Edited sentence: A very slight sighting error would easily throw bullets off the target.Despite claims to the contrary, Enfield rifles have never been regarded as particularly accurate by skilled shooters.Experienced shooters know that it is basically impossible to simultaneously achieve both absolute speed and absolute accuracy.Military ammunition loaded with cordite powder (actually sticks of powder similar to spaghetti and inconsistent in firing) at the time was marginal for accuracy and even later military ammunition loaded with ball powder would not deliver consistent "match" accuracy.Particularly as the barrel gets hot.Some of the features of the Enfield rifle itself make a high degree of accuracy difficult to achieve.Standard U.Surplus rifles in good shooting condition typically produce groups of 4 to 6 inches at 100 yards, even when loaded with high-quality commercial ammunition.The full stock of the rifle will also negatively affect accuracy because of the tendency for the wood to contact the steel barrel and cause distortion.The group size of such rifles and ammunition at 300 yards would accordingly grow to 12 to 18 inches at the minimum.The rear bolt locking lugs allow more bolt flex than front lugs and will decrease the consistency of the headspacing of the rifle, in addition to flexing more while firing.military doctrine as far as "rapid fire" has always placed the emphasis on accuracy before speed, and the objective is to fire at the highest rate possible while maintaining accuracy