When you hear the term “cold bore” shot, it’s usually associated with a sniper rifle, and in simple terms it means the first shot to come out of a clean barrel of a rifle. After the first shot, the barrel has residue in it, which can affect the flight path of a bullet.
As someone who carries a gun every day, I often practice another type of “cold bore” shot and recommend that other gun owners do the same. The fact is, nobody likes to miss shots on target or to shoot poorly.
That’s why when many people go to the shooting range they do several warm-ups before challenging themselves to more difficult drills. However, in a gunfight there are no warm ups, which is why I encourage you to do the following the next time you go to your local shooting range.
As soon as you get to the range, your first shot should be to draw from concealment and fire a center mass hit in two seconds or less from the 7-yard line. If you’re a brand new shooter you’ll probably want to adjust the time, but it should be very challenging.
Why You Need to Practice a “Cold Bore” Shot
The Pocket Pro Timer I use to ensure I hit my target in two seconds or less.
If you do this simple drill and you’re nowhere close to hitting the target then that should be a lesson that you need to spend more time dry firing, working on your draw stroke, and trigger control.
After all, if you’re in the Walmart parking lot and some deranged maniac comes at you with a knife it’s going to be a “cold bore” shot and you need to be confident that you’ve trained enough to hit your target.
If you happen to be a more experienced shooter and you have no problem hitting the target from 7-yards in two seconds or less then reduce the time. Also challenge yourself by going for headshots in two seconds or less and then add movement where you’re going left or right or forwards or backwards.
Like I mentioned earlier, I hate shooting poorly just as much as anyone. But if all your shots are perfect hits in the “A” zone then you’re not pushing yourself enough and you’ll never know where your failure point is.
So get out to the shooting range this week, resist the temptation to warm up, and see how you’d fare from 7-yards in two seconds or less.