r/canadaguns • u/hockeyfanatic777 • Mar 27 '26
Misc Storing rifles and ammo in cold weather
Im going to my buddies cabin this weekend. We’re going fishing, sledding, shooting etc the good stuff. I’m just wondering if there is anything special I should worry about for the guns. It’ll be mild this week, roughly -10 to -15, maybe even -5 during the day. But overnight it’ll dip down to the low/mid -20’s.
The two guns are an RF224, and an M1 Garand (more concerned about the Garand, not worried about the RF) My main concern is shooting them, and then once they get cold again, condensation forming.
I’ve got a good pelican case I’m storing them in, and I’ve brought a bore snake to run through them later on. They’ll be stored in the cabin, which won’t always be warm so is there anything to be worried about?
I haven’t shot much during the winter months so I’m unsure of any specific practices or things I should be aware of when shooting in the cold.
Thanks for any info
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u/AHangryBeaver Mar 27 '26
Whenever I go hunting in cold weather we leave the guns outside in a locker the whole time so they don’t sweat. Once hunting’s over, we bring them to room tempo and clean and oil the ever loving shit out of them before storage
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u/Acceptable_Visit_115 Mar 27 '26 edited Mar 27 '26
The only thing you should worry about is when you bring cold guns indoors. Condensation will form and you should wipe them down and air them out. Don't enclose them in gun cases.
The coldness itself doesn't really matter that much.
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u/hockeyfanatic777 Mar 27 '26
So they are going to be cold, I will shoot them, they’ll warm up, and then get cold again for at least one night before they come back home to a warm house. Should I leave the gun case open in the cabin to air them out? It won’t be super cold but it’ll be slightly above freezing.
I’m just not sure about the cold, hot, cold cycles
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u/Acceptable_Visit_115 Mar 27 '26
The heat cycle will be fine. Guns are more tough than you think lol
The only thing you should be worried about is condensation, above freezing would in theory be enough to make that happen.
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u/hockeyfanatic777 Mar 27 '26
Thanks, I’m just a worry-wart and don’t want any water to rust my rifles lol. I have lots of milsurp and I know they’ve seen way tougher conditions than I would ever be able to put them through. I’m just over-protective about them sometimes
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u/horce-force Mar 27 '26
Keep in mind what the Garand actually went through in WW2, youll be fine. The bulge is a perfect example, '44-'45 was one of the coldest winters in memory in Europe, those guys never came off the line.
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u/Top_Importance6216 Mar 27 '26
if it can survive the battle of the buldge It can survive a cabin weekend.
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u/BigZombieKing Mar 27 '26
Once they are cold, keep them cold until you are back at home. If you bring cold metal into a warm building, there will be condensation and you will need to address that moisture. I prefer to keep my cold rifle in an airtight case with a descent pack while it warms up. That limits the condensation.
Oil it before you go. Clean and oil when you get back.
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u/Less_Ad_6609 Mar 28 '26
The m1 did great in the battle of the bulge, I’m sure a weekend at your cabin will be fine
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u/DifficultReference99 Mar 31 '26
If your want them to work in the cold and run, leave them in the cold.
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u/SpectreBallistics Spectre Ballistics International (Verified) Mar 27 '26
Your guns will be fine. Just keep them lightly oiled and clean them when you get home.
It's a M1. They survived much worse than a cold weekend at a cabin.