How much does cold temperatures...

D

Dick Wright

New member
affect rimfire performance?

I need to check the zero and tuner setting on my Calfee rifle as soon as possible today and it probably won't be much above forty degrees till noonish. It's 25 degrees now with zero wind. By the time it warms up the wind will be blowing with vigor.

There's a rimfire match at Sault Ste. Marie, MI (3/4 of the way to the North Pole.) this Sunday and we want to attend. Joe Haller's matches are well attended and fun. After we chase the polar bears off the range, we get to meet some eskimoes and other nice natives. We stay at the casino where the blackjack dealers are friendly. What's not to like?

Thanks,

Dick Wright
 
Dick,

It will vary from gun to gun, but, overall performance will be different from cold to hot weather. I don't bother to test ammo in the winter, or spring, for that matter. That said, if you sight in today where you are for next week you should be ok. It helps to keep your ammo warm. I once shot in 15 degree temps. Was good thru three rows then, started dropping shots way low. Ammo got too cold and affected ignition.

Ken
 
Dick: I think I would wait till I got up there . You won't have to change over a click either way. Do it at the bench.Thats if you had it in tune when you put it away last year.:D Talked to Hutch for a while on the phone Sunday. Really good guy to talk to. Hope he finds what he is looking for.

Mike:D
 
Hey Dick!

The weatherman said this morning that it will be Sunny and in the mid "50s" UP here on Sunday. From what we have been through this winter, us Yoopers are gona consider Sunday to be a heat wave.

BUT: I have seen dropped shots on our range when the temp is below 60 degrees. My answer is to keep the ammo on top of & under a couple of hand warmers.

See ya Saturday night for dinner at the Casino: 6pm.

Joe :)

2008YooperShoot.jpg
 
Thanks,

to all who replied. It's now 8:45 AM and it's almost 40 degrees. (Michigan heat wave) I will shoot immediately and report all misadventures. All I want to do is make sure it's sighted-in and will group using the same ammo I did when I shot it last fall.

Joe, I'm bringing my pal, Rob Whitaker, with me. He's a young fellow who has shot centerfire BR for years. He's shot rimfire a few times at Stanton with Worthington and the rest of those pirates.:)

The weather forecast for the Soo looks great for the weekend. Hope it doesn't change.

Dick
 
Hey, it works...

I had the gun sitting out for about an hour before I started shooting. (I was shooting on my own 50/100 yd. range which is just outside my office.) It took it about 4 - 5 shots for the gun to start to group. My POI and focus were both off a tad but were quickly remedied.

I kept the ammo warm by holding the rounds I would be shooting in my hand. I shot three five-shot groups that were 1/4" or under at 50 yds.

Good enough for scaring polar bears.:)

Now the wind can blow... I don't care.

Dick
 
hand warmers(ammo)

Sometimes you can put a couple of those hot hand warmers in your coat pocket along with a box of ammo and keep them warm or set them on the dash of your car.
Larry
 
name dropper

you just had to tell us you are shooting a calfee rifle, wow
 
If you're doing any serious testing, anything much below 50deg and the lube's not really working any more.
 
Is that rifle yours, Joe? If so, congrats and I hope they gave it to you at no charge.

You have done more for the Benchrest sports than most will ever know.

But some of us do.
 
Hi Gordon . . .

Na:

That's not my rifle. It's Dick Wright's rifle. Don't I wish it were mine!

Dick can tell you more about it. (There is a story that goes with it.)

When he brought it up here three years ago, it was blue and white. Next time he came UP to a match, he had that new paint job on it. Caused a lot of excitement and picture taking by our local mouse gunners.
 
It's mine...

Love that gun. Especialy since my friend, Brian Crawford, painted it for me.

As everybody in Michigan knows, I'm not much of a rimfire shooter. If I could shoot as well as that gun does I'd probably get more respect when I show up at a match.

It's a long story and it's getting late for a country boy. Tomorrow I will get up early and go see Mr. Rob Osborne who shoots rimfire and makes darn good shooting rimfire bench guns.

Re: the long story... suffice it to say that, on the side of the stock, right by the action, it says 'Glorya's diamond" in neat script.

If anybody wants to be bored, I'll tell the long version when I get back form the UP. I have to get ready to take on them sharks that live up there and, also, to get the proper mental attitude to win enough at blackjack to pay for the durn trip.

Joe, I have a new benchrest car. This one's also a Kraut coupe. I just love driving that thing but it sucks up 93 octane pretty good. The little red one stays in the garage.

See you Saturday.

Dick
 
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Metamorphose

This picture is worth 1000 words:

The wicked witch of Troll Land changed Glorya's Diamond into a beautiful rifle!

GloryasDiamond.jpg
 
Before the artist did his magic . . .

Here is Mr. Wright with his Remington/Calfee, before that dazzling beauty treatment.

In the background is my Finnlander friend, Dave Lahti with his PINK Hongisto build Suhl. In that match the Pink Hongisto/Suhl beat the Blue and white Remington/Calfee.

Some say dem Finnlanders can shoot purdy good. Others say they are afraid of polar bears.

Mr. Frosty :)

DickDave.jpg
 
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A famous gunsmith . . .

Here is Butch Hongisto in that same match, shooting a borrowed CPM 40X, built by Brian Volker. Butch rode UP from Sullivan Missouri on his Harley and did not have room to pack a rifle. Behind Butch is one of our local shooters: Greg Sparkman. Greg is shooting a Winchester 52D in a Walther stock and with an electronic trigger.

Butch.jpg
 
By the way Dick, find out if your bud Aberegg has any more of them single shot's tucked away, that .225 shoots pretty good.
 
Tim...

Jeff just answered my post on the centerfire forum. Ask him yourself.

Joe, my pal, Rob Whitaker, will be here about noonish tomorrow. We will leave for Yooperland immediately and get in well before our 6 o'clock date at the buffet. That is if we don't hit an elk on the road on the way up.

After this last winter I am just delighted get out of the house for a weekend. See you tomorrow.

Dick
 
Joe Haller said:
Here is Butch Hongisto in that same match, shooting a borrowed CPM 40X, built by Brian Volker. Butch rode UP from Sullivan Missouri on his Harley and did not have room to pack a rifle. Behind Butch is one of our local shooters: Greg Sparkman. Greg is shooting a Winchester 52D in a Walther stock and with an electronic trigger.

Joe, just out of interest, when was the picture of Butch taken.
Click to expand...
 
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