How much do you focus on cold bore accuracy?

Being a hunting forum the first then next 2 or so shots seem to be the of utmost importance. If you put a 1” circle at 100 yards can you hit it 3 times with a cold bore. I often get distracted by rifles that will make small groups but that’s almost always after some warming up, scope adjustment etc. is it possible to get the cold bore accuracy out of AR-15’s with so many moving parts. I’ve had Palmetto and DPMS rifles both dial in to 1/2” groups but the first shots could be 2” off.

I've spent a lot of time with Mike Rock of Rock Creek barrels before he retired. I learned a ton on barrel physics. There will always be a different point of aim/impact if you have thoroughly cleaned a barrel, removing all carbon and copper fouling. Depending on your barrel, it may take one or a half dozen or so shots for it to settle in. Cold bore shots are a fact of life after a thorough cleaning. In order for your barrel to shoot at it's optimum performance, it takes copper and carbon fouling to fill in the micro groves inside the barrel. Too much copper/carbon fouling and accuracy starts to suffer. If you're cleaning after every shot or every few shots, you'll be chasing your tail to really see how your rifle really shoots. Just shoot it and see how it shoots. After a thorough cleaning (which doesn't happen all that often) with my custom 6.5 CM, my cold bore shots will be left .5" and high .5". It's very predictable. Usually by the third shot or so I can shoot for group. It will shoot in the mid .3's as long as I do my part. It doesn't get cleaned very often. Usually after a couple few seasons, few hundred rounds or I get the itch to clean it. As soon as my accuracy get's in the .6's or .7's it's time for cleaning, then a few cold bore shots and it's ready to go. If I head to the range my rifle will shoot for group from the first shot.

Lots of great custom and factory barrels out there, each will always be different or how it performs. Sometimes the simplest things can make a rifle a real shooter or a real dud. Bullet type/weight and rifling twist rate can drive a person to drink. I've seen many rifles that hate a given bullet, yet shoots lights out with another bullet. A lot of times it's all about finding the right combinations to match your shooting needs/requirements. There's so much more and variables that go into this. Shoot a half dozen shots or so after cleaning. Try different bullet/ammo combinations to find one that performs. Not every rifle is a tack driver, not every shooter can shoot .5 groups.

I've spent a lot of time with Mike Rock of Rock Creek barrels before he retired. I learned a ton on barrel physics. There will always be a different point of aim/impact if you have thoroughly cleaned a barrel, removing all carbon and copper fouling. Depending on your barrel, it may take one or a half dozen or so shots for it to settle in. Cold bore shots are a fact of life after a thorough cleaning. In order for your barrel to shoot at it's optimum performance, it takes copper and carbon fouling to fill in the micro groves inside the barrel. Too much copper/carbon fouling and accuracy starts to suffer. If you're cleaning after every shot or every few shots, you'll be chasing your tail to really see how your rifle really shoots. Just shoot it and see how it shoots. After a thorough cleaning (which doesn't happen all that often) with my custom 6.5 CM, my cold bore shots will be left .5" and high .5". It's very predictable. Usually by the third shot or so I can shoot for group. It will shoot in the mid .3's as long as I do my part. It doesn't get cleaned very often. Usually after a couple few seasons, few hundred rounds or I get the itch to clean it. As soon as my accuracy get's in the .6's or .7's it's time for cleaning, then a few cold bore shots and it's ready to go. If I head to the range my rifle will shoot for group from the first shot.

Lots of great custom and factory barrels out there, each will always be different or how it performs. Sometimes the simplest things can make a rifle a real shooter or a real dud. Bullet type/weight and rifling twist rate can drive a person to drink. I've seen many rifles that hate a given bullet, yet shoots lights out with another bullet. A lot of times it's all about finding the right combinations to match your shooting needs/requirements. There's so much more and variables that go into this. Shoot a half dozen shots or so after cleaning. Try different bullet/ammo combinations to find one that performs. Not every rifle is a tack driver, not every shooter can shoot .5 groups.

My CTR shoots the first one in the same spot as the 4th, 5th, 8th one.

If the rifles are squared away, with fouled barrels, the most common factor I have seen cause a cold bore shot shift is a suppressor. Shot two or three can shift away from number one.

On ARs, I can't explain it, but I have seen shot number one shift from the rest. You hit the bolt release and shoot, and it can shoot different from the following rounds.

Myself and a friend have both tested cold bore shot zero on suppressed rifles. And it has to be the first shot of the day. Even if it's a shot many hours later, it won't be the same as the first shot of the day. My daily carry rifle is a bolt action with suppressor. I check cold bore zero fairly frequently, probably once a month. Fire a shot, make note of where it landed, and then do it again the next day. If I've got consistency, I will zero the scope to the cold bore shot POI. I had another rifle that would drop shots two and three .4 Mil low. But it would do it every time. On the single animal shot, that's not a problem. If I've got to make more than one shot (multiple animals) that shift needs to be accounted for. Especially at home, I've got 500 yards line of sight from house and shop. That .4 Mil shift definitely begins to matter.

On ARs, I can't explain it, but I have seen shot number one shift from the rest. You hit the bolt release and shoot, and it can shoot different from the following rounds.

Both my RRA AR's will throw one shot in five; it's got to be the first shot. Is it the suppressor or something else? Don't know, but they still group just fine.

6.8 throws one high:




.223 Wylde throws low:

From what I have read and seen with my own AR, a shot from one that was fed by putting in the mag and releasing the bolt will often have a different POI than the rest from that mag.

Yep, even with the suppressor they go in the same spot.



Both my RRA AR's will throw one shot in five; it's got to be the first shot. Is it the suppressor or something else? Don't know, but they still group just fine.

6.8 throws one high:




.223 Wylde throws low:

Last round in the magazine of an AR will impact low.

The bolt locks open and I believe it robs gas. Seen it many times. Spotting for someone, round splash low, they ask if they should dial up more. Nope, bolt locked open. Reload the rifle, keep the same scope correction. Next shot hits the steel.

I don’t know about it robbing gas because the bullet may have left the muzzle by then, but I do know the bolt locking back changes the recoil impulse possibility effecting poa.