I don't care how cold it gets,,,

A

aarondhgraham

New member
I'm going shooting this weekend dangit!

You folk in the northern states are gonna laugh at this,,,
But most folk down here in OkieLand think low 40's is too cold for anything outdoors.

We have an entire month predicted of 40's highs,,,
I'm gonna bundle up and take me and my Henry Accubolt to the range.

Thermos of soup,,,
Carhartt on my body,,,
Pillow under my buttocks,,,
And an army blanket around my feet,,,
I ought to be able to put a hundred or more rounds downrange. :o

How do you guys who live way up north do it?

Aarond
 
Hello kx592,,,

NJ here, my rule is if its cold enough that I cant hold steady, I dont go.
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That's a good general rule,,,
I'm wondering if I will be able to hold steady sitting at a bench.

Honestly I'm one of the before-mentioned types,,,
Usually when it gets below 50 degrees I keep my self inside near a heater. :o

If I can hit my 4" spinner at 100 yards from the bench,,,
I think I'll be a very happy shooter indeed,,,
Back in my youth that would be bad,,,
In my old age it will satisfy me. ;)

I just don't want to go the entire winter,,,
With no trigger time at all.

Aarond
 
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Went to the range last weekend with a friend. Temperature was only around 25 degrees with about a 20 mph wind (in our faces of course) and light snow. Bundle up and go shoot. Consider it a type of endurance training. You never know what conditions might be like when you actually need to use one of those guns.

Up here, if you can't shoot in the cold...you aren't going to shoot real often.
 
Generally when it gets cold... I stick to handguns and AR's and the like... I save the bolt actions for when I am not freezing on the bench.

I will take them out once in awhile... to force myself to stop shivering for a shot... to stay proficient, but generally I don't shoot much bolt actions in the winter.
 
My wife is an Okie, and she thinks anything below 80 degrees is cold. We went to Branson MO last summer in July to visit her Aunt, she didn't understand why all I wanted to do was lay in the AC when it was 105 and 90+% humidity. Upper 30's to low 60's is perfect for shooting and hunting IMO.
 
i LOVE shooting in slushy snow! fire off a trail of rapid fire shots down a hill into some slushy snow, and it looks like an air raid. the snow and bits of mud shoot sky high when it hits. way too much fun.

i hate loading up pistol mags in the cold tho. fingers hurt. usually we use my truck tailgate as a loading platform, so i hook up a little space heater to heat the hands.
 
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I refuse to shoot when it is so cold my scope fogs over from my breath! It was like that last week here. Highs of 5 F. And I have some .325 WSM loads to try out! Forcast for this weekend is mid 30's, maybe I can get those 220 sierras down range!?
 
I think the last time I went shooting when it was 40 degrees out I was wearing a t shirt. Maybe a hoodie at the most. Coarse I like going to range when the wind is blowing, it's snowing etc. Less people that way.
 
Hello Wyoredman,,,

I refuse to shoot when it is so cold my scope fogs over from my breath!
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I was considering taking the scope off of my Accubolt,,,
Just because of the reason you stated.

I have this vision of a pile of blankets at the bench,,,
With the muzzle of my Henry peeking out.

With my old eyes and iron sights,,,
I might need to go with my 8" spinner instead of the 4".

Aarond
 
You wont need blankets... just layers... layer your clothing.. the air trapped between them is really what keeps you warm... sitting still your extremities get cold first because your body will slow down blood flow to them to keep your organs warm.

Good socks.. Good boots, your feet get cold.. your done for. I usually take a muff.. with one of those big hand warmers in it. That keeps my hands nice and warm between shooting.

You loose most of your heat through the top of your head so make sure you have a good hat!
 
Haha. I lol at that one arrond! Good clothing n boots is all you need to post out in the snow for hours to take out a few coyotes for the local farmers ;)
 
Never been to cold for me to not go hunting, although I have never really experienced anything worse than ( a few below zero ) been duck hunting several times and when I picked up a duck out of the river and placed him on the bow ( aluminum boat ) within a few seconds the duck was frozen to the bow by the feathers :)
 
The cold is all subjective or relative.
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Pretty much.

However, one can shoot year round outdoors with the right gear. I do.
The other week I shot a 100 yard .25 MOA 3 shot group and it was well below freezing. So bolt/precision/accuracy work is definitely possible.

With the right gear you can sweat while shooting, if that is what you really want to do, even in Alaska during the Winter. I shot all through the Winter even when I lived in the Interior in the Bush.

Then again, last couple of times visiting Arizona and Florida in the winter I wore shorts and Hawaiian shirts, while some of the locals wore down jackets! Then again I have gone from the Interior at around -40 to Arizona or Florida at around 60 by plane; basically a 100 degree difference from stepping into the first plane to exiting the last, too dang hot to do much of anything down there in the winter!

I don't know how you guys can survive the brutally hot Southern winters!

It really is what you are/get used to.
 
How do you guys who live way up north do it?
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Like the others have said, you don't have a choice up north. Where I live it's raining most of the time during winter. If it's dry there's a good chance it's because a cold front moved in.

When you get a dry weekend and want to go shoot especially because it's dry, you won't let 25 degree weather mess up a chance to shoot for 4-6 hours.

It's great practice.

Of course you also won't let 40 degree rain stop you!

Go figure, not many people use umbrellas here either.
 
If I want to go I'll go. Weather doesn't stop me. Of course the range I go to has 10(?) benches inside a heated section LOL!! :D

But I've put on the longjohns and shot outside when it's been 20º F before. I actually love to shoot in those conditions as it mimics our deer hunting weather. Kind of "extends" my deer season some!

And this year (if the snow isn't too deep) I'm going to do some work on my blind instead of waiting until summer where the ticks are bad and the roads are mucky. I'll be carrying a handgun on my side though as there is a cougar on our land.
 
I'll be hitting the range Saturday morning. I'm in the Phoenix area and it's been pretty chilly this week. Saturday morning will probably be in the mid 40's...
 
I am in Minnesota and i just put on the long underwear... The jacket helps with recoil :D just it is annoying taking off the gloves to load 22lr.

It was -14 F (not the wind chill) and that was cold when I was walking to classes last semester even for 20 minutes.
 
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