A “good” out of the box hunting rifle has about a 2 to 3 Minute of Angle accuracy. At say 150 yard, that would put a bullet 3 to 4.5 inch circle, with no corrections for wind, elevation change, high stress caused human error, or a poor factory trigger.
The Assassin appears to have been going for a head-shot and not a center of mass shot, which may have helped save the life of Trump.
As someone who has shot Bench Rest, there are tricked out and custom rifles that have sub MOA accuracy with the “right” ammunition. I can hand load custom ammo that is very accurate for rifles I have customized. But, when multiple shots are fired, that will also change to point of impact from the point of aim.
Again, whether the would be Assassin was 138 yards or 148 yards away, I think that “the distance was special” in what is says about the gross lack of security, the likely quality of the rifle and ammo, and the factors that change the point of impact from the point of aim.
It is a blessing that Trump was not seriously injured. In time I hope we will learn more about the rifle, its ammo, which of the 3 to 5 shots hit Trump's ear, and the shooter's training. I also hope that there will be dramatic changes at the Secret Service.
all very good points ... wannabe assassin was likely an inexperienced target shooter, wildly rushing his 2nd and 3rd shots after the first missed .... a headshot was a mistake too ... i want to know who zeroed his rifle for 130-140 yards, and when and where it was zeroed ... i doubt Dad’s AR was assassin-ready at just that distance when taken out of the closet ...
The Assassin appears to have been going for a head-shot and not a center of mass shot, which may have helped save the life of Trump.>>> And listen to the video. I think the first two shots are way to close together to be from one semi-auto. but i’m only an amateur.