Question about reloading/shooting by very cold weather!

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Ghys_T3LSS

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Hi guys,

I want to shoot even by very cold weather. Meaning -20 Celsius...

Even if I use a h4350 which is not too sensitive about temperature change, my question is the following:

How do you make sure you get good ES and SD, even if from shot to shot your chamber/barrel/ammo can probably vary 20-25 degrees in a very short time...

I have a very good load I trust, but so far in the cold, I get higher ES AND SD...

Any simple way you can get around it?

Thanks!
 
Your accuracy will probably suffer more from cold or uncomfortable dress than ammo variances. I’ve shot quite a bit in similar temps. I like it because the range isn’t crowded.
 
Well - I'm not measuring the parameters you state, but I will relate my recent experience. Regardless of temperature, I try to shoot with the barrel at a relatively constant temperature, say 10-15 C above the ambient temp. For cold weather shooting, I leave the gun/ammo overnight in the car. You get a few free shots at the start of the session to get to the desired equilibrium temperature, then you space the shots out accordingly. I get comparable accuracy using this method.
Trying to keep the gun, or ammo warm during cold weather shooting is close to impossible to do. If attempted, its probably the reason your ES and SD parameters are going whack.
 
Dont expect your reloading results in the cold to apply to warm weather.

Regardless of temperature sensitivity claims, everything is sensitive to temperature, including the barrel itself. Expect velocity to drop as thermal expansion occurs as the barrel warms during a string of shots.

You are likely in cold weather get better chronograph results with a hot or magnum primer.

Be careful if you sneak up on a max pressure load in the cold... Don't use it in the heat or it can be dangerous. You can fire a load developed in the heat any time, because in the cold it will have less pressure, but the reverse is not safe unless you know in advance to factor in a margin for safety.

The only way to omit temperature sensitivity issues is to keep the rounds warm until the moment you want to shoot.

Get a piece of Styrofoam and poke the rounds into it while they are warm and keep them in a cooler with a hot pocket in there or even a bottle of hot water. Just take out a few at a time. Keep them in a pocket close to your body until ready to shoot.

In the heat of summer we do something similar for long range shooting. We don't chamber the round until the moment we are ready to shoot. We keep the bullets out of direct sunlight and often inside some sort of foam to control temperature changes.
 
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Thanks Cosmic and Maple. Both answers make sense. I’m just not sure which one is more likely to work well. !!!

I am also aware about load development and being careful in the summer..!

Thanks a lot!
 
Using small rifle primers in the cold can cause issues as well. I'm referring to cartridges such as .308 when using Lapua small rifle (Palma) brass or possibly 6.5 Creedmoor brass also with small rifle primers.
 
beaverbank said:
Using small rifle primers in the cold can cause issues as well. I'm referring to cartridges such as .308 when using Lapua small rifle (Palma) brass or possibly 6.5 Creedmoor brass also with small rifle primers.
Click to expand...

I've never had issues w/ the original small primer pocket 308 brass-Remington URBR.
The flash hole makes the difference...which Lapua screwed up w/ their Palma brass.
 
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