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Temperature for Cold Bore shot
- Thread starter GAgunLAWbooklet
- Start date
Just saw that fine detail about the heart shot, and with that I agree with you. Doable, yes. Doable by everybody, Hecks no. at that distance its a behind the shoulder shot.
I carefully read the post. By "ethical shot" I meant square in the heart of a deer.
I've been repeatable on a 15" gong at 1,450yds with a .308 using factory ammunition. I wasn't the only one doing it that day, nor was I the only one using factory ammo.
The record for a confirmed kill is 1.54 miles, 2 shots for 2 kills, using factory ammunition.
Shots in a deer's heart at 500yds are easily doable with factory ammo that the rifle likes, with a good rifle, and a good shooter. Factory ammo, just like production rifles, have come a long way. The test target that came with my last SWAT-issued rifle showed a 3-shot group of .177", shot in a machine test with FGMM 168grn. That was about 18 years ago and things have only gotten better since then.
Handloading will usually increase the accuracy capabilities of a rig, but it won't make a bad rifle, or a bad shooter, shoot well.
I am not advocating using factory ammo, or handloading. Just stating the facts. Use what ya wanna use.
I just don't want to see folks turned off of Precision Rifle because they can't, or don't want to, handload.
It ain't magic folks. All it takes is diligence, practice, and consistency. If I can take 4 Japanese surgeons that have never shot a rifle before and have them hitting steel at 1,000yds with a semi-auto and factory LC M118LR ammo, in just a few hours, it's an attainable skill for most folks.
I'm thinking of mirage, distorting your view. On a hot day.
Mirage off the barrel, not just off the ground.
I'm thinking of how materials expand when heated. Barrel harmonics change. Stocks warp, although if the barrel's free floated, it shouldn't matter much. But even the way the stock contacts the action will change.
Synthetic stocks may not be affected by HUMIDITY, like wood is, but EVERY solid material is affected by temperature.
How much will a 50 degree change in the gun's (and ammo's) temperature affect your shot?
Will it move it 1 m.o.a.? Well, that's 6 inches at 600 yards, and getting you really close to NOT making the great hit at 1/3 of a mile.
Mirage off the barrel, not just off the ground.
I'm thinking of how materials expand when heated. Barrel harmonics change. Stocks warp, although if the barrel's free floated, it shouldn't matter much. But even the way the stock contacts the action will change.
Synthetic stocks may not be affected by HUMIDITY, like wood is, but EVERY solid material is affected by temperature.
How much will a 50 degree change in the gun's (and ammo's) temperature affect your shot?
Will it move it 1 m.o.a.? Well, that's 6 inches at 600 yards, and getting you really close to NOT making the great hit at 1/3 of a mile.
Just for a reference I plugged in a 308 with a 180 grain bullet zeroed at 67 degrees. At 23 degrees you would need 12.4 Moa for a 500 yard shot, at 92 degrees the same gun at the same altitude, humidity and Baro. Pressure would only need 11.8 MOA
How much a shift in temperature will effect the firearm and ammo themselves cannot be figured out ahead of time. Different rifles and ammo will react differently when exposed to heat and/or humidity. You've gotta shoot your kit and know what it will do.
A solidly, well-built rifle will exhibit no, or negligible, shift in POI during these conditions. I mainly hunt with older model, wood-stocked rifles, but they're bedded and freefloated to avoid this. It is a phenomenon that is easily remedied if you plan ahead. If you haven't done your due diligence ahead of time, then you've got no business trying to make a 500yd shot on live game. Most modern rifles are good to go.
