Ankle carry in the car in winter bad idea?

9mm

New member
How hot does the temperature on a cars floor heater gets?

I wonder because, if I ankle carry in winter, and I have my heater on full blast heat at max speed on my ankle near my gun can this damage the ammo?from extream heat in my car to cold air when I hop out.

Can this cause primes to go bad faster? I might just remove the gun and place it in the center console when driving.
 
I wouldn't worry about it. The only problem with ankle carry is that it's a pain in the..........ANKLE:D

I can't think of a worse way to carry a firearm except maybe around your neck with a lanyard.
 
If you have wood grips, I'd worry more about them cracking from the dry heat than worry about my ammo 'going bad'...
 
9mm: How hot does the temperature on a cars floor heater gets?

Not hot enough to burn your ankles to the point you would need medical attention...which is a lot less than the engineered operating temperature of your weapon after it's fired a few rounds. When you are shooting at the range, you don't worry about the remaining rounds in your semi-auto magazine or revolver cylinder. This, despite the fact that the weapon acts as a heat sink for the temperatures generated by rounds already fired. The weapon is designed to function normally despite being very hot. A lot hotter than your car heater could ever make it. In other words...no problem.

9mm: I wonder because, (a) if I ankle carry in winter, and I have my heater on full blast heat at max speed on my ankle near my gun can this damage the ammo? (b) from extream heat in my car to cold air when I hop out.

(a) No.
(b) No. In fact, the opposite is true. The actual threat is rust-forming condensation caused by introducing a frozen weapon back into a heated environment. Your walking around all day in freezing temps will cause condensation to form on the weapon when you climb into a warm car or heated building. A deeply frozen piece of metal (your firearm) will wind up covered in frost (like an air conditioner coil) from the water vapor present in the warm automobile atmosphere. This frost will then melt (as the weapon warms up), remaining as liquid on the metal of the gun. This could potentially cause rust if you fail to wipe the weapon down and apply oil. In practical terms, this means checking your weapon once or twice daily (wait until it approaches room temperature, disassemble, wipe down with a dry rag, and apply a light coat of gun oil).

A few minutes stroll from a parking garage to a restaurant in cold weather is not going to compromise your firearm. However, spending all day hunting in sub-zero weather, then returning to a heated cabin will cause the rust problem I described.

Hundreds of thousands of law enforcement folks in this country get in and out of autos every day during extreme winter temps (with the heaters running). They do this while keeping their issue handguns secure in retention duty holsters. They don't have any problems as long as they do a modicum of maintenance (90% of which is simply checking the weapon at the end of the day to see if there is any moisture or rust).

9mm: (a) Can this cause primes to go bad faster? (b) I might just remove the gun and place it in the center console when driving.

(a) No.
(b) Always an option if it makes you more comfortable, but nothing you need to do.

Now...can you run into problems at extremely low temps? Yes. Some lubes can congeal at sub-zero temperatures. Metal parts can start to become brittle at extreme levels of cold. For instance, it's a bad idea to expect a military weapon to function when you have been standing out all day in -50 degree F and decide to do a rapid magazine dump or go cyclic with a belt of ammo. Best to slow fire a few rounds to bring the weapon up to normal operating temperature, allowing the heat generated by firing to permeate the weapon's moving parts. BTDT. But for civilian CCW ankle carry of a pistol...not really an issue.

Think about this: Weapons (inanimate objects made of metal and plastic) are capable of functioning across a much wider temperature range than the meat puppets who carry them. The atmospheric temperatures required to cause malfunction of a firearm or its ammo (heat or cold) are also temperatures that would kill you long before the gun ever demonstrated a problem. :)


Hope this helps...
 
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I also ankle carry all winter. I change layers too frequently on my top half through the course of the day to make most comfortable above-the-belt options work.
I'd never worried about the car heater, and I guess now I never will.
 
for how hot the gun can get with continuous shooting, the floor heater won't get the gun that hot. If you feel your leg burning, then you know you need to take it off, other than that, i wouldnt worry about it
 
If a prisoner can stash a 38 up his butt, I can't think of any reason why anyone can't find a place in their waistband to secure their weapon. I owned an ankle holster once and at a wedding a long time ago, while walking up some carpeted steps I was tapped on the shoulder by someone who told me I lost something. I looked down and saw my DS lying on the steps. It wasn't a cheap holster and I got rid of it quick. To hell with Starsky & Hutch.

I have a friend in Vegas who should know better, but uses them things, cause he hates wearing belts. They have their place in undercover assignments, but even cops have their guns fly off their leg while chasing perps.

There was once a man with a great deal of common sense named Will Rogers, who most here never even heard of, once said that some people learn by listening, while others learn by pizzing on an electrical fence. Buy a normal holster and keep warm.
 
I cant really think of a situation when ankle carry sounds like a good idea... Im sure people do carry this way but I just dont see it as being a quick or practical method..

You pretty much have to stop running or walking for the draw so you loose your ability to get to cover or retreat during the draw... Plus the weapons as far from your hands as it can get...

In a car if your driving the steering wheel is going to constrain your leaning forward to draw... For me at least this just doesnt seem like a good way to carry...

Im not saying it may not have its use but there seems to be a lot of better ways to carry..
 
most people use a ankle holster as a good place to conceal an extra gun or just for the comfort of it. I know my hip holster is very uncomfortable when i sit down with it with the gun in or with just the holster. If you have a little gun that could be concealed under your pants, id be all for it.

Im probably gonna buy on for my SR22 pistol, yes its not the fastest and easiest way to draw the gun quick, but it will be more comfortable for in a car and its a good backup just incase
 
As far as the gun being too far from your hand, ankle carry sure beats the gun being at home or in the car when you are neither. I have yet to have my gun "spotted" by anyone, including cops, while in an ankle rig. No one looks down there.
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Your car's heater isn't going to damage your ammo. Ankle carry in your car will pretty much make getting to your gun impossible if you need it. I'd worry more about that than the heaters effect on your ammo.
 
No one noticed mine till it fell out. As a matter of fact, I didn't even notice it was gone. But then my luck isn't always too good and I believe in Murphy's Law to guide me.
 
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No, the heater will have no affect on the ammuntion. I would be more concerned about the clothing you wear in the winter. Do you spend a lot of time outdoors and wear heavy clothing? What type of boots do you wear in winter. Do you walk in deep snow? Where I used to live, ankle carry in winter was not feasible.
 
'[No one noticed mine till it fell out. As a matter of fact, I didn't even notice it was gone.]"

Not good,, My brother & trainee were arresting a guy that was resisting, Well my brother sees this S&W mdl 60 on the ground took a good kick to the side & trainee said why you kick my gun :rolleyes:

Bro told him to keep that thing snapped & in a good holster. Rockie just looking at all the scuff marks on gun, lesson learned ; )
Y/D
 
The question of ankle carry is largely a matter of opinion just as pocket carry. It works for some people under certain circumstances, but I have never been a fan of pocket carry. That is why there are OPTIONS available for different modes of carry. If ankle carry is not your cup of tea, then so be it, but don't be so criticle of those of us who find it a viable mode of carrying a concealed firearm. Taking into consideration of the type of vehicle I drive and my body build, accessing my weapon from an ankle rig while driving is a very comfortable and natural process. You use what works for you and I'll use what works best for me.
 
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