Taking gun outside to inside during hunting season

B

BJE80

New member
So during gun deer camp do you bring your rifle inside every night and then back out in the cold every day? How much does that daily temperature change affect the rifle (i.e. condensation, accuracy). I see some camps I've been to just have a rack on the wall inside the cabin where you hang it up at the end of the day. Other camps people put their rifles in their truck so it stays cold and doesn't go through those temperature extremes. Heck this last season it was 75 in the cabin and 0 deg outside. But on the other hand a rifle should be able to handle those temp changes I would think.

What do you do and what effect do you think it has?
 
The rifle wouldn't be affected by the temperature swing but it may cause a scope to fog up. I prefer to leave mine locked in the truck overnight so the optics are near outside temperatures.
 
My rifles are SS/Synthetic. I don't worry about it.

With a wood stock you can certainly see huge differences in the rifles POI changing with that much temperature and humidity changing that fast. A good way for a wood stock to split after a few cycles too.

You could get condensation on the metal, including the scope, which could cause some surface rust eventually. Other than a cheap scope failing I don't see any major problems with the metal. I often bring my guns inside after a hunt covered with condensation. I don't lock them away in the safe until they've had a few hours of setting near the wood stove to dry out good.
 
My rifles are SS/Synthetic. I don't worry about it.

With a wood stock you can certainly see huge differences in the rifles POI changing with that much temperature and humidity changing that fast. A good way for a wood stock to split after a few cycles too.
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My rifle is a wood stock .308 Browning X-bolt.
 
Condensation comes from bringing a cold gun into a warm damp environment. That in itself is not that big an issue if the gun is allowed to dry completely and is protected from rust if need be. The problem arises when the warm gun with condensation still present on moving parts is taken back outside and the condensation is allowed to freeze. This can tie up firing pins and sears and can make actions impossible or difficult to operate.


A few years back I had my 1911 in a thigh holster as a backup to my 77/44 on a day long stalk and stand hunt. It started out as a warm day in the morning with temps dropping as the day progressed. Did some trekking thru swamps that were not froze yet even tho air temps were below freezing. Got back to the truck and the Colt was virtually a block of ice. Could not unload it, nor drop the mag. At that time it was illegal to have a loaded handgun in your vehicle and Wisconsin did not have CWC. Needless to say I may have bent the regs a little that day till I got home and could thaw it out.
 
I've always taken my guns inside after hunting. I've always went home after hunting as well, except once. It was not in the luxery of a cabin but in a tent when I went bear hunting. I've never had any issues.

I will say this though, if you have a scope you should sight your rifle in around the same temperature you plan to hunt in and do not let the barrel get warm. I know of some people that will shoot the gun once, adjust the scope, and wait for the next day to try it again.
 
Most scopes won't fog on the inside when taken outdoors in cold weather, but fog can happen on the outside of the lenses and not be noticed by a hunter until he sees a critter--and then it's "Oh, bleep!" time.

I've never had a problem with an overnight deal with wood stocks.
 
I hunt under similar temp conditions with a blued rifle. I just open its bolt and store my rifle in a horizontal gun rack immediately upon entering a warm room. Later if I get a chance I'll wipe it down. {or perhaps not} I wouldn't advise the standing-up of a cold rifle in a warm rooms corner with its Bolt left open or not. Best to get a cold rifle up off the floor a-way's with its bolt purposely left open as to allow its bore to receive some warm air evaporation circulation. Keep in the mind the closer anything is stored to a rooms ceiling the higher are those room temps are. When it comes time to grab my rifle and head out to my stand I much prefer handling a warm weapon verses a cold one. Seldom if ever do I leave my rifle outside over night. That goes for my B/P rifle as well. Everything is unloaded at days end when I'm hunting.

if you have a scope you should sight your rifle in around the same temperature you plan to hunt in and do not let the barrel get warm
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Sighting my rifle in under those temps I hunt in. I don't think it makes much difference. Once a rifle is sighted in under normal temps it stays sighted. I also let my barrel cool 5 minuets between shots on a hot day. On a cool Fall day I might fire my rifle 2-or-3 times in quick succession before its deliberate barrel cooling.

