Choosing the appropriate dispersion metric to evaluate weapon and munitions precision
by SSG Douglas Ray (USA Ret.)
When a sniper is in the prone firing position on a shooting range, he is not thinking about the math behind the shot group dispersion, or distribution of the round impacts on the target in front of him. He is concerned with the “zero” of his weapon’s aiming system, and with his own ability—and that of his weapon system—to put each round as close to the others and as close to the aimpoint as possible. The sniper thinks about these things in training, so that he does not have to worry about them in combat.
