What's your preferred way to practice cold bore long range shots on game or predators??

[McNamara0851]

Harvest is winding down in central Illinois and I am getting closer to having the time to shoot again. I would like to start doing some shooting that would simulate a hunting environment. I want to focus on a cold bore shot at a realistic sized target at an uneven distance without the known environmentals. I have plenty of fields I can drive out in, set a plate out, drive away, range, read wind, shoot. I thought it might be interesting to see what some of the other members here do for long range hunting practice. What has helped you become a better cold shooter? What has proved to be a waste of time? I coyote hunt locally and in Oklahoma. I've taken shots out to 1250 before with little success. I would like to start sucking less. I'm shooting .284 and 6xc.


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[lash]

Have you verified that your cold bore shot has a different point of impact vs. following shots? If so, is it repeatable?

 

[McNamara0851]

I have not taken the time to distinguish wether the inconsistencies I see are cold bore or cold shooter, nor have I logged their poi to know if they are repeatable. I suppose that should be the starting point of this project.


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[lash]

Exactly my point. There used to be a Cold Bore Challenge on the Scout version of SH with 5 targets that you shot your first shot of the day at to allow you to understand your rifle and load better. It's a good exercise for all, but especially for hunters. Then compare your POA to your POI and that POI to the next three to five shots. Do this for five different days, recording environmental information for each day.

Also, one thing I do to remove cold shooter from the equation is to dry fire five or ten times prior to your cold bore shot. Each time you take the time to set up as if the shot is live, complete with trigger control and follow through.

 

[McNamara0851]

I'm fortunate to have a backyard range. I will try to make time in the morning to get some data. I will make my first shot on a clean target, move to a target a few inches away and shoot a 3 shot group immediately after. I have a notebook that I left in the truck to record these things in. It's pretty blank.


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[vh20]

I'm fortunate to have a backyard range. I will try to make time in the morning to get some data. I will make my first shot on a clean target, move to a target a few inches away and shoot a 3 shot group immediately after. I have a notebook that I left in the truck to record these things in. It's pretty blank.


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You'll need to do that on a few different occasions to know if it is repeatable. If it isn't, it's the shooter. If it's a good load and a good rifle, you shouldn't have any significant cold bore shift. "Clean" bore, yes, but just "cold," no. Of course, I'm not talking about talking about taking a pencil barrel and running 20 rounds through it fast and saying it won't shift, but the scenario you mention should be minimal to zero.

 

[mark5pt56]

Take a target with 10-15 dots and keep it on a piece of cardboard, write each condition down, including the method of cleaning which should be consistent. Do at least 5, preferably 10 clean cold bores (ccb) and cold bores (cb) to track and have decent data to see. Record called shots so you rule out false deviation. This may take some time but you will have a reasonable answer to your system.

 

[308pirate]

I've seen no shift in clean vs fouled bore in my rifle, and I've done the side by side long enough to know.

When I say clean, I mean clean to bare metal with virtually no copper left.

 

[McNamara0851]

Here's the first target. This will be marked as CCB. There is a very apparent vertical shift from shot 1 to shots 2-4. My measurements say roughly .74" or 2/10 mil.

I just got my 2400 today and about an hour of letting the rifle sit we tried to get on a 12" plate at 765 cold bore. Wind at this spot was full value 8-12. No such luck, but I was using the untrued data from the sig as opposed to my ballistic AE solution. I had my magnetospeed with me so I figured I would get a cold weather velocity. As it got colder and darker it seemed that I was loosing motivation and shit started to hit the fan after my magnetospeed failed to read. We threw in the towel for the night. I am going to see what the weather looks like in the morning. I might be able to get another cold bore target in before I head to the farm.


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[TheGerman]

Take a target with 10-15 dots and keep it on a piece of cardboard, write each condition down, including the method of cleaning which should be consistent. Do at least 5, preferably 10 clean cold bores (ccb) and cold bores (cb) to track and have decent data to see. Record called shots so you rule out false deviation. This may take some time but you will have a reasonable answer to your system.

Basically this, but don't go out and put the 1st round of the day on the target when trying to figure out what your CB offset is. There's a phenomenon referred to as 'cold shooter' where until you 'warm up' a little, the offset may not be from the gun.

Bring another rifle, a 22LR, something and warm up a bit, shoot a group or 2. Then switch to your test gun and pound out the CB shot.

