Skipping the revolver in the winter? stay with semis?

Somewhere in the back of my mind I recall that during the testing of new handguns for the army back whenever that was, the ones that resulted in the Beretta being adopted, that a S&W revolver was included in the testing as a control handgun. I think it was a Model 27, of all things. I believe the revolver had no problems in the cold weather testing.
 
What's going to freeze is the lube you used. If it freezes the type of gun will not matter. If the gun is actually going to be exposed to the cold (not on your body) strip all oil and grease out of it and carry it dry. Read about the Chosin Reservoir/Korean War veterans describing what happened to their weapons.
 
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I can't see it being a big deal one way or the other....

and I've never been a LE Officer...and had to carry daily in the north in the winter....just a big game hunter../...but I always had a backup sidearm - a revolver - and while it wasn't uncommon on some hunting trips to get a little bit of snow or moisture down into a holster once in a while - and I can't say I've ever had a revolver freeze up.
 
If it was truly cold enough, and wet then either gun would freeze up. Though I would be more worried about hypothermia than my gun freezing.
 
Keep kidding yourselves that semis are as reliable as revolvers, There's 2 kinds of semis, those that have jammed and those that are going to jam.
Extreme cold will make it more likely to fail vs the revolver. It's nature of the beast. Semis are cheaper to manufacture and hold more rounds, inferior to revolvers in all other respects.
 
Umm....

Are you planning on leaving it outside or something and then going out to get it?

I assume you will be carrying it CCW. If it is cold enough that ice is forming on while you are carrying it under a concealing garment, you are probably already dead...:D
 
It really depends on the weapon and the environment as well as the mode of carry. One extreme example it riding a snowmobile in sub zero weather (think -40), the gun (if exposed on your hip) will be encased in ice. the H&K's we were issued fared just fine. Glocks on the other hand could be a problem if the ice ran down and froze the striker. My answer was a shoulder holster and a pocket gun, kept them all out of the ice.

A revolver could have an issue in that environment as well.

I have used Mobile 1 synthetic lubes exclusively for years in the bitter ND cold with no issues.
 
if revovlers freezing up was such a big concern, then every mil supr nagant revolver would be in unfired nra condition
 
the Nagant revolvers made for nice hand warmers, always worked, whereas the Lugers just seized up in the cold.
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It had more to due with the differences between how the Soviets and Germans treated their weapons for the extreme cold. If I'm remembering correctly, the Germans used plain old gun oil and the Soviet troops used a mixture of gasoline and gun oil. If you're really worried about it, get some Swiss Automatenfett or Waffenfett it's designed for use by their troops in the alps.
 
Why not carry a J frame in your weak side jacket pocket (in a pocket holster) and your G26 strong side in a holster? That way you won't have to worry about which firearm is most reliable as you will have both with you.
 
Yes sir, the old Chicago reload. If you must expose a gun to freezing temps and it must work then strip all of the oil out of it and run it dry.:cool: I have spoken to vets from the Krean War and they told me they were instructed to run their guns dry. I have also seen several references in U.S. Army field manuals that instruct troops to do this.
 
There is a good reason the military uses a different lube for artic conditions than for temperate climates. Also, recommended is running dry in freezing/sub zero conditions. No lube is way better than the wrong lube.

The Germans had trouble with ALL their machinery the first Russian winter they met. They simply were not prepared for it. What worked ok in a German winter froze in Russia. They also learned that German horses would die at -4 C while Russian horses lived at -20 C!


One thing not mentioned, and potentially working against the auto pistol is the effect of extreme cold on ammunition! Ammo has less energy in extreme cold. It is possible for cold to reduce the power of the ammo to the point of unreliable function in an auto pistol. even a dry one. Not common, but possible. A revolver doesn't care about that.
 
Are the pistols kept in a house with a humidifier then taken out in the cold os the moisture can freeze? Remember your high school physics of humitity and temperature and keep it in mind with your guns.
 
I've done a lot of cold weather shooting (MN) and never had any trouble with any handgun as far as reliability goes.
I'm much more concerned about how the gun handles with numb, stinging fingers or with gloves on.
Some revolvers will pinch your gloves between the frame and trigger, preventing the trigger from reseting. That happened many times to me with K frame Smiths.
My cherished Freedom Arms 97 has such a light trigger that it's hard to shoot safely with numb fingers. The trigger guard is also very small.

I've found 1911s, USPs and Glocks to be the easiest guns to load and fire effectively in bitterly cold weather.
 
Having lived and worked in North Dakota for the last 17 years I have been using what my late father who was a mechanical engineer recommended; Mobile 1 5w30 and have never had any problems.
 
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