What are the most reliable rifles in the cold (like really cold)

Its been - 10 to -15 last few nights here,but I wouldn't worry about the guns if prepped .
That's not REALLY cold.
I used to make a Montana ice fishing trip every year.We just camped on the ice.One year the Catalytic heater /bulk tank said "No,too cold"Propane wasn't moving for some reason.

Had a charcoal fire in an oil drain pan for my dutch oven.Sausages,cabage,potatoes onions,carrots,etc.Dutch oven cracked.

But,we figured out having fun.

The main thing to remember,don't night fish with crawlers if you are eating pretzels when its cold.
 
As has been mentioned already by a few here, one critical component of extreme cold weather reliability is proper lubrication. Run of the mill CLP will not cut it. I have witnessed a M2 .50 cal machine gun lock up and become a bolt action in single digit temps on a range because the wrong lubrication was used.
 
FM,
Pocatello's in Idaho's Sun Belt, isn't it?
Go farther North to get into cold country. :)
Denis
 
FM,
Pocatello's in Idaho's Sun Belt, isn't it?
Go farther North to get into cold country.
Denis
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:D
Nah, if I want cold, I can hop on over to Bear Lake. It's usually colder than most other 'cold' areas in Idaho.

Last week, they were in the -30s for a while, and they will certainly spend a notable portion of the winter with lows in the -40s and "highs" in the -20s.
I have family there. ...I don't visit during the winter. ;)
 
I know Rossi levers lock up in the 20s I belive it was. My dad had one and had to be sent back to get the clearances opened up. They blamed it on the cold.
 
No problem with the functioning of this Mini-G in 20-degree temps, light snow, and a hard, biting wind.
Was probably more like '0' when factoring for the wind-chill.

The functioning of the operator's trigger finger was, however, a different issue. :eek:



:cool:
 
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I like the 96 coc mauser as a cold weather (40 below &<).
Residual moisture is your enemy, not the cold.
The G96 spray works ok if you wipe all traces of it off after use.

In severe cold, I resort to walking with cocked but empty chamber and snapping action before chambering a round.
This prevents a weak pin strike due to hanging on pinhole frost.
 
I think the Ruskies put diesal fuel in there gun grease to keep it from freezing up.
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I forget what the name of the show was I was watching about the differences between Russian and German cold weather equipment/preps during Stalingrad was, but according to that show the Red Army mixed gasoline into their gun oil. They demo'd it during the show and the straight gun oil froze up while the mixture didn't regardless of whether it was a Mosin or a Mauser.

The Swiss developed a grease for their rifles that was specially designed for use in extreme cold of the Alps. Can't remember the name, but allegedly it's the best for bolt actions.
 
The Swiss developed a grease for their rifles that was specially designed for use in extreme cold of the Alps. Can't remember the name, but allegedly it's the best for bolt actions.
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Waffenfett grease, maybe?
 
I have seen fly fisherman rub the ferrule of a fly rod on the nose before fitting the rod together..an ever present source of anti-seize.

And,lacking a local Sportsman's Warehouse,or walmart,I can envision an Inuit hunter doing the same with a rifle bolt.

Most of us who wear eyeglasses understand a very thin film of something oily,like chicken grease,on the lense.Wiping smears it a bit thinner,but the optical properties of the oil on the glass are persistent till some solvent,like detergent,is used.

In most cases,that sort of thin film is the desired lublication in cold weather.A film that thin of many oily substances would not be a problem.
Its the thick wad like bubble gum that is the problem.Obstruction,or a tar like drag on moving tings.

Castrol and other lube companies make synthetic greases rated for very cold temps,and the synthetic oils like obli 1 might be great...but then it needs to be wiped off to what seems dry,unless it was on your glasses.
 
i degrease all the bolt parts and inside of the action along with the whole trigger group for realy cold weather hunting. for the time you will be useing the rifle hunting, there will not be metal parts wear for the short time you use it. eastbank.
 
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