Hi everyone, first post and I wanted to ask about what kind of numbers are out there in regards to shooting in more of a real-life scenario than just off a bench at the range. Here they are:

-Is accuracy scalable? IE if I have a 1 MOA gun and I shoot 2-3 MOA offhand, does a 2 MOA gun shoot 4-6 MOA in my hands?

-What is the probability distribution of shots? IE if I have a 2 MOA gun and I'm shooting a 2" target at 400 yards, will I hit it 50% of the time?

-What is the average shooter's capability offhand standing? Preference to military conditions.

Kinda spitballing here, but:

Yes I think accuracy is scalable as long as the factors that play into where the bullet impacts the target are the same on every shot.

As far as probability maybe think about the respective areas of XMOA circles. pieRsquared
2moa circle area is 3.141 square inches
4moa circle area is 12.566 square inches

If your shooting at a 2 inch target at 400 then your target is 0.5 moa or 0.196 square inches. If every shot you take is not effected by any previous shots than every shot will have the same chance of hitting the target. Say you shoot 4moa at  2 inch target at 400 yards then the ratio of areas is 12.566/0.196 or 64. Your chances of hitting the target a 1/64 on any given shot.

Not really sure about an average shooters ability. you would have to do a study or maybe someone from the military would know a generally accepted value.

Larry Vickers on Accuracy

-What is the average shooter's capability offhand standing? Preference to military conditions.
Tough question. Everyone here likely shoots 1 MOA off-hand in the wind. I'll throw 10 MOA off-hand out there as an average guy ability. We have a 3' high, 4' wide Buffalo steel target at 400 yards and about half the guys can hit it off hand.

For self defense, most attacks will be close enough to invalidate accuracy requirements.
For defense of others, the balance flips.
What is your end goal?