Cold Bore Challenge

Someone pointed out my case of Dyslexia, I said 8.5 mll and I dialed 9.5 mil.
Just went and checked my ballistic chart. and I should have dialed 9.5 mil. Guess I was thinking one thing and talking about another. haha
 
Cool shooting, Ive done the same in the past. Going to be doing more of this again soon with 3 new rifles, getting, 1 new scope yet, steel plates and posts and driving out in the big country here to to set up a few locations soon, no video, But the same practice. Get a couple of Shawn Carlock's videos from Defensive Edge for some wind reading info that is good and up in the Mtns also. Keep up the good work, its great to see the videos. My hat's off to you for sharing it all. Its the way to do it for real conditions in the field for hunting.
 
I think this is a great thread. All LR hunters should be doing something like this because it's that first cold bore shot that counts. Unfortunately for me, it's a 40 min drive to the local rifle range which only has a 428 yd longest target range and the closest 1000 yd range is close to 1.5 hours one way :rolleyes::cool:

I need to do a little scouting gun)
 
Ok. Vid first shot today and the next 4 with the new matrix. Will work on up load. Fun challenge. First shot was only 400. Next 4 at 677 for fun and testing.
 

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Hey great thread and good shooting. You should be pretty happy your last shot at that distance with a 15x scope at a 6" circle! I'm getting anxious to go out and give this a try. I just need it to stop snowing, sleeting and raining.
 
Thank you for starting this thread. It is both thought provoking and eye opening! I have recently been giving a lot of thought to how challenging it really is to precisely place the first shot from a cold bore.

Any fool can walk their shots onto their target. Making a good read of conditions, properly adjusting for them, and getting a first round hit at long range is not for the faint of heart, IMO. And that is exactly what is called for when shooting under real world conditions in the field.

I recently shot my first FT/R match @ 600 yards. Conditions that day were as near to perfect as it gets with light winds and very little mirage. Under favorable conditions, with a rifle/scope/ammo combination that consistently shoots 1/4 to 1/3 MOA for five shots @ 100 yards, I put most of my 60 rounds fired that day in the 9 ring or better. That means that I was performing to about a 2 MOA level as a shooter. When my shots drifted out of that 12" circle, it was because of subtle changes in conditions that I both failed to recognize and correct for.

My experiences in that first match have confirmed to my satisfaction that I currently have no business shooting at game at that distance. I have a long way to go to reach that level.

My hat is off to anyone who can stay in the "10 ring", as it were, at 600 yards, cold bore, 90+% of the time. Even under favorable conditions at known distance. To those that can do that under field conditions out to and beyond 1000 yards, even more so.

The Cold Bore Challenge is, IMO, an excellent tool to help the shooter measure his skills and chart his progress.
 
I look forward to hearing how you guys do that have said you will try this, This challenge has proved to me that its not easy to make first round hits, and that I still have alot to learn and master gun)
 
I look forward to hearing how you guys do that have said you will try this, This challenge has proved to me that its not easy to make first round hits, and that I still have alot to learn and master

I conducted similar training last year with a M12 Savage 308 with ranges from 600 to 985 yards. The target was set up for the longer range shots during more consistent wind days. All of the days displayed different degrees of varrying winds from 3 to 20 MPH. A 14" circle on a large target board was the goal for the first round cold bore hit. A single shot was taken after setup as if hunting. The total time took about two hours in practice to include the drive for only a few and at times one shot during each practice session. This was conducted a dozen times throughout the year before hunting season. Practice of this type prepares me the most for hunting LR.

The results:
1. 3/4's of the rounds impacted inside the 14" circle.
2. Of those rounds impacting inside the circle, 2/3s of the rounds impacted between the 10" and 14" circles.
3. Approximately 3/4 of the POI errors were due to windage and 1/4 due to elevation.

I recently shot my first FT/R match

F/TR is a great opportunity to test wind skills and enjoy shooting with company all during the same time.

Here are the cold bore first round sighter results from the various LR-F/TR matches I shot last year. 10, 9, 10, 9, 9, 9, 8. I was using drop chart and "best guess" corrections for wind and air density for the first sighter shoot with no aide from a weather station.

My takeaway. The 308 is a great long range practice cartridge. The results above are not impressive in any fashion but illustrate just how difficult long range shooting can be. Realizing how few of the 308 cold bore shots at long range actually "hit" inside a 10" circle is one factor as to why I have elected to use a 338 class cartridge for LR and ELR hunting.

Thank you both for the great thread and comments. The confidence with the first round cold bore shoot can be the difference between a successful hunt and misery.
 
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Told Ami I need a new vid cam for my birthday, she agreed. We did get to shoot today a little while out goofing off on the 4 wheeler. First shot was solid at 643. Later I shot a cold bore at 921 and it was solid. I did however, not even come close on the rock at 1400 for a cold bore. Doh
 
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