Range Report Cold bore 500 yards daily

[magtech]

I put up a target at 500 yards this summer 8"x10" and I had the thought about doing one shot a day to just to practice my cold bore. Ideally, I like to practice cold bore for hunting, but i figure why not do it for daily practice as well. Im thinking about keeping a log and going from there, we'll see i guess.

So far i've shot at it a few times and verified my MV is pretty much spot on. I cleaned the rifle a couple days ago, then fired two foulers through it.

I figured id start tracking my cold bore this way and see how I do.

Today was the first day since cleaning and fouling... And i missed my first shot (totally confused, as this is normally an easy shot). Then I look at my turrets (forgot to add 2.3 mil). After adjusting properly, perfect hit. Hopefully, I learned my lesson there.

Does anyone else do cold bore shots like this?
Is there a better way to practice with a minimum round count.. to preserve/enhance shooting ability?

 

[Milo 2.5]

Excellent practice, just keep score, and keep it to one daily, until range day. I start on a 10" plate at 500 all the time, even of your zero is off it is more than doable. We also have a huge 24" x 36" plate at 500 we do load dev on, I shoot dot drills on it, not all at once, but periodically over the coarse of the session. Some days are diamonds, some you go home whining.

 

[McNamara0851]

I usually leave a 12” plate on a fence post down the lane from my house. I can shoot it from 850 and in. That is exactly what I use it for. Pull up to an unknown distance, get out setup and range, shoot one time.

 

[ShtrRdy]

OP - do you return your turrets and parallax back to "zero" setting?

 

[Dthomas3523]

I’d maybe add a 5” painted circle on the square and use that as a testing.

Hitting the 8x10” cold is acceptable, but ideally being able to pick up the rifle and being inside an moa would be awesome.

 

[Dthomas3523]

Actually, this is a good question for @lowlight

As an instructor, what is the optimal distance and target size you think is achievable by:

Top shooter
Average Shooter
Beginner
LE/Mil professional

Cold bore/cold shooter. What’s ideal for picking up rifle and hitting on command in reasonable conditions (I.e. not 20+ mph wind, pouring rain, etc).

Speaking on the LE side, I’d say 1moa out to 300, 33% ipsc from 300-600 and an ipsc from 600-1000. That would be bare minimum I’d strive for. Likely only take extremely precise shots <300yds, and man size targets from there.

 

[magtech]

OP - do you return your turrets and parallax back to "zero" setting?

I like to return them to zero to: A. get used to adjusting them properly everytime, and B. to continually work them for durability.

Once the corn gets out this fall I'll be adding an elevated platform. This will allow me to shoot out to 800 on the same target. Although i"LL have to widen my shooting lanes through the woods.

I found it's fairly difficult to see a white target that sits 150 yards into a forest, when shooting across a field.

But I'm learning... Im thinking I should get rid of this radial brake and pick up a side ported one. After every shot I only see smoke for a second, which hinders spotting a miss.

 

[Steel head]

My last two 260 barrels never got the cold bore memo.

Cold bore shot for groups at 100 or a plate at 1125.
No problems.

As far as practice,,,,,,,,OP, I think it’s excellent practice.

 

[tnichols]

Good practice for sure. I’m able to shoot at home, so, a typical session is only 4-6 rounds. I do log all sessions and most importantly track and keep a tally of first round impacts, the most important in my mind. Closest target is 655 yards.

 

[codym]

I do something similar to this with my bow. Hunting setup, max range one shot for a week. Very telling what your true max hunting distance is.

 

[KYpatriot]

I think it is a great idea and much more telling than shooting groups. In effect you are shooting a group over several days so that data is still there if you want it, but you are getting a more useful rel world practice than group shooting. Especially if you return the scope to zero, and vary the range. I think dot drills are more productive than group size. In real life, “group” size doesnt matter. POI vs POA is what really matters. Startimg from scratch everyday with such a drill tests the entire system, especially if you have the opportunity to move the plate before the next shot.

 

[clcustom1911]

If you can swing it, do the one cold bore shot during different times of the day and log conditions if you can (temp, baro, humidity, angle of sun, etc.). Put ammo in the sun, shade, etc.

