What do you do went you get back home or to camp with your rifle and it's wet or very cold? Do you bring it in the house and warm it up or just leave it in the vehicle if it's just cold to use the next day?

I bring mine in and let them warm up in the gun case. If they are wet I take them out of the gun case, put them near the stove and then wipe them with a silicone cloth.

Since my father was a real stickler for gun care, I have a tendency to over-maintain things now and again. I don't think I would sleep well leaving the weapon in a vehicle overnight. Whether wet or just cold I would probably bring it in and give it a light coat of silicone even if I knew I would be using it the next day.

If I am hunting in REALLLLLY cold places I would with much hesitation and concern leave it oil-free at all times and risk the rust in the short term rather than worry about the action or anything else gumming up in the cold.

JMHO,

JohnTheGreek

[ 10-24-2002, 07:10: Message edited by: JohnTheGreek ]

99% of the time I hunt with a dry gun. Day to day rust can be delt with, crud building up in my rifles, cannot. In another thread I mentioned my hunting habits which is talor made for caring for the guns (must not forget the sidearm) in evening after hunts. My rifles are in the rig, or the house when I am not using them.

Regards,
JAG

When it's wet, it gets cleaned well, dried well, and oiled. If it's just cold ( well below freezing) Iv'e been known to leave it on the porch (enclosed) for the next AM's hunt. I almost lost a nice whitetail buck one year doing that, as oil (mainly WD40) had pooled in the bolt, and was jelled by the cold. Took 4 hammer falls to get one going, which got the deer, but I also learned the hazards of to much oil (I didn't really have much in it, it just pooled in the bolt). Leaving it on the porch did help with the condensation you get when going out into the cold, however. The jelling thing would probably have happened anyway, it was the oil that was the problem, and that was my doing, not the cold.

We don't have many rust problems here (very dry climate, especially during hunting season) so I usually leave a cold firearm out in the cold. Any firearm I take hunting is degreased/oiled before I take it out. I haven't seen too many lubes that will still function properly when it gets really cold (-30 to -40) so I prefer dry lubricants or no lube at all. If the gun gets wet (not likely, but it could happen) I'll take it into the shelter at night and dry and clean it. This works in our conditions, I'm sure if I hunted where it's more humid this wouldn't be the case, though. - Dan

While up moose hunting 2 weeks ago, we encountered cold, rain and snow.

While I'm a bit of stickler for keeping things well tuned, I found that as soon as I brought the guns in from the cold, they frosted right up. As far as that goes, condensation is just as bad, particularly since it can also condense between the barrel and wood where you can't easily get at it (face it, you don't want or need to be tearing down your guns at camp). I found it was much easier to leave them on the unheated porch overnight.

The day it rained really hard, I did give them a quick wipe with lots of gun lube, but then left them outside anyway. (Nothing into the bolt though)

I have a stainless Ruger Rifle, and haven't had any problems with rust, nor the firing mechanism freezing. I use synthetic oil in the firing mechanism, but during the night if -it gets below 20 degrees or so-I keep it outside of the tent.

Most nights however, I bring it inside the tent whenever the propane heater is turned off, then in the morning I place it outside the tent just before I turn the heater on, to prevent condensation on the rifle. I also flip open the scope's lens guards to make sure the lenses stay dry.

Every night before I get in my sleeping bag I clean lightly lubricate the rifle's bore and the bolt. The idea is to remove dust that accumulates inside the barrel and around the bolt as I ride my ATV. Nowadays I place a rubber mini-balloon over the muzzle to prevent mud, rain, or snow from entering the barrel, and only remove all grease/oil if hunting under sub zero temperatures.

[ 10-25-2002, 06:45: Message edited by: Ray, Alaska ]

I bring mine in and clean them thoroughly if I've been in the rain, actually I may be a little neurotic about it as I usually clean them down with a silicone cloth even if they haven't gotten wet. Of course here in Texas it rarely gets cold enough to worry about although you could get some condensation at times. My new gun on order is a synthetic stock with a gun-kote finish on all the metal so I probably won't have to worry about it as much, all my other guns are blued steel and walnut so I defend against rust.

