Ammo for cold weather ?

[1911nut]

I found that at 50* and below CenterX groups open up, Pistol King, ammo that shoots the smallest in my 40X, falls apart below 60*.

Yesterday I shot Lapua Polar Biathlon and Biathlon Extreme at 60 up to 65* to see how my gun likes them. About 1 in 10 rounds from both had high velocity “Cracks” - supersonic. the listed velocity for the biathlon ammo is 1106; CenterX is 1073, explains the “crack”. And I’m shooting at 8000 ft elevation.

Neither shot as well in my 40x as Pistol King which never has a high velocity crack. Polar Biathlon shot a bit tighter than Biathlon Extreme.

I’ll try again when it gets below freezing. Guessing the velocity will be lower at low temperatures as it’s designed for biathlon.

Anyone have experience with Biathlon ammo at cold temperatures?

 

[grauhanen]

Regardless of what variety of ammo used, it's never the name on the box that factors in whether the ammo performs well in a particular rifle. Performance varies by lot with any variety of match ammo -- be it a variety of biathlon ammo or Midas + or Tenex. Look for the lot that performs well, not the variety.

When temperatures become cooler, shooters can expect MV to decrease. The key is to keep ammo at a consistent temperature, either ambient or warmer. Biathlon ammo is usually a faster MV so that it can perform more closely to SV ammo at colder temperatures. A potentially important factor distinguishing some biathlon ammos from other match ammo is that it may be lubricated differently. In cold temperatures, the standard lubrication of match ammos may perform less efficiently.

 

[moondog]

Mine shoots BiathlonX better than their other flavors. It does NOT have the waxy lube. It is some sort of dry lube that does not come off on your fingers. It is definitely faster. Mine trues up at 1115 fps @ 7000 ft alt. 85* I'm guessing it will slow down in the winter. Does foul the barrel really bad with lead in high temperatures. I mean really bad. Comes out super easy, but cost me a match.