2025 Cold Bore Challenge Q&A Thread

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

Do you hunt by shooting out of the truck bed? If you do, it's a qualifying shot. If not, you will need to start over.

Dudes in Texas do hog hunting haha. Unfortunately I haven’t had the chance to hunt that particular way yet.

I don’t hunt with a shooting mat either and doubt anyone does, but I’ll take another next weekend. I’ll post all 3 unless deleting the Shot #2 truck bed shot is preferred.

 

[Antares]

Got my second shot done this morning (hit!). I'm pleased with how the CBC went for me this year. My range (463y) certainly wasn't very far compared to other shots being taken here, but I think it does generally reflect my MER so I'm pleased to get two hits, especially from two different positions.

Thanks again to everyone involved in putting this together. I enjoy it more every year.

MER = 450 yards

Tikka w/ 18" Ace barrel in 6CM
Factory 108 ELDM
Rokstok
NF NXS 2.5-10x42
CGS Hyperion w/ LS Wild cover

Target is a 10" plate at 463 yards, 12° uphill through a gap in the trees.

View attachment 895652
View attachment 895653

Shot 1 - Hit
8:00 a.m. 6/19/25
52F and sunny
No wind
Prone over pack. Pint-sized gamechanger w/ lite fill in front, bino harness and LS Wild ultralight bag in back.
Impact was 1-2" low at 6 o'clock

I'm going to try shot 2 sitting off my trekking poles. For extra realism, I dumped my rifle out of the truck after shot 1 so we'll see how my setup does for zero retention. Idiot...

I almost missed out on the CBC this year, but I have a good excuse. I've had my hands full lately trying to keep this little monster under control.

View attachment 895662

Shot 2 - Hit
8:40 a.m. 6/29/25
50F and sunny
No wind
Seated supported. Trekking poles in front, backpack and LS Wild ultralight bag in back.
Impact was 4-5" off at 3 o'clock.

View attachment 899889

 

[Juan_ID]

I don’t hunt with a shooting mat either and doubt anyone does, but I’ll take another next weekend. I’ll post all 3 unless deleting the Shot #2 truck bed shot is preferred.

Another point I hadn’t thought about lol. Now that I go back and look there’s quite a few shooting off mats and other items I don’t think they “hunt from”. Oh well, I already deleted my truck bed shot and re-shot my first this morning. Hoping to get it wrapped up by Wednesday.

 

[Bluumoon]

@SpicyIrish shot better than I did this year. 2/2 at 450. We’ve been shooting together more this year, she’s got the breathing and trigger pull down.

 

[BRTreedogs]

Well I qualified, that’s a relief.

 

[robby denning]

Well I’m calling this a qualifying shot at 599

But just barely.

I’m post 104

I tried to insert media the way it says earlier in this thread.

But ended up just slapping a link in text box

Can anyone please confirm I have a video posted?

great shooting man!!!! glad you shared it here.

Vid was fine.

you gonna go for the extra entries now that you qualified?

 

[robby denning]

If I understand @Marty time stamps, he completed the CBC with 2 shots in 52 minutes. Only possible in AK!

(Marty, what does the "Jun 25" mean in both posts? June 2025? (remember, I'm slow lol)

Cool post man! (105 if anyone wants to see it)

 

[Marty]

If I understand @Marty time stamps, he completed the CBC with 2 shots in 52 minutes. Only possible in AK!

(Marty, what does the "Jun 25" mean in both posts? June 2025? (remember, I'm slow lol)

Cool post man! (105 if anyone wants to see it)

Apologies, and yes indeed...only in Alaska.

The first shot was on June 27th (27 JUN) and the second shot was on June 28th (28 JUN).

For fellow Roksliders, I used the format of DD TIME MO YR = today (AK local time) 30 0911 JUN 25.

 

[hibernation]

Got my second shot posted, missed just off the right side of the plate. There was a 2-4mph variable breeze from L to R over most of the distance, my shooting position was sheltered between some young firs and I couldn't feel anything from there. Walking up to the target I noticed it.

This should be a 4mph wind rifle with the Barnes 127 LRX, so that tracks with my miss being around 0.3 mils from center. This was only round 17 out of a new rifle so the easy answer is I just need to do more shooting.

 

[BRTreedogs]

great shooting man!!!! glad you shared it here.

Vid was fine.

you gonna go for the extra entries now that you qualified?

Certainly

But I’m gonna head out for work so it will be a week before I can shoot again.

So it will be a really/really cold bore.

I’m gonna try to kick it out to 800 ish


Just to confirm the 2 qualifying shots had to hit 10” vitals.

But the 2 Mer shots do not have to?

 

[robby denning]

Certainly

But I’m gonna head out for work so it will be a week before I can shoot again.

So it will be a really/really cold bore.

I’m gonna try to kick it out to 800 ish


Just to confirm the 2 qualifying shots had to hit 10” vitals.

