• We are now running on a new, and hopefully much-improved, server. In addition we are also on new forum software. Any move entails a lot of technical details and I suspect we will encounter a few issues as the new server goes live. Please be patient with us. It will be worth it! :) Please help by posting all issues here.
  • The forum will be down for about an hour this weekend for maintenance. I apologize for the inconvenience.
  • If you are having trouble seeing the forum then you may need to clear your browser's DNS cache. Click here for instructions on how to do that
  • Please review the Forum Rules frequently as we are constantly trying to improve the forum for our members and visitors.

Is it ever too cold to OC?

wimwag

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2013
Messages
1,049
Location
Doug
Right now, my phone is telling me that its 24 below zero. It got me thinking...is it ever too cold to open carry? Could your lube freeze and cause a jam? I'd have to say yes to the last one because I did have my bolt freeze up a bit (while hunting) when using Safariland CLP and when I used Remington Kerosene based CLP, that problem didn't exist in much colder temperatures.

What do you think? Any stories to tell?
 

SouthernBoy

Regular Member
Joined
May 12, 2007
Messages
5,837
Location
Western Prince William County, Virginia, USA
Well I won't have that problem with my carry guns because I don't use liquid lubrication. I use either a quality dry lube (Hornady's Hot Shot) or a quality silicone spray (CRC's Heavy Duty Silicone Spray). I use these products because they attract the least amount of dust, link, and other debris in my guns. And since they're dry products, there's nothing to freeze.
 

ccwinstructor

Centurion
Joined
Jul 11, 2008
Messages
919
Location
Yuma, Arizona, USA
Guns can be made to work at very low temperatures, but wear gloves!

No, it is not ever too cold to OC.

A carry gun should be dry lubricated to prevent dirt collecting due to lubricant surface tension. My H&K manual instructs dry lubrication by lubricating and then removing visible traces of lubricant with a dry cloth.

Only for planned shooting, as at the range, should lubricant be visible. A carry gun is a tool and not some pampered gem.

The guns will likely work, but wear gloves to prevent your skin from freezing to the frame, or on composite framed guns, the slide.
 
Last edited:

WalkingWolf

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
11,930
Location
North Carolina
IMO OC is the only way to go in extreme cold, try putting layers of clothing on and getting to your gun. Then figure out how many bad guys will wait while you dig for a gun. Most gun lubricant is light weight grade and will not cause a problem in extreme cold. Those using motor oil for lube is a different story though, motor oil gets very thick in the cold. This is one of the reasons batteries are rated on COLD cranking amps. Once the vehicle warms the oil is warm. Springs may be stiffer in the cold but that is something you cannot control.

I have worked and shot firearms in -20F and never had a gun fail. The guns were either revolvers or a 1911 or a Smith model 39. The biggest concern is wearing gloves that will ready access to the trigger when needed. This one of the good features of the russian guns is the use of large trigger guards. I believe CZ series guns also have large trigger guards. Since a 1911 is single action I have plenty of room to wear jersey gloves and use the trigger. The only problem with jersey gloves they are useless once wet.
 

Fuller Malarkey

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2010
Messages
1,020
Location
The Cadre
The guns will likely work, but wear gloves to prevent your skin from freezing to the frame, or on composite framed guns, the slide.


If the temperature is low enough that the lubrication on my firearm is affecting the operation of it, I'll be wearing gloves, and not a pair of skin tight tacti-kewls. Today's technology is allowing for warmer and more gun-user friendly gloves to be worn, however, I find it very distracting to attempt to operate a retention holster, and once drawn, confidently access the trigger due to the trigger guard restrictions with gloves on that are heavy enough to protect me from sub-zero elements. In my youth, I fox and coyote hunted in sub-zero temps. I always dropped my right glove when I took a firing position, regardless of ambient or rifle steel temps, and still shoot that way today. IF I need to use that defensive weapon in sub-zero weather, I have larger problems to focus on than cold fingers.

In my high school years, I thought nothing of wearing little more than a jean jacket all winter, with a hoodie under it when it got real bad. Now, I can't ignore the cold as I used to, and wear 3/4 length coats when needed, [I won't apologize for wanting to have a warm tookus]. That makes open carry a bit more challenging, and open carry gets regulated to the days I wear a waist length jacket, which fortunately is more often than naught.

ETA: I use DuPont Teflon Non-Stick Dry-Film Lubricant on moving parts when carrying year-round, grease and oil when range firing. I use a non-abrasive car wax on all the externals to ward off rust, dust, fingerprints, salts, etc.
 
Last edited:

wimwag

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2013
Messages
1,049
Location
Doug
Is this thread a joke?

Nope. At certain temperatures some parts can become brittle. Case in point, the broken hammer spring on my P22. Too cold and an otherwise sound firearm malfunctioned and dinner got away.
 

Kopis

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2013
Messages
674
Location
Nashville, TN
I see -29F at Gravette, Arkansas in 1905. Since then we have enjoyed considerable climate change.

clearly an effect of global warming.


wimwag, how do you know it wasnt a previous issue and just happened to break when it was cold? Id say most modern pistols that are properly serviced will not have an issue even in extreme cold. Look at FPSrussia on youtube. He froze a glock in ice, chipped it out of the ice then shot it with the barrel still full of ice (obviously quite irresponsible/dangerous as evidenced by some of his other videos) but it shows that you shouldnt have any issues.

If you live in an area that regularly has extreme cold, you may use a different lube for your weapon just as you would use a different oil for your car than someone in a more southern climate.
 

eye95

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
13,524
Location
Fairborn, Ohio, USA
If it is too cold to OC, it is too cold to do anything.

Today is too cold to do anything.

Right now, 6 below (feels like -31), 26 mph wind. I ain't going out in it! Damn global warming!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk.

<o>
 

eye95

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
13,524
Location
Fairborn, Ohio, USA
It's so cold that....

Hell just froze over. Weird things are happening. Pigs are flying, and Joe Biden was just spotted OCing at Charleton Heston's grave, holding onto Diane Feinstein's hand. Both were carrying signs asking, "Exactly what part of 'infringed' don't you understand?"


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk.

<o>
 

WalkingWolf

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
11,930
Location
North Carolina
We don't usually get that cold here, except for the mountains. Tonight it is supposed to be 11, but that is for the city, our temps will usually be 2 degrees lower.
 
Top