If you live where it’s 50 below what type of firearm do you use or not use what goes bang every time at 50 below would it be bolt action, lever action, revolver, Glock, AK or AR just curious

Revolvers and hammer cocked rifles tend to go bang in cold weather. Bolt actions are reliable if the bolt, firing pin and hole and trigger are thoroughly clean of oil and any dirt/ fouling.Semi autos tend to be most finicky due to moving parts, tolerances, and again lube and dirt/fouling issues.Years ago I had a Browning Bar .308 turn into a single shot in late season Alberta due to too much of the wrong lube.This year hunting late season Colorado,one of my sons friends missed out on a decent 4x4. He cycled 7 rounds through his bolt rifle,a few he cycled twice and none went off. All had a feint firing pin strike.It was 10-12 degrees that morning. Later that day after the rifle was warmed up in the truck we stopped and test fired and it went bang.We discovered the firing pin and hole had built up oil and fouling and when really cold gummed up stopped free movement of the pin.Cleaned everything and he was good to go.He still ended up with a decent 4x3. All in all I guess inspection and cleaning plays the biggest part.If I was protecting my life probably the revolver. Hell when I was stationed in Alaska working on the flight line it got so damn cold a couple times that we couldn't fly the jets. Too many moving parts, bad lube and fouling and too damn cold.
Scott

I live and hunt in Montana. Although it does not get down to -50 I have hunted in -30. I like bolt guns but as Hay-man says it needs to be thoroughly cleaned of all dirt and grease. I then do a couple of other things. I lube it with dry powdered graphite. that will let if function at any temp.
The other thing I do is change my ammo. I have cold weather reloads. My cold reloads consist of a magnum primer and I do not use any ball powder. There are a number of stick powders that are fairly temperature insensitive. Between the gun cleaning and dry lube and cold reloads I have never had an issue to at least 30-35 below.

My limited experience at that cold is as alluded above- it’s more about what you put on the gun than the type of gun.

For late season waterfowling I always clean off all the lube, and then spray it down with oil as soon as I get back. If I don’t, usually I see some rust appear.

For my carry gun, I typically carry it under my outer clothes and use a very thin lubricant.

From shooting USPSA outside in the winter here (rarely now)… I never had issues with the ammo itself (maybe it chronoed lower, but we never check in that weather…) but if I didn’t clean and use graphite or no lube, I had issues with functioning- firing pin lube solidifying to the point it stayed in the gun after pulling the firing pin stop, or (more common) failures to feed.

I’ve seen revolvers become finicky in the cold- the guys shooting claimed ammo, but I still think it was light springs with competition triggers and gelling lube.

The Alaska state troopers have a lot of problems with condensation when they take the gun out of the vehicle it freezes up they’ve tested a bunch of guns and the AK variance have worked the best but they’re not politically correct and they also wouldn’t be a first choice for hunting Caribou, etc.

I have tested firearms down to a -45.

Properly cleaned and lightly lube as other said seem to give the best results.

Too cold, I'll just read forums and reply.

I've seen first hand firing pins not hitting the primers with enough force to fire the round. This cost a guy from Michigan a nice white tail buck in Alberta.
He was never told, nor thought to strip the bolt and de-lube it. In the house the pin hit much harder than when the rifle was cold.
As others have said, strip them, clean the oil's and grease and lube with very light gun oil, WD-40 or silicon lube.
Also if you can, keep them outside where they will stay cold. Cycling cold to hot will build condensation and that will be a big problem. Also your glass will fog when heated and if it doesn't dry in time it will freeze.
Need to take a bit more care when in cold climate.

wd-40 will freeze at 20 below.

Dexron ATF will start thickening up at 20 below too but will flow and gets better with a little friction.

G-96 oil will do it's job down into the negatives,, but 50 is tough on everything mineral oil base.

when I gotta hunt in the cold, I strip my stuff down to bare metal and wipe a little white gas on the sliding parts.

I'm not cycling the thing over and over again, but it does need to go bang or I'm simply wasting my time being out there.

Three of us rabbit hunted once at -43. My Browning Citori fired but my huntin partners' Browning Gold and Mossberg 500 would not.

I caribou hunt in subzero weather each winter with bolt action rifles and haven't had any problems yet.

Like other posters have said, it's mostly a function of the type of lubricant or grease you are using. Some of the labels on oil and grease containers will specify the temperature operating range of the product.

Failure to fire can also be caused from keeping a fire arm in doors in a heated environment and then taking it into a cold environment which causes condensation which in turn freezes get enough condensation and it becomes a problem, simple solution keep it cold

I spent a week at Caribou on the salcha river back in 1975. The old timer caretaker that lived there year around kept his 3030 outside above the door never took it inside summer or winter. He had problems with wolves once in a while.

