Cold Weather Shooting Tips

[Trent]

(Reposting a post I made in competition shooting forum, in General, at the request of the moderator Taliv)

With cold weather hitting this weekend / week, and some of us being nuts enough to go shooting in it, here's Trent's cold tips. This advice was made for competitors Sunday in a High Power shoot I run, but can be applied to anyone who's going to be shooting in extreme cold:

Clean ALL oil out of your firearms. Gun oil will solidify at these temperatures and your firearm will quit functioning.

DO NOT bring your gun in to the warm shoot house or a warm car. Condensation will form on all parts. Then when you take it back outside it will freeze up SOLID.

WIPE DOWN moving parts on your gun with a dry rag after shooting a relay / string (do it often). It will warm up when fired, then as it cools, moisture will condense on the gun. Then when the gun cools fully, it will freeze up.

DO NOT touch bare metal with bare skin when it is subzero. You can freeze your skin to the gun, especially if you just pulled your clammy somewhat-sweaty hand out of a warm glove. (And definitely don't lick the damn thing, your tongue will stick to it).

COLD can become all you think about, when you are cold. This distracts you from what you really need to be concerned with at the moment - the lethal device in your hands. You have to be super-conscious of muzzle discipline and safety when it is this cold.

Cold fingers, or GLOVED fingers, can't work complicated equipment or feel things. Be ESPECIALLY wary of putting your finger on the trigger when you are cold. You will NOT feel the trigger, or feel how hard you are squeezing it. This can lead to negligent discharges. YOU MUST KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER AT ALL TIMES UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON YOUR TARGET. More than EVER, you have to consciously do this. Because otherwise you WILL have a negligent discharge.

Your COAT is a CUSHION. Make sure you squeeze the rifle in to your shoulder with more force than normal. Especially if you have an automatic. Otherwise you might find that one shot you meant to fire turn in to a three round burst as the firearm rebounds off your coat, causing your finger to actuate the trigger accidentally.. and repeat a few times...

Things HURT more when you are cold. Be careful loading magazines, loading rifles, checking if they are clear. If you smack your hand, it will be REALLY damn painful. Meanwhile you have a (potentially loaded) lethal device in your hands that you are not paying attention to because you are jumping up and down cussing at yourself for being so stupid.

SHOOTING IS LESS FUN IN THE WINTER. It is far more uncomfortable. It is even painful at times. But it can still be done. And it can still be enjoyed, if you take the time to prepare yourself.

Two hours before the match, go sit outside with what you plan to wear to the match for 30 to 45 minutes. As parts of your body start to chill, take note. When you go inside add more clothing there (double up on socks, get a scarf/tshirt/balaclava to wrap your head, etc). I'll even double up on blue jeans on top of thermals when its real cold. It don't matter if you look liked a stuffed sausage, if you are warm and the other guy is freezing you'll be much happier than them.

Finally; BE SAFE. This sport is much more dangerous to humans, when the temps get this low. Accidents, negligent discharges, frostbite, hypothermia, slipping and falling with a gun, all of these things which are normally very manageable risks, can become elevated risks, when you are dealing with loaded firearms. Cold is a distraction, so keep yourself focused.

Take your time, and prepare, and you'll be fine!

Some additional thoughts;

If you shoot this upcoming week (in most of the country) you will be shooting in lethal weather. An unprotected human in -5 to -10 degrees Farenheit, can develop frostbite on the extremities in as little as 10 minutes.

Even *driving* to the range (or grocery store, for that matter) can be hazardous for many of us, if you are stuck in the snow, have an accident, or your car doesn't start when you get in to leave the range, you may suddenly find yourself in a "survival" situation. If you aren't properly dressed or have the right tools to keep warm, you might find yourself with injuries by the time authorities (or a tow truck) can get to you. Something as simple as a rolled up blanket in the back seat may save your life (or at least your ears, toes, fingers...)

People have already, and will continue, to die from cold this week, so use caution.

On the other hand, it is a *great* opportunity (for some select, crazy few people) to go out and test yourself, and your gear.

One more thing; I know there are some "true" northerners from Alaska, etc on this board, so if want to contribute or make corrections, by all means please do.