You're blessed to have the opportunity to do such awesome things.

 

[acudaowner]

How do you only shoot one shot per day , isn't that almost impossible only one shot, pretty cool to have that ability , but only one shot per day . wake up resist the urge to shoot have breakfast again resist the urge to shoot lunch walk out set up do your stuff take shot ok put it away my head would explode if i could shoot only one shot a day sorry like having one Pringle and nibbling it for hours . It would be very cool to have 500 yards behind your house you could shoot from . you sir are very lucky .

 

[Boon20]

You should try different posisions too and log it that way when your out hunting you know what your limitations are for each position

 

[bfk4lyfe]

Check out this guys YouTube channel, this is his own test that he does for similar reasons as you.

 

[candyx]

Check out this guys YouTube channel, this is his own test that he does for similar reasons as you.

Thats true rifle training for you might not get a second shot on a target.

 

[magtech]

If I'm huntint true LR on an animal I really don't like to rush it. I'd rather have it relaxed...But I can see the benefit here. Maybe I'll try shooting off the golf cart as I'm cruising the field. Train like I hunt ?.

Either way, looks like I have work to do now

 

[THLR]

It's not a "one shot per day" regime, it is a "one shot gauge/evaluation". To shoot on cue regardless of conditions is different and I like to have a firm grasp on what my performance will be. It let's me do good risk assessments and I have a good understanding of my common errors and I can very quickly remove them.
And the 1 minute time limit doesn't reflect desired performance, it is just a very simple way to hammer all gear/tasks into a firm routine. 1 minute is generous enough to also allow for fixing fuckups. Here is another example:

 

[magtech]

I let shooter app give me atmosphere, then I estimate the wind and put that in myself. It pulls the weather from the nearest weather station, but with me applying my own wind i usually do pretty well.

 

[Kbh]

I think it's good practice. I have a metal pig about 8"x16" at 530 from my front porch I shoot from a tripod several days a week. Usually only 2 shots. We also have steel plates at 590, 640, 700, 750, 800, 1125 and 1390. I only allow myself 2 shots on each and fire cold bore at a different target each session. Its good practice but I also don't have to travel to a range.

 

[Feif64]

I'm friends with the local SWAT sniper and he has to hit a golf ball at 100 cold bore with a 308.

 

[Lowlight]

Actually, this is a good question for @lowlight

As an instructor, what is the optimal distance and target size you think is achievable by:

Top shooter
Average Shooter
Beginner
LE/Mil professional

Cold bore/cold shooter. What’s ideal for picking up rifle and hitting on command in reasonable conditions (I.e. not 20+ mph wind, pouring rain, etc).

Speaking on the LE side, I’d say 1moa out to 300, 33% ipsc from 300-600 and an ipsc from 600-1000. That would be bare minimum I’d strive for. Likely only take extremely precise shots <300yds, and man size targets from there.

The mantra we used to use for the students that came to Rifles Only was, Own everything inside 600m

For the military 600m is the danger space threshold for things like artillery. So if you can own any target that presents itself inside 600m you should be able to own the immediate battlefront

It's a good number to say what makes a marksman on my opinion.

Own everything inside 600m, head, body, half a head, only part of a body. The target size I would focus on is 1 MOA but with a 2 MOA buffer to register the variations better.

I want a slightly bigger target with an A zone or something identifiable to see where and by how much I might be missing.

 

[Luke]

This is a good thread and has a lot of take-aways from it. While I don't have the luxury of shooting daily, whenever I am able to get out to long range I start my range session by setting up and taking a single cold bore shot at whatever distance seems reasonable for the conditions, record the impact/take notes, and then move on to whatever else I was planning on working on for that session. If the wind is calm I might make that initial cold bore at 800yds, or if it's gusting 20mph wind it might only be 500yds. Over time you'll learn the little nuances of wind or your cartridge and it really builds up your personal confidence and trust in your equipment when you can nail your target on demand with the first shot.

