Nando Aqui
Member
Numerous times I have read about shooters using the first shot to warm up the barrel to avoid any inaccuracy due to a cold barrel as when sighting in a rifle or determining its inherent accuracy.
My question then:
The first shot likely will be, or may have been, the only one available for difficult, long shots as when hunting in the winter, or perhaps for a sniper in WW2 in Stalingrad. How does (did) the rifleman compensate for the cold barrel effect? Does a cold barrel always affect the first shot the same way, and therefore, could the effect be predicted?
I have experienced this situation as when shooting my Rem-700 PS at the range. It seems that the first shot of my first 4-shot group always (well... usually) is the loner, and the following three shots and the subsequent four-shot groups are tighter. In the accompanying picture, the shot on the right was the first shot. However, in my case, that 'first shot' can be anywhere.
Alex
My question then:
The first shot likely will be, or may have been, the only one available for difficult, long shots as when hunting in the winter, or perhaps for a sniper in WW2 in Stalingrad. How does (did) the rifleman compensate for the cold barrel effect? Does a cold barrel always affect the first shot the same way, and therefore, could the effect be predicted?
I have experienced this situation as when shooting my Rem-700 PS at the range. It seems that the first shot of my first 4-shot group always (well... usually) is the loner, and the following three shots and the subsequent four-shot groups are tighter. In the accompanying picture, the shot on the right was the first shot. However, in my case, that 'first shot' can be anywhere.
Alex