Shooting in the cold?

[HammsBeer]

How do you guys who live in cold climates practice in cold weather?
And what would you do if you need to use your carry gun while wearing gloves?

I was out shooting in near zero temps with a sub-zero windchill factor and after 30 minutes I could hardly manipulate the gun (mag release, decocker, safety, etc), and gloves are just too bulky even with the oversized trigger guard on a Sig P6. There are no indoor ranges nearby, and I have to get trigger time when I can regardless of the weather.

 

[Kurastduuks]

Not trying to sound "macho" or anything but I just don't wear gloves anywhere but work and practice through the cold...not always easy! Been a darn cold one this year. I also have to work in the cold though and I believe that helps to acclimate a person over the course of the season.

 

[Grunt]

I just go with a design that is glove friendly. There's a reason I prefer the H&K USP design. Controls are large and easy to use even with heavy gloves on. The trigger guard is large in the first place and when carried cocked and locked, even the heaviest of winter weight gloves have no problem with safe access to the trigger and ample room to allow the trigger to reset between shots as well.

 

[FinnComm]

When it's really cold, two sets of gloves. One set are thin enough to operate the gun. The second set are thick, furry fingerless gloves. These can be slipped over the thinner pair when not shooting or loading mags.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

When its cold, I generally spend a lot of time in the man cave casting boolits and loading ammo. Then when it gets warm, I'll shoot em.

I do deer hunt but I'm not really all that exposed to the elements when doing that. Enclosed box blinds and Mr Buddy portable propane heaters make it nearly as comfortable as sitting in the living room.

I'm not a cold kind of guy. I can stand 105 easily as long as I have plenty of H2O. 20 and below, not so much.

 

[HammsBeer]

So what kind of carry gun do you guys have for the winter when wearing gloves? What guns specifically have oversized trigger guards?

 

[smalls]

And what would you do if you need to use your carry gun while wearing gloves?

I dont wear gloves, usually. But when I do, I wear gloves that won't interfere with my shooting capabilities. Thinner, tighter gloves tend to work OK.

 

[bhhacker]

I dont wear gloves while shooting during the winter, but i will bring some to wear in between targets to warm up my hands.


If i have to wear gloves, I have a nice camouflage set that has the trigger finger thats lighter material that the missus just bought me for christmas. Have yet to use them though...not because im a hard___ but because my shoulder is wrecked and i havent been able to go to the range in a while.

 

[Edster12]

I don't wear gloves, that's what pockets are for. There is a group of folks I shoot with about every other week. We actually do more more shooting in the winter then in the warmer summer months. Can't tell ya how many times I pull out the 454 Casull, touch it off, and the concussion shakes the trees just enough so they dump their snow. Most of it lands on my head.

 

[JTQ]

How do you guys who live in cold climates practice in cold weather?

I typically don't bother when it's cold. While I'm in Florida now, I lived in northern Maine for quite a while. Heck, you can't find your ejected brass in the snow anyway, so why bother. Arkansas Paul has a good suggestion, find something else gun related to do inside instead. You can either reload or do dry firing exercises, etc.

And what would you do if you need to use your carry gun while wearing gloves?

That could be something you could work out at home, inside where it's warm. Gear up, and figure out a way to get to your gun, unloaded of course, either with your gloves on, or try to figure out a way to remove the glove from your shooting hand while sweeping away your cover garment.

I was out shooting in near zero temps with a sub-zero windchill factor and after 30 minutes I could hardly manipulate the gun (mag release, decocker, safety, etc), and gloves are just too bulky even with the oversized trigger guard on a Sig P6.

I agree that would not be fun. You may want to look at an alternate glove, if your's are too thick to get into the SIG P6 trigger guard. There are lots of "high tech" gloves around these days that should provide warmth, but still be sleek enough to allow you to work the controls on the SIG.

 

[HammsBeer]

I typically shoot blazer aluminum cased ammo in winter, so no need to chase frozen brass. When the temps are above 20 it ok bare handed, but if the wind picks up forget it.

 

[bigfatdave]

How do you guys who live in cold climates practice in cold weather?
[1]

And what would you do if you need to use your carry gun while wearing gloves?
[2]


I was out shooting in near zero temps with a sub-zero windchill factor and after 30 minutes I could hardly manipulate the gun (mag release, decocker, safety, etc), and gloves are just too bulky even with the oversized trigger guard on a Sig P6. There are no indoor ranges nearby, and I have to get trigger time when I can regardless of the weather.
[3]

1 - By shooting the gun in worst-case conditions in cold weather a few times a year. Cold gun (in reality, my carry gun is kept warm because I'm carrying it), mechanic's gloves and thicker gloves, lousy winter lighting, reactive targets

2 - Use it without hesitation

3 - I don't intend to need 30 minutes of subzero temperature shooting time and mag reloading time in an emergency. I have one gun and one or two spare mags, and they're all nice and warm because they live INSIDE my jacket, or at least in a coat pocket if I'm so bulked up that I can't get to my belt gun. Mag changes will be slowed by gloves, but also sped up because I'm dumping the empty and moving on with living. I'm not reloading mags from a box in the middle of a snowstorm, nor am I shooting for 1" groups.