 

[Kbh]

We have steel from 150 to 1390 yards. From 300 - 800 most are 12" plates or 66% ipsc and a 100% ipsc at 1125. So some targets are 3 moa or larger at the closer distances. I generally shoot off the tripod from 540 and in and prone past that. I always try to keep my shots in a 1 moa area in the center but I like to have some leeway to spot my misses. As long as I'm inside that 1 moa up and down I'm good. If my misses are left and right that's just a bad wind call on my part.

 

[Prebanpaul]

I would be curious to see this done on cardboard, with shrink wrap over one year. The Idea would be to see what different Temps and Humidity does to that cold board shot. Or maybe use corrugated cardboard, as they use for political signs.

Also, OP do you leave the gun outside for any length of time to acclimate to the weather, just like your hunting conditions would be. I am so intrigued by this.

 

[M8541Reaper]

I put a reduced face box paper tgt at 100yds and have head-sized steel at 425 (all I have available to me).

I show up, put up the 100yd face, lay down, record my environmental data in my data book, load, and then put 1rd in the face. Then I put one round at the 425yd head. It’s either logged a hit or miss and only one round is fired. I log the info and what went wrong/right. Then I start my daily COF.

I do this to ensure I’m able to perform with my system upon command. If I can’t put a round in a reduced t box or on a head-sized target at 425yds, then there is a problem and I don’t rate to shoot such systems. I do it with all of my precision systems and keep the records for review/comparison. I wish I had a better range with better (and actually maintained) targets though.

You definitely have the right mindset man, keep it up and never stop challenging yourself. I’m jealous of your setup/ability to shoot daily.

 

[Slo cat]

I took a precision rifle class, and after the first day, we would always take a cold bore shot at 100 first thing in the morning and first thing after lunch. And were told to record POA and POI in our log books. Good info. This helped a lot when we did the skills test, shooting cold bore into a 5"x3" head box at 100, then 200 and then 300.

 

[magtech]

I would be curious to see this done on cardboard, with shrink wrap over one year. The Idea would be to see what different Temps and Humidity does to that cold board shot. Or maybe use corrugated cardboard, as they use for political signs.

Also, OP do you leave the gun outside for any length of time to acclimate to the weather, just like your hunting conditions would be. I am so intrigued by this.

I took a break from doing cold bite due to being gone for hunting. Once the season is over I'll resume. Right now I'm ringing steel at 500 for the report.

As for leaving the gun outside. It's about a 5 minute golf cart ride to my shooting hill, lol. Normally setup takes another 10-15 minutes as I try not to rush. Maybe this winter I'll drive the truck out there and see how the gun reacts.

Speaking of corrugated cardboard I had a 4x4 piece of plywood at 370 I was doing this on originally. I just put dots every foot in a grid pattern on it.. Then over time I had to keep repainting to see my new hits. I'm no pro so my groupings weren't always 3/4 moa.

After hunting is over in December I'll have to get back to it and see if my data is still on... It should be, but we'll find out.

 

[magtech]

Went out today after taking the holidays off from shooting. I brought out 7 rounds 5 from an old batch and 2 from a new batch of load ( same load).

Since my rifle and bullets were indoors I let them sit out in the snow for 20 minutes to acclimate some..

Temp was 32. Wind 2-5 mph. Calculator called for 2.4 mil @ 500. So I dialed 2.4.. missed high center. Dialed 2.3 mil. Hit the top of the target 3x. Dialed down to 2.1 hit 3x in center/center-left of target.

Both groups had minimal ( 1 inch max) vertical dispersion ~2" horizontal dispersion.

I should add pictures but I didn't feel like walking a half mile around the pond in the snow...maybe I'll grab some pics today and repaint the target.

Reading on my initial post I think I need to Chrono again and/or adjust my temp stability rating for h1000. If I remember I'll let the gun/ammo sit out in the weather for an hour and Chrono again.

Edit: added a photo. The 2,3,4 shot are along the top. 5,6,7 in the middle. Looks like one in the top group skimmed the top edge of the plate. The first shot was high and into the hill.. about where the puppy is.

