[Bowie 1953]

Hey Guys Will cold weather affeck the scope sighting in, or do you think it would be better to wait till spring gets here? Thanks Bowie 1953

 

[Dennis]

Normal amounts of cold weather would have a very minor effect. Are you talking about shooting at the south pole?

Dennis Jenkins

Originally posted by Bowie 1953
Hey Guys Will cold weather affeck the scope sighting in, or do you think it would be better to wait till spring gets here? Thanks Bowie 1953

 

[cajungeo]

We are talking about sighting in the mini-14 right? So I ran my Infinity program on a 55 gr SPT at 3200 fps. at 80 degrees, bullet drop at 100 yds is 1/100" less than at 30 degrees, at 300 yds it is about 1/2" less than at 30 degrees. Ok boys, and girls how come a bullet drops less at higher temp?...because the air is less dense when hot, and to some degree near the ground the heated air gives the bullet lift. Air is less dense when humidity is low, Air is less dense when altitude is higher (also bullets, and golf balls drop less because gravity is weaker at high altitudes), if we have less air friction, bullet and golf balls retain more speed. I read somewhere if a 22 LR were fired in a vacuum at sea level, it would travel 12 miles, a centerfire much further....sorry guys, I got carried away.

So go ahead and sight it in. For hunting you won't notice the diff, unless you are shooting 500 yds are more.

 

[bushwack]

But the one thing you left out was the powders tolerance to the ambient temperature. Some powders have wide pressure swings when the ambients change. I'm sure that since you reload you've read stories of a guy who works up a fine load one winter only to find signs of high pressure when shooting that same load come summertime. As far as Bowie sighting in his scope goes you're right he'll probably never see the difference. It's only something people who reload need to be aware of.

Good shooting
Bushwack

 

[James Pruden]

With the accuracy of the Mini 14, you will not notice the difference between summer and winter even after you have acurized the weapon.

 

[cajungeo]

You are correct bushwack, I have read articles of some powder being more temperature tollerent than others. Down here in the tropics, we don't get much cold weather, it dosen't get that hot either, it's just the humidity is so high, you feel the temp change more.