Calvin45
Well-Known Member
Haha I guess I'm a masochist a little bit. Tho as we've discussed elsewhere I can't cope in any kind of real heat. But I've gone shooting just for fun in -30 many times since I was 11 years old haha
I’m always busy at the wrong time…for SCIENCE!!!😡🤣. Anyone ever shoot at these temps and get chrono numbers?
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BrentM
Well-Known Member
Well Canadians are a different breed. Ha ha. I guess if it got that cold for longer periods of time I would probably go out. I hate being inside anyway, so I'd probably figure it out. It only gets "cold" here a few weeks at most and warms back up. 20-30 F is normal in the moutains and that is pretty comfortable to me. I hate anything over 80f unless I am on a lake or river. I've shot some desert matches in high heat, did the Vortex Extreme in Utah several times, the suck level is pretty high.
I often go to the range when it is 0 or below. The range masters all know me and usually tell me I'm on my own, they don't come out of the office. But you won't catch me out there when it is above 80 degrees, and I will not hunt in those temperatures. My loads are designed for cooler weather, and I am not concerned how they work in heat.
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lancetkenyon
Well-Known Member
-44*F??? Screw that! I am an AZ native, and it is +44*F this morning, I am in a LS tee, sweatshirt, Kuiu Guide vest, and Carhart work coat! Give me 115*F vs 15*F anyday!
Calvin45
Well-Known Member
115f and I'll have heatstroke in 10 minutes haha
I write about double base powders all the time. They are heat sensitive, and some greater that others. Varget, H4350, H4831, and H1000 are some of the lease sensitive powders. I learn over 20 years ago on powders. I have petty much stop using double base powders. I hunt in -20 to 110 weather.
Hopefully I will get a chance to use some other single base powder this summer and try them in the winters here in Montana.
This all come about with a load I had develop about 22 or so years ago. I was getting 3400fps with IMR 4350 in the winter in S. Cal. or I call it Mexico-North. Temp was in the 50 to 60 dr. Excellence grouping, and great velocity for that rifle. Set the rifle aside and moved onto others. When back to that rifle in the summer. First round down the tube I below a primer out of the case. Took a bit to get the action open too. I was an unhappy camper. Figure out what was going. Never use IMR 4350 or 4831 again, and some of the reloader powders have the same problem. I don't need that problem. If you are going to use double base powders. Do some load development in different times of the year. Especially in long range shooting. It doesn't take much variance to move where your bullet hits at different ranges. 50fps change can make a 14" different @ 1000yds.
So my rule of thumb is: I don't use double based powder if at all possible. It doesn't take much to read up on how a powder is made up.
Hopefully I will get a chance to use some other single base powder this summer and try them in the winters here in Montana.
This all come about with a load I had develop about 22 or so years ago. I was getting 3400fps with IMR 4350 in the winter in S. Cal. or I call it Mexico-North. Temp was in the 50 to 60 dr. Excellence grouping, and great velocity for that rifle. Set the rifle aside and moved onto others. When back to that rifle in the summer. First round down the tube I below a primer out of the case. Took a bit to get the action open too. I was an unhappy camper. Figure out what was going. Never use IMR 4350 or 4831 again, and some of the reloader powders have the same problem. I don't need that problem. If you are going to use double base powders. Do some load development in different times of the year. Especially in long range shooting. It doesn't take much variance to move where your bullet hits at different ranges. 50fps change can make a 14" different @ 1000yds.
So my rule of thumb is: I don't use double based powder if at all possible. It doesn't take much to read up on how a powder is made up.
My problem shooting in cold weather (-10to -40)was always the difference in wearing gloves, larger coats, glasses fogging it was always a much bigger factor then anything else. Hard to shoot well for me when it cold like that. I have hunted in some cold weather but not long range by any means.
BrentM
Well-Known Member
Yep. Here it is just predator hunting and its the best time so off I go. I actually enjoy the winter hunting to a degree. It gets me outside with a good excuse to use my rifle. I bow hunt deer and elk so this my rifle time. Hitting yotes and wolves at 1000 plus is quite the challenge in mountain winter conditions.
We routinely hunt deer and elk from -20 to -30C. Heated insoles in pack boots, two zippo handwarmers in my muff and a heated Milwaukee hoodie and I'm good to go. Always tell my friends if they see smoke maybe one of my heaters shorted out!! I'll take the minus temperatures over 115F any day. I'm with Calvin, that I wouldn't last long at those temperatures. I will agree that when I have hunted Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, that sitting in a blind in a T-shirt is kind of nice at around 60-70F.
Calvin45
Well-Known Member
The other perk of cold weather hunting…I've never once had to worry about meat spoiling if I can't get the animal gutted and hanging super fast. We had an unseasonably warm October here…I struck out on my moose tag but recall feeling nervous and thinking "wait a minute it's just me out here…what i ACTUALLY GET ONE and it's well above freezing?!?!"
lancetkenyon
Well-Known Member
Coldest I have hunted was -4*F one year on a late elk hunt. I was miserable. So cold it burned.
But I will go hunt pronghorn in 105*F+ or dove in 115*F+ without blinking.
I work outside, so I am used to the heat. Well, as much as you can be at 115*F+.
But I will go hunt pronghorn in 105*F+ or dove in 115*F+ without blinking.
I work outside, so I am used to the heat. Well, as much as you can be at 115*F+.
You are more resilient than I am. I have hunted snowshoe hare at -35, but I can't do 105 F.
Calvin45
Well-Known Member
Not laughing at you…but at how -4f is "so cold it burns" but when it's ACTUALLY BURNING you're apparently fine haha.
This morning with the windchill it felt like -23 c or -9f. I walked my kids to school, About 3/4 a mile one way, pulling them in a big wagon. It needs to be a lot colder than this before I want to wear a real winter jacket or ski pants. Today just blue jeans, a t shirt and a normal cabelas hoodie/sweater, mitts, a toque, and my big winter boots - my feet are about all that get cold easy, I have bad circulation to my toes - now if I was just standing outside I'd have been cold but walking and pulling them I actually had to take off my toque because I was sweating by the time I got back home haha. I run very hot, built for winter I guess. But not for summer. Everyone thinks laying on a beach getting blasted by the sun sounds like a vacation…to me it sounds like PUNISHMENT
Calvin45
Well-Known Member
And on that note, when people who aren't acquainted with real cold stuff want to know what's the most important piece of winter clothing it's no question in my mind: BOOTS!!! Real warm durable winter boots. If you don't have a real jacket you can put on 5 sweaters and look like an idiot but not freeze. But if you don't have appropriate footwear you're done whatever you're doing in a hurry!Not laughing at you…but at how -4f is "so cold it burns" but when it's ACTUALLY BURNING you're apparently fine haha.
This morning with the windchill it felt like -23 c or -9f. I walked my kids to school, About 3/4 a mile one way, pulling them in a big wagon. It needs to be a lot colder than this before I want to wear a real winter jacket or ski pants. Today just blue jeans, a t shirt and a normal cabelas hoodie/sweater, mitts, a toque, and my big winter boots - my feet are about all that get cold easy, I have bad circulation to my toes - now if I was just standing outside I'd have been cold but walking and pulling them I actually had to take off my toque because I was sweating by the time I got back home haha. I run very hot, built for winter I guess. But not for summer. Everyone thinks laying on a beach getting blasted by the sun sounds like a vacation…to me it sounds like PUNISHMENT
