In the winter season, most of the people avoid going outside for shoot due to the extremely cold weather and snow. However, that is not something called valid reason to not going out for shooting due to heavy snow or cold. There are always possibilities you should go to get familiar with the conditions. In case a situation comes over you in which you will have to defend yourself, then what will you do? Obviously, you will not see whether it is winter or summer; you will still defend yourself.
Therefore, this article will teach you all the tips and considerations which you can apply to shoot Ar-15 in winters and, we will discuss how you can keep your firearms safe in winter.
The following are 8 Tips and Tricks you can apply for shooting in winter season:
- Dry Your Firearms After Use
Gun gets rust when it is visible to moisture, and during the winter season, you’ll find a lot of moisture due to which your gun can get rust.
Therefore, if you are out for shooting with your AR-15 in snowy weather, then you must clean your gun instantly before the snow melts on it to protect it against rust. If you delay in cleaning, then your gun will undoubtedly get the rust. However, cleaning is not just enough to save your gun from rust; you’ll need a good quality gun lubricant. - Use Quality Gun Lubricant:
The maintenance of firearm is critically important in the winter season, but you need to do it with a good strategy. The surface of the firearm gets rusty in the winter season if not dealt carefully. Even if it is not snowy outside and you come back from the shoot from cold to warm temperature, and you dry your gun, then still your gun can get rust.
Therefore, the best solution to save your gun from rust is to lubricate it once you reach home after shooting. Make sure that do not lubricate it when you are outside for shooting because the oil will freeze on the firearm.
Note: The best Lubricants to apply to your gun in winters are: - Slip 2000 EWL
- Hoppe’s No 9
- Rem Oil
- Use Warm Shooting Gloves:
The warm dressing is not enough; therefore, you need to purchase warm shooting gloves. These gloves will protect your hands against chilling air, which will help you to use your firearm flexibly and you will have no difficulties while holding your AR-15.
⦁ Do you know what causes shivering?
Another problem people face while shooting with AR-15 are shivering hands. Shivering occurs when you go out in the frigid cold air, and your body temperature starts to drop. This transfer signals to your brain to take action to keep your organs warm and avoiding hypothermia, which results in making you shiver, and more blood circulate in your organs which helps to keep them warm. Due to the more blood flow, your fingers and toes get colder and shooting with gloveless hands end up at missing shots.
Note: Make sure that don’t use large size or mitten gloves because there are high chances of accidental bullet release, most probably when the trigger space is small or when you put your finger on the trigger.
- Use Cloth to Wrap Your AR-15 Barrel:
If you have an AR-15, then this tip is all you need. As you know that AR-15 is designed with aluminum free-floating tubes and plain metal, which are the fast conductor of cold. Being a rapid conductor of cold means that it will undesirably impact the accuracy of your shot.
Therefore, if you want to maintain the accuracy of your AR-15, then the best way to do it is to cover your gun with wool or foam, which can keep it warm. Not only covering AR-15 barrel will make it accurate, but it will also remain safe from rust. - Protect Scope:
When temperature runs in Minus degrees, then you may usually have to face smoke fogging, which is something you have to deal with anyhow. The best solution for this issue is that you are required to purchase the best fit scope cover your AR-15, which can keep the condensation away from the scope and don’t let the cold make it smoggy and show you the best targets. - Cover Your AR-15:
Once you cover the scope, you may find your rifle incomplete, and you’ll want to cover it all. So, that’s a great idea. However, make sure to invest in good quality rifle cover which can perfectly fit your rifle and also protect it from condensation and keep it warm. - Cover the Muzzle with Electrical Tape:
It is generally a good idea to cover your muzzle with electric tape to prevent the waste and snow particles enters in your rifle. You must be thinking that what will you do when ready for the shot? So, don’t worry, you don’t need to remove the tape because when you shoot, the bullet will easily pass through it. - Ammunition Care:
Well, it is necessary to take care of your ammunition no matter whatever the season it is, but specifically, the winter season does most of the harm to the ammunition; therefore, it requires the most care.
Following are the tips you should apply to protect your ammunition:
⦁ If you are ammunition lover and do a lot of care for its protection, then your ammunition will last long because Ammunition has a finite shelf life. The case of your ammunition will get rust and destroyed in temperature change if no care provided.
⦁ It is essential that you store your ammunition in a standard and consistent temperature. For example, if the outdoor temperature increases, then you must decrease the temperature of your room or ammunition store, so it doesn’t expose to temperature shift.
⦁ If you take your ammunition outside and it gets brittle, then make sure that you cannot do anything to recover the damage. So, the best thing to do in this case is to dump your ammunition carefully.
⦁ Keep your Ammunition in a Zipped bag, and don’t even leave a zip slightly opened to keep its temperature warm.
⦁ For instance, when you realize that it has been quite long since you are using the same weapon, then replace it with another weapon and store the previous one in a warm temperature.
Final Remarks: The mentioned above tips are everything you need to go out for a shoot in winter. Now, you cannot make any excuses to out for a shoot, whether for training or hunting. Keep the above tips in mind and go out for a shoot.