If you love a day at the shooting range, the freezing weather isn’t going to stop you — but it does come with some added challenges.
Keep reading for some frigidly, cool tips on how to perform your best and stay safe during a cold day at the shooting range.
Dress in Layers
This may sound obvious, but dressing warm is essential to shooing in cold weather.
People sometimes make the excuse that a jacket would only restrict their movement.
But when your body is in a cold environment, your muscles involuntarily contract and relax in an attempt to keep warm. This response is commonly known as shivering and can substantially throw off the accuracy of your shot.
We recommend finding a jacket like the Propper Defender Echo Softshell. This jacket is warm, flexible, easy to wear and not at all bulky. It’s also water and wind resistant so you can wear it in extremely harsh climates.
Propper Defender Echo Softshell
Stay Dry
Staying dry is crucial to keeping warm, but it’s also important when keeping your firearm protected from serious damage.
This may sound like a simple step, but it also includes the danger of condensation.
Condensation forms when a firearm is brought from a cold environment into a warm environment. Its evident by the droplets of water on the guns exterior but be aware that the same thing is happening on the gun’s interior.
We recommend reducing the amount of times you move your firearm from a cold environment to a warm environment and if you notice an abundance of condensation, strip down your gun and dry off the moisture.
5ive Star Gear Universal Cleaning Kit
Be Careful
Cold weather commonly increases clumsiness — thanks to bulky layers and reduced motor functions of the body. This raises the chance of slips and falls which can be very dangerous when handling firearms.
Because of this, be sure your gun is unloaded when it’s not in use. Your firearm should only be loaded when you are ready to shoot and in the designated shooting area.
Final Remarks
Be sure to check out all our cold weather clothing to stay warm, safe and perform your best in the coldest of climates.
