Cars during summer, too hot for guns?

F

Falcon642

New member
Last week I left one of my pistols locked in the glove compartment of the car. It only hit 80 that day, but boy was my pistol warm when I pulled it out.

So are cars during the summer too hot for guns?
 
I hope not, or all of those state troopers, deputies, police, and other LEO's with guns and ammo locked in their trunks would be in really big trouble.:eek:

-7-
 
I wonder about that a little too. With the temperatures predicted to hit 110 degrees here today, what's the temperature going to be inside a car? 200 plus degrees? Isn't heat supposed to be one of the enemies of gun powder?
 
If the metal and plastic in your car don't self destruct, I doubt anything is going to happen to a firearm especially if it's out of direct sunlight.

Eventually (and we're talking years here) the powder might be affected so I'd "change out" my carry ammo once in a while...then again I do that anyway.
 
I keep a gun on me, and a bigger one in the truck only when I'm out and about. The truck gun is not there permanently. I have never studied the issue, but do worry that Florida weather is too hot for long term gun/ammo storage in a vehicle stored outside. I don't know that it's a problem, it's simply a concern.
 
As Tom said above, I'd add heat is not the whole issue, humidity especially hot salty sea air will rust the hell out of things quickly; except if it's a Glock, they will melt before they rust.:D (just kidding)
 
I have always wondered about the polymer guns where the plastic and steel might expand at different rates and whether this might be a problem. I suspect the answer is no and just get on with what I have to do, but I have wondered.
 
I live here in AZ and I really doubt that leaving your gun in the car will ruin it. If you leave it in there for 20 years or something crazy like that then yeah I would say it's a problem. Just watch the moisture for rust issues.
 
I'd be more worried about the humidity ruining the ammo more than anything. There's a reason it should be stored in a cool dry place instead of a hot humid one.
 
My car gun (nickeled S&W Model 10 snubby revolver in Central Florida) does just fine, and the gun is almost too hot to handle when you first get in the car, even hidden in the center console. I found that brass cases tend to turn green and get sticky in the humidity and heat, but nickel cases do much better. Even the green sticky cases fired fine at the range.
 
Last edited:
I've had 22 bullets rolling around the floor of my truck for years. Every once in a while I'll need an extra shot and dig through the ash tray or cup holders or seams of the floor mat and it'll work just like it did the day they made it
 
The plastic and steel inside my 1970 Buick hasn't seemed to melt yet, in 41 summers so...my guess is probably won't melt a firearm much. Might warp a plastic gun case or a grip or something if it's a low density plastic, but there are many, many types of plastic
 
I wonder about that a little too. With the temperatures predicted to hit 110 degrees here today, what's the temperature going to be inside a car? 200 plus degrees? Isn't heat supposed to be one of the enemies of gun powder?
Click to expand...


I live in Vegas. One of the local news stations gives out car temp readings in the summer when it gets really hot. They say it is for people to re-consider leaving pets and kids in the cars. Some idiots still do it anyway. Any way the car temps only go to the 150 to 160 range even during the hottest days of the year.

I have never had any issues with leaving stuff in the car.
 
You have your answer: if all the polymer materials in the car don't melt, neither will a polymer pistol. I am forced to disarm at work and so I secure my Glock 23, if that's what I'm carrying, in a small lockbox secured to the seat frame. No problems. It tops 100 some days in Virginia. Humid, too. Even then it doesn't get nearly hot enough to damage a firearm.

Kydex holsters, however, apparently should not be left in a car, especially in direct sunlight. Comp-Tac, which makes kydex-on-leather holsters, posted a warning about this in its newsletter a couple of weeks ago. I just wear the empty holster to work - no one even notices it.
 
In the trunk of a white car at ambient 75 F it can reach 150+ F !! Guns are ok even if it's too hot to hold. Humidity and more important condensation is the thing to look for !! For ammo and the gun you could keep it in a insulated container of some kind .It's not good to keep ammo hot for long times.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top