Cold Weather, the good, the bad and the frigid
With winter approaching (or already here for me in Alaska, and those of you on the East Coast) I would like to have a discussion covering topics related to running an AR in cold weather.
- For the purpose of this discourse, let’s say that cold weather constitutes sustained temperatures of 25 degrees F and colder.
- Assume that there is snow on the ground at least 6 inches deep.
- I am going to concentrate on military and LE use, but understand that a lot of the good information we will be getting is going to be coming out of civilian run schools and training courses and welcome discussion of civilian issues as well.
Issues that "I" would like to see discussed:
- type and specific use of lubrication.
- what gear to use and how you change your setup (relating to using your rifle).
- glove options/ aftermarket trigger guards.
- severe external temperature changes (hours on perimeter or patrol followed by entry to warm building) and effects of that on optics and the rifle.
- Severe internal temperature changes (rifle that has been in subzero temps for hours, and then fires a large number of rounds, heating it up
- getting snow and other debris into the working parts of the rifle.
If this has been covered in detail, please let me know, but I was unable to find anything comprehensive with the dreaded "search" button