What is temperature limit where you can still shoot PCP?

[osmodraama]

 

How does the cold of winter affect the operation of the weapon, at what temperature is it safe to shoot to prevent the weapon from breaking?



Coldness, of course, reduces pressure and reduces power, but for example, a hammer, regulator, springs or o-rings could break due to cold?

 

[cea1960]

Interesting. I've shot my PCPs in the teens, it's the reason I got into PCPs. Below freezing and I have a hard time loading my springers due to all the scar tissue in my finger tips. Anything below that and I'm too cold to function, and may break!

 

[osmodraama]

I have shot more than once at temperatures well below 0 F. No problems at all during the actual shooting. I will add though, moisture control was an issue once the rifle was brought inside to warm up.

Thanks for the answer. It's nice to hear that such cold weather is not a problem because here in Finland it is a long and cold winter and it would be unfortunate if you had to stop your hobby during the winter. 

I have already encountered a moisture problem in other weapons, and it worries me really what does it do the PCP.

 

[osmodraama]

Interesting. I've shot my PCPs in the teens, it's the reason I got into PCPs. Below freezing and I have a hard time loading my springers due to all the scar tissue in my finger tips. Anything below that and I'm too cold to function, and may break!

Very interesting! I think if there are big differences between the different weapons, e.g the quality and weapon action habit will influence tc.!?

This has to be investigated .. It would be really sad for me to break my weapon of my stupidity if I shoot in too cold a weather.

 

[18.13]

15 to 109 is my breaking point don't know about the guns.

 

[Hande]

I have shot more than once at temperatures well below 0 F. No problems at all during the actual shooting. I will add though, moisture control was an issue once the rifle was brought inside to warm up.

Thanks for the answer. It's nice to hear that such cold weather is not a problem because here in Finland it is a long and cold winter and it would be unfortunate if you had to stop your hobby during the winter. 

I have already encountered a moisture problem in other weapons, and it worries me really what does it do the PCP.

I'm also from Finland. I've been shooting with my Impact almost every day, if it's not windy or raining, when the temperature don't go below 25 °F, so about -4 degrees °C. No problems so far. The only problem is, that my fingers get cold very fast. Pressure keeps the moisture outside of your gun, I think.

Same in Finnish: Oon ampunut lähes joka päivä, jopa pikkupakkasella. Ainoa ongelma on ollut, että näpit jäätyy. Paine pitää kosteuden aseen ulkopuolella, luulisin.

 

[osmodraama]

15 to 109 is my breaking point don't know about the guns.

I think that is maybe just the right way of thinking .. if you can't go out yourself, the guns can't go too..

But sometimes, I want to go to hunting or otherwise just shoot, whatever the weather is.. so it would be nice to know what really is the limit where the gun is definitely not worth using. 

 

[ironman]

I kind of feel like the authority on this subject, being from Southwest Montana. We seem to deal with this problem for about 10 months out of the year. Cold weather affects everything in a detrimental way. Higher ft/lbs, bigger projectiles, anything that requires more air, will be affected more. To add insult to injury, it gets worse the colder it gets. I start to see problems around 45F. I can hunt and shoot pretty accurately but can tell the projectiles have slowed and air consumption is a lot more. At 25F parts are straining and i would definitely not fire off several rounds in rapid succession as some kind of breakage is sure to occur. I could only imagine what kind of wind chill temps are going on inside one of these rifles as air passes around frozen o rings, dissimilar metals expanding and contracting at different rates, or lubes that no longer lube at that temp. We shot a match at Hamilton in March 2017. The temp averaged around 14 degrees, There were some ok scores, but it seemed everyone was disgusted as every rifle (even the springers) were not performing the way they should have been. They will operate, but will fail eventually. Period. I have tried hand warmers on the bottles, made little neoprene jackets for everything to no avail.

I worked 34 years Ironworking construction...in the cold here. We used industrial air compressors that we spent most of the day trying to clear frozen condensation from supposedly dry air....Ha, not at those temps. The humidity is a lot higher in cold weather - typically around 70-95%, so even though you are supplying the rifle with dry air from your tank, as soon as there is any pressure drop or temperature change, condensation will occur and there is nothing you can do about it. Thankfully, i retired and don't have to deal with that. I don't try to shoot my rifles out in the cold too often either, unless of course we get a surge of coyotes or zombies (believe me, it happens here). Nowdays, i spend winters hoping someone from someplace warm will invite me to go shoot with them

. Hope this helps, I gotta go warm up now.

Regards,

The Big Guy from The Big Sky

 

[osmodraama]

I kind of feel like the authority on this subject, being from Southwest Montana. We seem to deal with this problem for about 10 months out of the year. Cold weather affects everything in a detrimental way. Higher ft/lbs, bigger projectiles, anything that requires more air, will be affected more. To add insult to injury, it gets worse the colder it gets. I start to see problems around 45F. I can hunt and shoot pretty accurately but can tell the projectiles have slowed and air consumption is a lot more. At 25F parts are straining and i would definitely not fire off several rounds in rapid succession as some kind of breakage is sure to occur. I could only imagine what kind of wind chill temps are going on inside one of these rifles as air passes around frozen o rings, dissimilar metals expanding and contracting at different rates, or lubes that no longer lube at that temp. We shot a match at Hamilton in March 2017. The temp averaged around 14 degrees, There were some ok scores, but it seemed everyone was disgusted as every rifle (even the springers) were not performing the way they should have been. They will operate, but will fail eventually. Period. I have tried hand warmers on the bottles, made little neoprene jackets for everything to no avail.

