It depends. If you want your testing to reflect the effect of the barrel heating, shoot your groups as 1-2-3(-4-5 etc). It is advantageous if a rifle does not change its POI with a heating barrel.

Some rifles (in particular with thinner barrels) don't react well to heat. In those rifles, it is still of value to shoot groups while letting the barrel cool between shots. At least it provides information about the consistency of the rifle in shooting from a cold barrel - still very relevant, but perhaps not quite as severe a test as to shoot without intermittent cooling periods.

As Ray stated above, in many ways shooting groups only has limited relevance to the suitability of a rifle for hunting. In reality, what we need for hunting are only "one shot" groups. I.e. test the ability of the rifle to shoot a single shot to the same POI from a cold barrel over (extended) periods of time. That is what is really important, not group size. If you need to fire more than one shot in rapid succession while hunting, most likely your adrenaline level is going to mask pretty much any effects you might have observed on the range - i.e. ability to shoot small or large groups.
- mike

Here's what I do, and I think this gets down to the practical side of accuracy.

I always test any new load by starting with a cold barrel, then I fire three fast shots back-to-back. I test this way with a pefectly clean barrrel, and also with a cold barrel that has been fouled with one shot. You need to know what a rifle will do with the first shot from a clean barrel, because you may need to hunt with it fouled in order to achieve correct shot placement in the field with that all-critical first shot.

But the first three fast shots are critical, and you may need to shoot that way in the field on rare occasion. Seldom will you get more than one shot, and almost never more than three, but you need to know what your rifle will do just in case.

After the load is established based on the above-mentioned criteria, I become concerned with the one-shot group. I put up the same target on each visit to the range over the next several weeks, and fire just one shot per visit at that specific target. I want to make sure that point-of-impact doesn't shift (for whatever reason) over the course of time, and this aspect of accuracy is more important than group size. I have several rifles that have never changed point-of-impact for several years running, despite multiple airplane flights, etc., etc., and these are the rifles that I especially prize.

But if I simply want to shoot trophy groups, I take it slow. HEAT is what errodes throats, etc., and I don't see the need to shoot 'em hot once that critical three-shots-fast capability has been established.

Once I come up with a solid hunting load for a given rifle, I generally stick with it...........

AD

Here's my thought:



The 3-shot/100 yard method is mostly an excercise in mental gymnastic's that doesn't mean much in the field. A better way to judge a rifle is to shoot it at 200 yards, printing one shot every day over a week of different condition's... then you'll really know what you've got.

Exactly what difference does 200 yards make over 100 yards if you are shooting one shot groups from a cold barrel????

When testing a bunch of differnet loads, 3 quick then cool.

Once I have the loads narrowed down, shoot-cool-shoot-cool-shoot to see how good it really is.

Once the load is finalized, to convince myself it is a keeper, 10 rounds over at least 2 hours at the same spot.

I am in the 'if I can hold my hand of the barrel and not hurt I take another shot' category. Barrel steel really isn't much easier to wear at 125 F (about the comfort level of the average person touching it) than at 85 F. Now at 200+ F (sizziling water) is another story. It only takes a few seconds for the heat to approximately equalize from interior to exterior after a shot, so feeling the outside of the barrel is actually a pretty good check.

Winnie,

I belive in the 1st shot-cold barrel-repeatability theory. In hunting that first shot is eveything!
When working up a load I work in three shot groups, then let the barrel cool down to a warm or cooler barrel. When I have settled on a load then I like to shoot one cold barrel shot at a new target, save the target, then shoot one cold barrel shot at it the next time at the range. If the POI is the same over several trips to the range then to me that is a good load.

In my pre-reloading days my old .243 BAR was the best gun I have had on a cold barrel shot. It would put that first shot in the same place EVERY time for over 20 years. Before each huntng season I would take it out to check it, shoot one shot, see that is was in the same place, and then hunt with confidence with it. I think I have killed only one or two deer over the years with a second shot and those were on does that I was attempting to head shoot. Gotta remember to SQUEEZE that shot.

Well, to sight in my hunting rifles I shot with a cold barrel. Sometimes I wait as much as 20 mins between shots.

I want the first shot to be exactly where I think it will.

I do shoot some 3 and 4 shot groups as fast as I can after everything is locked down, I want to know what will happen.

But for sighting in I want the barrel to stay cool.

That cold barrel shooting is a good enough idea and shooting at 100 and 200 is also a very good idea...to believe that the first shot is all that counts is a little much I think...I have shot a lot of game on shot 2, 3, 4 and on up to who knows how many...You can shoot all day long at one deer in some of that cross canyon rimrock Mule deer country..

If one was to use all the above mentioned examples of what everyone does, he should have the field covered, and be pretty much infalible, unless he misses...

Me, I just sight in 2" high at 100 yards with a 1" gun and that has worked for me, but I am sure their are a million better ways...I've gotten lazy in my old age, and I'm a lot better shot now because I too damn lazy to jerk the trigger.

Speaking of jerking the trigger, I would rather have a good trigger pull ajenda than all of the above..that is the real secret to connecting on a game animal...