I typically shoot blazer aluminum cased [-A] ammo in winter, so no need to chase frozen brass. When the temps are above 20 it ok bare handed, but if the wind picks up forget it.[-B]

A - Well, yeah! That's what cheapo aluminum/steelcase ammo is FOR. Other than a few mags of carry ammo, I always shoot the junky stuff outside.
B - The gun stays warmer if you stuff it in the holster on your belt.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

One year, on Christmas morning, I drove to the rifle range, and no one was there. It was about 22 degrees, and snowing bigtime. I pulled my SUV up sideways, rolled down the passenger window, and fired out the window at the 100 yard line to test my zero of my .300 Win Mag long range rifle (I have the 100 yard impact plotted 17 inches above the crosshairs on my mil-dot scale for a 700 yard zero, my tactical preference for a full 100-1100 yards without an elevation change on the turret). I fired one shot (truly a "cold bore" shot), hit the mark, and packed it up. No point in getting cold when you don't have to. Most of the time I am shooting pistols, and as noted above, you dress warm, shoot without gloves, until you hands get cold, and retire to the vehicle to warm up. Repeat until out of ammo, or too cold to perform well.

 

[Sergei Mosin]

At the indoor pistol range!

My SIGs and especially my H&Ks work well with gloved hands. The magazine release on the USP is particularly useful under those circumstances.

 

[bigfatdave]

SharpsDressedMan, I love it!

Apparently, YOU have found the range that lets people practice their shooting&driving skills. I've been looking for that place for years.

Can I practice deploying a shotgun from a scabbard on my motorcycle there? (note to self, REMOVE WINDSHIELD)

 

[bigfatdave]

The magazine release on the USP is particularly useful under those circumstances.

I've found the paddle release on Walthers to be easy with gloves as well.

 

[ForumSurfer]

I live in nc so my winters aren't too bad. I practice outside in the weather wearing the same clothes I wear while carrying daily. I don't wear gloves while shooting because I never wear gloves. Basically I keep it simple and practice just like I live. Gloves would make a long session so much more comfortable, but that's not how I carry daily so that's not how I practice.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

How do you guys who live in cold climates practice in cold weather?

Indoor range.

And what would you do if you need to use your carry gun while wearing gloves?

When carrying I don't wear gloves. I keep my hands in coat or pant pockets as much as possible, even if they get a little cold, short of being numb. A glove thick enough to be warm causes problems with trigger and other control manipulation. A bigger problem comes from a gap between the tip of my finger and the tip of the glove finger. This snags when trying to put my trigger finger into the guard. But my winters, while I may see "teens" at night and even -2° during the big freeze the week before last, aren't as severe as yours. I think what I would do in that case is try to find a thinner, tighter-fitting glove (no "finger gap" but not so tight you can't bend your fingers), or perhaps one with the trigger finger exposed, even if the hand gets a little cold.

 

[pendennis]

I found that a pair of winter golf gloves made by Footjoy are fairly warm and comfortable, although extended exposure is uncomfortable, no matter what. I can use the mag release, reload, and still feel the trigger with them. I also use them for skeet and trap in the winter.

They run about $30/pair, and they're insulated with "Thinsulate".

 

[Edster12]

Well was out in the cold today shooting, 32 degrees with light snow so it wasn't too bad. No gloves. I did find one thing about winter shooting----brass landing in snow/ice tends to be wet. The Mrs wasn't too happy this evening when I used a couple of her cookie sheets and the oven to dry the brass before storing it.

 

[herrwalther]

I lived in VT for awhile and became rather accustomed to cold weather shooting. As a result, most of my firearms have extended trigger guards and larger magazine releases to accommodate gloves easier. A habit I have not broken since moving to the south. Also probably where I developed the habit of using my whole trigger finger instead of just the finger pad to pull the trigger. First winter I spent doing long range shooting resulted in numb fingers and poor accuracy. Switched to wrapping my finger through to use the next knuckle.

Traditional Breakfree CLP formulas also tend to gunk up firearms in cold weather. Mil-tec Synthetic was also what I used, seemed to work much better. When spending prolonged periods in the cold, keep the weapon cold. When it comes time to clean it, let it warm up gradually for 1-2 hours. This allows the weapon to "sweat" and make cleaning more productive.

 

[HammsBeer]

Glad I went shooting my Buckmark and P6 yesterday when it was 30 degrees and calm. Was actually pleasant outside and no need for gloves, and did really well with the buckmark out to 25 yards.

Today it's dropping to zero again and gusting 20mph with blowing snow. yuck.

One thing I don't do in winter is shoot anything that has wood on it, only metal and synthetic handguns/rifles. I've heard that rapid temperature swings can cause splits in wood.

 

[Warp]

I wear gloves, because when it's COLD your fingers will become useless extremely quickly when you actually have to do something. Some things that need doing require your hands, and you can't use your hands when they are shoved in your pockets. And that means I practice shooting in gloves, because if you wear them in "real life" you ought to get some practice/training in with them on.

Not big bulky heavily insulated gloves, so hands still get cold, but not nearly as quickly...and it doesn't hurt nearly as much when you bang them on something, either.

Simple Mechanix gloves for $20 are a pretty good compromise. And they can be worn in the summer when it's hot simply for protection as well.

I'm not originally from GA and I still go up "north" in the winter. Plus it was single digits here not long ago, even.

When I shoot outdoors in the COLD, I just don't do it for very long.