Brrrrr...Shooting in the cold.

[bfiles]

Not sure if this is the right forum but temp-consistency is a reloading topic so...I’m registered for a match this weekend in temps that promise to struggle to climb above -10C. I’ve been toying with the idea of throwing all the ammo in a lunchbox cooler with a chemical hand warmer or two to see if I can keep them warm-ish through the course...probably 5 hours.

Just having the ammo in my usual setup means that the first stage will be shot with room temp ammo and by the end of the day, everything will be well below freezing. If I was just going to the range, I’d usually slip the next magazine’s worth of bullets in my overall’s internal pocket for a little body heat but thats less practical for 80 rounds over a day.

Any thoughts? Too late to buy fancy gadgets and this isn’t group shooting so absolute temp consistency isnt my requirement. I’d just like to keep everything up between perhaps 0C and 5C.

Cheers

 

[Richard Jones]

Daughter used to stick hand warmers in the magwell of her open gun when we were shooting IPSC................... she could have cared less about the ammo!!! She was a bluebird weather shooter if there ever was one.

 

[Ringostar]

It’s certainly worth a try. I’ve seen guys do the same thing, only with an ice pack in hot weather.

 

[jackson1]

Get your self an electric jacket and keep them in there along with yourself. I use one for skeet shooting, but rarely visit the rifle range when temps are below 20 degrees F. The older I get the higher my minimum shooting temperature climbs.

 

[bfiles]

I do a lot of shooting in the fall and winter often in temps in the high teens and twenties (F) but I rarely have to rely on 80 rounds that will sit outside all day to get through a match. Hard to keep that much ammo in my jacket and also move around barricades and such but an electric jacket is a great idea. Brrrr.

 

[JimSC]

insulated soft lunch pail and a adjustable rechargeable hand warmer. Friend who shoots smallbore and rimfire benchrest carries his ammo in one of those with a icepack in the summer and a hand warmer in winter

 

[Plumsask]

I Feel your pain, this is our forecast for tomorrow- still debating about going out for some coyotes.

 

[bfiles]

Cold, windy and high humidity. It’s the trifecta of suck.

 

[6ShotsOr5?]

Your plan sounds good but take an extra few chemical packs and throw them in after a few hours. Maybe you will win by default when nobody else shows up.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Ammo temp is the most important part of it. Rifle and air can be cold but if the ammo is warm ( and you tuned it for warm) you will be ok. A tuning trick I have used is to warm up or cool down my ammo to bring it back into tune.

 

[Dgd6mm]

Well it's 10am est. here in North Florida. How's it going? My temp is 58* 100% humidity with flash flood warnings. Is is of course in the forecast. I've never shot in weather below the high teens.

 

[bobm]

If he is shooting on the west slope it's warmer there. Here on the east slope it has warmed up 4 degrees since 6am, with light snow.

 

[bfiles]

Well, too foggy. Match cancelled. -4F/-20C at the house at 0700. I’ll have to try my ammo lunchbox next time. Good thing, I suppose. I’ll be the first to admit I struggle to be consistent with that much clothing between me and the rifle. Thanks, everyone, for all the ideas/thoughts.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

-17 F the other night, unfortunately for the coyote the temp did not effect the poi. 115 yards 204 r BIB bullet. I had sat in the blind(pop up) for 3 hrs before the shot.