 

[McNamara0851]

I bought this target last week to practice cold bore with my night rig off of a tripod. My intentions are to load up my eberlestock pack in the mornings before sun up and walk down to my shooting lane roughly 600 yards deploy the tripod, clip my simrad on, guesstimate distance, and shoot. I’m looking to practice taking shots from 250-500. We’ve been getting a lot of opportunities at 250+ this year, furthest kill being 370y. I would like to be confident out to 500 in the dark. The guys I hunt with have ranging capabilities, so I think it will be valuable practice. If my lazy ass ever gets up early enough to make it happen I’ll document it.

 

[magtech]

The hardest part is convincing yourself to do it... I'm still sitting here thinking about get pictures to add to my last post.... but i'm feeling lazy.

 

[PAYDIRT]

We have a cold bore, beer can @555 shoot before every match. It's a bunch of fun, $5 each, draw for shooting order, the pot usually doesn't last long. So I try to keep up with my cold bore, I usually shoot a 223.

 

[magtech]

Went out today. Wind was 0-5. Snow was 6-8 inches deep with a hard crust on top, temp 30F. I brought the chrono to verify fps data and try to understand why my bullets are not dropping as much as the calc suggests.

I let the gun/ammo cool for about 20 minutes. Shot 5 rounds of a known recipe, then 5 of a known recipe with brand-new Winchester brass, I've about killed all my norma brass off.

Fps for the first round was 2949. Then the rest were in the 2930's. This is within 10 fps of my summer shooting so i couldnt complain too much.

The Brand-new loaded WIN brass had an FPS between 3000-3015 over 5 rounds....

Now as for shooting in the crusty snow over the bipod, yeah... I sucked. Something is off with me lately. I kept adjusting the elevation turret to the wrong setting... thinking i was at something else... I dont know.. Maybe i was looking at the wrong alignment hasmarks.

Either way, had a couple hits from each set of brass. 2 consecutive from the new winchester brass at 500. I was able to spot a couple shots as they impacted, i've been having trouble getting behind the 300 wm, and not having muzzle jump... For some reason the hard snow helped.... Or maybe it was having the bipod legs extended out 6 more inches, to clear the chrono.

I have 100 new Winchester brass to get used to my rifle. So theres more work to do.

 

[stello1001]

Not a beer can but a paint can which I sprayed over with another paint can for easier seeing.

Also, not cold bore because I had been shooting earlier that day. Right before sunset, I said what the heck and decided to go out and hang that can and shoot it from 500.

I suspect if I have a no wind day like the past 3 weeks have been, I could get a cold bore first round impact but I may have to try it sometime soon just to be sure...

 

[magtech]

Not a beer can but a paint can which I sprayed over with another paint can for easier seeing.


View attachment 7235891

Also, not cold bore because I had been shooting earlier that day. Right before sunset, I said what the heck and decided to go out and hang that can and shoot it from 500.

I suspect if I have a no wind day like the past 3 weeks have been, I could get a cold bore first round impact but I may have to try it sometime soon just to be sure...

Nice. I have a target at 370 in front of my 500 yard target. One day I set my old paint cans in front of that and shot them.... I never found any of them after one shot... Just a streak of paint all over,lol. Maybe they went into orbit. hahahaha.

 

[magtech]

Went out again today and only took the unfired win brass rounds. Im thinking I need to make some gear changes in the future.

Set up in the same spot as before. Its on a side hill and the hard crusty snow now is frozen over. All of the elbow and knee holes from before are hard,half-melted, and frozen solid. this combined with a side hill created some frustration aligning properly.

First shot misfire, never had a federal match large magnum misfire before...never had a misfire in this gun before either. that was odd.

Second shot, miss high. The gun slid down the hill some

Third shot, hit, gun is sliding all over

Fourth and fifth... No idea. as now im wet and sliding into the snow every shot.

As for FPS on the unfired Win brass I had cold-bore: 3037, 2nd: 3003, 3rd: 3023, 4th: 2943, 5th: 2962

Is it normal for speed to slow as the barrel heats up? I didnt pause much between shots because the position was too uncomfortable this time.

So there's a few take-aways i feel that I will need to address moving forward.

