"cold bore shot"???

[Lavid2002]

I see many people shoot, and write this was a cold bore shot too!
I dont understand it. I understand that it means the rifle hasnt been fired and its the first shot of the day....but how does it effect accuracy. I know the barrel heats up and the metal expands and heavy barrls help increase accuracy...but isnt a cold bore shot MORE accurate than a second, or third shot because of fouling, metal, expansion etc....Id not how do snipers do it. I imagine its pretty hard to call a time out, shoot a couple rounds, then engage.
Please explain. Thanks!

 

[HorseoftheSea]

I know with snipers they can adjust for wind and all other effects after their fist shot and then it will be more accurate

 

[fisherman66]

Cold and fouled are not the same thing. A warm barrel may walk shots. If the cold shot is consistent I'm not all that bothered by a walking string. Fouled barrels may shoot better than clean ones. I'll guess that a little copper, lead or carbon actually "lubricate" the bore. I know a couple fellas that refuse to clean a bore until accuracy starts to suffer. I guess one can have too much of a good thing.

 

[model70fan]

I don't like to clean my barrel every time I shoot, just look at it this way, metal on metal isn't good for an engine, why would it be good for a barrel? I clean barrels when accuracy suffers or if they have been exposed to moisture. As far as cold bore shots go, by the time your rifle is sighted in your barrel is warm, therefore different harmonics than a cold bore, therefore different POI. That is why when initially sighting in a rifle it is recomended by most to take some time in between shots to let the barrel cool down to somewhat cold status so that when you fire that first shot, at say a deer, your POI is closest to your sight in, negligable at most hunting ranges, but still a factor for better accuracy.

 

[jpwilly]

I think it comes in to play much more with non sniper rifles. Sniper rifles have a heavy bbl profile. Hunting rifles often have a light or medium bbl. With the light bbl the POI will generally move some on the second or third shots as the bbl warms up. To what extent will determine how wonderful you think your rifle is. This isn't as much of an issue with a sniper as they have a heavy bbl that heats up slower and they already know how much the POI changes on the second shot.

For a hunter who will probably fire a single shot having the rifle sighted for a cold bore will most likely give them the best results.

 

[Fat White Boy]

The reason that the cold shot is important is because when you are in either a hunting situation or a tactical situation, if you are an LEO SWAT guy or military sniper, is that the first and maybe only shot you take, which may mean the difference between Life or Death, will be taken with a cold barrel. That is why the point of impact with a cold barrel is so important.

 

[Benonymous]

My Tikka 6.5x55 always lands a bullet high and to the right on the first "cold" shot. It's not important to me in target shooting as you always shoot between thee and five shots as "sighters" before commencing a course of shooting. However if I was a LEO or a military sniper I'd have to know what the gun would do on a cold barrel, human targets get spooked by sighters.

 

[Art Eatman]

This all varies from rifle to rifle. I'm real lucky on my pet '06. Whether clean or one-shot-fouled, the first shot goes where it's supposed to, as do the next several.

Some rifles always have the first shot as a flier if the barrel is both clean and cold--and no problem with one shot having been fired as the classical "fouling shot".

Some just won't behave. My father had a Springfield that always was two inches above his preferred point of impact on the first shot. Always. He rebedded. No change. Rebarrelled. No change. So, he always held low on a first shot...

 

[30Cal]

Keeping data is worthwhile. I don't plot every shot, but I do plot the cold ones on a rifle till I can pull out a consistant trend.

 

[ELMOUSMC]

My .22-250 when clean and cold (heavy barrel) will wing the first 2 or 3 rounds about an inch high and about the same left.It will settle down and hold 1/2 inch MOA all day after that,understanding that I can compensate for my POI on my first few roundsfrom a clean cold barrel.Conversly if the barrel is fouled(not freshly cleaned) and cold the POI is the same as a fouled warm barrel (sub MOA at 200 yds)IMHO If you know the idiosyncrasys of your rifle you and adjust for the change of POI on your 1st shot(s) cold barrel VS warm won'tcause any problems ELMOUSMC