Effect of Cold Temperatures

Modern Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Modern Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

DMWood

Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2007
Messages
15
Reaction score
0
I have noticed a drop in my point of impact when the temperatures get below freezing. I had my scope set when the temperatures were in the 40's & 50's and then shot again with the temperatures in the teen's & 20's but the impact point was low. Last year I was using my old TC Hawkins with Pyrodex powder and this year I am unsing my new TC Omega with T7 powder and I saw this problem with both guns. I think it must be caused by the change in the way the powder burns in the cold. The Hawkins saw about 6 inches drop with maxi balls & pyrodex powder and the Omega saw about 2 inches drop with sabots & T7 powder.

Has anyone else noticed this problem? What is the cause?
 
With lower temps the pressure generated by the powder is less, not usually a large amount but enough to change the harmonics in the barrel. This change in harmonics will cause a change in POI. This reduction in pressure will also yeild slower velocities.

I have noted this on more than one occasion with my varmit rifles. Worst problem I ran across was loading a hot varmit round in the middle of winter then tripping that same load thru the gun in the heat of summer. The pressure spiked very high, caused the bolt to be heavy to open. The primers also started showing high pressure signs, crowning around the firing pin dimple. The round also delivered higher velocities numbers at the chronograph.

In your case the opposite is happening. The load is not quite as hot in cooler temps. The loss in velocity shouldn't be great but the change in harmonics can change POI quite a bit depending on the gun.

With a change in powder as small as half a grain I have seen POI change, this half a grain was not enough to change the velocity any noticable amount. What I'm getting at, you may not have lost much velocity but the harmonics have changed enough to influence POI. Although velocity may have dropped off more than you may like. Only a chronograph will tell the whole story.

Don't worry about velocity so much as the most accurate round you can find for your gun. All guns have their favorite combinations and will move around some when temps change. Like anything else, experiment with loads and shoot throughout the year. The gun will show you what it likes.
 
DMWood

This is a natural effect of temperature on the explosiveness of powder, in fact it was huge concern during war campaigns in the really cold frozen north.

One thing that I have seen done by Jim Shockey who hunts a lot up north in Canada - he wraps a hand warmer package on the barrel over the breech to keep the powder warm.

For me I shoot a lot but, I always re-check my zero when the weather gets to the freezing mark and during the spring and summer and while shooting - I try not to change my scope or sight settings on any of the hunting rifles.

Everything I have shoots better (more consistenly) in colder weather.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top