Ive hunted elk at Jackson HOle in what I was told was 40 below but it was sunshine and in the open it wasn't bad but when we rode our horses into the Timber it instantly got damn cold. We had a smaller tent for gear guns, horse feed,saddles, etc not heated, guns cleaned of oil and they all worked, gave them a dry wipe down most days..Other than that hunt I don't recall hunting in below zero weather, close but no ceeegar! and mama taught me to come in outa the rain..In idaho most of the hunting is early Oct NOv. into Dec. Most years Jan feb are cold months..I like winter TV ....

For unknowledgeable people, like me, it seems reasonable to investigate the Canadian Rangers usage and circumstances of usage since the early 1940s, also comparable usage for the tiny Danish ranger-equivalent group which maintains patrol in Greenland. When I investigated these "extreme users", I was astonished. Both groups are anchored to their long arms being as sophisticated as "stone axes". . . . Their daily work can be at OP's low number and lower. And each of their shifts is in terms of months.

Hope this helps.

When I worked in Alaska we had a quart sized coffee can full of lantern fuel - white gas - we would drop our bolts from our guns in the cans for a few hours, pull them out, dry and let air dry overnight. Reassemble gun and leave it outside. Worked every time in very low sub zero cold. The white gas degreases the inner and outer workings of the bolt. Simple fix...

I had a vile of ratfish oil that is supposed to work in extreme cold, but I seem to have lost it and never got to try it. Has anybody ever tried ratfish oil

quote:

Originally posted by anukpuk:
I had a vile of ratfish oil that is supposed to work in extreme cold, but I seem to have lost it and never got to try it. Has anybody ever tried ratfish oil

On firearms? No. But long ago it was somewhat popular on fishing reels. I never tried it because the ratfish just went back overboard.

quote:

Originally posted by Naphtali:
For unknowledgeable people, like me, it seems reasonable to investigate the Canadian Rangers usage and circumstances of usage since the early 1940s, also comparable usage for the tiny Danish ranger-equivalent group which maintains patrol in Greenland. When I investigated these "extreme users", I was astonished. Both groups are anchored to their long arms being as sophisticated as "stone axes". . . . Their daily work can be at OP's low number and lower. And each of their shifts is in terms of months.

Hope this helps.

the rangers here used the lee enfield then now the tikka made by colt canada.

i used in cold weather but even here we have mild weather comparing to the rest of canada ... so ar15, tavor, ruger mkII and hawkeye and lately a lot of tikka t3x. ruger gp100, and glock g19x worked as well.

i m using some graphite lubricant but what is working for me may not work for you at all ...

I do a fair amount of coyote ( night ) shooting in sub zero at times. All oil striped off inside bolt and Hornady dry lube applied. No issues yet.

sub zero and -50 c or f is a little different notch i will say.

quote:

Originally posted by medved:
sub zero and -50 c or f is a little different notch i will say.

Right you are, so far -20f has been my limit and no desire to go further down. The worst was -14 and foggy though. I didn't last long that night.

I have shot caribou in northern Quebec when it was 42 below zero at night , but would warm up some during the day ...

My Weatherby bolt 300 WM , with my handloads would fire every time ... some guys had lever guns , pump rifles , and some bolt guns that were useless ..

I had a great trip , because my gun got to fill a lot of tags ..

One thing I will say is .... if your gun was zeroed in at home with mild temperatures... it will shoot different at 40 below ..at least mine did ..

I wish they would open the caribou season again in northern Quebec

Yes, a Caribou hunt used to be a "gimme", and relatively cheap. Those days are gone :-(

Bear Cat the caribou season in northern Quebec is not going to open again any time soon. Even if numbers start to come back, any "allowable harvest" the game department thinks exists will be taken up by First Nations. There would have to be a significant increase in numbers and that isn't likely to happen in the foreseeable future.

You'd be better off focusing on the last couple of decent herds in Alaska right now, and even in AK there are big problems looming with caribou. Still some good mountain caribou hunting available in the Yukon and the NWT, but prices are getting to be beyond most hunters.

quote:

Originally posted by Skyline:
Bear Cat the caribou season in northern Quebec is not going to open again any time soon. Even if numbers start to come back, any "allowable harvest" the game department thinks exists will be taken up by First Nations. There would have to be a significant increase in numbers and that isn't likely to happen in the foreseeable future.

You'd be better off focusing on the last couple of decent herds in Alaska right now, and even in AK there are big problems looming with caribou. Still some good mountain caribou hunting available in the Yukon and the NWT, but prices are getting to be beyond most hunters.

i did enjoy my time as a guide in northern quebec and i do remember mentionning to you the good days were long done before the real closure. i do not think during our lifetime it will open season again for many reasons.

