Cold! Still Shoot?

[Whitworth]

My shop has a window with an attached bench and 100 yard target. Shop has heat, telephone, internet, satellite TV, comfortable furniture, and cold beer. The walk to the target really sucks though, it's uphill both ways.

I see you have to rough it like me So far it has been nice and mild here just below the Mason Dixon Line.

 

[stevenjay1]

At 73 I know my limits. With 20 inches of snow it’s time to stay by the fire with a hot cup of coffee.

 

[Ames]

Good plan!

 

[Tumbledown]

There's a local shoot tomorrow (Sunday.) Temps overnight in the upper 20s, Sunday highs in the mid 30s. I could do that, but the 10-15mph winds knock the wind chill back into the 20s. I'm not spending several hours outside in that for "fun." Cold air is one thing, but cold wind cuts to the bone.

 

[Thunder14]

I shoot all winter long here in NE PA it can be a little challenging when its in the low twenties and teens, fingers don’t work as well,but it is still better than sitting in the house.then it gives you a reason to be in the shop casting more balls and making patches and wads.And of corse i have my shooting partners they love when i shoot.

 

[Spikebuck]

I'm fortunate to be able to step out my door and shoot. When really cold ( below zero F) I have shot by loading inside the door, go out and shoot it, back in...repeat. Only do that when there's something in particular I'm working on vs pleasure shooting. I have left my gun out to get good and cold then shoot it just to see if there's any minute-of-deer accuracy changes to be aware of.

 

[Josephg]

I'm fortunate to be able to step out my door and shoot. When really cold ( below zero F) I have shot by loading inside the door, go out and shoot it, back in...repeat. Only do that when there's something in particular I'm working on vs pleasure shooting. I have left my gun out to get good and cold then shoot it just to see if there's any minute-of-deer accuracy changes to be aware of.

Any difference with a frozen gun?

 

[Spikebuck]

Any difference with a frozen gun?

I have not found any material difference. I think heavy clothing may have more impact than the cold loaded gun. Severly cold weather can impact your shooting with the extra bulk on, so I think if one is going to hunt in these conditions it's good to practice in them to be sure /aware of any changes it may cause.

 

[Richard Dittman]

Besides dressing for the temperature, I have a pair of sweat bands and put a couple of flexible hand warmers under the sweat bands. Helps keep my hands warm.

 

[Tanglefoot]

In 1975-76, I was on a job in New Hampshire and joined the Pennichuck ML club in Nashua. One of the members had a large cabin in extreme northern New Hampshire, 7 miles from the Canadian border where he hosted what they called the "Bunny Blunder" every February. Well, in February 1976 I was invited to participate --- a long weekend hunt for Snowshoe Hares at about -20 degrees F, hunting in deep snow on snowshoes. It was an "interesting" experience --- once. I used a homemade lube made with beeswax and Crisco then and it worked fine. Didn't freeze.

 

[Shooter1]

Prefer fall. ju

st long sleeves and cook fire needed.

 

[Carbon 6]

I was talking to a friend the other day, and we were reminiscing about the old days hunting in the cold and he said the coldest time he remembered was the time we hunted and he tore his boot. It wasn't that cold, -10f maybe, but wet feet turn bad fast in that weather. He thought he could tough it out, but on the way back we had to stop, he could go no further. Still a couple miles from home. I cleared off a log and sat him down and went to making a fire. We dried his boots and socks next to the fire while I stuck his feet under my armpits under my coat to warm them. We were both dry and toasty by the time we left. Not the first time I've had to make a small fire to keep warm in the field.

 

[SOLANCO]

If I really just GOTTA shoot? I know a spot on a south facing slope out of the prevailing winds. Very unlikely to make a whole day of it though. Make camp about ten feet from the wood stove when I get home.
Used to enjoy cold winter weather. Even out in snow or cold rain. Once I got into decades six and seven I came to understand people who went South for the winter.
PS- I don't trust anything but wool to stay warm when wet.

 

[SDSmlf]

I personally find it miserable to shoot muzzleloaders when it’s cold.

View attachment 52917
My fingers get so numb and I can’t even feel the things right and end up spilling powder and dropping balls and it’s just not so nice.

Anyone else out there on the internet still shoot during the winter and if so what are some tips n’ tricks to do it without suffering?

Just how cold does it get in Vegas?

 

[Griz44Mag]

I personally find it miserable to shoot muzzleloaders when it’s cold.

View attachment 52917
My fingers get so numb and I can’t even feel the things right and end up spilling powder and dropping balls and it’s just not so nice.

Anyone else out there on the internet still shoot during the winter and if so what are some tips n’ tricks to do it without suffering?

I love the cold weather. On Tuesday I got up and the thermometer said 28F. I grabbed my Dixie 50 cal and went to the range.
There was almost no wind, so the cool weather was not really a factor. I don't like the cooler temps if the wind is howling.

 

[pwbsmokey]

I personally find it miserable to shoot muzzleloaders when it’s cold.

View attachment 52917
My fingers get so numb and I can’t even feel the things right and end up spilling powder and dropping balls and it’s just not so nice.

Anyone else out there on the internet still shoot during the winter and if so what are some tips n’ tricks to do it without suffering?

What kind of temperatures are we talking about?

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

What kind of temperatures are we talking about?

I'm talking in the negative 30s or 40s. Once it get lower than about negative 30 it doesn't become too fun.

 

[Shooter1]

Learned that lesson years ago. At more than 40 below we had to light a candle in the outhouse before stripping down to sit. Coldest winter I ever live in.

 

[Ames]

Once you hit 30 below I can hold my movements until better conditions present themselves.
The upside of shooting in the winter, any temp, is you can pick up your patches real easy off the snow.

 

[Josephg]

When it gets -30 in my mud room, it hurts the skin on my legs to walk to the garage and back. Maybe fifty feet, and that's with my pants on. Trying to shoot in those conditions is not fun for me and I have nothing to prove.