SmallCaliberCentral

Both of these questions come from the fact that I've never attempted to be extremely accurate at long ranges with a rifle before. With this .204, I would like to become accurate up to 500 yards. I've never shot those distances before but would like to work up to it. Most of my experiences with rifles come from hunting deer in the woods within 100 yards.

I have shot a box of factory Hornady 32 gr V Max. After I got the shot close to bullseye so I could see how it would group, I cleaned the barrel a few times between my 4 shot groups. Each of the first shots after cleaning the barrel seemed to be a solid .50" higher (outside of the group) than the remaining 3 shots which grouped about .5-.6". Is it normal for the first shot to zing high after a wet patch followed by a dry patch?

This could be an oddball question. This will mainly be a summertime groundhog gun. I'm getting kinda antsy to shoot these loads but it's getting pretty chilly out. Does the weather temperature (40 degrees and cloudy vs. 90 degrees and sunny) effect where the group itself lands? Or how well it will group?

It is common for the first shot out of a clean bore to be in a different point of impact than the following shots. Lots of shooters will shoot three or four shots to "foul" the barrel before shooting for groups.

Temperature can swing a good amount without significant movement of Point of Impact. Possibly ~1 inch at 400-500 yards, not that much.

Agree with Skipper, Temp really makes not much difference, overall. And as he says, best to fire at least 3 or more fouling shots, before going for a group. Main thing is a solid rest, being comfortable and using good trigger control.

Thanks. Any opinions on how long to rest between shots when trying for supreme accuracy to choose my preferred load? My barrel is a bit heavier than normal but it's not a bull barrel. I would like to shoot 16 this weekend and was thinking 2 minutes between each.

Sounds like a reasonable pace. As long as you are set up comfortable and use the same hold and trigger release, you should be fine in getting good groups when you have a accurate load worked up for your rifle.

You might want to do some research on shooting "free recoil". This is when your shoulder or head is NOT in contact with the rifle but is allowed to recoil free of influence from you.. In benchrest shooting, sometimes it's more beneficial not to touch the rifle with anything more than your trigger finger. Let the rifle recoil back into the bags/rest as it is set in motion by the energy of the ignition alone. Then push it back to the stop of the front rest and, hopefully, right back into battery with cross hairs returning to the bulls eye in the same place it was before firing. This method tests your trigger control and rifle setup in the bags. It can improve your groups dramatically as you can see the movement of the rifle while you are manipulating the trigger. The trigger must release without shooter knowledge. The rifle will ultimately recoil the same way each time you pull the trigger. Personally, I'm a newbie at shooting free recoil and it takes a lot of setup.

The pace of your shots should be dictated by the wind conditions. In theory, every shot should be fired whenever the wind conditions return to the direction and velocity they were for the last shot. That way each shot has the best possible chance of landing in the previous hole. There are those shooters that can compensate for wind direction and velocity on the fly. Myself, I can't do that with any repeatable accuracy.

Good info. So I don't have to worry about barrel heat changing shot as long as I take a couple minute break between? It's only going to be around 50 degree high Sunday so it should cool barrel quicker.

Free recoil sounds interesting. Will look into.

When working up loads for any given rifle, my protocol is to wait one minute between shots. This gives adequate cooling, and still does not duplicate actual field conditions, but does give a good idea of the accuracy potential of the rifle without undue barrel heating.

The main things to remember is consistency, a solid rest for the rifle, and a comfy seat for the shooter. Keep aware of trigger control no matter if you're shooting free recoil or standard bench technique. I'm not a BR shooter, so have no interest in free recoil. In the rat patch while shooting PD's or ground squirrels, acquiring the target, rotating the bench, get the range, dial it into the elevation turret then get the target critter in the reticle picture......the rat would be long gone if you tried to shoot free recoil, as they will most likely move from the original position....seen it countless times.

Not the panacea, but this is my setup for both load testing and live varmint shooting of colony rodents.



A closer look at my field setup showing a solid rest for the rifle:



No matter which system you decide is best for you, remember "consistency" is the operative word here. d

To me, Free Recoil is a target shooting technique. I agree with Rick in that I wouldn't be shooting free recoil in the field. But for load development (ladder testing) or shooting for groups in one of our annual postal competitions free recoil has its advantages. Consistently calling the shot and then plotting the bullet hole improves accuracy. I agree that a solid rest, consistent cheek weld, and the old Marine Corps sight alignment, sight picture, breathing and trigger control has helped me many times. Consistency is the key!

If you have a shooting rest like a Caldwell led sled where you can really lock the rifle down for consistency. Its a good idea to try a couple groups with the rifle locked down. I like to shoot 2 three shot groups after I'm done sighting it in this way when I start shooting off of bags I know what the rifle did and can compare to what I can do. When the groups get out of line with what you have done its time to clean. If the barrel gets to hot your groupings will change and it will be obvious. Every rifle is different even same brand and caliber.