Rifles and cold weather

timandkimandshea

timandkimandshea

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I was curious what other people do with their rifles after hunting when it's cold out. When they come in, the temp difference causes them to sweat. If you can slowly let it acclimatize, that's great but that's not always practical. Full strip and clean? Easy enough with an SKS, harder with a shotgun or bolt action. What about the scope? The bore, if it wasn't fired?
Thx
T
 
Bring the gun inside in a case, and leave it until it reaches room temperature. This will minimize condensation. No harm in wiping it down and wiping out the bore once it is warm.
 
Throw it in a soft case before bringing inside. It'll warm up slower and there'll be less condensation. Make/eat dinner, then pull it from the case and give the metal a wipe down with a dry rag. Leave it a bit to be sure it's finished with the moisture, then give a light coat of G96 if it got really wet, or if I deem it necessary. Leave it out of the case overnight in a warm location. Never, ever leave it in the case overnight when coming in from the cold/wet.
 
As others have stated, in a case or on the heat vent. Then I wipe down with a dry cloth and lightly oil and then the next day wipe down with dry cloth and oil again.

The extra ten minute redo the next day buys me peace of mind, and I never get rust.
 
If you're going back out the next day, leave it in the woodshed. I bring mine in the camp and stand it in the corner out of the case. Once it's warmed up, wipe it down and you're good to go. If you leave it in the case while you're eating supper, you're likely to find it still in the case in the morning with an orange film all over it.
 
I do the furnace vent thing. I stand gun up over the vent action open and caps on scope open. Then I turn my fan switch on the thermostat from auto to on. This just runs the fan to cycle the air in the house. About 15 min later a quick wipe with my g96 rag and good to go.
 
Just place it on a towel or blanket and let it warm to room temperature... Then wipe it down completely with Rem Oil... I run a snake through the bore and swab the action/mag/trigger... make sure to leave it dry of excess oil if you are going back out into the cold again, otherwise things may stiffen up and potential jam.

I don't leave it in the case to warm up because when the heat from the wood stove hits me, like as not, I'm out. Far better to have it exposed to heat and air, the condensation will dry up, if something prevents you (zzzzzz) from getting to it.
 
The old time northern Saskatchewan trappers left their rifles out in the cold all winter. When they came to their cabin they just hung the rifle on a nail driven into a log beside the door, on the outside of the cabin.
 
Option 1. Let it get wet, then deal with it.

Option 2. Don't let it get wet.

And if the rifle is going to continue in use, keep it cold.
 
When I hunted out of a camp, the guns came inside and hung by the heat of the wood stove to warm and dry them quickly. Sometimes they were stored in the truck and therefore left cold.

Now that I hunt day trips for deer, I hang my rifle over the dehumidifier until warm and dry and then prepped for the next day's hunt.
 
Putting it in a case, or leaving it in one is a guaranteed way to rust a rifle. It HAS to be able to breath and evaporate any moisture it is attempting to accumulate before it can cause oxidization. A mild heat source is ok, but moving room temp or slightly warmer air is better. If those aren't an option and it is to be used again soon in the cold, keep it cold.
 
warm moist air is less likely to condense on the cold metal if the metal is protected from the moist air and can come up to temp ... I use a case and wrap a blanket around it -- if it is coming inside - and you can fall asleep if you like as long as you didnt soak the case with a dunking or rain. One of the nice features of the ZKK action is that you could also quickly dismantle the bolt AND it has no little ejector plugs held captive in blind holes or extractors with tiny springs buried in blind holes .. both of which can hold condensation and rust or freeze ... the true mauser design (and "some" pseudo mauser designs) is easier to maintain AND (forgetting the so called "controlled" feed) it has POSITIVE extraction and POSITIVE ejection ... even when covered in snow or ice
 
H4831 said:
The old time northern Saskatchewan trappers left their rifles out in the cold all winter. When they came to their cabin they just hung the rifle on a nail driven into a log beside the door, on the outside of the cabin.
Click to expand...

Maybe the guns were better then or had less worry sum owners
 
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