 

[mljdeckard]

I have never experienced condensation freezing a gun, probably because I live in the desert.And as cold as it gets here, I have never had oil freeze up either, but I have never tried to run a gun REALLY HARD in winter either. If I were concerned, I would probably use really thin motor oil, like 5W30 synthetic.

My main concern for winter shooting is trying to stay warm while I have to sit motionless calling coyotes on the desert plains in Utah, and not shivering when I have to make the shot.

 

[mljdeckard]

And yes, I tell my students to think of practical life considerations. If you got out without a coat because you think you won't be going outside, and then you are in a defensive encounter of some kind, (or even just get a flat tire,) you are now looking at being out in the cold for a very long time, and being at risk for cold weather injuries. I think an MRE, a blanket, a first aid kit, a small shovel, and a gallon of water should be in every car all the time.

 

[oneounceload]

Best cold weather shooting too?
Move to someplace WARM!

 

[Starter52]

Great advice, Trent.

In my younger days I shot trap in a winter league in New Hampshire, and we dealt with many of the problems that you mentioned.

 

[Trent]

I have never experienced condensation freezing a gun, probably because I live in the desert.And as cold as it gets here, I have never had oil freeze up either, but I have never tried to run a gun REALLY HARD in winter either. If I were concerned, I would probably use really thin motor oil, like 5W30 synthetic.

I experienced condensation problems Thursday. It was in the teens, and the safety froze in place on my rifle. Warm house to cold car, half hour drive and setup of targets, chamber a round... couldn't take the safety off the rifle!

Tried to light my lighter to warm it up but I had my butane lighter in my coat pocket; couldn't get a flame because the butane was too cold (pressure too low). I warmed it up in my mouth and then it lit fine.

Held the flame under the safety for a few seconds and it started working again.

 

[Ryanxia]

I don't do matches but going to the range in really cold temperature I don't do anything different with my guns, I don't wipe the lube off or anything but I'm only out there for 2-3 hours (like today). Although it was only -3°. Being in the north I should know but I need to do some extreme cold weather testing on my gear, Thursday would've been perfect it was like -32 at night.

It was mentioned about keeping a gallon of water in your vehicle, in the winter it's just a block of ice and there's plenty of snow/ice around for that already
Of course you could bring it in and out each trip but who's gonna do that all winter?

 

[mljdeckard]

Where I am it it often cold AND dry. Frozen water is better than NO water.

 

[taliv]

the mammoth sniper challenge is going on this weekend. about 100 guys are involved, half of which are competing in the 'extreme tough man' division which means they have to sleep outside and carry everything except water with them from friday to sunday, and walk roughly 3-4 miles between stages (up and down the hills in KY with all their gear, keeping a 20 minute mile pace or faster). apparently, it rained right before it froze thursday evening, so there's a good bit of ice out there. i imagine people are dropping like flies, but i haven't heard yet. will definitely be interesting to hear the AAR

in that kind of shooting in the cold, most of the problems you see are people huffing and puffing and breathing on their ocular scope lens, which then freezes instantly making your scope worthless til you thaw it out. or your bolt freezing shut. etc

 

[Trent]

Taliv that sounds like fun. Is that an annual thing? Whereabouts in Kentucky? I'm about 6 hours from Louisville.

 

[jr_roosa]

Two hours before the match, go sit outside with what you plan to wear to the match for 30 to 45 minutes. As parts of your body start to chill, take note. When you go inside add more clothing there (double up on socks, get a scarf/tshirt/balaclava to wrap your head, etc). I'll even double up on blue jeans on top of thermals when its real cold. It don't matter if you look liked a stuffed sausage, if you are warm and the other guy is freezing you'll be much happier than them.

I don't agree 100% with this. Parts that feel cold are probably losing less heat than those parts that don't. Your head will dump a ton of heat and never really feel that cold. You can freeze your hands and feet to the point where they fall off and never drop your core temp.

If your hands and feet are getting cold, make sure you have a good hat and insulation on your torso before you try to load up on thicker gloves and socks to fix the problem. Areas that dump heat and are easy to forget are your neck and face, and your groin/buttocks. Also pay attention to what you are sitting on...it will sap away heat quickly by conduction.

Some day someone will make super thick fleece or poly fill boxer shorts, and I'll pick up half a dozen.

-J.

 

[FinnComm]

and a gallon of water should be in every car all the time.

