Extreme spread
The largest centre-to-centre distance between two shots gives the familiar group-size figure. It is easy to compare, while remaining sensitive to a single distant flyer.
Score tells you what; grouping helps explain why
Shot group analyzer for paper targets
TargetIQ keeps the verified centre of every shot, then turns those positions into group size, mean radius, centre offset, heatmaps and trends—without measuring each card with calipers.
- Group size
- Centre-to-centre extreme spread
- Consistency
- Mean radius from group centre
- Aim offset
- Horizontal and vertical centre
Four views of the same shot pattern
Mean radius and group centre
Mean radius uses every shot's distance from their average position. The centre offset then describes whether that average sits high, low, left or right of the target centre.
Plots, heatmaps and trends
Overlay cards at pellet size, inspect the density of many shots and follow group size over time. These views separate a stable sight offset from a change in precision.
How the workflow works
- 1
Verify shot centres
Group analysis begins with the corrected markers from each photographed card. A bad marker can distort the metrics, so check the overlay first.
- 2
Read one session
Use the grouping plot and metrics to see the size, shape and direction of the complete session group.
- 3
Compare with score potential
TargetIQ can show the score the same pattern could have produced if its centre were moved onto the target centre, helping distinguish placement from spread.
- 4
Follow the trend
Compare like-for-like sessions over time and use tags or notes to preserve changes in stance, equipment or training focus.
What to know before relying on a result
- A group metric is only as reliable as the verified shot-centre positions used to calculate it.
- Extreme spread is strongly affected by one flyer; mean radius provides a useful second measure rather than a replacement.
- Compare similar shot counts and conditions—five-shot and sixty-shot groups are not equivalent samples.
Questions about this feature
Does group size include pellet diameter?
TargetIQ reports centre-to-centre extreme spread. If you measure outside-to-outside with calipers, subtract one pellet diameter to compare the figures.
What is mean radius?
It is the average distance of every shot from the group's average X/Y position. Unlike extreme spread, it uses every shot in the group.
Can I calculate a group without scanning a target?
Yes. The free shot group size calculator accepts millimetre coordinates or taps on an Air Rifle or Air Pistol reference target and requires no account.
Turn the next paper card into training data
Create a free TargetIQ account, photograph a card and review the detected result before it enters your history.
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