I worked 34 years Ironworking construction...in the cold here. We used industrial air compressors that we spent most of the day trying to clear frozen condensation from supposedly dry air....Ha, not at those temps. The humidity is a lot higher in cold weather - typically around 70-95%, so even though you are supplying the rifle with dry air from your tank, as soon as there is any pressure drop or temperature change, condensation will occur and there is nothing you can do about it. Thankfully, i retired and don't have to deal with that. I don't try to shoot my rifles out in the cold too often either, unless of course we get a surge of coyotes or zombies (believe me, it happens here). Nowdays, i spend winters hoping someone from someplace warm will invite me to go shoot with them

. Hope this helps, I gotta go warm up now.

Regards,

The Big Guy from The Big Sky

It must be the words of truth!



I am also worked metal industry and come to think of it, the matter is indeed as you say!

The same thing happens with cars etc., less than minus five degrees celsius, the lubrication no longer works so fine when the engine is cold and always some part wears out faster than it would be warm.!

 

[osmodraama]

I have shot thousands of rounds in total from both my FX rifles and my Daystate Red Wolf, at temperatures well below freezing, including temperatures below 0° F. There have been no mechanical failures in any of my rifles to date. As a Mechanical Engineer, I can recall my Material Sciences and Metallurgy classes, where colder temperatures were discussed and those metal types most affected. Personally I have no concerns shooting any of my high-end air rifles in cold ambient temperatures and will continue to do so; in fact I just finished shooting over a hundred rounds out of my .177 Red Wolf this afternoon while outdoor temeratures were at a warm 25° F. 

If others do not feel the same and do not want to shoot their rifles in the cold of Winter, that is OK as it is their rifle and their time.



Tom H.

Team Daystate Wolf Pack

I'm happy to hear that. It shows that the quality of the today's modern weapons is excellent and you can rely on them even in cold weather!

 

[Airgun-hobbyist]

In my limited experience, as I'm currently experimenting with shooting in the cold so I know where my first shot will be when hunting, it effects everything as ironman just said. I found that fill pressures need to be adjusted accordingly, as the 3600 PSI fill from when it was indoors will drop down, (significantly effecting the first shot of unregulated airguns) and when you bring the gun indoors it will build up pressure so that first indoor shot could be adversely effected too. I have yet to find an issue with the o-rings. But internal icing could be an issue, but only within certain perimeters.

Also, depending on the temperature, there is a lot of condensation and/or frosting to the outside of the moderator because it is where the air first expands past the barrel. I wipe it down good before putting it in the case at the range and because both the case and gun have been sitting out in the cold I don't open it up a few hours after home. This allows the inside of the case to warm slowly and keeps the lack of blast of warm air from causing quick condensation. When I do open it I wipe it down and let both sit by circulating air to blow dry anything before putting them away.

 

[DonC]

In my experience the viscosity of hammer lube should be addressed as first concern. Some of my club members only use "dry" moly lubes. I don't concur, I feel a oil film needs to be on the metal surfaces. My solution is to use a synthetic oil sold by AmsOil. I use their compressor oil. It maintains the same viscosity over a HUGE temperature range. At a county farmers fair I one saw a AmsOil booth that had several cans of oil sitting in dry ice with wood spoons sticking out. We were encouraged to stir the oil. Only AmsOil was unaffected by the cold. Most of the competitors were like tar even competitors that advertised they were synthetic.

 

[bucketboy]

I have been out hunting one winters night in temp of-17C managed to bag 4 rabbits.



Bb

 

[elh0102]

I guess it's just me. Seems there is too much good Kentucky bourbon to sip to worry about this. In NC we don't have much extremely cold weather, but sub-freezing is common, and I've never noticed a problem.

 

[T3PRanch]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9o1d2M--2PU

 

[ohio_hunter]

the PCP rifles I have shoot the same at 0-75f...cold temps do not affect them in any way.

 

[steelo32]

POI shifts in cold weather at least for me in the Impact in 30 Caliber and the Crown Continuum In 25... 1.5-2 MOA after they get cold....from where they were when it was 55 degrees or higher in temp.... but they are both still hole in hole when they get cold... I’ve developed winter and summer dial adjustment as a result.

 

[steelo32]

My POI shifts when it gets below 40. 1.5-2 MOA in the MK II Impact in 30 and the Crown Continuum in 25. I’ve developed winter and summer dial adjustments as a result it’s hole in hole regardless of season but in the winter the gun does shoot different.... 

 

[FelixS]

If you are having your tanks filled at a dive shop, you are most certainly getting Grade L air.

For breathing air, Grade D air must provided and meet the following requirements :

Have an oxygen content of 19.5% - 23.5%;

Have hydrocarbon content of 5 milligrams per cubic meter or less;

Contain carbon monoxide (CO) content of 10 parts per million (ppm) or less;

Have a carbon dioxide (CO2) content of 1,000 ppm or less;

And have a lack of noticeable odor.

However, Grade L used for SCBAs requires the additional moisture requirement of 24 ppm or less to prevent freezing of moisture content.



So, by using dive shop air, freezing and moisture should not present a problem.

 

[TheIceman]

I have shot more than once at temperatures well below 0 F. No problems at all during the actual shooting. I will add though, moisture control was an issue once the rifle was brought inside to warm up.

I will second what Airgun-hobbyist said about casing your gun before returning home. I wipe the gun dry and seal it in its plastic carrying case. When I bring it back inside, the case prevents the warm inside air from contacting the gun before it gets up to room temperature. After a few hours, I unbox the gun and wipe it down once more for good measure, but have never found any moisture on it after opening the case.

James