I could be called "Wetman" here, as I hunt the coast range in Oregon in November--these days muzzleloader hunts. My guns are frequently drenched by my traipsing through soaking wet heavy brush--I am frequently wetter than my guns. I have 40 years experience at this, and have made most of the mistakes one can make. One night in a tent in a really nasty wind/rainstorm I had a nice but well used Rem. 600 rust inside and out, and lift portions of the finish. The rifle had been on top of a corner of my cotton-covered sleeping bag, which had absorbed a lot of water. The metal on the rifle was never the same after that hunt--Didn't get my elk either! Damp or cold guns in warm cases--you are honestly better off to leave the gun out in the weather! Then there was the Rem.1100 I left under the back seat of the Travelall at night so as not to expose it to propane-heated air-----------I hadn't noticed that with all our wet coats, etc. we had very wet carpeting--Where the sissy pad and wood joined I had not put finish on the wood---destroyed a pristine stock. These days I carry a silicone cloth in a HD baggy, dry rags in baggys, and light oil and patches-a-plenty. The guns are dryed, wiped down, very lightly oiled {too light to pool} and leave them in my truck, which is right next to my camper. Actually, the abovementioned cleaning is don in the truck before we go into the camper---condensation can be as damaging as rain.

I have always brought them inside, but that is not really satisfactory. Have had two frozen action problems over the years due to bringing cold rifles into a warm place for the night.

First was my Rem 600 .308, hunting in N. WI, the firing pin froze. This was many years ago when I had not learned to keep excess oil out of it.

Recently, last week, I had the trigger mechanism on my Rugar M77 .338 freeze while moose hunting in Quebec (no moose). Bolt would close but not cock the action. Weather had been ugly for days, either rain, snow, or a mixture every day.

Ideally, I would like to be able to wipe the weapon down at the end of the day, run a patch through the barrel, and store it outside somewhere where condensation would not collect in it. -Fred

This is what I have done when I have a house to stay in and have a wet blued/wood/scoped rifle. I bring it in and wipe it off and lean it on the wall by the wood stove. This drys off the condenstation faster than it can form and by bedtime the rifle is dry and I wipe it off with a silcone cloth. So far this has worked.

If the rifle is just very cold I bring it in and just leave it in the gun case over at the other end of the camp in the gun rack. In this case I may not even wipe it off but just leave it there til the next day. All of my rifles have the muzzles covered with black electrical tape and I have pieces of tape on the butt stocks to replace the tape on the muzzle if I fire the rifle. This tape has no effect on point of impact or groups.

If the weather is dry and bitter cold I leave my rifle outside in the garage locked up to avoid the condensation problem. I use dry lube in the action and have never had any trouble. If it is raining, or snowing I always bring it in, sit it next to the wood stove and let it dry out. Then I clean it throughly. I always wipe the bore dry of oil after cleaning. My favorite hunting rifle puts the first shot on call so long as there is no trace of oil in the bore. If there is the first shot always goes 1 1/2" left of POA.If it is raining or snowing I too put a piece of tape over the muzzle. Just my two cents worth.

RiverRat

I leave the tape on all of the time. I might fall down and poke the muzzle into the snow or ground.

I have an old M70 in 264WM that has a new bbl on it as someone fell down while hunting in Alaska with it and then fired it!

Since we must keep rifles under lock and key I can't leave it in the car or outside. I often hunt in wet and/or cold conditions and always wipe the rifle dry when coming home. Never leaving it in the case since this, in my experience, is a good recipe for rust. If the hunt has been very cold I take the trouble to wipe the condensation of a couple of times until the rifle/shotgun is warm. Then a good cleaning depending on whether a shot has been fired or not.

I noticed two people say that they would put their rifles near a stove. I personally would not.

I will dry my rifle if it is wet and protect it from the weather at night usually by bringing it inside an unheated enclosure like a tent, porch, vehicle, garage, bunkhouse. In terms of temperature I prefer to keep it as close to the hunting temperature as possible.