 

[McNamara0851]

Shot one this morning. This would suggest no measurable shift with a cold fouled bore. I re zeroed the rifle after this

This afternoon I ran a patch through it and tested again. Looks like a oiled bore, or clean bore will be shooting a few tenths low.
Magnetospeed also has a measurable and seemingly repeatable effect as well.


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[McNamara0851]

I also got to try my new 2400 out today. It worked pretty well. I got a first round hit at 798 using the AB custom curve and my velocity from this evening. Manually entered the wind and approx angle. This is something that I want to practice a few times a week. I set the plate out and drove off. I stopped, got my rifle out and loaded, got wind and range, and cracked off a shot. Adjusted wind 2/10 and shot a couple more for shits and grins.


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[mark5pt56]

Also like to add that be honest with yourself in regards to your ability to demonstrate precision and accuracy. If you can't on your best day shoot better than 1" group with your system, then I wouldn't try to say I have a 1" shift in a ccb/cb. Point is, how do you know it was or just the system?

 

[McNamara0851]

Also like to add that be honest with yourself in regards to your ability to demonstrate precision and accuracy. If you can't on your best day shoot better than 1" group with your system, then I wouldn't try to say I have a 1" shift in a ccb/cb. Point is, how do you know it was or just the system?

I understand what you're saying, and in perfect conditions I have shot as well as .273" with this gun and load, and frequently shoot sub moa to 800. I know the rifle is capable of much more than I am. I am a shooting these tests on my way to or from work, off of a steel flatbed pickup truck in hopes that my nuts don't freeze fast to the bed before I get my 10 shots off. I believe that there are a lot of shooters that claim they shoot 1/4 minute with every gun they own, at any given time of the day, and they have "pictures to prove it". Im not to proud to post up every group I shoot, especially when I'm a cold shooter in less than ideal conditions, because thats real world. I know it probably sounds like I took offense to your comment, but I didn't in any way. What you said applies to me, and a whole lot of other shooters that are too proud to admit it. The very small amount of data I have recorded along with what I have seen in the past would suggest that if my rifle hasn't been cleaned, the first round misses would be on me as a shooter, or piss poor wind and distance calls. Now that I know that I think I'm going to move on to practicing cold shooter, medium range work like I did last night, and not spend so much time psyching myself out about something that may or may not exist.


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[mark5pt56]

No worries here, just posting information. For instance, I normally shoot well and of course have days when I ask why I even went to the range. If I'm off a .1, I don't adjust the scope because the next time, I will be off .1 the other way. It was meant for some that have to be reasonable with groups, expectations, etc. you know, the ones that take 10 groups to zero and still can't muster a 1.5" group and have a .5" ccb shot, same folks who probably fret over a 50 or 100 AR zero when their accuracy cone is 5"-they can't shoot well enough to know the difference.

Did you note the velocities on each morning? seems like the ammo was in different conditions. The colder day it was lower and the 34 day, higher.
You seem to shoot well, are you noting light conditions and it seems a difference in temps there also.That 700+ looks great to me,

 

[McNamara0851]

I adjusted my zero back down and over a few tenths before my last test if that is what you're referring to. My magnetospeed had been on the fritz and I finally got it working 100% yesterday morning, 2 rounds before I had a case head separation, so my data was cut short for the frozen rounds. I did record a few shots when the ammo was 18* that start with a 299x. Last night the ammo stayed in the truck until I was ready to shoot. The avg was 3026 with an SD of 7. Right before I quit for the night I pulled the two rounds from my match saver that were stuck to my aluminum chassis, that was about 34* and they were down in the 300x's. Mid summer that load is 3050-3060 single digit SDs. This load is a lot more temp sensitive than I would like. I think I'm going to attempt to keep the ammo close to my body when I'm hunting to keep it somewhat consistent. The light situation is something I didn't take into account. Been waiting on shooting light in the am, and working against sundown in the pm, definitely not ideal light conditions, but again, pretty realistic in regards to when I'll be doing a lot of my predator hunting. If I do anymore tests on paper I will record it. This was definitely a derailment of the original thought process I had when I started the thread, but I'm glad I took the time to gather the info.


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[mark5pt56]

I think with what you mustered at close to 800 that you will be fine on game. Yeah, my bayonet is toast on the MS, 179 to replace it if so (have to send it in) I might just get the base model unless they do trade in's on these.