How to get "warm barrel" accuracy from first shot?

[ghh3rd]

Say you've worked up the perfect hunting load for a particular boolit (.44 mag handgun), got great accuracy, etc. Since the load was tested with a warm barrel, how do you get the best chance of having the first shot be as accurate as those fired from a warm barrel?

Thanks - Randy

[StarMetal]

You take that accurate load when the gun has a cold barrel and go shoot one shot at your target, then let the gun alone until it is thoroughly cold (maybe even wait till the next day) and shoot another shot. Repeat this process and you will see where that load shoots cold.

[thenaaks]

Does barrel temp make that big of a difference with a handgun? I know in long range rifle shooting it makes a difference. I think two inch groups at 25 yards are impressive.

[danski26]

starmetal has it right. The only thing I would add is, if you are planning to hunt with a clean bore then do all your shots on a clean bore and conversly if you will keep the dirty bore then finish your shooting and don't clean before hunting.

[runfiverun]

one shot accuracy.
just sight in for the cold bbl. like joe said
if the first shot is out of the group by a wide margin.
i'g try a wet bbl and see how that works for ya.

[44man]

Shot sillywet for years with a .44 and there is no difference from cold to blazing hot.
Just don't clean the gun before a shoot or a hunt.
The revolver is not bad clean but a rifle or single shot will always mean a first shot miss.

[fredj338]

Shot sillywet for years with a .44 and there is no difference from cold to blazing hot.
Just don't clean the gun before a shoot or a hunt.
The revolver is not bad clean but a rifle or single shot will always mean a first shot miss.

Not always, all bbls are diff. I have one rifle that will deliver the first shot to POA cold, clean or dirty. There is no way I know to make a bbl do that, it either will or it won't. Then again, what is a clean/cold bbl? Stripped down to the metal clean, or pull a bore snale through it clean? A -5deg cold bbl or a 85deg "cold" bbl?

[Houndog]

A Benchrest trick that MAY, but not always, help is to run a patch with a couple of drops of Lock-eeze down the bore and let it dry after cleaning. Lock-eeze is a graphite based lube in some sort of fast evaporating carrier made for lubricating padlocks and other types of keyed locks. I use it religously in my bench guns and think it helps with the first shot in a squeaky clean bore to make that first shot closer to POA and it seems to help with barrel erosion and galling in the throat area. I borescope my benchrest barrels regularly and chart wear. This IS my opinion, and take it as that. Your results may be different.

[44man]

Not always, all bbls are diff. I have one rifle that will deliver the first shot to POA cold, clean or dirty. There is no way I know to make a bbl do that, it either will or it won't. Then again, what is a clean/cold bbl? Stripped down to the metal clean, or pull a bore snale through it clean? A -5deg cold bbl or a 85deg "cold" bbl?
That is rare and even though I have had a few rifles like that, I don't depend on it for hunting.
Every single time I shot IHMSA with one of my single shots I would miss the first chicken if the gun was clean. Living where I did, I could not step out back and shoot one before going to a shoot and could not foul it at the shoot. It feels funny to shoot a 39 because of a lost 50 meter chicken.
Now my SBH never had a problem from freezing weather to a 100* day where the barrel was so hot water would sizzle and the single shots never changed after the first shot either and they REALLY got hot. Guys would wrap water soaked rags on the barrels between relays or set up a small battery fan to blow through the bore.
I never had a problem with a rifle when it got hot either because I bedded and floated all of them.
But with the average gun, there is no telling where the first shot will hit if the bore is clean. It only takes one shot, not 50, to be on target with the next.
I make it a habit to never clean my guns for the entire season and rarely clean at all anyway until the revolver gets so dirty the cylinder gets stiff to turn.
The only guns I keep clean are my muzzle loaders. Mine shoot from shot one to 200 and I believe it is the lube from the patch applied to the bore.

[Lloyd Smale]

i agree totaly
Shot sillywet for years with a .44 and there is no difference from cold to blazing hot.
Just don't clean the gun before a shoot or a hunt.
The revolver is not bad clean but a rifle or single shot will always mean a first shot miss.

[243winxb]

The barrel of a 44 mag gets conditioned with 50/50 alox/bees wax. I feel it will not rust as the barrel is lubed. Don't clean your revolver. Your first shot should go where aimed. Lubes that require a heater might not be as forgiving as soft lube. Only way to know is test,test,test.

[HORNET]

On rifles, IIRC, a couple of years ago Bass Ackwards claimed that he'd found that running a patch down the barrel that had a trace of Bullplate lube on it virtually eliminated first-shot fliers...

[BABore]

I've seen two different things cause cold shot flyers in rifles, and some pistols. This is from a dirty, fouled bore. Some sort of stress or bedding issues in rifles is common and can usually be tracked down and solved. Both cast and jacketed will be affected. Usually pistols down suffer much from this problem. The second thing is the boolit lube used. Too much lube quality or viscosity can leave behind a film which solidifies as the bbl cools down. The next cold shot has to push this out and typically throws a flyer. This I have seen on both rifles and pistols. The fix is to use a different lube. Most of the common lube recipes just have plain too much lubricant in them. Everybody goes all Ga-Ga over getting no leading with a given lube and ignores what too much of a good thing can do.

[largom]

On rifles, IIRC, a couple of years ago Bass Ackwards claimed that he'd found that running a patch down the barrel that had a trace of Bullplate lube on it virtually eliminated first-shot fliers...


Been doing this for the past 1 1/2 yrs. Use Felix lube and run a patch damp with Bullplate to push out carbon then a dry patch. First shot has been a dead deer past 6 times. However, I only shoot rifles.

Larry