Shooting in Adverse Weather?

[Blownmotor]

Since it's storming outside right now,has anyone here gone shooting outdoors in terrible weather (rain storms, snow storms, ect)? Seems like a good way to test your equipment.

[SactoDoug]

I have. Uncle Sam doesn't care much about the weather, except lightning; no shooting was allowed during a lightning storm. I have shot in the rain a lot. I have also shot in -30*F a few times in Alaska. The old Norwegen saying is true: "There is no bad weather, only bad clothing."

You learn how good your wet weather equipment is. When you are out in the rain long enough, it does not matter since you will likely be soaked in sweat on the inside.

Gortex gear is great. Don't forget to have wet weather pants. Boot covers or rubber boots help with your feet. A hat is a must in the rain to keep it out of your eyes.

Before you go out into the rain, make sure your rifle is well oiled. It will fire fine. You just have to make sure you don't get mud in the action such as by dropping an AR into a mud puddle with the dust cover open.

BTW, there is a lot of cheap surplus Gortex gear with the old woodland pattern. You can get the coat and pants for about $80. That is a steal IMO.

[cc56]

I shot a steel madness in the rain once. Not severe weather, but it was coming down pretty good. I dropped mags in the mud and still used them. No problems, only got wet. It was fun!

Also woodland surplus gortex is amazing!!! At $80 for the pair it is a steal.

[Condorguns]

The only weather related malfunction I have had was a literal frozen gun in Canada. Once it warmed up it worked great. Lesson learned, the products I use on my gun in the desert may not function in snow field sitting in a blind. Hard to look cool sitting on your gun so your butt will warm it up.

[Blownmotor]

I have. Uncle Sam doesn't care much about the weather, except lightning; no shooting was allowed during a lightning storm. I have shot in the rain a lot. I have also shot in -30*F a few times in Alaska. The old Norwegen saying is true: "There is no bad weather, only bad clothing."

You learn how good your wet weather equipment is. When you are out in the rain long enough, it does not matter since you will likely be soaked in sweat on the inside.

Gortex gear is great. Don't forget to have wet weather pants. Boot covers or rubber boots help with your feet. A hat is a must in the rain to keep it out of your eyes.

Before you go out into the rain, make sure your rifle is well oiled. It will fire fine. You just have to make sure you don't get mud in the action such as by dropping an AR into a mud puddle with the dust cover open.

BTW, there is a lot of cheap surplus Gortex gear with the old woodland pattern. You can get the coat and pants for about $80. That is a steal IMO.

Thank you for the advice.

[Altahick]

i am fortunate to be able to shoot on my property whenever i want to, so if its raining or storming i would rather just wait until tomorrow. before i could shoot on my own property i would shoot rain sleet or snow, nothing would stop me from shooting. some of my best memories of shooting, wheeling, dirt bike riding, fishing and hunting have been in really bad weather conditions.

[UBFRAGD]

One of the best things about adverse weather is the lack of other people, just admit it. Empty ranges and shooting spots are pretty rare within 300 miles of my loc unless everyone is scared of the weather. Long-distance rifle work sucks but other types of recreational shooting not possible with others present might save the day. Also: No fire danger. And the thrill of being unprepared at altitude in the boonies as the barometer plummets and the storm never stops.

Many things that are fun to do, are more fun in a storm.

[Calplinker]

Buddy and I went shooting last year during rain storm. Even with covered awning the wind drove the rain in to us and we got soaked.

We had a good time and were the only ones there.

There is definite value in gaining some experience. Bad guys don't always wait for good weather.

[11HE9]

Uncle Sam doesn't care much about the weather, except lightning...

I can vouch for this ^^^


Every time I had to do my yearly qualification on the M-16, it was either raining or snowing on the range

Didn't effect my scores though

[Zedrek]

I'll find out. I have an 8 hour CCW class on Saturday and there's rain in the forecast.

[DennisCA]

I can vouch for this ^^^


Every time I had to do my yearly qualification on the M-16, it was either raining or snowing on the range

Didn't effect my scores though

Yup - As a 22-year Army Vet, I can vouch for that!

As my Drill Sgt once told me:

"If ain't raining we ain't training"

[11HE9]

"If it ain't raining we ain't training"

I just said this to my youngest daughter's Lacrosse coach this evening at practice (It was pouring rain).

He didn't know how to respond

[PoorRichRichard]

Hell yes! We gots to be preparin' for end times son!

Plus I love hunting/shooting in the rain

[CGT80]

I have shot steel madness in wet weather, too. Luckily there was only light rain once in a while. It was very muddy and some of the stages had pallets stacked in the puddles which we had to run across to shoot. If you dropped your mags, it was going to be a pain to find them in the mud. I wore rubber boots for that day.

I have shot on blm land below running springs when there was snow on the ground. It was pretty chilly, but it was fun. I have also been there when it was over 100 degrees and the lube was melting out of the ammo loaded with lead bullets.

Last November, I shot a lever action silhouette match in less than great weather. The wind was gusting up to 25+ mph and the temp was in the low 50's. We were shooting from a little hill, so we were pretty exposed. We shot off hand/standing. It was tough to keep the rifle steady and it was hard to see the iron sights with my eyes watering as the wind blew right into my face. I had second thoughts about shooting in weather that is crappy for our area, but I still had a great time. It was my first lever action match.

Last February, I shot skeet in the snow, in the Inland Empire. We has a small amount of snow at West End, but I still wanted to shoot. It was fun, but also quite muddy. I shot pistols and rifles afterward, but called it a day about an hour or so after my face got numb. I did get a cool picture while I was there.

I haven't shot in any severe or extreme weather. I am also a little more picky than I used to be about the weather. Having 24/7 access to a private range 10 miles away means it isn't too hard to get to the range on a nice day, if I have time off from work. Being self employed makes it much easier than it used to and during the summer I can get some work done in the morning and then go to the range in the afternoon.

[Divernhunter]

I have hunted in the rain/snow but prefer to sit it out for just target practice etc when the weather is bad. Besides it is not good for the chrono or notebooks.