I’m always busy at the wrong time…for SCIENCE!!!😡🤣. Anyone ever shoot at these temps and get chrono numbers?

@Footsie80 where abouts you at in the NWT? I'll probably have to look at a map but i don't actually know anyone from there, do have a friend who worked at a mining operation near Yellowknife for a while. My dad was a conservation officer before he took over his dads farm, right near the border between Sask and NWT, Uranium City and area.
 
Footsie80 said:
According to an article I just looked at, cold weather does have a noticeable impact on windage - at least on bullets with a low BC. At 500 yards, the test projectile moved almost 7" more laterally at 0⁰ F then at 85⁰.

www.outdoorlife.com

How Cold Weather Can Kill Bullet Trajectory

The “cold-weather-effect” is real and can destroy your load’s accuracy. Here’s how to stay on target when the weather turns sour.
www.outdoorlife.com www.outdoorlife.com
Click to expand...
Cold air is denser than hot...just ask race drivers....and intercoolers on cars.....
denser air, higher resistance to bullet flight...
 
chindits said:
I have a serious questions about this.
Does the cold effect barrel harmonics? So if you strive for xyz fps for accuracy is that still a viable goal when your barrel is -20 to -40? Maybe a slower velocity actually is more accurate in an extremely cold barrel?

Also is there an accumulated degradation in gun powder performance as time at extreme temperatures continue. Say you are on a backpack hunt so it's not one day at negative xy degrees but multiple?

What about diurnal flux. Arctic village might not have a temperature change in winter because the sun never shines but in CO your powder could be changing 40 degrees or more every day. Does that have an accumulated effect??

Sorry to bring science back into the it was so cold stories but now I'm curious and I don't think any Korean War veterans I know we're doing studies back then.
Click to expand...
Ask the guys at Recreational Software, Inc. Its what they do
 
Calvin45 said:
@Footsie80 where abouts you at in the NWT? I'll probably have to look at a map but i don't actually know anyone from there, do have a friend who worked at a mining operation near Yellowknife for a while. My dad was a conservation officer before he took over his dads farm, right near the border between Sask and NWT, Uranium City and area.
Click to expand...
@Calvin45 I'm in Yellowknife. I worked at one of the diamond mines (Ekati) until about 2 years ago. I used to work with a guy from Nipawin once upon a time. Tyler something. Redheaded guy who coached hockey and married an RCMP officer.
 
Calvin45 said:
Once again I find myself wishing I was free today to do some ballistic testing and subject myself to some cold weather. But as luck would have it, I've already got plans and cannot. I'm sure you all relate at some point or other. But i actually really wish I could go shooting in the name of science today. It would be a useful day to gather real world chrono data on extreme cold weather velocity affects. More often than not on the crazy hot days it doesn't work out either, but where I live has got to have some of the most extreme seasonal temperature spreads anywhere. Anyone ever actually get the chance to shoot and get data in weather like this? Especially interested to test the enduron powders sometime if we get another day this cold in the new year and I'm free.

We hit -42 celcius without factored in today, which isn't so rare around here, but and in June or July of this year it broke +40 celcius which I've never seen in my entire life. No thank you! I'll take the cold over the heat any day, can't stand heat like that, don't know how you folks from places like Arizona tolerate it but I suppose people adapt. BUT…I really wish I could have gone shooting today and on one of those horrible days in June. It would have been over 80 degrees C of variation and should have been enlightening. Anyone ever shoot such extremes and get data?
Click to expand...
Wow, very interesting indeed. I prefer to shoot in inclement weather, but nothing like those temps.
I have scuba dived under 8" of ice with a windchill of -34F and like diving, shooting in those temps would test everything. You, your dope, your ammo & your weapon! (I was just thinking about the metallurgy of the gunmetal going from that temp to flash temperature during firing on that first shot - wow) Thanks for sharing!
 
D$tring said:
Interested to see your results. The coldest I've shot is 0F (-18C) and it took a few extra clicks with a second shot to get to 1000. The only time the kestrel has been wrong for me. I think it was because it was in my pocket just prior to use. Didn't get a chrono speed (battery died + didn't have a fresh one). Was so cold that I only shot a few times then hopped into the warm pickup a headed home. I did kill a buck at just over 1200 in 10F (-12C) weather. Remembered to leave the kestrel out for a few minutes prior to shooting and dope was right on. If I remember correctly it was a 2.5 MOA (10 more clicks) than shooting at 1200 in 80F (27C).
Click to expand...
The main contributor to having to add a few more clicks is the colder temperature air is thicker and the bullet runs out of gas-speed sooner due to the higher resistance in the air.
Higher elevations and Hot air takes less adjustment in the scope to shoot a given distance.
Low altitude areas and cold temperatures are the opposite demanding more correction in the scope.

You answered your question, more then likely the Kestrel did not have the true environments being in your pocket warmed up in order to take in the real temp, humidity combined with your elevation. Powder can be a factor somewhat but I'm guessing you had the ammo in the truck while you were setting up. Note are a few good charts out there that will give you a good idea how many fps a given powder changes per degree of temp that folks will put in the programs.

I will do a follow up in detail on what we seen or wanted to accomplish last winter testing in the negative -22 degrees F giving us a negative -4418 Density Altitude excellent sludge to shoot through for testing BCs, transonic and subsonic flight stability sometime soon here for a few of you folks requestin. But first I have to wrap up some work details.

osoh
 
dan belisle said:
I have tried to run my chronograph in similar temps. Batteries die way too fast, couldn't get stable readings. - dan
Click to expand...
I know the feeling, we use a charge pack for charging phones etc and plug that in versus batteries on the Lab Radar now, it eliminated a bunch of miss reads and frustration.

osoh
 
QuietTexan said:
Block heater my butt... battery blankets, oil pan heater, transmission pan heater, in-tank fuel warmer, all wired to an auto eject plug so you don't tear the cord off. 60% coolant mix, 0W40 oil, an 80 gallon aux tank so you never have to shut down, OptiLube or Lucas winter added by the gallon.

The only time I've ever waxed my fuel filters was in Chicago. Fuel was locally bought and treated but the water content was slightly higher than advertised 🤬 Pretty sure it was high-bio also, looked like a high volume station but you can get burned anywhere with anything I guess. I now run a lift pump and pair of CAT filters between my aux and main tanks, one more water separator in the system can't hurt.
Click to expand...
Had some bad experiences years ago with bio-fuel myself on portable welders, (injector pumps). 👍
 

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