TargetTalk

Just was wondering why there aren't any regulations on how COLD a range can be, even more so during the winter in areas known for cold temperatures?
The reason I ask is at the last shoot I was at it happened to be about 20 below 0 degrees (very very very cold for non-Americans) and then about 20 above on the shooting lane maybe a little warmer. It was so cold I couldn't even feel the gun in my hand let alone the trigger, and I can stand the cold pretty well.
That just doesn't seem right or fair for a shooter to compete and try and score well when they can't even feel the gun!


Anyone agree here or have some insight on this???

I suspect for indoor events there is a limit - for example ISSF competitions. I know in the UK some of our ranges are very cold but all will have heaters which work to some extent. Shooting outdoors is another story but I use a shooting mitt when shooting free pistol at this time of year (it's currently about -4C).

Rob.

On an out door range I'd understand if it was cold but dang that one range was very cold and there is another shoot there next weekend...

Meanwhile, here in sunny Australia...

Joking aside, it does get cold in the southern states in the winter months (though usually not much below freezing) and attendances tend to drop off. At least now we don't have to wory about .22 shorts for RFP - keeping those little sods warm under the armpit was a common practice in winter.

There's nothing in the rules, but if you look at the ISSF calendar, in countries with climate 'extremes' championships are held in the spring and autumn (fall); i.e. common sense gets a look in.

Spencer

Yeah, nothing in the rulebook, up in Canada here, I shoot on a "heated" indoor range during the winter....it gets cold real fast, hehehehe, but we don't have any World Cup events, so it's not a big deal internationally. We do have the Air Gun Grand Prix, but that is in a heated range/ballroom.

I'm about to go to a shoot. It's about 20 deg. F outside, and will be about 45 or so in the range area. That gets fairly uncomfortable, but we live with it, because the cost of effectively heating the place is, well, too costly.

The problem is: The ventilation system sucks the warm, if dirty, air out of the range, and circulates cold, but clean, air back into the range. On a day like this, 50 or so is the best we can hope for inside, while shooting.

We just layer our clothes, and warm our hands on the heat vents, and, mostly, think of the outdoor season that's within sight.

On various TV home shows I have seen passive heat exchangers for air circulation - are these an economic proposition?

Spencer

This thread riminds me of a team mate of mine who wrote in his logbook "My coach tells me it is warm, but my finger tells me he is lying".

Spencer - on your question about passive heat exchangers, one of the nasty side-effects of shooting is that we put a fair amount of "crud" into the air. This "crud" tends to clog up heat exchangers pretty quickly. If you're looking at doing a heat exchanger in this manner, you would be well advised to install filters on the outgoing airflow before it enters the exchanger. To do otherwise would result in very high exchanger maintenance. And we all know we'd rather be shooting than cleaning the HVAC equipment! ;-)

Mark Briggs wrote:Spencer - on your question about passive heat exchangers, one of the nasty side-effects of shooting is that we put a fair amount of "crud" into the air. This "crud" tends to clog up heat exchangers pretty quickly. If you're looking at doing a heat exchanger in this manner, you would be well advised to install filters on the outgoing airflow before it enters the exchanger. To do otherwise would result in very high exchanger maintenance. And we all know we'd rather be shooting than cleaning the HVAC equipment! ;-)

good point

Spencer

Mouche make a lovely pistol glove. Used within the regulations, it is OK for formal ISSF competitions. For training only, they work nicely with the semi-autos as well and forget the “free from the wrist” bit, they are neatly tucked in-between two garments. I have to commend Mouche for their pistol top as the garment cut is good for an in-line stance without bunching up a lot of layers of material in the neck.

AJ008 – pleased to confirm that it gets cold in other parts of the world as well as North America. Fortunately, in the UK, what is left of the Gulf Stream keeps things moderate - for the moment!

No regulations on minimum temperature.

AJOO8 wrote:Just was wondering why there aren't any regulations on how COLD a range can be, even more so during the winter in areas known for cold temperatures?
The reason I ask is at the last shoot I was at it happened to be about 20 below 0 degrees (very very very cold for non-Americans) and then about 20 above on the shooting lane maybe a little warmer. It was so cold I couldn't even feel the gun in my hand let alone the trigger, and I can stand the cold pretty well.
That just doesn't seem right or fair for a shooter to compete and try and score well when they can't even feel the gun!


Anyone agree here or have some insight on this???

You live in Montana and that's how the winters are. We use 2 portable LPG space heaters on our range (10 firing points in the basement of an old unheated warehouse). They do a fair job until the mercury dips double digit below zero. It's tolerable for pistol shooting as you are not on the line too long but for position rifle shooting it gets pretty raw. When there is a strong wind we even need to put a few clicks on.

I guess the only way to look at it is all the other shooters in the match have the same conditions to put up with. Good Shooting.