Neil,
You're right about that ol' M1 bein' good.
The acceptance tolerance for the M1 rifles were 4-inch groups at 100 yards.
That extrapolates to a 20-inch group at 500 yards, and a 24-inch group at 600 yards.
The MR-1 600 yard military target has a black (bullseye) of 36 inches diameter.
And you're right...at 600 yards that 36 inch bullseye is so little you can get 3 of 'em across the width of an M1 front sight. And the mirage is makin' that little bullseye bounce around like a belly dancer's navel. Add to that...the wind can be blowin' from different directions between the firing point and the target. And if you leave a round in a hot chamber too long it will heat up and the powder will burn faster and the bullet will hit up to 4 inches away from the other shots.
The National Match M1 rifles will shoot groups HALF that size (2 inches at 100 yards), and I've shot M1s that were worked on by very experienced armorers that would shoot 1-inch groups at 100 yards.
Mount a scope on one of those, and you'll be a heap o' trouble for somebody!
Steve
M1C Garand