I was glad to see this turn in to a Remington 600 thread. (ChuckD & Fred Bouwman) I thought I was the only guy out there that loves that little rifle. Mine is a .308 Win.

I also nearly missed a nice mule deer years ago. I pulled the trigger three times and jacked the shells out in the snow. The first two showed the firing pin had not touched the primer, the third one showed just the hint of an indention from the firing pin. I was getting frantic. Luckily the buck and a small herd of does were about 200 yards below me on the mountain. The fourth time I pulled the trigger, she roared and the buck collapsed dead in its tracks and slid another 200 yards on down the mountain in the snow.

Lot's of us like the 600/660 series of rifles Kensco. I have five of them myself (222, 284 Win, two 308's, and a 350 which I own but has gone to live with my brother in Alaska.) I'm thinking of building another in 7mm WSM, just because. Great rifles. - Dan

I never leave my rifle in a case unless I have no choice. My cases are dried by the wood stove and kept in a rifle dry bag right before use.

I wipe down the gun clean, tape muzzle with electrical tape and spray two coats of Shooters Choice Rust Prevent all over everything. It works great just don't spray it over any moisture on the rifle. It leaves a waxy like oily coating and will trap the moisture under it. My Ruger 416 has seen some nasty weather for two weeks at a time and it looks new still, never a problem.

A night it lays next to me in the unheated tent on something dry and covered with something dry, sweatpants or something. In the heated wall tent it is dried fast and thurough with the tape off the muzzle. Condensation is evaperated immediatly if not sooner and doesn't have a chance to cause problems. A wall tent to dry things out every day is the only way to hunt, period. Everything else sucks once you've used one.

Rust Prevent attract dust and crap but it seals out moisture and WORKS. I wipe mine down about every other day and reapply if it looks needed.

I give the metal a paste wax treatment a time or two during season. Little oil at all. Cold truck at night generally when temps are below freezing.

Something I carry in the truck is one of those cans of compressed air you clean your keyboards with. Blasts out moisture, and all those larch needles that get into every crack and cranny this time of year.

I try not to remove the stock on a gun I am hunting with once I get it sighted in. What I do is put a couple coats of paste wax on like Waksupi does and bring it inside. If it is cold I'll put it in a plastic garbage bag and bring it in, and not remove it from the bag until it warms up. I also really like butler creek scope caps and I make sure they are closed too until the gun warms up to room temperature.

miltary break-fre CLP,available at wal-mart and all good gunshops.......it'll take care of your weapon.....

its current military use lube and very good,for the worst conditions.try it you'll will like it.it does wonders for all my full auto friends,even in extreme cold weather.break-free CLP.......

after reading all these rascals uses ,break-free CLP will surely take care of all your probs and theres too ????marks break-free clp will i'll bet my life on it,will take care of any problems ,below freezing or what....break-free clp will do your job and many others......i promise....

If it is super cold out I would leave it in the truck or something for the duration of the hunt. Bringing them in and out of the cold with the attendent condensation causes more problems tha a few days of neglect.

Since I hunt in the mountains and fields of northern canada I am exposed to a great deal of cold wet conditions.All the rifles I own are stainless synthetic to reduce corrosion and stock problems.I take apart my bolts and clean out the mechanisms to prevent freeze up and hunt with a piece of tape over the muzzle to keep out rain or snow.If tent hunting in the mountains my rifle stays far away from the stove to prevent condensation.

If I am going out the next day I just leave it outside. If I brought it in then I would have to completely disassemble it.

I use TS Moly, www.tsmoly.com TS-67 Arctic Grade fully synthetic moly based grease. It is very very light buttery grease that will not run or ooze and has virtually no odor!!

I have replaced the grease covering the firing pins and springs in all my rifles with this grease. I have deliberately left it outside when it was -36F to see what would happen and my wifes 7x57 Brno worked perfectly.

I know some have had bad experiences with cold lubes but I can unabashedly tell you my word is good on this grease. It does the trick. A dab behind the lugs and the rest of the rifle is wiped down with a coat of CLP.

You should at least try it. If you don't like it (I don't know why you wouldn't) you can always put the rest of the cartridge in the grease gun for your truck.