Temperature you shoot at

LeLongCarabine · Post by **LeLongCarabine** » Thu Dec 31, 2009 9:39 am

At what temperature do you decide to give up at the moment i'm shooting cards At -3c there is a little heat from halogen heaters but the range is 30yds long so the heat is not very good ,the temp out side was -8c the other day and i have pistol cards to shoot 20 of em, national and county
i give up when my trigger finger goes numb does anyone else suffer this sort of punishment .
happy new year to everyone
Will

Gwhite · Post by **Gwhite** » Thu Dec 31, 2009 10:57 am

I've shot in outdoor free pistol matches when it was ~ 40F. It wasn't fun. Even before I lose feeling in my trigger finger, it gets stiffer & it's harder to get a smooth trigger squeeze.

The one thing that helped a lot was a free pistol sock that I bought. It's an elastic edged fleece bag that fits over the grip & trigger area. There are different designs for different makes of free pistol. I have one for my Pardini, and one for my Morini. It provides some insulation, but mostly it keeps the wind from sucking out what little heat is left in your fingers. The design was carefully made so as not to provide any support to the wrist, and was supposedly blessed by USA Shooting as being legal.

A long time ago I shot an evening league match in an indoor range with no heat. Our coach gave us an extra 50 rounds of ammo with instructions to shoot it all rapid fire during the sighting period. We could then keep our hands warm on the barrels during the match.

Another thing that helps is one of the chemical handwarmers. I've used them for outdoor rifle practices in the spring when it's been snowing. They produce heat when the chemical inside crystalizes, and you can re-use them by boiling the solidified material until it melts again. Keeping your hand in a well insulated pocket with one of those is a big help. However, they only last about 20 minutes. One of the handwarmers that burns fuel (either liquid or charcoal sticks) lasts a lot longer. I've got one of the charcoal stick ones, and they work pretty well, but are a bit messy to clean up afterward. The liquid fuel ones like the Zippo have been around a LONG time, and they might be better.

GaryN · Post by **GaryN** » Thu Dec 31, 2009 11:26 am

Hi Will
I stop when my trigger finger can't feel the trigger, or close to it. At that point w/o any feeling in that finger I can't properly control my trigger. This happens about 45F + or -. But as the trigger finger approaches numb you loose more and more control. So when I quit really depends on how my finger is reacting to the cold on a particular day.

I put a quartz heater downstairs in my home range, and that was a tremendous help.

Bob-Riegl · Post by **Bob-Riegl** » Thu Dec 31, 2009 11:34 am

I shoot in a range (Indoors-50Ft.) in which the only heat (in the range) is from overhead heaters. The rest of the clubhouse is heated with electric baseboards. Shooting FP and AP can be a challenge but the overheads keep your spotting scope and head warm. I use a small ceramic heater on the bench to keep the hands warm. But the initial shock of entering the range is vaunting and we have to "warm" up the range for around 20 minutes before attempting to shoot. The only big problem is that the range ventilating system draws in fresh air (b-r-r-r-r-r) and sucks out the "warm" air. It is affectionately referred to as the "Meat Locker." "Doc"

David M · Post by **David M** » Thu Dec 31, 2009 2:26 pm

I have the problem at the other end of the scale.
Range with no air conditioning, about 42-44 deg C (104-106 F).

GaryN · Post by **GaryN** » Thu Dec 31, 2009 5:12 pm

Dave
Ever got to the point where you could not shoot cuz the pistol was too hot?
I shot w my brother-in-law and that is what happened. We quit because we could not hold the pistols, the frame got too hot to hold.

thruxtoncamshaft · Post by **thruxtoncamshaft** » Thu Dec 31, 2009 9:19 pm

MANY PEOPLE ARE FAR TOO CONCERNED ABOUT SHOOTING A SCORE APROACHING THEIR PB. UNLESS YOU ARE JUST SHOOTING FOR FUN THEN SURELY THE TEMP/CONDITIONS ARE THE SOME FOR ALL. THE WINNER IS THE ONE WHO POSTS THE BEST SCORE ON THE DAY. DON'T GIVE UP JUST SHOOT ! HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR, THRUXTON.

LeLongCarabine · Post by **LeLongCarabine** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 2:35 pm

David M wrote:I have the problem at the other end of the scale.
Range with no air conditioning, about 42-44 deg C (104-106 F).

OK I have never known me shake like a shitting rat in a temp of +30 I may sweat a bit but i do shake at minus 4 ok this is not the coldest people shoot at but to shoot a ten yard 60 shot comp in this temp is not good
enjoy the heat lol

Freepistol · Post by **Freepistol** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 3:00 pm

Bob-Riegl wrote:I shoot in a range (Indoors-50Ft.) in which the only heat (in the range) is from overhead heaters. The rest of the clubhouse is heated with electric baseboards. Shooting FP and AP can be a challenge but the overheads keep your spotting scope and head warm. I use a small ceramic heater on the bench to keep the hands warm. But the initial shock of entering the range is vaunting and we have to "warm" up the range for around 20 minutes before attempting to shoot. The only big problem is that the range ventilating system draws in fresh air (b-r-r-r-r-r) and sucks out the "warm" air. It is affectionately referred to as the "Meat Locker." "Doc"

My local indoor range has similar conditions. I was attempting to shoot once when the OAT was 10F with the indoor downrange temp the same. My Hammerli 162 did not like the cold temperatures and would fire as soon as I touched the trigger. I dropped my membership. I may have to rejoin as I now have a lot of roll in my trigger, however, my finger will get numb when it is that cold.
I do have 50 feet in my heated garage/basement to shoot some, but can't shoot a 60 shot match.
Ben

Mike M. · Post by **Mike M.** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 6:49 pm

Anything below 40° F is air pistol weather. I've got a 10m range in my living room.

yana · Post by **yana** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 5:28 am

The gunclub has an indoor range. Allthough it still gets VERY cold, no heating!
I always shoot, if my triggerfinger gets too cold and fires off unwanted shots I take a break to warm up.
I also shoot at home, in nice roomtemperature

lastman · Post by **lastman** » Sat Jan 16, 2010 3:33 am

Couple of questions 1.) Do you get to choose the prevailing temperature when your shooting competition?
2.)If the temperature falls outside of your range in competition do you stop shooting?

I live in a hot climate... If it goes below freezing I ain't much interested. But you really just have to deal with it.

I find if its below freezing when your shooting outdoors you should stand on a couple of layers of cardboard. I also fin that to keep my fingers moving in between shots helps with the numbness in your hands.

When its above 40c (105f) I like to shoot with a wet hat