Grouping

practice, practice, practice

its all about consistancy and know how you get that? practice

breathing, sight alignment and trigger squeeze

Could have been inconsistent ammo also...of course, 28 below are not my ideal shooting conditions either. If it were that cold and I were trying to shoot prone, you would probably have to pry me off the ground with a prybar.

well it happens with surplus ammo but i assumed you wernt firing surplus, never had that with match or quality ammo
what was the wind?
how often do you clean the barrel?
is the barrel spotless, all copper fouling removed?
think colder conditions help with group size... thicker air but im not sure if that applies to 28 below and for sure i know your fingers must be frozen so what i said about strigger squeeze goes straight to hell

I was shooting reloads, so it shouldn't have been the ammo, unless I'm not doing my part there as well. I've been shooting my whole life, and have actually done quite well in .22 matches( boy scouts, so the competition might not have been all that), but when it comes to high power rifle shooting, I have only shot from a purely hunting perspective.
It is usually my first shot that goes bad, so I'm starting to think it's all in my head. Practice is probably the best cure, but if there's a quicker or cheaper way let me know.
As for the cold, I live in the backwoods of Alaska, so I should be usesd to it, right? WRONG! I can remember when it would get 50 or 60 below for a week or more, but it hasn't been 25 below for any length of time for years so everyone's FREEZING. But there is a somewhat good side. I work as a carpenter and wouldn't have time to be here if I had to work, and nobody will work on a house when it's this cold. Of course, no work no pay...

brrrr. We are just now starting to get that same arctic front coming into montana. But we are suppose to at least stay above 0 during the days (about 10 below at night is all). Of course, eastern montana sounds about the same temps as you!!

Cold itself is another distraction when shooting. Just practice and concentrate on the trigger squeeze and sight picture.

MEL