Cold! Still Shoot?

[nhmoose]

February ML Trap shoot in NH at around 10 degrees.

 

[smoothshooter]

I personally find it miserable to shoot muzzleloaders when it’s cold.

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My fingers get so numb and I can’t even feel the things right and end up spilling powder and dropping balls and it’s just not so nice.

Anyone else out there on the internet still shoot during the winter and if so what are some tips n’ tricks to do it without suffering?

Use a loading block for patched balls.

 

[smoothshooter]

Coldest I ever hunted deer with ML was -21 F. Nice gentle breeze brought wind chill to approx - 37 F. Looking back on it now, I really should have talked to a professional earlier in my life.....

Back in the mid seventies ( when we used to get snow ) I went out looking for something to shoot one day with snow drifted three and four feet deep and a wind chill of -40. Had a 20 gauge flint trade gun.
After about two hours I realized there was nothing alive out but me, so I trudged the mile and a half back to the house.

 

[.36Rooster]

Anyone else out there on the internet still shoot during the winter and if so what are some tips n’ tricks to do it without suffering?

You better believe it buddy! Just leave the binoculars at home and walk or jog out to visually inspect target after each shot. Don't sit down, keep those legs working. And wear three pairs of long underwear and insulated pants.

Maybe give a woods walk a try, or maybe do a little shooting nearby after a snowshoe outing. Light physical activity keeps you warmer than any amount of clothing will. Hot thermos of coffee can be nice as well.

 

[CTShooter]

Alpaca wool socks, killer base layer, cover your head and neck, leave anything cotton home except your patch.

 

[Rató:rats]

Deer season is over where I’m at so I don’t have to worry about odours so much. That means a fire and a cup of coffee are on on the menu when I’m punching paper.

 

[jdesro]

Not too bad today - mid 30's - but still too cold for most of the other club members, evidently. Had the place to myself, and it looked like maybe one other person had been there since it snowed a couple days ago.

 

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

Make a big ball block - with enough holes to hold a sufficient number of patched balls so you can do all that stuff in the comfort of your kitchen.

Tie your powder measure to a lanyard.

Get yourself a flintlock and hang a pan primer on a lanyard.

Wear insulated gloves and practice the entire loading sequence and fire without ever removing gloves. The lanyards really help in that your gloved hand can catch the appropriate lanyard and trace down to the powder measure without fumbling in your bag. I can fill the measure and charge the barrel in reasonable comfort. The ball block is fairly easy to handle with gloves. And finally a small priming flask is way easier to handle than #11 caps.

Beyond that, shooting ranges are aweful as they are usually exposed to wind. Try finding a place sheltered from wind.

Of course wear proper clothing.