Take a stab at what you think happened here.....

[Hotolds442]

Went out and shot some rounds through the 6.5 WSM, these were the first 4 through the gun at 100 yards. The last time I shot it, it was shooting in the .3's. The rifle was not disassembled or cleaned, and no bolts, barrel nuts, or screws were loose. The barrel and tang are free floated. The nut behind the trigger was shooting well, the rifle was not. All 4 loads were exactly the same. Point of aim was the same for all 4 rounds. Turrets were not adjusted between rounds. The next 4 went into .3 as they should. I know why they hit where they hit. Care to guess why?
http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/y471/chevypowrd/Rifles/2764554606843f165df0daedbb2af7b6_zpsg0yet4aa.jpg

[NW Hunter]

Your rifle is tired of spitting up at 100. It is trying to tell you it wants to go long!:cool:

[Hotolds442]

LOL!
You have inside information. Keep it under your hat and we'll see if anyone can guess.

And yes, it does want to stretch its legs. Im planning on shooting Monday.

[darkker]

The nut behind the trigger was shooting well, the rifle was not.
Well that knocks out a DFO...:cool:
Did your scope let go?

[earl39]

I would say it just needed to clear its throat

[fgw_in_fla]

I always blame the wind.

Even on clear, calm days.

[Hotolds442]

Scope is fine.
Throat was fine.
Wind was not a factor. Although it certainly appears I was shooting the updraft.
All DFO's SHOULD be knocked out!

[fgw_in_fla]

Ya know, what you show in that photo is the reason I stopped de-coppering my barrels. After shooting I remove the carbon and a small amount of the copper but I don't give them a full de-coppering.

Even with a cold, fouled bore most of my rifles will do what you show with a known accurate load.
As soon as they warm up a bit and gather some foul, they're back on mark. Barring anything obvious, I think I'd make note of this and call it "one of those things" - its the character or personality of that barrel.
A perfect example of how they can be just like women. Difficult to deal with when cold. Once warmed up, they perform fine.

[Hotolds442]

Nope, not that either. Rifle prints within .25 on the first shot cold bore.
There is a reason these first 4 rounds printed where they did.

[LongRange]

so many things can cause this...you have ruled out all the simple things so now it leaves the complicated things like....

bullet weld
neck tension
powder charge
seating depth
cases sized to much...what really gets me is how much your point of impact climbed with each shot...my first thought was the reticle broke loose.

[Hotolds442]

Bullet weld and neck tension should be the same across all 4 loads, like I mentioned, all 4 loads were identical in every way.
The answer is really simple, and I would never have guessed this to be the end result.

[LongRange]

if its none of the above the only other thing ive seen cause that was a small rock stuck between the barrel and the stock.

im real interested to hear what was causing this.

[Hotolds442]

No rocks.
I'll share the answer later after a few more have checked in. Someone might even figure it out before then.

[stomp442]

How were the groups shot? Was the first one off a Bi-pod or lead sled while the others are off of a standard rest? Was the barrel being rested on the front rest?

[yobuck]

Wind couldnt be causing that much verticle at 100 yds for sure.
My (guess) would be its bedding related.

[BillPa]

What was the time interval and the lighting conditions between shots 1 and 4?

Bill

[Hotolds442]

All 4 were shot from the bags, stock firmly bedded in sand. There was no barrel contact with anything except the barrel nut and action threads. There was about 4 minutes between shot 1 and 4, lighting was partly cloudy, sun directly overhead....
The rifle is sighted 1" high at 100, and hits there always. Except for this time. Keep guessing......

[homefrontsniper]

Parallax

[wbm]

I have seen this before. Your rifle is "hainted". Best cure is to sacrifice a chicken on the next full moon and put some of the blood on the barrel. Keep the dry blood on the barrel till the next full moon. That will "unhaint" it. However, you really need to find out how it got "hainted" to start with. You could go through a lot of chickens in the future if you don't.

[Hotolds442]

Nah, no hainting going on. Parallax was not it either.