Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 22 RF first shot flyer

I have A couple of 22's that throw their first shot from A cold fouled barrel. I start with A clean barrel and chamber, viewed with A bore scope. Shoot ten or so times before shooting groups. If I leave the rifle for A hour or days the first round or two are out of the group. Any idea of how to cure this not the best for A hunting rifle. The two rifles are A 452 CZ and 1416 Anschutz. Thanks...

I have a CZ that does this. Simply a build up in front of the chamber. Give a few strokes with a dry brush either after the last shot or before the next session

No its not A dirty chamber or carbon ring. I bought this bore cam just for this reason to make sure I was getting things clean.

If the presence of heat is keeping the group tight. Then it may be the absence of heat that's causing the first shot flyers.

Bedding, barrel/receiver junction, scope or sight mounts are things that could possibly be effected by the application or absence of heat.

The actual vision of the sight in relation to the target could also be effected by heat.

If the anomalies are not a result of temperature or even if they are. A tedious process of elimination, double checking, ensuring everything excepting the item being eliminated remains exactly the same for every single shot could be a process to consider.

driftless, he mentioned from a fouled bore. Was very much a carbon ring from my own rifle. The way it is.

Thank about it. When hunting, the first shot may be the only one you get. Plan accordingly.

Having shot rimfire Benchrest for years, I can tell you it's just the nature of the BEAST!!

I have a 52D that does this. It is definitely due to temperature. So, when shooting groups, I toss the first 2 shots in the dirt. After that, it's fine. Wait 15 minutes, however, and it's back. The longer you wait, the further out it is.

I think something about the consistency of the bullet lube changes after it sits in the barrel for a while.

Yep. In matches I dump a couple in the dirt first, if it's a previously fouled bore. I dump a bunch more into a sighter target or the dirt first if it's a freshly cleaned bore. The thing is though, in benchrest just shifting the gun in the bags a skinch to get back on target can effect POI enough to move you out of the X-ring (if it's a score target not a group target). No darned wonder I'm going bald....

Rem 541-T HB's are notorious for this.

Along those lines, I think it requires a fairly accurate rifle to recognize a trend like tossing the first round. I think it would be hard to see with a rifle that is only capable of an inch at 50 yards. With a half inch rifle, if it puts one a half inch from the rest of the group it’s easy to see.

I had a 452 varmint that did this. First shot up to 3" from the rest of the group. Nothing helped until I took it apart and noticed a burr on the firing pin. After smoothing it out with emery cloth it was cured.

Yep, the old time single shot gunsmiths who messed with .22's would fret over the depth and shape of firing pins. Harry Pope would spend hours with stones to fine tune a .22 Ballard firing pin, and prove it with before and after machine rest groups. Often we moderns forget/ignore what the ancients worked out - too much fun re-inventing wheels maybe?

Thanks for the feedback. I really want to make the Anschutz work for A squirrel rifle. Going to look at firing pin and try some different ammo. Read this guy on the web that just cleans the chamber not the bore. After hundreds of rounds the barrel is seasoned and cold barrel flyers are gone. Might try that he had all kinds of awards and stuff.

Give it a try. Leaving the bore dirty doesn't do squat for mine.

Yup, pretty much the same technique I use. Last time out with my Anschutz 54 I shot 497 20X.

Every rifle will vary+ one of the most accurate factory rifles I ever owned was an Anchutz 1411. It would pretty regularly shoot in the low .2's at 50 yards. Between relays- 10 minutes or so, the first shot at 50 yards would be 3" or so low and progressively move up until round number 5 , after which they would go in one hole. Would have been useless as a squirrel gun.

If I remember right, my 1949 model 52B will send the first one out of the group. After that, it's game on though:

Yep, you recall my Martini international started throwing a round that I chalked up to other stuff and that degenerated into not firing consistently and a new firing pin got it back to its one hole natural nature.