When talking to shooting accuracy, we think of skill. Most gifted gunners have great shooting skills and knowledge. But even they must admit that their abilities alone can’t make the success.
Shooting abilities can’t be easily measured as they are estimation, practicing, and experience. You need to calculate the wind, the range, and other environmental effects. They are all fluctuations and only experts can know exactly where the bullet would impact. But at an equal level of skill, a more powerful rifle scope can provide more accuracy for any gunners. Even experts need some accessories to perform better in long-range shooting or particular situations. There are other factors that technically increase shooting performance.
The rifle barrel
FYI, a barrel is the metal tube where the bullets go through when you fire the gun. The inside of the barrel is the “bore”. They have the direct impact on how your projectiles travel. A good barrel will preserve energy and bullet’s trajectory. It makes your projectiles flying straight instead of bending left or right. That said, the barrel decides your precision.
There are three main materials for a rifle barrel: nitriding, chrome lined, and stainless steel. Nitriding barrels are for budget customers and of course, have the lowest performance. Chrome lined barrels have the most reliability. They are very hard, durable, and corrosion-resistant. But they make less precise shots than the stainless steel barrels. Top gunners in the world would choose a stainless steel barrel for their big game hunting or shooting competitions.
Extra light support
Wind and light are the two most influential factors for your shooting accuracy. Experienced gunners know how to adjust the sight to avoid the windage. But even the best rifle scope on the market can’t eliminate the effect of low-light conditions. They hurt your eyes and your accuracy. High-end sights can partially help with illuminated reticles and lenses with a better light transmission. Therefore, to deliver accurate shots, you need an extra light support in low-light situations.
A tactical flashlight, or a police light, is the ideal choice. They are not normal flashlight we use in every situation. They are for dark, lightless scenarios in a dense forest. A good police flashlight can become the secondary source of light for your rifle. They have an intense light that will brighten a wide area, improving your visibility and sighting. You can attach the light to the bottom of the barrel. It’s compact and lightweight, so doesn’t affect the total mass of the gun.
Ammunition
Another very important point is that you choose the right type of ammunition for the situation you have in mind. Selecting a cartridge isn’t as easy as it might seem at first. There is a huge number of different factors you have to consider before selecting a rifle. Some of them are recoil, stopping power and ballistic aspects. While one round might be better for mid range but useless for any shooting above 300 yards another one might have excellent stopping power but way too much recoil for you to handle.
Rifle scopes
Human abilities are physically limited as we all know. The longer the distance is, the more inaccurate we are. This is why we use a rifle scope. It improves our accuracy in long-range shooting. But a gun sight can also be useful from the medium distance and in close quarter combats.
There are two types of scopes, magnifying and non-magnifying scopes. Non-magnifying scopes like red dot sights slightly provide quick and accurate target acquisition in the close-range shooting. Magnifying sights are ideal for long-range applications. They allow you to see the target from a far distance, then aim and fire correctly.
Whether the object is close or not, a rifle scope is an significant factor to improve shooting accuracy.
Bipod
Since they are synonyms, precision and accuracy are often used interchangeably. But it’s the reason why we may mistake one for another. Precision determines how close the bullet impact reach your aiming spot. When you have ten or more precise shots, you are accurate. Accuracy is how often you can get the same precise result, and precision is only part of accuracy.
In fact, a precise rifle can be inaccurate when it comes to repeated firing. This is the problem for semi-automatic guns such as AR-15 or AK-47 rifle. The reason is simple: when you repeatedly fire the gun, recoil and barrel hop occur. Both elements deviate your aiming point after each shot and decrease accuracy. Therefore, you need to buy a rifle bipod to stabilize your guns. Give your rifle 4 legs, and it will stand firmly on the ground. They transfer recoil to the earth so that you will suffer from a less backward jerk. This way, you preserve your accuracy, in other words, increase it when comparing to not using the bipod.
Suppressor
The sound suppressor, or silencer, is a device that reduces firing noise from your rifle. We mostly see it attached to the handgun of a secret agent, James Bond for example. But it can be used for hunting rifles or semi-automatic guns. Their functions are, not for assassinating someone, to silence the gun and improve accuracy.
Studies show that the suppressor decreases not only the buzz but also the sound pressure and recoil. When you squeeze the trigger, the bullet is fired and the sound is made. The noise creates pressure inside the bore and this pressure affects the trajectory. Of course, the structure of a good bore eliminates a majority of this effect. But by employing an extra suppressor, you will 100% remove the negative impact of the sound pressure. Then, there will be no recoil, no barrel hop, and no inaccurate shot.
The suppressor psychologically improves your precision as well. The loud noises of firing a gun can affect your ears and hearing ability. This is why you must use ear protectors in closed spaces as shooting practice houses. When you hear such a loud and sudden noise, your ears and brain will be shocked. Your brain is distracted and you lose the focus. And you will instinctively lean away from the rifle, removing your head from right sighting position. More serious, many people suffer from a temporary blind when they hear such a harmful bang.
Maintenance
This is the costless way to improve your accuracy. A well-maintained barrel will have no build up which affect the trajectory. Clean the whole rifle with solvents will preserve their good state so that they give the best performance. Correctly installing parts and accessories helps you use the gun smoothly and avoid failure. Even if you have a high-end scope or bipod, a failed rifle will provide no accuracy.
For every gunner, shooting skill is a very important efficiency. You must practice hard to accumulate experience to gain better skill and effectiveness. But, as proven, skill isn’t the only factor to improve shooting accuracy. There are other things technically help you perform better. Try switching to another barrel type or using a bipod, you may surprise for the results.