Leaving your handgun in a hot car

N

Nick-Mc

New member
This is just a general question, what are your feelings on leaving your handgun in a hot car for part of the day, good, bad, indifferent?
Lets say your going to work and you leaving your handgun and ammo in a compartment of your locked car, the sun comes up and as we all know the inside of your car gets mighty warm.
What are peoples comments on having a mag of ammo inside the car with the heat?
It may be a stupid question to some, but i'm just looking for a little input.
 
Mythbusters

Did the black car, white car in the sun test, I think the top temp in the SanFrancisco sun was 126 degrees both cars & the black car got there first... I don't think a gun in a glove box (or ammo) would get hot enough to either damage the gun or set off the ammo :D

I wouldn't reccommend leaving you Glock on the dashboard tho, I might add :eek:

A windscreen sun reflector shade thingie might be adviseable, in any case, will stop you burning your butt (among other things) when you get in, too :D
 
The temperatures reached inside a sun-drenched car will not effect common materials used to make guns. The temperatures achieved in localized areas and components of the gun during extended firing will exceed those achieved in a car, even if you sit it on the black dashboard of a black car with a black interior. Although it might be a little hot to hold in your bare hands if you do sit it there.
 
I once did a test regarding temperature in vehicles. It was focused on protecting camera equipment but the principles still apply here.

The hottest areas were, as you might guess, the dashboard and the drivers and passengers seats.

The glovebox was hot but not as hot.

The trunk tended to be cooler than the glovebox.

The best thermal protection I found was a heavy wool blanket and the coolest I ever kept the equipment while testing was inside a cooler which was surrounded by a thick wool blanket.

I wish I had the numbers handy but swaddling stuff in the thick wool blanket reduced the temperature of objects by somewhere around 60% vs leaving them sitting on the driver's seat and something like 30% over just leaving stuff in the trunk.

Regardless, I've seen a gun so hot from sitting in Arizona sun that it would have raised blisters if you picked it up, but the firearm and ammo were unharmed.

Now if you were going to repeat those conditions on a regular basis I'd shoot the mag and refresh my ammo every month or so just to be safe.
 
Thanks for all of the responses guys. I didn't expect so much great advice. It is one of those "plastic" guns haha, a glock 17. I have a center console that it fits in just perfectly and I wanted to make sure the heat would mess with it if it sits out there for eight hours while i'm working. Also, I wanted to make sure the heat wouldn't unseat the bullets or anything. I usually blast away the mag and replace it with new carry ammo I have stored every month or so, just to make sure. But the general concensus is I am good to go, correct? a hot car won't give me any problems.
 
that's quite a part that's been missing from all of those Glock Torture Tests:

Leave it on the dash, under the sun, in the middle of the Death Valley,
and THEN run it over with a car.

it'll get smooshed
 
This is just a general question, what are your feelings on leaving your handgun in a hot car for part of the day...
Click to expand...
Well if I stole the car then I probably also stole the gun in which case I don't plan on keeping either one very long!

Sorry, I couldn't help it!

Scott
 
as many here know, the sun in iraq gets guns and ammo so hot you cant touch it with out gloves on.

ive never heard of even black powder rounds lighting off from the sun.
 
A hot car?

what like this?:
first-steer-2008-lamborghini-lp640-roadster-039.jpg


:D
 
My loaded 38 is in my car 24/7 365 days a year in the florida heat.No problems.I replace my ammo about once a year.
 
I think the "heat" issue has been answered, so I will just add this: No loaded weapon should be left in an unattended vehicle, IMHO.

If possible, take the ammo and the gun with you. If this is not feasible, at least consider taking the ammo with you and temporarily storing the weapon in the trunk.
 
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of course not a stolen car, I figured that joke would come up. Thanks for the responses guys. The ammo and gun would be stored serparately, I just wanted to make sure noone has experienced functioning problems under circumstances like this.
 
The persistant heat does cause me to oil guns more frequently, especially 1911's and semiauto rifles.My guns don't shoot and cycle as well dry.

The ammo left in a hot car worries me because of issues of heat ?degrading the gunpowder. Maybe its no issue but I shoot my car ammo up about three times a year.

When not in public places I crack the window which lowers the heat inside signifigantly.
 
that's quite a part that's been missing from all of those Glock Torture Tests:

Leave it on the dash, under the sun, in the middle of the Death Valley,
and THEN run it over with a car.

it'll get smooshed
Click to expand...

And I'll bet it still shoots every time you pull the trigger.

Keep a G 23 in my work truck 24/7 x 365 and treat it awfull, but it never complains what-so-ever.:)
 
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