Cold Weather Shooting

Cold Weather Shooting

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
A company sent me information about their manufacturing process that creates barrels capable of outstanding accuracy in all weather conditions, including cold weather. That got me to thinking about frosty hunting conditions.

Cold Weather Shooting Tips

Winter presents several challenges to the shooter. Temperature extremes negatively affect performance. Understanding and preparing for the extremes is the key to good shooting when the mercury drops. 

Cold often affects ammunition performance. Low temperatures cause lower chamber pressures, which translates into slower velocities and, ultimately a lower point of impact. Some ammunition is better in the cold than others, so it's important to test! Ballistic data collected in the summer must be validated in cold weather shooting conditions.

Valuable tools for cold weather ammo testing include a chronograph, weather meter and a ballistic calculator. Accurate data for velocity and environmental conditions are critical for computing trajectories.

Cold weather shooting also requires warmer gear-gloves and jackets. Keeping warm is not only more enjoyable; it's also a big factor in top performance at the range. Remember to take time for dry firing before sending rounds downrange. 'Warming up' is essential in any competition and especially in the winter. 

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