But please be careful that the water doesn't freeze. One of my pre-winter car checks is to make sure all water bottles and beer cans are removed from the boot and from under seats. Otherwise they freeze, split, and once your car is back in a warm garage, leak liquid everywhere..

 

[J-Bar]

Funny tangent:

Several years ago I got stuck in traffic on a large city freeway during a blizzard at rush hour. We were moving at the rate of about 1/2 mile an hour. Four lanes each way were a very long parking lot. After a couple of hours my bladder pressure reached critical. I had just purchased a gallon jug of windshield washer fluid at my last gas station fill-up, and it was on the front seat beside me...I had not taken the time to refill the reservoir. So I rolled down my window, dumped the washer stuff, peed into the empty jug, and screwed the lid back on. The drivers on either side of me were so concerned with the creeping traffic they never noticed. Or if they did, they were kind enough not to indicate it. The relief made the storm almost enjoyable.

So in bad weather, I keep an empty jug on the passenger floorboard, just in case.

And now, back to our regular programming...

What about graphite as a cold weather lube? Anyone use it or have experience with it?

 

[Library Guy]

There is a temperature when conventional lubricants will cease to lubricate. I don’t expect to be shooting in such temps because I know I will fail before my gun oil fails.

Besides, I don’t think my car will take me to the range if it is cold enough to 'solidify' oil and grease.

Semper circa,
LG Roy

 

[Trent]

I don't agree 100% with this. Parts that feel cold are probably losing less heat than those parts that don't. Your head will dump a ton of heat and never really feel that cold. You can freeze your hands and feet to the point where they fall off and never drop your core temp.

If your hands and feet are getting cold, make sure you have a good hat and insulation on your torso before you try to load up on thicker gloves and socks to fix the problem. Areas that dump heat and are easy to forget are your neck and face, and your groin/buttocks. Also pay attention to what you are sitting on...it will sap away heat quickly by conduction.

Some day someone will make super thick fleece or poly fill boxer shorts, and I'll pick up half a dozen.

-J.

Good points, J. From an overall body temp perspective the core temp is what is critical to survival, but it doesn't mean you aren't risking other parts along the way.

The big warning sign is uncontrollable shivering. If you start getting uncontrollable tremors and loss of fine motor control, you're entering the danger zone. This is far different from general pain and discomfort from cold. It's your body telling you "I need to warm up RIGHT NOW".

If you are not dangerously under-dressed, physical exertion can solve this temporarily. I've been out in subzero weather in a light jacket splitting wood or shoveling snow before and had to discard the jacket when I started sweating. If I were to sit stationary it would have only taken 15-20 minutes before I started getting early signs of hypothermia.

If you find yourself under-dressed and stranded, don't just SIT there and shiver. Do some push-ups. Sit-ups. Jog. That'll turn stored calories in to heat, and you can keep it up until you starve to death. You can't do it while you sleep though so you need to have a thermal layer handy (blanket, etc) to trap your body heat while you are idle.

To keep this on topic, when I go rifle shooting in sub zero weather, if I start to lose fine motor skills, I'll jog to my targets (vs. driving), to keep my body temp up, or do some push-ups in between shots from prone. Keeping the heart rate up also means you have to pay more attention to the fundamentals your shot, so it's a really useful, and easy to do thing, to improve marksmanship skills. It keeps you from growing complacent and reinforces trigger control, relaxation, etc. (Even in the summer months).

As far as sitting on cold surfaces, I've discovered a lot of things goose hunting in past Januaries. One of them is to put my backpack under my behind. Another is to keep a rolled up blanket in the backpack, to put over you. Sitting stationary in single digits for an extended time sucks, but those birds will still fly with frost on their wings.

 

[Trent]

What about graphite as a cold weather lube? Anyone use it or have experience with it?

I remember reading graphite is not great for a firearms lubricant due to interactions with certain metals. (Aluminum?)

We've got some smart metallurgy folks on the board so maybe one of them will see this and chime in.

Silicone sprays that form a dry lubricant after evaporation work pretty well.

Remington makes a teflon one that is supposed to be good for -40F.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/103872/remington-rem-drilube-4-oz-aerosol

 

[gdcpony]

I can't speak for any colder than OH. Riding motorcycles and hunting in sub-zero temps there taught me the value of insulation and isolation. Insulate from the temperature with warming layers. Then isolate from the wind with an outer layer that stops it- preferably a breathable one though. The USMC gortex set is a great example, and I wear my riding rain suit even on clear days if it is COLD just for that.

