I have been doping out my Centurion Recce and wonder how you guys establish and record your cold bore, i.e. recording data and establishing a procedure for producing it.
Shooting XM193 and Federal Premium 77 grain .223 BTHP.
The first shot of the day when I go out is usually a cold bore at 3-400 yards on steel just to challenge myself but I have yet to actually “print” the cold bore shot on a target. Having mixed results so far and would like to see if I can find some consistency to the point where I can dial it in and let it go.
On a side note, I love this rifle. This is my first high end rifle and is built on a Noveske lower with a Geissele SD-C and topped with a Vortex 1-4 on a Larue SPR mount.
Yesterday I was able to ring steel at 525 yards but this was after I started with a zero confirmation at 100 yards so the barrel was ready to go. Eventually I would like to work up to around 6-700 pushing the limits to see what happens. Seeing some of the other member’s results with the AR platform has me really motivated.
Secondly, I was wondering if anybody has ever come across a Recce course of fire, similar to a carbine COF, but to encompass a cross section of the skills to run the rifle. I have been a bit stymied as I really wonder if it’s just as easy as mooching a three gun stage or even a basic carbine stage. So, what do you guys think would be the discriminating feature of a COF that would really challenge yet allow the Recce concept to shine from close order to distance? Is the distance component the discriminating part or is it more the ability to run a “precision” rifle in close effectively that tests the concept more rigorously?
I have a range that will go to 900 so space is not an issue.
I am probably over analyzing it, but what the hell works been slow.
Start with a cold bore shot on a steel E-type silhouette. The spotter on a sniper-observer team is pulling security for his S/O, and his first shot should be an overwatch kill.
If you don’t have a steel E-type use an Army M9 target with scoring rings. Take your shot, walk to the target, and plot it in your data book. Try for 5s.
Once you have cold bore shot down go for five and ten shot strings, all in the 5-ring.
Before planning on a cold bore shot, I would plan to try to eliminate the “cold shooter” variable.
I used to try to plot and plan where my cold bore shot would land but the more I read, the more convinced I was that I was suffering from being a cold shooter. Next time you are out, instead of sending your first round of the day from your precision rifle spend some time on another rifle first.
Then when you go to your precision rifle, before ever firing a live round make sure to dry fire several times and make sure your NPOA and position are solid. After I started doing the above I found that my 6.5cm barrel in my lmt mws has no cold bore variation, and the same for my .308 barrel.
It seems a lot of the cold bore shot is simply a mind thing, I believe you will find the same after working on making that first round fly just like the others.
if you want a course of fire to show off the rifle and push your own skills you should incorporate the following:
targets at different distances
holdovers with your reticle
different positions
targets of different sizes, and changing up speeds
for example, with my bolt gun i enjoy stuff like shooting three 8" plates at say 850y, 340y and 600y from prone as fast as I can. usually around 10 seconds. with a 223 gasser, i’d probably make that 600, 200, 475 or something and try to do it in 5 seconds.
then get a couple ipsc targets and do a hammer at 7y standing, drop to prone and take a 500 yard shot on an 6-8" plate and then go back to kneeling and do 2 to the body, 1 to the head on an ipsc at 40 yards. give yourself 10 sec or so. (this forces your brain to move from reflexive pulling the trigger as fast as you can to slowing down to take a precision shot and back. it can be a lot more challenging than it sounds just reading this)
if you can use barricades and props at your range, or movement, by all means do.
plate racks and dueling trees at 300-500 (depending on how fast the wind blows there) are good too.
Line up x number of shooters on a line and an assortment of steel at varied ranges (or color coded or otherwise assigned paper targets if steel is not avialable)
Call out the shooter and then identify the target by number or letter or distance. Time limit 10-20 seconds to hit one or up to 3 targets per turn. ammo limits or shot limits can be done several ways…
Shooters don’t know which target(s) will be called just make sure each shooter receives the same targets, just not in a predictable order.
Thanks guys for the ideas, I’ll definitely put something together with your input to challenge myself and see how the configuration works, I appreciate it.