-50 Fahrenheit and beyond is definitely a cold weather environment for shooting firearms. That's stay-at-home weather for most folks. It makes me think of Yukon Jack posters, Jack London's book, "To Build a Fire." and the Battle of Stalingrad during WW II.

Anyway, one way to prepare your firearm for arctic weather environments, like others have said above, is to first completely degrease the action. Then apply what the US military calls a durable solid lubricant. It is dry not wet. I do not know what the civilian version is called. Finally, store the weapon/firearm outside and covered/protected from all moisture.

Probably the easiest way for most folks is to degrease the action then apply a light coat of arctic weather grade oil. The US military use to call it, " Lubricating Oil Arctic Weapons (LAW)." Good to around -80F. I'm sure multiple civilian versions are available. Also, BreakFree CLP is supposed to work to -60F so that might be an option too.

Moisture is an evil enemy in arctic weather.

quote:

Originally posted by BwanaCat:
-50 Fahrenheit and beyond is definitely a cold weather environment for shooting firearms. That's stay-at-home weather for most folks. It makes me think of Yukon Jack posters, Jack London's book, "To Build a Fire." and the Battle of Stalingrad during WW II.

Anyway, one way to prepare your firearm for arctic weather environments, like others have said above, is to first completely degrease the action. Then apply what the US military calls a durable solid lubricant. It is dry not wet. I do not know what the civilian version is called. Finally, store the weapon/firearm outside and covered/protected from all moisture.

Probably the easiest way for most folks is to degrease the action then apply a light coat of arctic weather grade oil. The US military use to call it, " Lubricating Oil Arctic Weapons (LAW)." Good to around -80F. I'm sure multiple civilian versions are available. Also, BreakFree CLP is supposed to work to -60F so that might be an option too.

Moisture is an evil enemy in arctic weather.

break free clp is working well on semi auto up to -44c i never tried colder than that.

I have a different solution than all of you, and it works 100% of the time…

Due to arthritis in my fingers making it very painful in cold temps, I try to avoid hunting in below zero weather anymore. That works 100% of the time!

I’m healthy but I still avoid that kinda cold
It’s just time to play white man and watch some good shows while having some whiskey

The older I get the warmer I be! 80 degrees in my shop and 85 at the coffee shop!

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
The older I get the warmer I be! 80 degrees in my shop and 85 at the coffee shop!

that is a clever way and might work soon in tropical aeras in canada ...

quote:

Originally posted by DLS:
I have a different solution than all of you, and it works 100% of the time…

Due to arthritis in my fingers making it very painful in cold temps, I try to avoid hunting in below zero weather anymore. That works 100% of the time!

After 17 days hunting Delta Junction Rat Bastard Bison Joyce has now joined your club.

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:

quote:

Originally posted by DLS:
I have a different solution than all of you, and it works 100% of the time…

Due to arthritis in my fingers making it very painful in cold temps, I try to avoid hunting in below zero weather anymore. That works 100% of the time!

After 17 days hunting Delta Junction Rat Bastard Bison Joyce has now joined your club.

there are a lot of men that would not have followed her ...some ladies are too strong.

I'm with you. The only reason I could see worrying about my firearm working at -50 F would be if I was out and about in polar bear country.

In the Interior near Minchumina or Bear Paw lakes-the Frenchman's cabin has recorded -70 below.
That level of cold will cause molecular changes in metal and some steel tools will snap. Think twice about staying out too far or too long.

Athabaskans and trappers, esquimoes sometimes use
chain saw-4-wheeler gas to completely de-grease
their rifles. This type gas has some trace light oil in it. Pure gasoline will also work.
Rust is not the danger, its sluggish or frozen grease/oil on springs and firing pins.

This is also the reason old sourdoughs always left their rifles hidden but close to cabin windows or doors-OUTSIDE. Condensation is not your friend
during winter months...

In above zero but cold when I used to cold camp with an officer who was the best big bore pistol hunter I've experienced, I kept my rifle in the tent in a large plastic garbage bag that I sealed each night with a twist-um. So far as I could tell, rifle rested near me in the warmer tent without sweating. While I cannot say this would prevent sweating when temperatures are as low as we are discussing, perhaps it's worth testing?

For me it’s a non issue. I do not want to ever be anywhere it is that cold or even less cold. I’m over that for a long time now.

Well some of us embrace the cold. We enjoy trapping, etc. Best of all though is that MOST people cannot handle it and so they stay away. The fewer people around the better I like it.

quote:

Originally posted by Skyline:
Well some of us embrace the cold. We enjoy trapping, etc. Best of all though is that MOST people cannot handle it and so they stay away. The fewer people around the better I like it.

exactly and well said Kelly.