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First shot from cold bore impact?

I'm getting dialed in for antelope hunting and noticed cold bore impact 5 inches high at 500 and 6 to 7 inches high at 600 yards. Its only the first shot of the day. I was going to hold low but I will try the lighter fluid patches. I hope it helps
 
I have never had more than one shot at any animal I have hunted.
I base my scope or iron sight settings on the first shot from a cold, fouled barrel - that is what I hunt with.
And cold means sitting in a blind or stalking on mornings in November or December, not at the range in September and October sighting in.
My best two hunting rifles will hit the point of aim with the first shot from a cold, fouled barrel.
My favorite will put a second round touching it and every shot thereafter about 1/2 inch out at 2 o/clock, successively with each additional shot. In reality, those extra shots don't matter for a hunter.
Hunting rifles haves thin hunting barrels, not heavy barrel like a target rifle.
Thin, hunting barrels heat up fast, especially with a .270 Winchester or a .30-06 like my old favorites.

How many times have you ever gotten a second shot at anything you were hunting?
How many times have you hunted, spent the whole day, and never even gotten a first shot?
If your first, fouled cold shot hits where you are aiming, every time, you are golden.
 
I am lucky enough to have a 500 yard range and therefore I have several friends that ask to use it.
We generally have a discussion about what distance will they likely be taking a shot and I encourage them
to start there, one shot and one shot only. Explaining to them, that first shot is your meat in the freezer shot. Usually not happy as they want to shoot the 500 yard gong.
Most want to set the scope to be one to two high at 100 yards, usually means point blank out to 250 yards or so. Works great in South Texas brush but not the senderos
 
If you periodically shoot cold bore shots in varying temperatures and conditions; and, if you use the same target every time and make conditions notes on it, you’ve got a pretty good record.
 
The last barrel I had did not need a foul shot until it was going south. My new barrel does not need a foul shot so far with a clean barrel. And after a few shots , if it starts to wander, that's when I knew I needed a new barrel. If you compete, there is no way around it. How can you let your barrel cool off enough to not cause damage. But that's just from what I have seen,
 
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