Winter Range Shooting

I am so new to guns, so I have a lot of questions. This one has to do with target shooting in cold weather. My husband has rifles and has hunted for years, so I know that they are not affected by cold when shooting.

But I have my LC9s and a SR22 and like to shoot target a lot. Here in SW Minnesota, we are limited to outdoor ranges (and my back yard). So for me to get any practice, I will need to shoot in some cold temperatures. So my question is, does extreme cold affect the way the pistols shoot or the way the ammo flies?

rowanfae22 said:

I am so new to guns, so I have a lot of questions. This one has to do with target shooting in cold weather. My husband has rifles and has hunted for years, so I know that they are not affected by cold when shooting.

But I have my LC9s and a SR22 and like to shoot target a lot. Here in SW Minnesota, we are limited to outdoor ranges (and my back yard). So for me to get any practice, I will need to shoot in some cold temperatures. So my question is, does extreme cold affect the way the pistols shoot or the way the ammo flies?

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Not noticeably for handguns. However, lubrication can thicken in extreme cold (-20 or so) and possibly result in a stiffer trigger or slightly slower cycling. You should be ok, but if you notice this behavior in your guns, clean the lube off and use a dry lube or other cold weather recommended product on the moving parts. Here's a little info that might help:

https://aegisacademy.com/gun-lubricants/

Over here in Maine I'm faced with the same cold and I find synthetic oil on my semi-auto's work just fine.

Assuming the gun starts from a heated house, then moves to a heated car. Then it exposed to the elements for only a matter of minutes I really don't think the temp. will affect it's reliability. After firing only a couple of magazines the gun especially the internals will warm to a temperature higher than if it had been sitting unfired on a 70 degree day. Even firing somewhat slowly over the course of a one hour range trip you may be surprised to find the gun still builds up some heat and is still warm to the touch despite the cold of the outdoors when you are done.

Cold weather is a major and real issue for those who carry for extended periods of time. Or may have to leave a firearm exposed to extreme cold for many hours or even days. But for a few minutes from your car to the firing line shouldn't be an issue I think.

I use a product called EEZOX for cleaning and lubricating firearms. It dries and lubricates dry. It is superior in cold weather as well as warm weather. Some gun shops stock it but I usually buy it online. I recommend trying it.

rowanfae22 said:

I am so new to guns, so I have a lot of questions. This one has to do with target shooting in cold weather. My husband has rifles and has hunted for years, so I know that they are not affected by cold when shooting.

But I have my LC9s and a SR22 and like to shoot target a lot. Here in SW Minnesota, we are limited to outdoor ranges (and my back yard). So for me to get any practice, I will need to shoot in some cold temperatures. So my question is, does extreme cold affect the way the pistols shoot or the way the ammo flies?

Click to expand...

In terms of how the bullets perform, I doubt there is going to be a noticeable difference. I suppose if you checked velocity with a Chronograph and compared it to equivalent data from a summer session, you could probably measure some difference, but in practice its not likely to matter.

As others have stated, cold weather will tend to gum up your semi auto due to gun oil turning into a gel at cold temps. So, clean em up first, lube with something thin like RemOil and keep them warm (if practical) before shooting.

Stay warm and Shoot straight.

I had my Redhawk in Barrow, Alaska and took it to the gravel pit to shoot at minus 20 degrees F. It shot fine, but was stiff. The Eskimo lube very lightly. Military personnel told me they didn't lube at all. I stripped the lube from the Redhawk with alcohol swabs, and tried another day. It shot as well as at home in Tn. Good luck!
gramps

Winter time is when I shoot up all my cases that are at the end of their useful reloading life. Give 'em a proper send off in the pasture.

get a pair of "shooting gloves " for winter or a pair of ultra thin leather gloves will work too. Then you will still have feeling in your fingers, and can pull the trigger. helped me a lot, my range is outdoors, no heat.