The first shot from my Ruger Mk III is the worst.

[Saab1911]

If I shoot 50 rounds from my Mk III, the first shot is the very worst.

For example, the very first shot may land in the 8 ring and the next 49 will
land in the 10 ring.

This is not isolated. It happens every single time and only with the Ruger
Mk III.

I've heard others mention that this happens with the very first shot.

So, why does it happen? Is it build-up that causes the first round to
misbehave? Is it because the barrel needs to warm up?

Cheers,

Jae

 

[michael-J]

You must think of that first round much like making love for the first time. He's been in that tube for the first time and he wants to do the best he can and sometimes that means missing the mark in his eagerness. But fear not the others learn from his mistake, settle down, and bring home the prize.

God bless you Mr First round guy, you are the first to charge the barricade. You sir, are a magnificent Bastard.

 

[fisherman66]

Are you leaving the bore fouled between sessions?

 

[ShootingNut]

Typical

Man, you gotta warm up a bit. Most of us "Amatuers", start off with a few "flyers". I know that I do, after (I will admit) a couple mags, I can settle down and start to close in on bullseye. Now I'm not saying how close.
Regards,
SN

 

[azsixshooter]

Have that worthless magazine disconnect feature removed by a smith.

 

[hogdogs]

Mag disconnect is an easy user removable item... Follow the job at...
http://www.guntalk-online.com/forum/
A feller I talk WWW. with sent me the washer and I did it my self... never ever had I done a gun mod in my life and it was easy as cokkin scrambled eggs...
Brent

 

[Smaug]

Is it possible that the oil or solvent residue is cleaned out by that first round?

Or is it the first round of EVERY magazine? If it is the first in the magazine, it could be the magazine disconnect. If not, look elsewhere.

 

[chris in va]

Just shoot the first round in the dirt.

 

[jakeswensonmt]

Is it possible that the oil or solvent residue is cleaned out by that first round?

+1

 

[Majic]

If you oil the bore after each shooting session then run a patch wet with alcohol then dry patches to dry it. The oiled bore may be the culprit. Also a fouled bore will shoot differently than a clean bore. So does a cold bore vs a warm bore. One of the reasons target shooters fire fouling shots first.

 

[GE-Minigun]

Has nothing to do with oil, dirt, temperature, etc...the first round is "hand" cycled into the chamber and not by the gun. Every semi-auto has the same issues, some worse than others.

 

[Creature]

the first round is "hand" cycled into the chamber and not by the gun. Every semi-auto has the same issues, some worse than others.

I have never heard of this...why would hand cycling a round be an issue?

 

[Smaug]

Agreed. GE-Minigun is off-base here. Unless you ride the bolt forward and prevent full seating of the round, a hand-chambered round is the same as a gun chambered round. In each case, the bolt comes all the way back and the spring pressure lets it slam forward.

It's something in the barrel.

This is why benchrest rifle shooters do a "fouling shot" before shooting a string for groups. It cleans out the oil or solvent that has trace left-overs in the barrel and it fouls it so that each subsequent shot is about the same.

The magazine disconnect is present for EVERY shot, so that's out.

 

[funon1]

Funny, I had accuracy problems with my MK3 Target

I found an easy fix-trade it on a Browning Buckmark UDX. Accuracy problems-fixed. Feeding problems-fixed Trigger_fixed Ergos-fixed Teardown/maint. fixed etc.

Seriously, its a night and day difference. Try one. You'll like it.

Funon1

 

[GE-Minigun]

I have never heard of this...why would hand cycling a round be an issue?

It has to do with the harmonics of everything involved after the shot is fired. You’re gripping the gun different, the velocity of the slide is different, your grip is probably different, temperature of the barrel and a thousand other things; way more to it than oil being in the barrel.

 

[omaha64]

Just shoot the first round in the dirt.

At the range, I actually shoot the first few rounds without using any target.

 

[funon1]

I find the first shot out of cold barrel most consitant in rifles

I never checked it on pistols. Interesting. So why would anybody throw a few shots in a fresh string of fire? Not very realistic. Course, I shoot practical more than paper. Nevermind. Carry on.

Funon1

 

[Creature]

GE-Minigun wrote:

It has to do with the harmonics of everything involved after the shot is fired. You’re gripping the gun different, the velocity of the slide is different, your grip is probably different, temperature of the barrel and a thousand other things; way more to it than oil being in the barrel.

Rolling up my pant legs for this one...its getting kinda thick around here!




Let's dissect your statement:

It has to do with the harmonics of everything involved after the shot is fired.

I am pretty sure that the harmonics of a pistol are far less a factor than it would be for a floated and bedded rifle.

You’re gripping the gun different,

I, for one, am pretty well able to maintain a steady and consistent grip on my pistol before, during and after I pull the trigger. I practice my grip and, granted, grip is an important key to accurate follow on shots. But we are talking about the first shot...which theoretically, should be the shot with the best prepared grip and thus should be the most accurate, should it not?

the velocity of the slide is different,

Come again? How would the slide velocity be different from round to round, unless I am specifically using different ammunition using different loads?

your grip is probably different,

Already been addressed...

temperature of the barrel

Again, not as much of a factor for a pistol as it is for a rifle.

As has been explained prior, the first shot, aka "the fouling shot", is usually the least accurate shot. A fouling shot will clean out a bore of any residue/s (or "fouling") for the most accurate follow-on shots. A bore that has been scrubbed and oiled, which to the layman might be considered "clean"....is not actually a "clean bore" in the true meaning of the phrase. A "clean bore" is a bore that is free of ALL fouling or residue, which includes any cleaning/lubricating/preservative oils left in the bore from the prior mentioned "cleaning"...

 

[PDXGS]

Next time try running a dry patch through before your first shot. This has always worked to eliminate the "first's a flyer" issues.
Just my $.02....worth everything you've paid for it...or not.

 

[JohnKSa]

Come again? How would the slide velocity be different from round to round, unless I am specifically using different ammunition using different loads?

Forward slide velocity is typically lower for a manually racked round than it is for a normally fired round.

The slide rebounds forward at the end of travel when it is returning after a round has fired while it starts from being stationary at the end of rearward travel when it is racked by hand.

Some pistols (though certainly not all) seem to be sensitive to that velocity difference.

That said, I would expect that to cause a problem for the first round of every magazine if the pistol is sensitive to the velocity difference. I can't see how it would affect only the first round of the shooting session. I believe the anwers having to do with a clean bore shooting differently from a fouled bore are closer to the correct explanation.