Cold Bore shot question!!!

[Coon Krazy]

I recently bought a Tikka T3x 308.. zeroed it last week. Hands down shooting same hole groups at 100. I went To just fire a couple through it today.. my first shot was 5 inches high.. 2nd, third and fourth was one ragged hole in a quarter size bullseye.. is it normal for a cold bore shot to be that far off? Any suggestions?

 

[Jester896]

did you clean the barrel in between sessions?

 

[Coon Krazy]

I didn’t.. last weekend after I zeroed it.. I let The barrel cool a few minutes and 3 shots was 1 ragged hole. Didn’t clean it.. 1st shot today was 5 inches high. Dead on left/right. The next 3 shots was 1 hole in the bullseye.

 

[Mr Bya Lungshot]

I’d blame myself that first shot.

 

[Coon Krazy]

I usually would... but that shot I cant. 100% I know It shot high and I cant Figure out why the cold bore was so much different. I know They are going to be some what different but not that much.

 

[Jester896]

i would think his error would be side to side...not 5" high

to answer your question...I would expect a cold clean bore to be high...not your high. I would hope that cold fouled bore would be very close to hot fouled bore...that still doesn't mean it will be..might make me sell a rifle

see how often it repeats like that or was it just a fluke...you should be well tune when season opens

 

[Coon Krazy]

Your right about that. Lol

 

[Darkhorse]

I fire 5 shots preseason to foul the bore. I will consider load development finished only after the first shot from a cold bore hits inside the group consistently. Sometimes it's tough to get there.

 

[nmurph]

An inch or so astray would be what I would expect for a cold bore shot. I would test several cold bore shots to confirm. You want to sight-in using a cold bore, but you don't want follow up shots to be so far off that a 300yd shot would be a miss.

 

[Thunder Head]

I had a rifle that would do something similar.

With 165 gr. bullets
1st shot on target
2nd shot 3" to right
3rd shot near bullseye

I never could find a lite load that it would shoot.

Eventually i went 3 days in a row and fired one cold bore shot. It would repeat. Main problem was follow up wouldnt be on target at longer range.

Interested to know if it continues to prove out and what your solution is.

 

[bullethead]

I recently bought a Tikka T3x 308.. zeroed it last week. Hands down shooting same hole groups at 100. I went To just fire a couple through it today.. my first shot was 5 inches high.. 2nd, third and fourth was one ragged hole in a quarter size bullseye.. is it normal for a cold bore shot to be that far off? Any suggestions?

I have found that the first shot from a cold Clean bore is usually an inch or so away from the next 3 to 5 shots in a few different rifles I own. I posted 2 separate groups from a Tikka in another thread. In each case 3 out of 4 shots were tightly clumped together but the first shot was away (in different directions) from the rest. In both cases the 1st shot was after a bore cleaning and cold.
Before hunting season, I'll fire 3 shots at the range and hunt as is. I'll clean after the season.

 

[dwhee87]

I would see if that condition/result repeated itself on your next range trip before I'd spend time trying to fix something.

 

[bullethead]

I would see if that condition/result repeated itself on your next range trip before I'd spend time trying to fix something.

And, did that happen from just a cold barrel or a Cold and Cleaned barrel.
I've noticed it happening from Cold and Cleaned barrels, but never 5" difference in poi.

 

[killerv]

I'd say its you unless it happens again. If I run factory ammo through my deer rifles....I run them through a concentricity gauge first. I have found its really helped reduce the flyers.

 

[flintlock hunter]

I recently bought a Tikka T3x 308.. zeroed it last week. Hands down shooting same hole groups at 100. I went To just fire a couple through it today.. my first shot was 5 inches high.. 2nd, third and fourth was one ragged hole in a quarter size bullseye.. is it normal for a cold bore shot to be that far off? Any suggestions?

Your shooting is really great! The only problem is that BIG problem of a cold, clean, bore shot. We might have your answer.

I had that problem with a muzzleloader, and again with a modern cartridge rifle on a few occations,and believe it or not, the answer is the same for all of them, barring a bedding problem, which, judging by the group is not your problem.

First of all, and I'm pretty sure you already know this, dry patch the bore to rid all of the excess preservative oil because that can do exactly what you are experiencng. If you already do that, or, like me, you cringe at leaving the bore unprotected during a hunt, here is what I do.

I clean the barrel as always, untill the cleaning patches are the best I can do. Then make sure to dry the bore as much as possible, then I use Birchwood Casey Barricade, (used to be called "Sheath"), on a clean patch, and run the patch down the bore TWICE to spread the preservative everywhere. Now I run one more clean patch through the bore ONCE to be sure there is no excess. Wait untill the Barricade dries completely, (if you're in a hurry or treating a muzzleloader, a hair drier dries it in about 2-5 minutes), and go hunting, or to the range. You DO NOT have to remove the Barricade from the bore, it normally will not affect the point of impact from a cold, clean, bore. You may be amazed that the group includes the fouling round now.

You may want to alter the procedure for your particular gun if the first shot is a half inch out of the group, which probably means you went a smidgeon heavy on the Barricade, it doesn't take much to do the job.

I hope this helps to eliminate the problem for you. Just do it the same everytime.


PS: That Barricade is also pretty useful to protect a gun in storage for at leat 6 months.

 

[Coon Krazy]

The barrel hasn’t been cleaned at all since I zeroed the scope. And I know Mistakes happen but it’s been a bunch of years since I squeezed off a shot that far off. That don’t happen for me. I’m going to try it agin.. I’m shooting the hornady precision hunter ammo. Love the ammo and never had a single issue shooting same hole groups with it out to 200 yards.

 

[nmurph]

Whoaaa... same hole at 200yds? That's BR accuracy.

 

[Coon Krazy]

Lol.. I’ve done it. Not regularly but I have Done it. No doubt though.. this tikka will definitely shoot same holes all day at 100.

 

[killerv]

Whoaaa... same hole at 200yds? That's BR accuracy.

I know right?! With factory ammo too.

 

[baddave]

i load for 4 different rifles -- 2 243s, 1 260 rem , 1 30-06 .. 1 of those 243s shoots better if i don't clean up to 50 rds , the other needs cleaning before 10 shots to maintain accuracy .. maybe you should clean and shoot a fouler or 2