I can not subscribe to the argument the "rifles" being capable of consistently sub-moa either, as that argument does not withstand the mountains of data which have been cataloged by the eley or lapua test centers here in the united states or overseas... nor that of independent test tunnels here in the states. All test centers have elaborate fixtures which aims to eliminate human variables, leaving just the rifle and ammo.
http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com...-shots-at-50m-new-record-at-eley-test-center/
12.4mm is .488" and while the 50 meter testing range is actually 54yds, it still signifies a record.
Record, as in, "best ever seen" 40rnd string from any rifle with any ammo ever tested in one of the most recognized rimfire testing facilities in the world. Just shy of 1MOA... best 40 shots ever recorded there.
Now here is a simple trend that I've been able to understand over the last few years regarding 22lr accuracy: The best rifles in the world, with the best ammunition in the world, inside a 50yd tunnel, with some of the best shooters in the world running the testing, can not produce a rifle/ammo combo which results in every bullet hole falling completely inside a .5" circle. Point in fact when you look at the data, it is extremely rare to have every round fall inside a .750" circle. You may be able to get a large number of rounds to fall desirably, but across 50 rounds it's rare to have them all land desirably.
When I consider the mountains of data collected by many accomplished shooters and testing entities as well as my own quest for finite rimfire accuracy, and compare it against the reported accuracy and precision claims of internet shooters, I'm met with only one conclusion:
The only place rifles and/or people can consistently achieve sub-3/4MOA rimfire performance is on the internet.
All data collected by serious folks which I've ever seen supports that position. Notice the underlined word there, consistently. I'll define this so as not to Obviously there are some exceptional rifles, exceptional people, exceptional ammo, and exceptional conditions which may align in specific instances which would indicate otherwise. Yet those remain isolated events. Were it not so, we would have higher scores being shot in competition across all smallbore disciplines, and yet we don't.
I'm not sure that there's an amount of money I'd refuse to pay for a magazine fed 22LR which would be capable of landing every round within .250" at 50yds. I'd probably give up to $50,000 for that rifle... because Lord knows I've wasted more than that in search of one. I'd probably pay even more than that if I was able to shoot that rifle for a few days myself. I think I'd pay up to $50 a box for the ammo as well, if that's what it took.
Or maybe I'm all washed up. Maybe the data doesn't mean what I think it means? Maybe there's a conspiracy to keep me from buying these special rifles and ammo which can deliver this type of performance I've only witnessed on the internet? Maybe I'm just a terrible shooter with terrible equipment and terrible ammo? Yup... could certainly be. Maybe that is true.
Or... maybe, just maybe it could be that people like to make themselves look better than they are when there's no one standing next to them to keep them honest. Just maybe. Hey, everyone needs a hobby. Some people's hobby is shooting. Other people's hobby is bragging about shooting. I just wish I could drop all of my experiences as well as the experiences of every high-end rimfire shooter I know into every new guy's brain. It would be much harder for people to lead those new guys astray if that could happen.
Below is some typical performance from one of the best rifles I own. A 40X repeater. 5-shot groups @ 50yds. By the measure of the internet, I suck. In person, against other real live flesh-and-blood people... I seem to fair quite well.
For this guy right here however, I'm going to set my expectations as follows. I know that I'll be able to shot LOTS of .5-.7" groups. I know that I'll be able to shoot fewer .3-.5" groups and fewer still .2" groups. Yet if I shoot enough times, I'll be able to get some .0's and .1's... and I even can get a few of those to stack up back to back when things go right. Six, 8, and maybe even 10 or 20 five-shot groups in a row can turn out really really good and make me feel good about myself. The next time out, it likely won't be that way. I'll define my capabilities based on what I personally witness across years of experience, dozens of rifles, and tens of thousands of rounds per year. Not one rifle and one lucky session. I just feel better being completely honest about my capabilities I guess. ... even if that means I suck compared to other internet shooters.