Air Rifle Accuracy
Air Rifle Group Size Chart
A good air rifle group size at 50 yards is under about 15 mm centre-to-centre; at 25 yards the same standard is roughly half that. But a single number means little without knowing the distance it was shot at and how it was measured. This is the benchmark chart, the two ways to measure a group, and how to read it all in MOA so you can compare like with like. Or skip the maths and use the group size calculator.
The benchmark chart
These bands describe centre-to-centre group spread for a typical sub-12 ft·lb air rifle shooting in calm conditions. Treat them as a sanity check, not a verdict: your rifle, pellet and the wind on the day all move the goalposts. The 50-yard column is Pellet's reference standard; the 25- and 30-yard columns hold that same angular standard, scaled for the shorter distance.
| Rating | 25 yd | 30 yd | 50 yd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | < 8 mm | < 9 mm | < 15 mm |
| Very good | 8–13 mm | 9–15 mm | 15–25 mm |
| Good | 13–20 mm | 15–24 mm | 25–40 mm |
| Competent | 20–30 mm | 24–36 mm | 40–60 mm |
| Room to improve | > 30 mm | > 36 mm | > 60 mm |
Figures are centre-to-centre, for a 5-shot group. The 25- and 30-yard bands are the 50-yard standard scaled by distance, so a group that rates "very good" at one distance rates "very good" at the others.
How group size is measured
There are two figures people quote, and they are not the same number. Mixing them up is the most common reason two shooters "disagree" about an identical group.
Extreme spread
Extreme spread is the distance between the outer edges of the two furthest-apart holes — the widest the group is, edge to edge. It's the easiest to eyeball with a ruler, but it includes one full pellet diameter of "padding," so it flatters smaller calibres and reads larger for a .22 than a .177 fired into the same-sized cluster.
Centre-to-centre
Centre-to-centre measures from the centre of one hole to the centre of the other — the extreme spread minus one pellet diameter. Because it cancels out the calibre, it's the figure that actually compares across rifles and pellets, and it's the standard used in the chart above. To convert a ruler reading: measure the extreme spread, then subtract your pellet's head size (about 4.5 mm for .177, 5.5 mm for .22).
No ruler, no calipers. Photograph the target from under a metre away and Pellet's AI finds each hole and reports the centre-to-centre spread in millimetres, using the known pellet hole diameter as its scale reference — then rates the group against these same benchmarks automatically.
Reading a group in MOA and MRAD
A millimetre figure only means something next to its distance. To compare a 25-yard group with a 50-yard group fairly, convert to an angular measure — minutes of angle (MOA) or milliradians (MRAD) — which describes how tightly the rifle is shooting regardless of range.
| Distance | 1 MOA equals | 1 MRAD equals |
|---|---|---|
| 25 yd | 6.6 mm | 22.9 mm |
| 30 yd | 8.0 mm | 27.4 mm |
| 50 yd | 13.3 mm | 45.7 mm |
So a 13 mm group at 50 yards is just under 1 MOA — genuinely excellent shooting. The same 13 mm at 25 yards is closer to 2 MOA, which is solid but not remarkable. The angle is what tells you how the rifle is really performing.
Group size calculator
Enter your group and the distance you shot it at. No calipers needed — measure the spread however you like, in millimetres or inches, and it converts to a rating, MOA and MRAD against the same benchmarks as the chart above.
Why distance and conditions change the number
Group size doesn't grow neatly in proportion to distance. Out to the muzzle the pellet is still settling, and past the midpoint of its flight the light, slow diabolo is increasingly at the mercy of the air. A rifle that prints 10 mm at 25 yards rarely prints exactly 20 mm at 50 — wind, the pellet's own consistency and your hold all compound with range. The single biggest variable outdoors is wind: even a breeze you'd barely feel can open a group by an inch at 40-plus yards. If your groups balloon at distance, read the wind before you blame the pellet.
This is also why one good group proves little. What matters is your average over many groups in known conditions — that's the number that tells you whether a pellet, a tune or a technique change actually helped.
Pellet turns scattered groups into a trend you can act on. Every measured group is stored next to the distance, wind, temperature and pressure it was shot in, so you can see your true average per pellet and which conditions produce your tightest shooting.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a good air rifle group size at 50 yards?
Under 15 mm centre-to-centre is excellent, 15–25 mm very good, 25–40 mm good, 40–60 mm competent, and over 60 mm leaves room to improve — for a typical sub-12 ft·lb rifle in calm conditions.
What is a good group size at 25 yards?
Holding the same standard scaled for the shorter range: under 8 mm excellent, 8–13 mm very good, 13–20 mm good, 20–30 mm competent, over 30 mm room to improve. A group is roughly half as wide at 25 yards as the same shooting would be at 50.
How do you measure air rifle group size?
Either extreme spread (outer edge to outer edge of the two furthest holes) or centre-to-centre (that distance minus one pellet diameter). Centre-to-centre is the more comparable figure because it cancels out calibre.
What does MOA mean for an air rifle group?
MOA is an angular measure of how tightly the rifle shoots, independent of range. One MOA is about 13.3 mm at 50 yards, 8.0 mm at 30 yards and 6.6 mm at 25 yards, so quoting a group in MOA lets you compare distances fairly.