I figure if my scopes tube seals are holding properly. I shouldn't incur any problems with its lens fogging under most if not all weather conditions. If my scope did fog internally for some reason. Off it goes to its manufacture suggested repair station. If it comes back in the same condition I sent it. It hits the recycle bin and I know better to buy that manufactures products ever again. "I don't buy cheap. So I don't expect cheap in return."
 
Out to in ain't bad. It's in to out in the morning that will get ya, if it's very cold (say under 15 or 20 F), and if it's humid. Condensation forms, then freezes - can hold your firing pin in place - not good.
 
If I go out of the house to hunt our land in the cold and come back, I leave the rifle in the cool garage, so when it's eventually brought into the warm house, moisture won't condense on it.

When hunting away from the house, rifles are cased and when returning, cased again, so moisture doesn't condense on it, whether in the vehicle, camp, or house.

If a rifle gets wet while hunting, it doesn't go back into the case, but allowed to air dry in a warm place. (My rifle barrels and action exteriors are coated with auto wax to keep condensation from penetrating and rusting metal.)

Scopes that fog internally when taken cold/wet into warm places are discarded. I sometimes test scopes by immersing them in a sink with warm water. If air bubbles come out, I don't use them, especially in cold weather.

I couldn't hardly believe how many places air came out of a friends scope that had fogged after being brought in. It was a cheapie and was discarded.
 
I have a decent Nikon Buck master Scope. It has never fogged internally. I would think if it were to fog externally it would be un-fogged by the time shooting light arrives.

I still struggle with this. I see advantages and disadvantages to both.
 
It does make a difference. Depending on the temp change.

Example: I was in the AK NG, the CO of an Alaska Native Company on the Bering Sea Coast North of Nome.

We would go a camp (Salmon Lake) for AT or muta 10s, living in tents heated by Yukon Stoves. It got warm in the tents yet well below zero outside. In the tents the rifles would sweat, that almost instantly freeze when we stepped outside. To eliminate the problem we left the rifles outside the tent.

During the same period, I worked for the Anchorage Police dept and carried a LE Sniper rifle in the truck which was about the same temp as the outside air. And of course my car was warm.

Normally with a call out, I'd take the cold rifle into the cold air and no problem. But I remember one occasion where I was called out during a lunch break to drive across town. I put the rifle in the passenger compartment and the scope instantly fogged over. In this case it wasn't a problem because it had time to clear before I got to the scene.

Now days I hunt in Wyoming. You still have the same problem but not near as drastic. If I'm hunting using my camper, (which is heated) I leave the rifle in the truck. If I'm hunting from a tent, I bring the rifle inside because I don't heat the tent that much.
 
Dew-Point can have a negative effect on all.

Again, in support of previous replies, there could be a negative effect on metal, wood and lens. Most of the time it probably won't but trying to predict when is a problem. It has much to do with the Dew-Point or relationship between humidity and temperature. Most of the time and to varying degree, you will have a problem from out to in. That is why I pick a spot where I can transition. My garage is slightly warmer than the outside and then, my basement is warmer than my garage. Eventually it goes back into my safe. In camp, I try to find a transition space and my last option, is my truck.
: The temperature at which a vapor (as water) begins or would begin to condense
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If a scope fogs up, internally, it's either a cheap scope or it has lost it's fill. These can be a real problem because the moisture can get trapped permanently. ..... ;)

Be Safe !!!
 
Moisture doesn't condense on the outside surface of a scope when taken from a warm place to a cold place. After it cools sufficiently, it can fog externally if someone breathes on a lens. That's not a big problem unless there's an air leak around the lens; either wipe the lens with a soft cloth, or if conditions are reasonably good, let the moisture air-dry.

