How accurate is the first shot?

KB1

Well-Known Member
You zero your rifle at the range, take it home and give it a clean. The next time you go stalking you run a couple of dry patches through the barrel to remove any residue from your last clean.
When you end up pulling the trigger in the field, how accurate will that first shot be vs the last shot you took on the range (all things being equal)? Is there a difference?
 
It will vary from rifle to rifle and is something you really need to check with your own rifle. Running a patch with meths through before firing can help as it will remove any oil which is the main cause of inaccuracy of first shot. It is a very good question you raise though as I suspect many deer are shot with what is effectively an un-zeroed rifle after a good clean?
MS
 
From my own experience with range work the only variation appears to be how well focused and comfortable I am when taking the shot. Cold/clean barrels etc does not seem to make any difference. atb Tim
 
I used to worry about tight groups with my .270 but then decided to concentrate more on a cold barrel first shot being where I want it.
 
.... I suspect many deer are shot with what is effectively an un-zeroed rifle after a good clean?
MS
Not strictly true, this will depend on what your acceptable 'zero' group size is.

If it is to group within a 3" circle at 100m, and the rifle still does this after a clean (it is worth just doing this for piece of mind - shoot a group, clean, re shoot a group) the rifle is not 'out of zero'. If you group in a 6" circle it is even less likely to be off zero.

What is certain is that the first shot, and probably the most important one for stalkers, should be from a clean barrel, which is where you started from when you first 'zeroed' the rifle; in this instance you are reducing the variables that affect zero to a minimum.

Once you start aiming for 1" zero grouping at 100m then you are having to account for all the other variables much more, such as quality of the rifle, harmonics, windage, factory ammo difference, off the bipod, off the sticks, your application of principles of marksmanship etc.

Like the meths idea, but have not used it myself - anyone who has?
 
Just my experience and may be different for others.
After cleaning and using a very light oil patch my first shot, through a Tikka T3, would invariably be 1"high and 1" right. Cleaning with alcohol prior to shooting removed this variable.
I didnt see this variation with a .308 but have seen the same with a .17HMR and a .17REM
 
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Simples .....don't bloody clean the inside ...once a year if it needs it or not !
​Norma

That's my theory also!:thumb:
If I have fired the rifle, it gets a pull through with a dry boresnake to remove the loose carbon. I don't even de-copper it now as I use lubalox coated heads which seem to work a treat. Even when I did try to de-copper, the patches came out clean. First shot is always the same as the last with this method!
MS
 
I'm heading out into the field tomorrow night. Will give it a few run throughs with a dry patch and see how it goes.
 
That's my theory also!:thumb:
If I have fired the rifle, it gets a pull through with a dry boresnake to remove the loose carbon. I don't even de-copper it now as I use lubalox coated heads which seem to work a treat. Even when I did try to de-copper, the patches came out clean. First shot is always the same as the last with this method!
MS
Being a pedant here, but your theory involves using a pull-through and using specifically coated bullets - so clearing and self-cleaning the bore; not quite leaving the insides alone.
It's exactly what I do if only a few rounds have passed through (more often than not recently!).
 
after cleaning i always run a wet patch of meths through the bore and then 2 or 3 dry ones
and ime always bang on my zero ,but when i used factory ammo the zero might shift from box to box
hence i now reload and dont have to check my zero so often
 
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If I don't clean my .243 rifle fairly regularly the group sizes gradually open up, however it shoots very accurately most of the time and it doesn't matter if it's the first shot from the clean barrel or not, the zero is not affected.
 
I'm quite meticulous in this department, not. Clean rifle, zero and stick it back in the cabinet. Simple. Never a had an issue, never had a barrel disintegrate or rust, never had a loss in accuracy. Perhaps that's too haphazard for some, but it works for me and i presume worked for most folks upto about 30 years ago when all the cleaning products started to emerge.
 
I clean my howa 243 about once a year , and the first shot after is always 2in high then its back to where it should be ,, and my cz 308 well it always seem spot on so i never bother cleaning it . Oh anybody know a good way to clean a wildcat mod ?
 
Simples .....don't bloody clean the inside ...once a year if it needs it or not !
​Norma
+1 it is the first shot on a cold barrel you hope to dispatch your quarry all cleaning is ok if you are target shooting as lots on here seem to reflect
 
Clean using whatever hocus pocus works for you then swab out with meths , zero then , that way whenever you take that first shot its the same. What you need is consistency with the first shot and the only way you can achieve that is to have a clean barrel you simply can't get consistent fouling time after time so clean it has to be for consistency ?
 
Wether you want to hit the x ring or the atlas joint or knock the blood vessels from the top of the heart , the only truly consistent way is clean , don't want to clean your rifle ? Fine it's yours after all but I think to not clean your rifle especially if your using said rifle to kill is just plain lazy ?
 
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