I'm doing independent contract work, that gets me around. In February, I'm planning on shooting a match in Northern Minnesota. I don't know what the weather will be like yet on the day of the match, but a little over a week ago, it hit -25 F outside my door. If it's anything like that on the day of the match, it might be the coldest match I ever shoot. I'm looking forward to it.

I'm planning on using a Sig 229 SAS Gen 2 in 9mm. I've used a 1911 in near sub zero weather, and found I had to get rid of the grease. What would anyone suggest for a Sig 229 at -25F?

quote:

Originally posted by Bobofbone:
What would anyone suggest for a Sig 229 at -25F?

Go to Florida.

In truth, I'm always hesitant about using metal implements when it's extraordinary cold like minus 25. One of the things that discovered working on the Alaska pipeline was that when the temperature is -40 and below metals behave like in unexpected ways, particularly WRT brittleness.

As for a lube, go with TW25b.

TW-25B.

Handwarmer packets up the magwell from "show clear" to "make ready". Yes, seriously.

This is a docsteve question

Dry lube like eezox or anything with a low temp rating.

Depending on how long the stage is... Do not return to IWB rig.

AIWB rig could be very bad, think Christmas Story movie and the flag pole.

Definitely don't use slide glide lite. I shot at 0F in Alaska with it and wish I had oil on it.

February in northern MN could easily be that cold, if not worse. Couple years ago we had -60.

It can hit -20 here in the Yoop. My winter outdoors gun is a Ruger Super Blackhawk. Almost no lube. If I were to carry my warm weather gun (Glock 20) it would be lubed with TW25.

Google 'Canadian police gun oil test'. That will bring you to the PDF of the test resulut. It's also on the G96 gun oil page.

quote:

Originally posted by SgtGold:
Google 'Canadian police gun oil test'. That will bring you to the PDF of the test resulut. It's also on the G96 gun oil page.

so based on that PDF
The PDF

he should use eezox. I'll note that that test was done 20 years ago.

Eezox is a good product, but it's too thin to use from a dropper. You put it on wet and let it dry. I'd be partial to something I could apply in an emergency from a small bottle or needle applicator.

I live in Southern MN but I have shot in the cold and if you have too much grease on your rails, you might see a malfunction.

One spring, a few years back, I shot a match with my P225 that sat in the trunk all day. The pistol would fire and eject the empty but did not send the slide back far enough to load a fresh round. After I wiped the rails off with a rag, it started functioning normally.
I was using SuperLube which is a silicon grease rated to function normally between -45° to 450° F and the cold (it wasn't that cold, just about freezing) was enough to cause the grease to retard the slide just enough to malfunction.

Something like Otis Dry Lube might work in a pinch, otherwise keep the grease to just the bare minimum.

Other tips: I don't know what kind of temperatures you will face when you shoot this match but I note that you are from TN. Keep your head (including your ears) and your feet warm. Wear insulated gloves. Handling bare metal, if the temperature is below zero(F), will be painful and could cause frostbite. Load your magazines beforehand in a warm area so you can minimize the time that you are handling bare metal.

Thank you all, great advice. I grew up in Michigan, and have spent time in colder climates-backpacked Alaska in late October. But, I found the suggestions immediately above good ones. I've had one mild case of frost bite in the past (more frost nip) that only stopped bothering me in cold weather after around 20-30 years. I was out cross country skiing a few weeks back at around -10. I noticed how fast the cold effected my fingers when I wasn't active after texting a reply to a message-after that, I decided "screw everyone. I'll reply later". I used to cross country ski in -10 to -15 F in Michigan 30 years ago. I've also winter camped, but not quite to temperatures like these. I seem to notice the cold more now. Oh well, I told my wife I planned to enjoy winter like it should be.

I'll try a few possibilities before, and provide an update after the match on what I used and what worked. One of the local cross country skiing trails is around a range I joined. I might stop while out and do some testing more often as well.

UPDATE

I picked up some TW25B Lubricant and some EEZOX. I tried both on what I was going to use-a Sig 229 by taking them out to a local range and putting about 150 rounds through using each. They both worked at about -18 F.

The day of the match in February was warmer than I expected-between -10 to maybe -15 F (I'd use the Kelvin scale, but it would make it look warmer). March was warmer. This month was in the upper 40's to lower 50's, so I won't see more cold weather until the end of the year.

On the day of the February match, I took 2 Sig 229's with me, both SAS Gen 2's, and had one lubed with heavy grade slide glide on the rails and Break free on the internals, and the other with TW25B on the rails and all areas of wear on the frame and slide. I used my carry holster, a Blade Tech IWB (no, the metal doesn't get stuck to your skin, because Army silkeys, waffle long johns and a turtle neck ski skin are between you and the metal). I used the Sig with the heavy weight slide glide the entire match. It worked fine, with no problems.

Observations: I've been out in colder weather, but it sure was cold. I hadn't felt my other activities outside warranted the use of the Silkeys and waffle wear, but I figured the pace that a match goes at wasn't going to generate much body heat. I was right, and they were handy. Wearing something on your head that's thick enough to keep your head warm along with muffs is a challenge. Using shooting gloves requires practice. I've got two sets-a light to medium set I picked up in Montana several years ago-they work great in Tennessee-and some 80 gram thinsulate shooting gloves from Cabela's. The thicker gloves make it more difficult to handle a pistol, and they weren't enough to keep your hands warm for long. I dispensed with them for shooting, and used then when loading magazines. There was alot of traffic between the heated clubhouse and range. If you're going to be officiating, your really need something to stay warm. An extra timer that is kept under a coat to switch back and forth probably would be useful-batteries drop off in power at low temperatures. I also had foot warming packs in my boots, gloves and pockets.

I think the cold weather lubes would be useful with a weapon with a tighter action and closer tolerances (like a match grade 1911) or if the firearm was kept in a holster that was external. Also, anyone using shooting gloves would be well advised to be careful with the decreased dexterity and feel. In my practice, dry firing, I paid particular attention in making sure my finger did not go inside the trigger guard until I was on target (I know, that's the way it's supposed to be-closely watch some videos of shooters at matches. Supposed to be isn't always reality).

It's likely I'll be here next winter. I'm hoping for a colder match to see what I can improve on.

I have no intention to ever do anything outside at -25. Must be my elite coastal privilege.

After some hunting experiences in Michigan's UP and the Arctic, I settled on DuPont Krytox. A little tiny bit goes a long way. Developed for the Space Program when I was in the engineering biz.