Shootin' 'em hot

[Fazak]

Without going into a lot of detail, I've noticed that my .223 Handi shoots much more consistently when the barrel is hot enough to be uncomfortable to the touch,.. and I'm talking *very* uncomfortable to the touch.

I've noticed it on a few occasions,... but from a cold barrel I can't get any consistency at all,...but if I get the rifle good and warm it starts dropping them in there like a champ.

Has anybody else noticed this phenomenon with their rifle?

[DalesCarpentry]

Now that you mention it. If I remember correctly my 223 Handi with the 22'' bull barrel did the same thing. I would climb when it got hot and stop climbing and start grouping. I never shot it till it was to hot to handle though.  Dale

[quickdtoo]

Shoot it rested under the frame with no forend on it, if it shoots good from a cold, fouled bore, the forend needs work, usually fully bedding it will be the ultimate answer, but not always, the pressure the forend puts on the barrel may well be the culprit, either lack of or too much. For me, I have the best out of the box accuracy if the forend slips on the barrel with just a slight amount of pressure, just enough so the barrel isn't loose when broke open, then use a pressure point near the forend tip. 

Tim

http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,124667.msg1098437782.html#msg1098437782

[Fazak]

This is what I mean.

My rifle isn't going to shoot MOA,.. and I don't expect it to. But when cold it wants to throw flyers.

The hotter it gets the tighter it groups. Here's 23 shots in 2.5" at 100 yards that I fired today. To be honest, I had gotten frustrated and just finished out the box of 50 as fast as I could load it, get it on target and touch it off.

As the barrel started getting seriously warm, I noticed that the shots were dropping closer and closer to the point of aim with no flyers.

The last 10 shots of this series is probably the tightest that it's ever shot,.. and the barrel was quite quite ,umm "radiant" by then.

[wcf3030]

I've not had this issue with mine.
It will have a different impact depending on where I rest the forend.

[trotterlg]

I would not argue that it may be more consistant hot. however you may have been more consistant when shooting it as fast as you could also.  Larry

[Fazak]

That thought entered my mind,... but I spend a lot of time shooting off the bench,... nothing formal, just playing around.

I can usually tell when I've pulled a shot and can call where they're going to hit.

I've put in excess of 1000 rounds through this Handi rifle and am beginning to learn it's little nuances.

I'm not sure what the root cause of it is,.. but there's no doubt that it groups much tighter hot than cold.

Trying to get it to group with a cool barrel is a waste of time. It'll put two shots close,.. then throw a flyer. It'll do it all day long.

[trotterlg]

Unless you shoot only paper or PD's, only the first shot matters anyway.  I have a Savage 10 in 17 Remington, it will shoot number 1 or number 10 to the same POA every time, but if I rest my cheek on the stock from the bench is is high and left 3/4 inch every time.  I think a lot of the first shot differences is that you are just getting settled in also, so it is both you and the rifle.  This is 1 through 10 out of a cold clean barrel, free recoil with nothing touching the rifle except my index finger.  Larry

[DalesCarpentry]

Unless you shoot only paper or PD's, only the first shot matters anyway.  I have a Savage 10 in 17 Remington, it will shoot number 1 or number 10 to the same POA every time, but if I rest my cheek on the stock from the bench is is high and left 3/4 inch every time.  I think a lot of the first shot differences is that you are just getting settled in also, so it is both you and the rifle.  This is 1 through 10 out of a cold clean barrel, free recoil with nothing touching the rifle except my index finger.  Larry

Nothing wrong with that at all. Reminds me of the 300 yard group I shot today. Three shot group at 300 yards two were touching the third opened it up to .75. Dale

[georgeld]

Nice group Larry, BUT, you guys can't hit the dime worth nuthin!

I'll bet if you'd play with both bullet wts, and brands.

AND tinker with an O ring under the forearm screw and things stated in the sticky's
you'd get it tamed and maybe even figure out what the problem is/was.

