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It is difficult to set figures to get an accurate measure of the accuracy of pilot vs. observer fire. As Tony has already explained, the observerīs main problem is that every jump and bump the plane makes is going to affect his aim. Plus, sometimes the free-moving mg did not move so freely, plus the observer has to balance two deflections. Why? Because the pilot is not going to fly straight and level, he is most likely to take evasive action, so added to the difficult task of firing at a moving target we encounter the problem of being in a fast-moving target as well, with lots of jolts and turns and climbs and the such, which can really mess with your markmanship. And on top of that you have to add that these movements are impredictable, it was almost impossible to get synchronized with the pilot (which was why, for example, in WWII a fairly good idea as bomber hunter as the Boulton Paul Defiant was dismissed after seeing little action).
I think one very good example can be found in MvR. An expert and reputed hunter with a fairly good aim, the Baron started flying as an observer, and although his experience in combat as such was not by far close to his later experience as a pilot, still he made some comments on the matter in letters he wrote to his peers. Canīt remember the quote, but in one such comment he says something like it was a real mess to fire upon an enemy flier while your pilot was maneuvering, you spent more time holding on for dear life and keeping your breakfast inside than even trying to aim.
One of the main reasons for the implementation of tracer bullets was precisely that it was so difficult to aim that basically the initial training for observers was to tell them to start shooting and then, as someone watering the plants with a hose would do, just move the stream of bullets until it went where it was supposed to go in the first place, the enemy plane.
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