If optics become wet from rain or fog as they cool down, the air inside the scope shrinks, causing a vacuum that draws moisture in wherever there's an opening. As mentioned previouly, it's best to check scopes to be used in cool conditions fairly often, by immersing them in warm water for a few minutes. If there are air leaks, air bubbles will emerge from all leakage areas. (That's another good reason to have detachable mounts.)
 
Over time the wetness can effect the finish, but it takes more time than most people would think if you use a good oil.

Stainless steel and plastic stock are pretty new inventions in firearms history.

The F&I war, American Revolution, war of 1812, Westward Expansion, Mexican/American War, American Civil War, Western Indian Wars, Settlements of Canada, (by the Canadians’ of course) opening up of Alaska, Spanish American War, WW1, the "Banana Wars", WW2 in both the Pacific and the European theaters, the Korean War, and other than the use of the M-16, the Viet Nam war, as well as countless millions of hunting trips from the days of wheel lock muzzleloading rifles and shotguns up until the 1980s were all done with carbon steel or iron gun parts and wood stocks.

Even the M-16 of Viet Nam had steel barrels, bolts and “guts” and of course, all the metal of the enemies weapons was of regular steel too.

With some attention to care and a good oil (I like Corrosion X) we all did ok with wet guns. Sperm Oil was often used in the old days.

I would not worry much about them rusting into uselessness now either.

Our museums are full of old guns that were used hard in terrible conditions and they are still serviceable today for the most part. Now they don't look new, and they would look "newer" if they were made of plastic and Stainless, but most are not rusted into uselessness even now.

Wetness is hard on finishes more so than dry weather, but it’s not as devastating as the new marketers would try to make us all believe.
Care and oil are your guns friends.
 
No effect on the gun. They are designed to handle rapid temp shifts from shooting so the minor difference from 65 to 30ish degrees is almost a nonissue. Cheap optics may have problems but really they shift in a matter of seconds to outside temps so unless you plan on stepping off the porch and shooting you'll have no problem.
 
Pahoo says
If a scope fogs up, internally, it's either a cheap scope or it has lost it's fill. These can be a real problem because the moisture can get trapped permanently. .....
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That makes sense, I was doing a lousy job of focusing a cheap Bushnell years ago and was turning the eyepiece the wrong way and when it started to hiss i realized what i had done. I then used that event to upgrade to s nice Leopold VXIII.
That Bushnell was only used as a spotter for small bore and such for many years. Then my SIL needed a scope to test fire a new rifle so i gave it to him and he loves the thing, has been using it for years in the Northwoods of MN and no problems. I warned him that he may experience fogging issues too.
Art says;
but fog can happen on the outside of the lenses and not be noticed by a hunter until he sees a critter--and then it's "Oh, bleep!" time.
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And that is what happened to me causing me not to get a shot at a very large buck. It took me about 20 years to figure out just how my scope fogged over. I was hunting during a heavy snowfall, the flakes were like 1/2 dollar size. To keep the scope clear i had my hand (gloved) resting against the eyepiece and when i brought the gun up it fogged because i had warmed the lens and a couple quick swipes failed to clear it as it fogged over as fast as i could swipe it clear. Of course i had thought my breath had fogged it but was unable to redo that trying many times.
My firearms come into the shack and are hung up to warm and dry and then whipped with a silicone cloth. My Grandson built a nice 6 gun rack in school just for the hunting shack and we use it. ;)
I have also seen some badly rusted guns because they were left in the case after hunting. Probably went into the case wet.
I also had a rifle that wouldn't fit in the gun safe so i left it standing in a closet. I found it with rust and realized what i had done wrong, i had it against an outside wall and it then collected moisture, at least that is my belief.
 
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I fogged my lenses from breathing several times last winter during elk season. I missed probably 4 good chances because I couldn't aim. ended up having to get antifog coating for my lenses and sure enough, the next elk I managed to get a good view of has been one of the major food groups since.

next year I will likely use see through scope rings.
 
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