.22 and Cold Weather

C

cainesy

CGN frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
18   0   0
Location
The ROCK
How good would a Lakefield 64b semi-auto perform in -15 to -25 celsius weather, in a scattered heavy flurry? Took it rabbit hunting yesterday and was pretty impressed how it performed in thick bush and scattered showers. It was easier lugging around than a vented rib 12 ga, with the rib getting caught in shrubbery 30 times a day! Anyways, all replies appreciated and I look forward to everyones insight and opinions. Cheers.
 
It should work fine. I used to use mine frequently in that kind of cold weather. The hardest part is loading the mags and the serrated cocking knob that chews up skin, especially in cold weather. I had no issues and found it totally reliable.
 
I expect it would perform well but you may want to look at a single 410. Just as light and better coverage on short range shots. Or you could look at a BPS 20 Micro.

DK
 
should work well as long as its cleaned and doesnt have too much oil in it.
like the other guy said...410= better chance at hitting something. unless you like a challenge.
 
Here's a little maintenance tip for cold weather use. First off, graphite grease (gunslick brand, available at Can-tire) works GREAT. Just a very light coat goes a long way. Bringing in your firearm from cold weather causes mega condensation. Place the firearm in a corner with the action open and have a fan blowing directly at it. Allow the firearm to acclimatize to room temp before cleaning/storage.
 
Nine mentioned the graphite already, but I had issues with my marlin 60 in very cold weather, was getting a lot of ftf and stovepipes, took it apart thinking it needed a cleaning (secondhand from Wolverine) and the bolt buffer was in about 6 pieces.
Worked fine until this cold weather outing, so just something to watch out for.
Now replacing the buffer, that was a learning experience, somehow got it all back together.
 
for biathlon there is a noticeable loss of performance in some ammunition (and some rifles) at cold temperatures. For competition atheletes often use expensive polar ammunition below -10 c. at the temperatures you talk about, if you are trying for very small targets, it would be a good investment.
 
don't buy the olympic cold weather match ammo (i would think you'd want hollow points anyways...?), but do some cold weather testing just to see how YOUR rifle works in cold weather, and test a few kinds of ammo for reliability and reasonable accuracy in the cold weather.
 
Eezox for cold weather, no graphite grease, really eezox is the answer I believe it has outperformed everything by a a country mile and up north those miles a Loooooooooong in the cold. and its one of the best run inhibiters there is so when you bring your gun in from the cold and it moistens up the eezox will protect it. Please do yourself and look into it, your gun, it worth your time.
 
Thanks for all the info people, its given me a few things to think about and try once the winter sets in. Using a .22 at the rabbits is a challenge that I like, theres not much room for mistakes and it seems to improve my overall shooting skills. I've used a 12ga for 25 yrs, I thought it was time for a change. Thanks again. Cheers.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom