How cold is too cold for you to shoot?

[tom_in_vt]

I really don’t mind it if it’s down to -25° or so. As long as it’s not windy, it’s not that bad. If it’s windy, forget it.

 

[david w]

I really don’t mind it if it’s down to -25° or so. As long as it’s not windy, it’s not that bad. If it’s windy, forget it.

I got cold reading your post!

 

[Ed Pilkington]

I’m 83 young…just let me out!!!!

 

[J.Campbell63]

I’m in SE Minnesota, if I minded the cold I’d never get to go for half the year.
I dress for it. Usually 3/4 layers. Except jackets. Like the other shootist said,” jackets mess with your 7 points of shooting accuracy” . Gloves are the killer.
I have a army 1858 (repo) I love to shoot and a ‘55 Springfield ( again - repo!) and the musket is easier since I load Burton style mini’s like Pritchett’s ( seems more “civilized”) those are pretty easy. It’s the 1858 Army that gets me sometimes with fingerless gloves. When I start to fumble and drop stuff I sit in the car. I’m 60s vintage so maybe in a few years I will change my ways. So like 10 degrees with no wind ( positive not negative ) is usually the coldest I will do revolver. Musket I’ve been out at -9F. Wasn’t bad. Wasn’t good but not bad either. No one at the range !

 

[sportster73hp]

When i asked this question i never expected it to last this long with so many responses. Right now the range is snowed in and i may have to take my snowshoes to hang targets.
Thanks for all your responses

 

[oldwood]

Wednesday we get a heat wave @ 40 deg.. Goin' out to sight in a .58 Jaeger. Range I use has 'bout 8 ' of steps to tote my stuff down to the covered range. Hope the ice is gone. I use a spotting scope , 'cause I no longer like the back and forth exercise , checking hits on target. Hopefully , 10 to 15 shots , and we're done. File the front sight down to make the hits move up the target to 1" above dead center. Perhaps a touch of left/right for perfection....Done............ oldwood

 

[Cattywompuss]

Since I live in Alabama, never too cold too shoot. I've sat nigh on motionless for a 12 hour shift in subfreezing temps outside in a DFP/PDP, and many times in sub-freezing temps without firing a shot waiting for a mid-sized cervid to wander in front of me and my gun. Wind is a bigger factor than actual cold to me when shooting. If you're asking "How tough are you", the answer is "tough enough to live in rural Alabama despite a vast array of disadvantages that entails in every aspect of life".

 

[Capnball]

I was up in Lewisburg PA over the weekend for their 18th century show. I had to walk about a 1/4 mile on icy gutters from where I parked. By the time I got to the show, my mustache had frozen. I think it was 15 degrees out. That's just too cold to shoot and nearly too cold to go to a show I drove 2-1/2 hrs each way to see.

 

[oldwood]

I didn't attend the Lewisburg show because I didn't want to bring covid , chinese virus , back to my sick wife.

 

[mushka]

I have arthritis n my hands and do a lot of fumbling and drop stuff when I really don't want to. This is when it is somewhat warm. Cold, below about 50 for me things get problematical. I really have to pay attention. It has put a damper on my shooting the BP stuff, especially revolvers. It's affected my shooting as well as my wood carving, I have trouble with buttons. I just have to take it slow and I have to see what I'm working on because of the lack of feeling in the fingers sometimes. It's troublesome but we'll get through it. It boils down to , how bad do you want to do something.

 

[OhioHawkeye]

Never to cold. Cold and wet, yes, but never to cold.

In the Ohio River valley, coldest I've shot is a -15 ºF without Windchill.. That was about 25 years ago but I did get my deer that day.

For me it is the 40º to 20ºF temperatures where it is either raining, or a wet snow to soak through the wool that gets cold. I wear beaver fur chopper mits with wool lining and fingers paired in the mit.....then a slit to poke just my trigger finger out. Range shooting, I've competed at 10ºF. I admit my feet did get a bit cold, but I had modern boots on instead of my warm mukluks or modern snow boots....my fault, not the weather... Love my Canadian cap I inherited from a friend who passes last year. It is so much warmer than my other hat but I do miss the fox hat (colonial style not western fur trade style) One of my pups got it years ago and did a good job killing the game she 'caught'. Yup. I rolled up the newspaper nice and tight. and hit ........MYSELF on the head over and over for leaving it in an accessible spot.

 

[Kmcmichael]

Heavy wind will keep me inside way more than cold. I see no need to attempt to shoot groups with a round ball at 100 yards in gusty winds, especially in a range with high berms that insures different changing directons.