But the 2 Mer shots do not have to?

...>
-Every qualified participant who claims an MER beyond 600 yards, hits their first two shots (between 575 and 625), and completes the two additional shots at their MER beyond 600 yards will get an extra entry. Hitting the farther target is not required for the extra entry.

 

[justin davis]

Apologies, and yes indeed...only in Alaska.

The first shot was on June 27th (27 JUN) and the second shot was on June 28th (28 JUN).

For fellow Roksliders, I used the format of DD TIME MO YR = today (AK local time) 30 0911 JUN 25.

That’s crazy. Awesome

 

[Juan_ID]

Well I qualified, that’s a relief.
View attachment 900107

What was the shot distance on shot 2?

I too snuck my 2nd qualifying shot in. Not as far as I’d hoped to get but it’s within the distance it needed to be. Hoping to extend it to 650 tomorrow. Will likely need to reposition my t-post to get 625-650.

 

[BRTreedogs]

What was the shot distance on shot 2?

I too snuck my 2nd qualifying shot in. Not as far as I’d hoped to get but it’s within the distance it needed to be. Hoping to extend it to 650 tomorrow. Will likely need to reposition my t-post to get 625-650.

605

I adjusted my dope a tenth yesterday in the app.
And pulled another 10th today on a hunch

 

[BRTreedogs]

...>
-Every qualified participant who claims an MER beyond 600 yards, hits their first two shots (between 575 and 625), and completes the two additional shots at their MER beyond 600 yards will get an extra entry. Hitting the farther target is not required for the extra entry.

I swear I looked

Imma just not the best reader of dem words.

 

[mtnrunner260]

Finished with 4th shot last night.
3/4 with a MER of 650.
400 and in is my goal for an animal though.
I've done the challenge every year. Been a huge benefit to my shooting. Plus I'm able to tell everyone that I have a youtube channel!

 

[robby denning]

I swear I looked

Imma just not the best reader of dem words.

I get it. The rules in both CBCs are huge, simply because Roksliders are the best at finding loopholes lol

 

[Nine Banger]

A lasting benefit for me this year is having the target set up.

I'm hitting it on the way to or from work depending on what I have going on to improve my least proficient positions.

Currently learning what I can get away with kneeling over sitting.

 

[Silver Wings]

Finished with 4th shot last night.
3/4 with a MER of 650.
400 and in is my goal for an animal though.
I've done the challenge every year. Been a huge benefit to my shooting. Plus I'm able to tell everyone that I have a youtube channel!

I put a MER of 600 for this CBC. Went 1/2 at 610. I had been thinking my true MER on an animal would be 500 under very favorable conditions. 2 evenings ago I sat perched high above a spring hoping that a pig would come in to water. It never happened, but I had a couple hours to make a position and wind call. The position was prone and as comfortable and solid as you could as for, but the wind was a weird mix of prevailing and thermal updraft in the 90 degree heat. Depending on where a pig would present itself the shot would be 375-430…a chip shot, right? The combination of the switchy wind, which wasn’t more than 8 mph and the fact that I was alone and might not spot my shot gave me pause. I think I could have made the shot, but even at 400 it wasn’t a no brainer.
If anything, my experience with the CBC and especially seeing that of so many others here has shrunk my MER on game…which is probably a good thing.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

Post in thread '2025 Cold Bore Challenge'

Jul 1, 2025

MER 420 yards.

I picked my MER because it is 70 yards further than I have ever shot a deer. I have never fired my CZ 527 in 6.5 Grendel at any target further than 200 yards away. Using the Scythe Ti, Harris Bipod, Pac-Nor 18" barrel, and Bausch & Lomb Scope Chief 3-9x40 scope. No rear bag because I didn’t own one until late last week.

My nephew didn’t catch the whole thing, but I was supposed to be simulating coming up over the hill and seeing the deer in the pasture. It would not have been a speed drill, but a reasonably quick shot.

Ammo is Hornady 123-grain SST. Chronograph says 2509...

• Q_Sertorius

• 

The wind humbled me this evening. I spent all morning putting up targets and all afternoon teaching my nephew how to shoot (from the very basics). As as drove back down the hill, I said, "I'm going to try out this cold bore challenge thing. Do you think I can hit that far target." "No." Thanks for the vote of confidence... Anyway, he turned out to be right. My Tikkas are not available at this time and my .25-06 is getting the barrel threaded, so that left me the choice of the CZ 527 with the 25-year old Bausch & Lomb or my 14.8# .22-250 with the 12x SWFA. I decided it was more in keeping with the spirit of the challenge to use the deer rifle rather than the varmint rifle.

While my chosen MER of 420 yards was not nearly as far as many here, it was still further than I would actually shoot at a deer, at least with that rifle (my longest shot on a deer was about 350 yards).