Shooting in the cold

[sdh1911]

Over the years I have pretty much been a fair weather shooter. I was talking with one of my friends today and he is shooting year round. I don't know if he was yanking me or what, but, he said bullets don't fly as straight when its bitter out. Could this be due to the shaky platform or is there really something to it? I've been shooting for the better part of my 50 years and never gave it much thought till he said that. SDH

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[Brewster]

I shoot year round.

Matter of fact, I went to range, 1 hour from my place, in a snow storm. When I got there, the owner was surpised to see anyone out.

I told him the Mother-In Law was visiting...

He laughed...

Anyhow. I've never really noticed a difference myself, I see more diff based on my style...

[Klunk]

Ithink accuracy suffers...

I also think the potential for breakage goes up...cold metal is brittle

I had a locking lug shear off during a milshoot on a No1Mk3....It was a cold and windy day

[tiriaq]

If its cold enough, ammunition performance can be affected. The powder just doesn't burn the same as at more moderate temperatures, so velocity is affected. During the first day of trials in Yellowknife for the selection of the NWT .22 metallic silhouette team for the Arctic Winter Games, the temperature was -45 degrees. You could easily see the bullet through the scope, and the barrel had to be brushed every 5 shots otherwise accuracy became none existant. The next day it warmed up to -20, but the wind increased to the point that the long range targets were barely visible in blowing snow, and the silhouettes were being blown off the rails. I have also noticed that gunshots are not as loud when it is very cold.

[Garand]

I shot a WW II re-enactor match in Wainwright Alberta last weekend, it was a balmy -8C. Fantastic day on the range. I used magnum primers on my reloads, for more positive ignition.

[bearhunter]

I find with the older powders I have on had that they are very temperature sensetive. Especially 3031 or BLC 2. The velocity is down considerably from optimal and so from the looks of everything else are the pressures.

On the other hand, the reverse is true, in very warm temperatures, the velocities and pressures are both way up.

At temperature extremes, the older powders are quite erratic. The new powders seem to have opened up the parameters quite a bit.

Last year when I was useing Varget in a Tikka T3, I found that a very accurate load developed dureing the fall in 0 - +5 C temps, was shooting low and to the left in temps that were around -30C. Lucky coyotes.

The phenomena you describe seems normal to me. bearhunter

[Claven2]

I find I can't bench shoot worth a damn in the very cold weather, mostly because my breathing and shivering are affecting the outcome. For some reason though, I shoot pistol better in the cold...?

[stencollector]

A few years ago when all that 1942 ex-Indian 303 was available on Vickers belts, I noticed that as it got colder, you could actually hear the firing pin "click" before the bullet would fly.
This year I used 70s Greek 303. While sighting in the T at about -20, I found that initially my groups were very tight while the ammo was still warm, and the groups really spread as the ammo (and me, and the rifle) got colder. I don't think it was the cold affecting me, as I had dressed for the weather, so it would be either the rifle or the ammo.

I recently picked up the last case of 600 rounds of the greek available locally, all on stripper clips and bandoleers. I'll use this for the winter matches. I also picked up 900 rounds of DA 44,45, and 50s dated rounds I'll use for the summer matches.

Shilo's Battle of the Bulge experienced -30 temps in the morning, and it hovered around -27 until the blizzard moved in, at which time it warmed up to -14. We had no equipment failures, but did have a few cases of frostbite. The sniper shot proved very challenging (a huns head target in the bell tower of a mock church at just under 400 yds) yet I saw one of the older shooters knock it down with iron sights on a sporterised no4 on his 2nd or third shot.

[Badger]

When I took my sniper training, we were taught as a general rule of thumb, for one MOA for every 20 degrees Fahrenheit higher in temperature, the higher the strike of the bullet. The lower the temp, the lower the strike on the target.

If we zeroed our rifles in the summer at 80f degrees and the temperature we shot at dropped to 20f degrees, we could experience a “drop” of up to 3” at 100 meters, or up to 9” at 300 meters etc etc etc......

Regards,
Badger

[Dimitri]

Badger,

Thanks for that tip I'll keep it in mind while shooting

I wonder if using a mag primer with ball powder would help the powder to be less tempurature effected ?? Since essencially military primers are mag primers (according to CCI with their Mil-Spec Primers) and militaries do use ball powders I belive.

Dimitri