Cold Bore shots

[boscodog]

Just Want to keep up!

 

[Pdvdh]

If the rifle doesn't have a decent bedding job, I wouldn't spend any more barrel life shooting bullets trying to figure this out. Bed the barreled action property and then shoot bullets.

If you want to optimize the consistency of performance from your rifle, a good bedding job is a great place to begin.

 

[oldfortyfiveauto]

I've got a Savage in 270 that with a clean cold bore will shoot 8" low at 200yds (my normal sight in). Usually take 3 shots to settle down despite it being well bedded. My experience tells me that larger bores don't behave as well as the smaller ones. None of my 223's vary much with a clean/cold bore.

 

[4xforfun]

What do you mean by stress relieving the barrel? I'm not too worried about it, just curious as to why it may occur. It's not as significant with my hunting ammo.

During the process in which a BBL is made...especially hammer forged bbls.....uneven stress due to the way the steel molecules lay within the bbl build up ( at this point maybe one of the"pocket protector" gang could better explain stress). BBL makers take steps...some times multiple times , to relieve this stress.

As your bbl heats up when you shoot it, uneven stress can cause a bbl to bend as it heats up and swells. It will bend the same direction every time. It happens faster the thinner the bbl is due to the fact that the lighter bbl heats up quicker.

Like I said, there are guys here who could better explain "stress" in a bbl. All I know is that heat induced stress is a "thing", and I have seen it first hand it in the past...and ALWAYS with a factory tube..never with a custom.

First thing you need to do is test and make sure.

There are two cures. One: replace the bbl. This is the way I would go...UNLESS....the guns shoots very good. Two: Take the bbl off and have it stress relieved. They used to "freeze" them to fix them. I am not sure what the current process is now. I remember 300 Below Inc. from years ago used to do it for around 50-60 bucks. Don't even know if they are stil in buisness anymore.

As far as a bedding job.....I would do that too.....every thing I own has been bedded. If you are going to do this anyway, you may as well get it done first. That way when you test again, bedding will be ruled out as the culprit to your 2 and 1's. Money well spent!!!

As always, my .02!

Tod

 

[engineer40]

I have a rem700 5R in .308. The cold bore shots with FGMM are about 1" higher and a hair to the right of the following group. I have similar results with Winchester power points but only about .5" high. I've never had a rifle shoot that much on first shot. Is that typical?

What does a 10 shot group look like?

3 shot groups have their place in reloading/shooting. But so do the occasional 10 shot group.

Some will scoff and say 10 shots is unneeded. But it will paint a MUCH better picture what whats going on.

I realize you are asking advice specifically on cold bore shots. But I still stand by my suggestion if you havent tried it yet.

Hope this helps.

 

[bigngreen]

A lot of the time this can be bedding, the first shot seats the action rotationally against the screws because you have no bedding locking the lug.

 

[Pdvdh]

I know one lifelong shooter who won't even begin load development until he's bedded his factory rifles. Standard operating procedure. The first thing that happens with any new rifle is a quality bedding job. Only then will he spend time and materials developing a load for the rifle. This guy owns about 100 rifles. Three separate gun safes in his house and about to buy a fourth. Hard to say how many other rifles he's owned over the years.

If the rifle won't shoot after being properly bedded, he sells the rifle, or more commonly installs a custom aftermarket barrel.

 

[Greyfox]

One of my 5R Tem 700 Milspecs was doing the same thing with the first shot clean or fouled being out of the group. It would, after one shot, hold less then .5MOA to the same POI, I glass bedded the recoil lug with Brownells bedding compound and the problem went away. Not surr if this is your issue but it might be worth a try.

 

[Csafisher]

One of my 5R Tem 700 Milspecs was doing the same thing with the first shot clean or fouled being out of the group. It would, after one shot, hold less then .5MOA to the same POI, I glass bedded the recoil lug with Brownells bedding compound and the problem went away. Not surr if this is your issue but it might be worth a try.

Thanks. Bedding will be my next step. I have no need to replace the barrel, it shoots great and the first shot seems to be consistent (so far anyway) so it doesn't really bother me.