 

[taliv]

mammoth is a yearly match. i believe the first one was in 2011 and was like 11* and 30mph wind. probably the most miserable match of my career.


btw, i'm DEFINITELY going shooting monday when it gets super cold

 

[Potatohead]

Remove the oil?
Does this mean dont have any lube? Or is their something else I can use? Is lithium grease a no no?

Or in Alabama do I not really have to worry with all of this..?

 

[gdcpony]

Remove the oil?
Does this mean dont have any lube? Or is their something else I can use? Is lithium grease a no no?

Or in Alabama do I not really have to worry with all of this..?

I doubt you will. I think they are referencing REAL cold temps. I have never had a failure of my firearms/bow due to cold freezing the lube. At the same time, I don't leave them dripping either, just a thin coat.

Others may chime in if I missed the point of the thread.

 

[rodregier]

Magazine loaders are especially useful when you're wearing gloves or your fingers are stiff.

Breathing on eyepieces will fog them up, "permanently" if you are in very cold temps. A scarf or other mouth covering will reduce this issue. Apparently that is one of the reason why many Soviet bloc long gun optics have extended rubber eyepiece cushions.

Using a winter trigger guard with gloves increases the chances of a negligent discharge, be diligent.

Re-warming an extremity is always more difficult than keeping it warm to begin with. Try to stay "ahead of the curve" for warm clothing esp gloves, rather than trying to play catchup.

Polypropylene or wool base layers are your friend, esp for socks.

 

[Trent]

It's pretty nippy out there today. Range was inaccessible due to snow drifts (the plow trucks were even recalled by the county), so I went for a hike out back instead.



Think the fish are biting?



The only animal tracks I saw were from me; that stupid human that isn't smart enough to stay inside where it's warm.

 

[d2wing]

I used to use graphite with moly in my semi auto rifles and that worked just fine, I have hunted in -10 air temps. But I found it is slightly corrosive, especially on plastics. A very light synthetic lube wiped on, not poured works. Also keep moving parts clean helps as crud can freeze parts together. A well used gun should not need much lube. When it is very cold I wear polypropylene or silk long underwear, no cotton, and fleece over that. Loose fitting sweats or wool clothes topped with wind proof insulated coveralls. For head wear, a pull over face mask and a wind proof hood or hat and a hand warmer in a shirt pocket, and in each glove and each insulated boot. Peel off layers if you move around so you don't sweat.
Modern gear makes it way better than when I was a kid. It is -10 out now and it is in the afternoon. It will get cold tonight. I have worked in much worse. At -15 it becomes much more unpleasant and dangerous.

 

[benEzra]

I remember reading graphite is not great for a firearms lubricant due to interactions with certain metals. (Aluminum?)

Yep. Graphite promotes galvanic corrosion in aluminum and a few other fairly reactive metals (notably magnesium and zinc), which is why it's generally prohibited for most aviation uses. Anodized aluminum might be OK until finish wear exposes some bare metal somewhere, and then it's on...

http://www.mechanicsupport.com/graphite_antiseize.html

If you're shooting an all-steel gun in low humidity or far from the ocean, graphite probably won't hurt anything, but on an aluminum-alloy gun like an AR, you could have corrosion issues. If I understand correctly, graphite can also promote steel and copper corrosion in the presence of salt, and graphite becomes an abrasive when it gets hot and the adsorbed water is driven out.

 

[Trent]

Thanks Ben! I asked that very same question about 3 years ago on THR. So I knew someone on here would know for sure.

Back to the cold:

We have a colder forecast here the next 2 days, than at Deadhorse airfield, Alaska. (Prudhoe Bay) MAN that's cold. It's going to be 50 degrees colder here in Central IL, than Anchorage or Juneau, tonight.

We don't often get the opportunity to experience these conditions here, so I'm with Taliv on this one - no matter what, I'm going shooting tomorrow. If I can prove my gear in these conditions, it will put all doubt out of my head in the future, planning hunting trips / etc. I'd rather learn any additional lessons close by home, than 1200 miles away on the face of some mountain where there's no going back for a do-over.