Ok, I took the day off from making sawdust and sighted in my new Savage Model 93 .17 HMR. Talk about a flat shootin, accurate and I must say very fun big boy toy, well this is it. This gun takes plunking to a new level. For those of you that are not familiar with the term "minute of angle", this gun is the definition. A minute of arc, arcminute, or MOA is a unit of angular measurement, equal to one sixtieth (1/60) of one degree. Since one degree is defined as one three hundred sixtieth (1/360) of a circle, 1 minute of arc is 1/21,600 of the amount of arc in a closed circle. In simple words a MOA is one inch at 100 yards and in shooting MOA accuracy is what all shooters strive to achieve. Savage claims that the Model 93 is capable of shooting MOA right out of the box with factory ammo and after today I certainly believe it. I can't claim that I achieved that feat today because the place we were shooting today only allowed a maximum range of 82 yards. The wind was blowing out of the north at 10MPH so we chose a place down by the river which was shielded from the wind. The bullet of the .17 HMR weighs 17 grains as compared to 150 grains bullets that are typical of hunting rifles such as the 30-06. At 17 grains traveling at 2550 fps, wind is a big factor in the accuracy department. I first sighted in at 25 yards. I was able to group five shots at about 5/8” and then we moved back to 82 yards. Next time we go out I will be taking a new bench and a set of digital calipers. You might think that I am going a little overboard (I’m sure Michele does), but I have been shooting for 53 years and I have never had a rifle that I could shoot MOA at 100 yards. Having cataracts for 50+ years might have something to do with it, but I’m not using that excuse. Check out the photos and you can see that we shot several groups under one inch at 82 yards. My next post should have better and more accurate proof of MOA. All I can say is: “Watch out ground squirrels”
