do what has the highest probability of outcome youre looking for.

Background

The purpose of this article is to highlight an observation that was made on a tripod ballhead as well as on a shooting bag regarding steering the reticle to point of aim out of NPA. I conducted a short test to assess the impact of torque on rifle accuracy when shooting from a tripod and bag to see how much I could see on paper and determine if it was worth it for me to reset or go ahead and shoot with steering and no reset.

Setup

Baseline (Proper NPA):

1. Setup: Rifle properly aligned with NPA.
2. Action/Observation: Shot five rounds.

• Tight group indicating good alignment.
• All impacts on a .75 inch circle. Slight right shift but this is attributed to actual zero. I maintained consistent aim point for all tests for consistency.

Half-Mil NPA Offset:

1. Setup: Rifle NPA set 0.5 mils off target center to the right.
2. Action/Observation: Steered rifle onto the point of aim using 0.5 mils of torque, shot five rounds.

• Shift in shot group.
• 2 out of 5 shots within acceptable deviation.
• 3 out of 5 shots show larger deviation than baseline.

One-Mil Offset:

1. Setup: Rifle NPA set 1 mil right of target center.
2. Action/Observation: Steered rifle onto the point of aim using 1 mil of torque, shot five rounds.

• Larger spread in the shot group.
• 2 shots within acceptable deviation.
• 3 shots with larger deviation.
• Possible to hit the target, yes, but lower hit percentage.

One and a Half-Mil Offset:

1. Setup: Rifle NPA set 1.5 mils right of target.
2. Action/Observation: Steered rifle onto the point of aim using 1.5 mils of torque, shot five rounds.

• Even larger distribution of shots.
• Significant increase in shot deviation.
• I was still able to hit target, but hit percentage smaller than previous two torque tests.

Thoughts and observations

Impact of Torque:

• Increased torque leads to larger shot deviations.
• Higher torque reduces the likelihood of hitting the target accurately.

Importance of NPA:

• Proper NPA alignment is crucial for maintaining accuracy, precision, and hit likelihood for any given shot.
• Misalignment and torque negatively affect shot precision.

Takeaways/Action items:

• Align reticle and NPA on the target for every shot if you want the highest hit percentage for your skill level and rifle system.
• Even small amounts of torque can significantly impact shot groups, so be mindful of the influence of torque.
• Just because its possible to hit a target doing things wrong, it’s a better plan to do what has the highest probability of outcome youre looking for.

Head over to RifleKraft for more resources on tripod shootings and other tips and techniques

ChrisWay

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