- First, I'm now wet, even through the mat i put down; Take a shovel and get rid of the snow, where im shooting.

- Second, I should come back in the spring and make a proper shooting box, and not be laying half-way on a sidehill, with a slight downhill inclination, all while aiming upwards. Its a difficult place to shoot from without the snow... maybe level the box out (or just be better at laying down/sidehill while aiming slightly upwards) its tough on the neck, though.

-Lasty, get a different shooting bag. The two I have never seem to work. They are the cheap pair you get at an outdoor store. For this rifle its like one is too low for a rear bag and one is always too tall... Anyone have suggestions on good adjustable rear bag?

 

[magtech]

Went out again today. Winds were light and temps in the 50s.
Ballistic calc called for 2.2-2.3 mil. Knowing things were going in the past I dialed 2.1. hit low right.

Next 3 rounds we're all high.....1mil high. Came down 1 mil in the reticle and hit the top of the target.

Stopped there and reshot at 100... 1+-mil high. Retorqued and everything was good except the m10 rings. Retorqued them all to 55. Looks like the scope was sliding some. I know I torqued the rings to 50 in lb before.

Sighted in again. 2 shots to get back close then 3 in the bull ~1/2 mil.

Need to reload before I shoot more.
Shooting on hard warm ground is way easier than ice n snow.

 

[PAYDIRT]

I'm gonna get back in on this, I've been slacking on my 555 target, but I've been working on my wind calls at places I've never shot before, 2 shots, fresh paint. I built a portable stand that has a 12" round 3/8 plate.

 

[domdoc]

I did this almost 10 years ago, shooting at 450 yards. I shot from various positions - bipod, sitting, fencepost, car hood, you name it. One shot a day for about 10 trips to the range. Wind, rain, all weather, no matter. This was a hunting rifle, not a target rifle, shooting my hunting load. IIRC, the group was about 8". That's about what most instructors aim for in their long-range hunting scenarios - under 2 MOA at the longest distance you plan to hunt. If 2 MOA won't be a kill shot on your animal, at the distance you're at, get closer. Or don't shoot.

 

[PAYDIRT]

I did this almost 10 years ago, shooting at 450 yards. I shot from various positions - bipod, sitting, fencepost, car hood, you name it. One shot a day for about 10 trips to the range. Wind, rain, all weather, no matter. This was a hunting rifle, not a target rifle, shooting my hunting load. IIRC, the group was about 8". That's about what most instructors aim for in their long-range hunting scenarios - under 2 MOA at the longest distance you plan to hunt. If 2 MOA won't be a kill shot on your animal, at the distance you're at, get closer. Or don't shoot.

How long did you do this?

 

[MK20]

I did this yesterday. Setup. Laid down on a hillside, not a prepared position. Ranged a head sized rock at 600. Dialed dope. Sent 2 rounds. Both hit. This is in mountainous terrain with really weird winds shooting across valleys.
I want to do it more.

I would advise 2 rounds a day.Train yourself to read conditions and hit first round, but that second round hit is pretty damn important as well. It shows you can correct mistakes or replicate success.

 

[domdoc]

How long did you do this?

About 10 shots, maybe 11. I think it was spread out over a couple of weeks.

 

[PAYDIRT]

Here's my portable target for my cold bore/wind call practice. I put fresh paint on and shoot at places I've never shot at before. It's 12", big I know but that allows me to see how far off I actually was, when I get lucky and get a first round hit.

 

[magtech]

Been struggling all spring with shooting at 500. A couple weeks ago I went back to 100 and groups were a mess. I found the base worked loose so I took it off and used some leftover arca-glass to bed it. That took forever to set, if it even did. Then i used blue locktight on the base screws and retorqued. I was busy for a couple weeks shooting some pistol (M&P 2.0 9mm), but the front sight broke off so im back to rifle.

Went out yesterday couldnt hit crap. Checked groups at 100, they were terrible. After blowing through ammo I decided to clean everything and check torques. Torques were good but after a good clean im back. Today, I went cold bore 3 consecutive hits at 500 prone. If i can keep this up i'll be adding in a 750 yard target on a 15ft tower. That should give me some good shooting options.

