Cold bore zero versus (very) Hot bore zero “test”

[bullmtn]

like buy a rifle for the sole purpose of abusing it with hundreds if not thousands of rounds and thoroughly enjoy it the whole time?

I've got a 223 tikka that's being abused for my learning education. I'm definitely shooting better but I haven't shot under 2" for thirty shots... that's my current goal.

 

[Formidilosus]

How much drift are y'all seeing from barrel shimmer?

I'm mostly shooting 22 Creed and 6 Creed right now.

I'm usually shooting a gun with an LS Wild cover and an OG or a Weka Solutions cover with a big Raptor.

I can shoot 30 in a row with 223 and the Raptor.

With the standard size case after around 7 or 8 or so I can rest and watch the reticle bump around at least .2 mil, usually some combination of right or left or up.

Sometimes I shoot 2 mags of 5 with a rest period but still wonder if those 4th and 5 rounds are affected.

I intend to set up a target and shoot 1 round at it each time I shoot until I get to 30.

It's pretty humid here. 50% in winter and 80% in summer.

That’s about right. Sometimes I will have to shoot 2 or 3 shots and then pour water on the barrel and suppressor or dump snow on them to get the mirage down. If there is wind, usually no issue to get through 10 without effect.

Of course a mirage shield removes all of that.

 

[longrangelead]

I've got a 223 tikka that's being abused for my learning education. I'm definitely shooting better but I haven't shot under 2" for thirty shots... that's my current goal.

Tikkas will definitely do it with the right ammo. sounds like you're on the right track.

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

What's the MSRP on that bad boy?

 

[Formidilosus]

What's the MSRP on that bad boy?

View attachment 1002462

$75, and you have to preorder.

 

[Nine Banger]

What's the MSRP on that bad boy?

View attachment 1002462

Mine was $1000 but it came with a TV.

 

[atmat]

$75, and you have to preorder.

 

[Marbles]

View attachment 1002557

#Me too, but only if it says "Form approved" and comes packed in fishnet hose.

 

[longrangelead]

oh, I'm gonna catch hell for this...

 

[Bluumoon]

Mine was $1000 but it came with a TV.

View attachment 1002484

You shoot off the porch, hit the suppressor w a hose or use the kitchen sink like I do.

 

[Formidilosus]

View attachment 1002735

oh, I'm gonna catch hell for this...

#banned

 

[Hurley88]

What about throat erosion and barrel life shooting 30-shot groups? I’m down with everything else mentioned in this thread but IIRC I haven’t seen much at all mentioned about that.

Personally I burned up a couple 243 barrels as side projects shooting up to 30 shot strings fairly regularly and I’m on a third right now which is around 850 or so that hasn’t ever shot five before cooling back to whatever ambient is at the time. I bring several and rotate them so not a big deal, I just wanted to see how it affects the longevity of the barrel.

…but probably faster to just ask here?

 

[Tell]

What about throat erosion and barrel life shooting 30-shot groups? I’m down with everything else mentioned in this thread but IIRC I haven’t seen much at all mentioned about that.

Personally I burned up a couple 243 barrels as side projects shooting up to 30 shot strings fairly regularly and I’m on a third right now which is around 850 or so that hasn’t ever shot five before cooling back to whatever ambient is at the time. I bring several and rotate them so not a big deal, I just wanted to see how it affects the longevity of the barrel.

…but probably faster to just ask here?

You’re definitely right about longer shot strings eroding the barrel faster. I was pretty hard on a 243 barrel last winter and had a lot shorter life than I was expecting. I would packing snow around the barrel to cool it down when I went to tape over the target, and when I was reloading mags. I don’t think cooling the barrel from the outside like that cools it down enough in the bore to help with barrel life.

I heard that the guy at wolf precision in Pennsylvania uses 22 creeds for training at his long range class, and to extend barrel life they use a little battery powered air duster with a hose and a nozzle that fits in your chamber. They just run them when they check targets to cool everything down from the inside. I’m interested in that idea, and it might help you if you’re crunched for time like I was.

 

[Choupique]

extend barrel life they use a little battery powered air duster with a hose and a nozzle that fits in your chamber.

Just point the rifle up with the action open. The heat in the barrel drives some stout convection and it'll cool off much faster than being left horizontal

 

[Q_Sertorius]

Just point the rifle up with the action open. The heat in the barrel drives some stout convection and it'll cool off much faster than being left horizontal

Absolutely. Leaving the action open with the muzzle elevated tends to do a pretty good job of cooling things down.

 

[journeyman713]

What about throat erosion and barrel life shooting 30-shot groups? I’m down with everything else mentioned in this thread but IIRC I haven’t seen much at all mentioned about that.

Personally I burned up a couple 243 barrels as side projects shooting up to 30 shot strings fairly regularly and I’m on a third right now which is around 850 or so that hasn’t ever shot five before cooling back to whatever ambient is at the time. I bring several and rotate them so not a big deal, I just wanted to see how it affects the longevity of the barrel.

…but probably faster to just ask here?

What? Common sense???

Ask a guy that likes to shoot a lot a question, the answer will always be - “Shoot a lot”.

 

[Marbles]

What about throat erosion and barrel life shooting 30-shot groups? I’m down with everything else mentioned in this thread but IIRC I haven’t seen much at all mentioned about that.

Personally I burned up a couple 243 barrels as side projects shooting up to 30 shot strings fairly regularly and I’m on a third right now which is around 850 or so that hasn’t ever shot five before cooling back to whatever ambient is at the time. I bring several and rotate them so not a big deal, I just wanted to see how it affects the longevity of the barrel.

…but probably faster to just ask here?

That is a legitimate reason, but not everyone is concerned with barrel life and it is a different topic from this thread. It also depends on the cartridge in question, not as much of a concern with a 223, 308, or 6.5 Grendel as it is with a 6 UM or 22 Creedmoor, and of course there is everything in-between.

There are those who do things due to VBS (voodoo bullshit) and there are those who do things with an actual goal in mind and aware of the trade offs. There is no problem with doing things different, just have a legitimate reason. Common sense is never a legitimate reason, it is an excuse for intellectual laziness.

 

[wind gypsy]

I heard that the guy at wolf precision in Pennsylvania uses 22 creeds for training at his long range class,

Still baffling to me that they'd do such a thing.

 

[Nine Banger]

Still baffling to me that they'd do such a thing.

Their website says its BYO or:

 

[wind gypsy]

I dont think anyone is going to debate shooting a lot with a piping hot barrel is going to result in less barrel life than slow firing and never letting a barrel get hot as has been historically advised for hunting rifles.

True 30 shot strings would result in more mirage than i'd want to deal with before getting to 30 with a suppressed hunting weight rifle/can.