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First shot flyer?

freemant
Hi-
I have a Ruger 77 in 30-06, laminated stock, bedded receiver, floated barrel, etc. It has a beautiful trigger and I totally enjoy this gun. However, it exhibits a pattern that has me baffled. Before shooting, I always run a clean swab through the bore. The rifle shoots very well. I can almost always group around 1-1/2" at 100 yds. The problem is with the first shot. It will always go high and to the left. Not a lot. Only about 2-1/2 to 3" or so but EVERY TIME! Just the very first shot. After that it groups very predictably. I clean the bore after each shooting session. Is this normal? I don't seem to notice this characteristic from my other guns.

Thanks!!!!!
Terry
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Comments

6 comments

Date Votes
  • bobski
    sounds like a bedding problem to me.

    former air operations officer SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2. former navy skeet team, navy rifle/pistol team member. co-owner skeetmaster tubes inc.. owner/operator professional shooting instruction.
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  • Permanently deleted user
    My guess would be the cold barrel. Most guns shoot slightly different once the barrel has warmed up...at least in my experience anyway. If it's a hunting rifle and it shoots that way consistantly, I would consider sighting it in for that first shot. You usually do not need more than one for hunting and the difference in the way it shoots will be compounded drastically at longer distances. Just my .02[:)]

    Eric

    All American Arms Company

    Veteran Owned and Operated
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  • boeboe
    ECC is correct, the first shot is the "cold barrel shot", most any rifle will hit at a different spot on the first round from a cold barrel. You can get some information on this, past internet posts, by doing a search for "cold barrel shot" on most internet search engines.

    This is, of course, due to the barrel stresses pulling differently on the mounting system, be it bands around the barrel, bolts or screws, whatever. As the barrel heats up, the point of impact changes. I think that even a free floating barrel will change points of aim, the natural stresses in the barrel affect the straightness of the barrel as the temperature changes. Cryogenics is one way internal metallurgical stresses can be reduced. Some links with info on cold barrel shots:

    http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m0BQY/4_47/71323936/p2/article.jhtml?term=

    http://www.jprifles.com/Remington700.shtml

    http://www.rifleshootermag.com/shooting_tips/accuracy_1001/

    http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=00BGg4

    http://www.monstermuleys.com/cgi-bin/stories/site99.pl?page=art-shooting&tem=art1

    To err is human, to moo is bovine.
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  • richbug
    Its called a fouling shot. You state that you clean your rifle after every session. The first shot shoots differently because it is burning off the residue that you couldn't get out with that patch. Even the best barrels have some porousity to them which retains a little oil. You can experiment by not cleaning you gun and seeing what happens on the subsequent range trip.

    My border collie is smarter than your honor student.
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  • ed_spr
    cold barrel issue. have seen it many, many times before.
    shame is,nothing you can do about it easily.I have had this problem repaired by having the bbl. criogenically treated.
    have seen it with the Remington 700 PSS,VSS, Savages, Rugers more than i care to remember.
    Has nothing to do with bedding, tappered or heavy bbl., ammo etc.
    It is simply the metal in the bbl, gets warm and loosens up a touch, which makes the first shot a flyer. samething will more than likely happen on a HOT bbl. only worse. More than likely you will get the same type of problem if you shoot it when hot, say after 5 quickly fired rounds.
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  • JustC
    The way my gunsmith explained it to me,..is one of 2 things is happening

    1. If it does this on a Clean barrel only,..it simply has to be fouled in to shoot consistently (several .001" greater groove dia)

    2. If it does this on a COLD barrel,..and every time on a cold barrel,..the barrel is bent. Not enough for you to see it,..but if you were to index it on the lathe and spin it,..you will see what appears to be a wobble. This is the bend in the barrel. Most FACTORY barrels are slightly bent. If you have one that is bent to a higher degree or that was bent and the factory tried to straighten it (introducing greater stress) this cold bore flyer will happen. I thought he was full of it,...but when he took several factory takeoff barrels and spun them on the lathe,..I saw it for myself.



    why chase the game when the bullet can get em from here?....
    Got Balistics?
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