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Is rimfire ammo temperature sensitive?

Low 20's and cloudy at the range today and after about an hour we started having FTF's at a much higher rate than usual. Ammo was CCI, Federal and Remington. We were getting good strikes on the rims but no pop. I'd also like suggestions on gun oil for cold weather. Just moved from central Texas to Montana and have some things to learn. Thanks, James
 
Most benchrest guns are run dry . I’ve tried it both ways & when warm haven’t had any known problems. However that cold I would definitely run it dry. Oil in those temps I would think would gum things up. Don’t have an explanation for the ftf & good hits.
You might try some Hobo oil. There’s a guy on this site that sells it. Super slick & you only need a minuscule amount.
Keith
 
yes, it is temperature sensitive.

My experience with cold temps in western washington...some fellow silhouette shooters that did nothing to moderate the temp of their ammo noted their POI at 100 meters could be as much as an additional 4-6" below their POA. I kept my ammo in my range kit nestled up to a chemical handwarmer; also kept a handwarmer in my pocket with loaded magazines and did not experience the impact drop. This only happened when temps dropped into the 30's or below. 40's and above everything was copacetic. I also experimented with Lapua Biathlon ammo. It must use a slightly hotter powder as its listed fps was slightly higher than standard velocity ammo. It worked, too, but the expense (to me) was not warranted for what I was doing.

FWIW, I use hobo oil - it doesn't seem to be temp sensitive into the low 30's here in Central Texas. Can't speak to temps lower than that.
 
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I just clean the bolt with varsol or paint thinner and blow it out with air. That is about as thin a petroleum distillate as you can get. Way thinner than any synthetic gun oil I have come across. Works for me down to 0F.
 
There have been articles about test performed on 22 rimfire ammo in cold temps and the ones I have read seem to agree that abour 40-45 degrees the accuracy begins to degrade. As noted above the biathlon ammo is formulated for cold temps and performs better however it is expensive. If you can keep ammo warm it minimizes the effect the cold has on it though. I often shoot in temps down to the 20's and I keep the ammo in an inside pocket so that it is warmed by body heat.

drover
 
10 shot groups shot yesterday at 50 m, in 20F, from the bench, wind <5mph. Ammo stored overnight in garage at about 40F, and no attempt to keep it warm at range. 2 different rifles, both tuner and sight settings developed in warmer weather, and not changed. 3 lots of Tenex, 1 lot of Midas+, 3 lots of R50. Package marked average lot speeds ranged from 1056 - 1092 fps.

No FTF, though chambering effort increase over session as excess lube built up.

Group sizes from .249 - .537" (.43 - .93 moa) with group mean radii .078 -.178"

Group sizes may be a little larger than in temperate weather, but I don’t see evidence of the kind of gross temperature related degradation others report. Clearly not a comprehensive test, but certainly indicative.
 

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