Give the sticky's some study, print them out and take 'em along to the range and
try the various things posted. There's a reason these guys have posted that info for
the rest of us.  They've been there and fought the same battles and figured out the
problems.  Feeling it might save some of us a lot of time and hassles like you're fighting
with this one. They've posted what helped tame their guns.
Give it try and see what might work. That's much easier than fighting it from now on.

George

[Mac11700]

I don't have that problem...maybe it's just the 22" 223 that does it...Here's 10 from my 280 barrel...



The one to the right I called...

Mac

[nomosendero]

Unless you shoot only paper or PD's, only the first shot matters anyway.  I have a Savage 10 in 17 Remington, it will shoot number 1 or number 10 to the same POA every time, but if I rest my cheek on the stock from the bench is is high and left 3/4 inch every time.  I think a lot of the first shot differences is that you are just getting settled in also, so it is both you and the rifle.  This is 1 through 10 out of a cold clean barrel, free recoil with nothing touching the rifle except my index finger.  Larry

Nothing wrong with that at all. Reminds me of the 300 yard group I shot today. Three shot group at 300 yards two were touching the third opened it up to .75. Dale

Dale, was that with your REM ?

[Sourdough]

I'm a hunter, I only shoot paper at the range to work up loads or to sight in a new scope.  The first shot is the only one that counts to me.  Can't afford to have that first shot be a flyer.  Never get my barrel hot, I will shoot three shots and put it aside till it cools before resuming to shoot.

Also noticed that my .223 Ultra with the longer barrel shoots heavier bullets, 60 and 70gr better than the shorter barrel I got from the barrel accessory program. 

[cascadedad]

This is 1 through 10 out of a cold clean barrel, free recoil with nothing touching the rifle except my index finger.  Larry

Good shootin, but please tell me there were 11 shots fired at this target.   

[trotterlg]

You have to remember, I am old and forgit to count some times.  Larry

[DalesCarpentry]

Unless you shoot only paper or PD's, only the first shot matters anyway.  I have a Savage 10 in 17 Remington, it will shoot number 1 or number 10 to the same POA every time, but if I rest my cheek on the stock from the bench is is high and left 3/4 inch every time.  I think a lot of the first shot differences is that you are just getting settled in also, so it is both you and the rifle.  This is 1 through 10 out of a cold clean barrel, free recoil with nothing touching the rifle except my index finger.  Larry

Nothing wrong with that at all. Reminds me of the 300 yard group I shot today. Three shot group at 300 yards two were touching the third opened it up to .75. Dale

Dale, was that with your REM ?

Yes that was with my new Remington 700 SPS 243 Varmint. Those were the last shots I fired that day I ran out of ammo. I plan on making it to the range again real soon to shoot more groups at 300 yards just to be sure it was not a fluke. I shot a crow today at about 300 yards with it.   Dale

[Fazak]

Unless you shoot only paper or PD's, only the first shot matters anyway.  I have a Savage 10 in 17 Remington, it will shoot number 1 or number 10 to the same POA every time, but if I rest my cheek on the stock from the bench is is high and left 3/4 inch every time.  I think a lot of the first shot differences is that you are just getting settled in also, so it is both you and the rifle.  This is 1 through 10 out of a cold clean barrel, free recoil with nothing touching the rifle except my index finger.  Larry

I agree that the first shot is what matters in a hunting situation.

Problem is, with this rifle,.. from a cold barrel, I can only depend on the first shot being somewhere within a 5" circle at 100 yards.

I don't mean to sound like I'm doggin' on my Handi. I enjoy it and will keep trying to decipher it's personality.

[Dave Allen]

fazak...when you say you can only depend on the 1st shot somewhere in a 5" circle @ 100 yard's are you comparing shooting a hot barell..versus..a cold barrel ?? i have found handi's to be finicky on p.o.i. mine have climbed vertically when warm...handi's are weird...when shooting for group's i don't care...when i settle in i take great pain's to shoot "cold"...i don't care about group's as long as they are within reason..i'm much more concerned with p.o.i.