[Guns] What does accuracy represent?

[solidsingularity]

In GUPRS what conglomeration of factors is the ACC stat meant to represent?
Is it the actual minute of angle rating of the gun?
Is it how well the gun handles range?
Is it a collection of this and other factors?
I asked this question because I am having trouble understanding which guns get which accuracy stats and this becomes a large problem when trying to add guns that are not in the books.

[Refplace]

As I understand it ACC does not include sights, which can add to ACC, including Telescopic Sights which specifically grant a bonus limited to the base ACC.
Barrel length and rifling are a factor as they help to stabilize the bullet so it fly's more straight. Longer barrels also enable higher speeds.
Grip and any other inherent part of the weapon that increases the stability of the shooting platform. IMO Bracing should add to ACC not skill for the same reason.
Quality can increase ACC through improving the action and barrel.
The action also has an influence, though in GURPS that is really applied to recoil. A bolt action rifle is more accurate than any other type, everything else being equal.

Some accessories can also improve ACC, while others add to skill.

[solidsingularity]

So from your description, it is the actual minute of angle accuracy of the gun and not just the maximum effective range of the weapon correct?
If this is the case then why Does the Remington 700 a bolt action rifle have the same accuracy as the FN Minimi an open Bolt machine gun?
Is it because they both have relatively similar affective ranges?
Also, is the equipment modifier "fine accurate" included in the stats of the guns listed in high-tech that are renowned as being high-quality accurate guns?

[Say, it isn't that bad!]

Originally Posted by Refplace

A bolt action rifle is more accurate than any other type, everything else being equal.

What would be the reason for this?

[kirbwarrior]

Well, strictly speaking, we can reverse engineer it. It's a bonus to skill that comes from 'aiming' for one second. Thus the accuracy is the skill difference between firing quickly and taking a moment to aim. Accessories, such as sights, exist on their own (IIRC). So, for translating real life guns, I'd compare known guns to the new gun to see how 'good' it gains from aim. It likely comes from a lot of factors.

[Rupert]

Originally Posted by Say, it isn't that bad!

What would be the reason for this?

The reason bolt-actions tend to be the most accurate action type (not actually true - rolling blocks can be just as accurate) is that their bolts lock up very consistently and positively as a rule.

As for the OP's question, Acc is probably best thought of as 'practical accuracy' - how tight a group the weapon will let you shoot in good yet practical conditions. So it's not how well the weapon will shoot when clamped to a bench, though that's part of it. It assumes iron sights and familiarity with the weapon and its foibles.

Acc has nothing to do with range, which is measured by 1/2D range and max range. GURPS assumes that (almost) all weapons' accuracy degrades over range at the same rate - they all use the same size/speed/range table.

[solidsingularity]

Originally Posted by kirbwarrior

So, for translating real life guns, I'd compare known guns to the new gun to see how 'good' it gains from aim. It likely comes from a lot of factors.

This is what I have tried to do but seem to be no consensus, my above Remington 700 vs FN Minimi.

[solidsingularity]

Originally Posted by Rupert

As for the OP's question, Acc is probably best thought of as 'practical accuracy' - how tight a group the weapon will let you shoot in good yet practical conditions. So it's not how well the weapon will shoot when clamped to a bench, though that's part of it. It assumes iron sights and familiarity with the weapon and its foibles.

If Acc is how tight its group is the why does the AI AW a sup MOA gun have the same Acc as the m82a1 wich is a 2 to 1 MOA gun?
Alos why does the Remington 700 a bolt action rifle have the same accuracy as the FN Minimi an open Bolt machine gun?

[Toptomcat]

Set up an FN Minimi with the kind of accessories as a typical Remington Model 700, give it the same kind of careful maintenance a precision shooter gives their Model 700, take as much care in selecting the ammunition, and do the same kind of carefully-aimed-single-shots shooting with it as is typically done with a Model 700, and I'll bet that at many ranges the results are a lot closer than you'd think they'd be, given your surface-level impression of 'what's the more inherently accurate weapon?' Inherent MoA of a weapon in a bench rest isn't all, or even most, of the story when it comes to practical accuracy.

[Kale]

There's also the fact to consider that Acc is fairly granular. 2 is typical for most pistols, 3-4 for SMGs, 4-5 for rifles, 6+ for fancy-pants marksmen rifles and so on, so there's not a lot of room for variation within classes of weapon. In truth, as Rupert mentioned, it is also practical accuracy, which beyond MOA considers things like handling, sighting accessories and so on. Also consider how it is used: A Minimi in spray and pray mode will send enough lead downrange that something might hit, where the '700 will send a single bullet down range accurately. In GURPS terms this could end up being very similar rolls, just with the Minimi wasting more ammo, or maybe hitting with a second or third shot out of the burst on a really good roll.