Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters FIRST SHOT HIGH

I have a new (purchased 3/20/04) SAKO 75 Hunter deluxe in 7mm rem. mag. It groups quite well 1" to 1.5" wich is all I can expect from myself at this point. However, my first shot from a cold barrel is, to my memory, always high. 1.5" to 2" high and somewhat to the left. I have tried shooting it with a fouled barrel and a clean barrel. Both with the same results. I am more than willing to admit that it is my trigger pull doing it, but, after I shoot that first shot it groups nice at 2.5" high at 100 yds. I have a master target with aprox. 40 shots in it. There is one large group right where it should be, and another smaller group made up of those first shots. Like I said, if its me thats fine! I can work on it. But, if it's going to happen out on the prairie with my 30" 4x4 at 150 yds. I might not own my SAKO anymore. Thanks for any advice.

Try a "slightly clean" barrel ie: don't get all the fouling and copper out and dry patch barrel before firing the first shot.
You might also make sure you are very solid for the first shot and you may also try firing another weapon or dry firing that one before you shoot the fouling shot. Also let the rifle set after a session for an hour or so and see where the first round falls in the second session ie; cold and dirty barrel.

Are you letting the barrel totally cool? try allowing it to cool for ~10-15 minutes between shots and see if still wander. Some rifles need to fully cool and 5 minutes wait after a 5rd group just isn`t enough.

I agree with Ol Joe. Let it cool completely after each shot. That way you'll have some time to plink away with that new 22!

Are you shooting factory ammo or reloads. Sometimes a change of powder will stop the first shot off from a cold barrel. Also is this gun stock or have you done anything to it? Check the barrel for contact with the stock.Rick.

PrairieGoat

Ricksmith may be on the right track. Factory or handloads? Is the rifle epoxy bedded? Free floated barrel?

In the (mid eighties) I bought a box of the newly introduced .277 Hornaday 140gr bullets. I had been shooting this rifle at 200yds with 150gr bullets on a couple of previous shooting sessions with a variety of loads. My first attempt with the Hornaday 140gr's at 200 yds, the bullet shot clear over the target! I know how this sounds, but this particular load combo was shooting in the neighborhood of 8 inches higher than a variety of other loads/bullets at 200yds with a cold clean barrel. To make a long story short, with a cold, dirty barrel, it still shot high, but not as bad. It was kind've interesting to watch successive shots "walk" down the target, until about the 4th or 5th shot it would group where all of my other loads were shooting. Switching from H4831 to Dupont 4350 helped--but only a little. After burning up 40-50 bullets, I gave up. I still have the rest of the box sitting in my reloading supply cabinet.

So, after considering the other things, trying a different bullet may be an option.

Casey

I should have mentioned what bullet I was using. I used federal premium 160 gr N.P. I also tried winchester (non-molly) 150 gr. soft point just to see the difference. Both gave me that first shot high result. The 150 gr group being only slighly higher. I have shot with different degrees of cleanliness and temp. the barrel is free floated. I did kill two animals with it this year. Both at around 200 yds. The exit wound on my goat was enormous!