 

[domdoc]

Actually, this is a good question for @lowlight

As an instructor, what is the optimal distance and target size you think is achievable by:

Top shooter
Average Shooter
Beginner
LE/Mil professional

Cold bore/cold shooter. What’s ideal for picking up rifle and hitting on command in reasonable conditions (I.e. not 20+ mph wind, pouring rain, etc).

Speaking on the LE side, I’d say 1moa out to 300, 33% ipsc from 300-600 and an ipsc from 600-1000. That would be bare minimum I’d strive for. Likely only take extremely precise shots <300yds, and man size targets from there.

I'd be amazed if anybody could put one cold-bore shot on a 1 MOA target at 500 yards for 10 consecutive days, through any weather that shows up. Do this in the Fall, Winter, or Spring; not summer consistent weather. Those 10 shots need to be the only shots out of the rifle during the testing period, and different times of day taken at random, drawn out of a hat, and assigned to random days (not choosing the best weather forecast). Real world, I think the ace of the base will be slightly under 2 MOA, especially if you throw in field-expedient rests/shooting locations. But let's just do this from prone with a bipod, rear sandbag or portable support OK. If you run into windy, rainy, gusty, sleeting conditions - well, target UP! I did this at 450 yards once, so I know the result. For me it was about 8". Given some of the conditions I shot in, I was content with my performance. I did different rests (hood of car, fence post, prone with bipod, maybe some others, but I don't remember all the particulars). After doing that test, I decided to limit my hunting shots to 500 yards, unless conditions are stellar. Added the next day: The "size" of the group also has to be from the point of intended impact. That is, draw a circle with the center at the point of intended impact, and the radius at the farthest bullet hole. That's the measured maximum distance from the intended impact point. And that's your confidence zone. Your 10-shot group might be 3" center-to-center, but if the farthest bullet from the aiming point is 5", your group for accuracy purposes is 10".

 

[magtech]

I was having a hard time with my rifle. But feel better now. It's supposed to rain and drop 20-30degrees over the next few days. Winds are supposed to be steady at 15-20 tomorrow. That would be a good test.. We'll see how it goes.

 

[magtech]

Went out again today, winds at 15 based on weather station. App called for 1.1 mil, i held 3/4 of that (winds didnt feel like 15). Knicked left side of target, still over compensated..... Maybe a kestrel would be useful... or a weatherflow...

I forgot my bags, so instead of going up to the house I just used my fist vertically as a rear bag. Thats challenging, and painful.. Stupid sling stud.

 

[Steel head]

I’ve been doing this at my normal shooting spot.
There’s a nice piece of steel at 530 yards.
I generally shot there twice a week.
Been pretty happy with the results.

 

[jeffl838]

i think this would be a good idea for like 800m, 308 (or comparable caliber/distance combo), no kestrel. Old school stuff. Oh, it's 20 degrees hotter? Add one minute. Stuff like that, etc. Maybe do a hybrid and use DA specific data cards. I think an appropriate size would be a 1 minute target painted on a 2 minute piece of steel, so you can see your near misses.

If you did this with wind lidar, kestrel on the wx vane, half minute rifle, etc etc... it's almost a no brainer you're gonna hit it. Taking away the tech will grease your shooter thinking groove.

 

[PAYDIRT]

i think this would be a good idea for like 800m, 308 (or comparable caliber/distance combo), no kestrel. Old school stuff. Oh, it's 20 degrees hotter? Add one minute. Stuff like that, etc. Maybe do a hybrid and use DA specific data cards. I think an appropriate size would be a 1 minute target painted on a 2 minute piece of steel, so you can see your near misses.

If you did this with wind lidar, kestrel on the wx vane, half minute rifle, etc etc... it's almost a no brainer you're gonna hit it. Taking away the tech will grease your shooter thinking groove.

My practice spot has steel @ 375 and 450, I've shot there enough to just know what my wind call is gonna be by just looking around. I have a 12" plate and portable stand I use at places I've never shot before, it's a whole new ballgame in unfamiliar territory.