1st round blues

There IS a cure for your problem! Your actual zero is the cold bore shot, with the rest walking in an group differently placed than actual cold bore zero. Dillinger is correct and has beaten me to the post (as usual). What you need to do is have your barreled action (or just barrel) cyrogenically frozen to relieve all stress. Simply send it off to 300 below for their treatment. It's worked wonders for MANY rifles I've barreled/built-even to the point of automatically having it done if the customer approves.

Whether it's the scope, mount, bedding, or barrel, I've got 1st hand data results based on probably a few hundred rifle barrels, a goodly amount of them are competition barrels that stopped all "walking" AFTER they were frozen. Point in fact-freezing is simply a post machining stress reliving process that not only involves freezing, but also heating. I've got actual before AND after targets that clearly show NO walking WHATSOEVER-even when rapid fired. I recently built a long range "deer rifle" for myself chambered for my new wildcat. It's krieger barrel has been cyroed and will shoot sub 1/2" groups at 200 yards! Not to hijack this thread but just wanted to share MY experience with cyroing barrels. If he was closer, perhaps we could help him more.