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Heating Up Your Game on Cold Days

By this time of year, the shorts and tank tops are tucked into the far reaches of our closets. Several of us have already enjoyed a snowy morning. December schedules are heating up with holiday parties and get-togethers, but the temperatures across most of the country are quickly cooling. For some of us, these temps mean less time on the clay course; but, for those of us that brave the frigid temps, how can we get the most out of our performance – not only in our own shooting, but also with our ammunition and shotguns?

Syren Shotguns for women, the goal of Syren is to provide products that are designed exclusively for Women. No more compromises.

We’ve covered what you can do when the thermometer is boiling in a previous article, but now that the weather has shifted, it’s just as important – actually even more important – to know how to stay on top of your game in the cold. We live a hurried life nowadays and often throw things in our vehicles to tackle our to-do list over the course of a few days. While this practice isn’t a great idea on hot days, it’s even more detrimental to the longevity of your firearm and your ammunition on cold days. 

Beautiful sunrise

‘Ice, Ice Baby’ 

I apologize for those of you in my generation that now have that dreaded earworm, courtesy of Vanilla Ice. Condensation is never a good thing around firearms. When the weather is cold, we never really think about the humidity like we do on a hot, sultry summer afternoon. Leaving your gun in the car overnight in the cold may not seem like such a bad thing, but there are two ways it negatively impacts it. 

Thermometer on snow cold days

First, the frigid temperatures gel the grease, causing it to thicken and gum up the action. In a break-action gun, this will make it more difficult to open and will attract dust and dirt more readily. That dirt will work its way deeper into the gun, causing fine scratches and a more tedious cleaning session. In an autoloader, it’s even worse. The action in these style guns use a series of springs and pistons to reduce recoil and cycle shells cleanly and smoothly. A thick clump of frozen grease, obviously, would significantly impact the gun’s action. And again, it creates a very tedious cleaning session.

barrel-condensation cold days

Second, once the car is nice and toasty as you’re driving down the road, that cold steel in your gun will naturally produce condensation. Water and steel don’t mix. If you leave the gun in the car over several days, that means you are inviting a climate of corrosion, resulting in a slow and often unnoticeable deterioration of your beloved shotgun. Once you do notice, it’s usually a significant investment in either time or money to correct the problem and bring the gun back to its original condition.

Cold Weather Duds

With all our modern conveniences, we take a lot of the engineering around us for granted. Let’s face it, we don’t even handle a short internet outage well. We expect certain things will always be there and always occur at the flick of a switch or the swipe of a screen. 

Ammo in snow cold days

Ammunition today is an engineering marvel. Shot loads are faster, cleaner and more accurate. What happens to all that engineering when we give it the cold shoulder? It slows way down. I mean, it can even be the reason you miss. That same condensation I mentioned earlier that will affect your shotgun, will likewise affect the propellant in your shells. When that propellant is dampened, it lowers the thermal output, which in turn, lowers the velocity of the shot as it leaves the barrel. This lower velocity will cause your pattern to fall apart faster, leading to larger and more numerous holes in that pattern.

duck hunt cold days

One of my favorite articles (that doesn’t go too far above my head) regarding the engineering of shells is by Gianluca. It is one of the more straightforward articles I have found over the years that presents the material in a way that even I can understand. I am by no means an engineer and tend to be a very tactile learner so when complex topics are presented with lots of complicated jargon, I’m usually lost in the first paragraph.

Syren bags

Ideally, you want to store your ammo at room temperature with low humidity. This is where keeping your ammo in your fabulous Syren range bag makes it much easier to load in and out of your car. That range bag has lots of great storage for other weather must-haves, such as hand warmers! I love keeping a couple packs of those inexpensive life savers for my students and me in a pouch. On a cold day, I’ll pop a handwarmer in each pocket and quickly knock the chill off my fingers in between stations. If you have the larger tote bag, you can also tuck in a thermos of hot coffee or tea, a warm respite halfway through the course. 

Ringneck Pheasant

Scarves are wonderful when you’re shooting. They are normally too bulky against your neck for a good gun fit, but simply unwrap and toss the end over your shoulder then rewrap after you step out of the box. A neck gaiter will also offer the same protection against a cold, winter wind and depending on the thickness, shouldn’t interfere with your gun mount. Toe warmers are a must for me in the winter. Since I typically use a golf cart, I don’t have the chance to walk enough to keep my feet warm. An extra pack of these in your range bag can be a delight if you get too chilly. Finally, shooting gloves keep your fingers from getting frosty. Ariat makes excellent gloves specifically built to fit a woman’s hands, as most equestrians are women. They even have winter weight if you need a thicker glove.

Huntress-snow cold days

Just because the weather is turning cold doesn’t mean you have to pack away your shotgun. It just means you need to add a few things to your bag to ensure your comfort and make sure you can still be successful.

Your Syren was built to last a lifetime. Taking a few extra steps to get it out of the car and into the house at the end of the day will ensure it looks and works just as great years from now as it did the day you brought it home. Take advantage of the lighter crowds at the course during these next few months. You will be that much more ready for the season when the warmer weather rolls around.

Find the perfect Syren shotgun for your future shooting needs.

  • About Kate Ahnstrom

    Kate Ahnstrom, owner of Virginia Shooting Sports, is a certified, professional instructor of the Paragon School of Sporting. She has dedicated her life to sharing her passion for the outdoors and diversifying the dynamics on the clay course and the hunt field. Her tireless dedication to her students’ success is obvious in each and every lesson. Kate is on the pro staff for Syren, the resident pro at Orapax Hunting Preserve and the Preserve at Dundee, department editor for “Woods and Waters” magazine and field staff member of the Sisterhood of the Outdoors. She and her husband, Mike, enjoy their small farm in central Virginia where they have a menagerie of animals and plenty of room to train and work their beloved GSPs. Kate loves getting behind the barrel of her Syren Tempio Sporting in 20 gauge for all things clay and feathered.

     

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