Autoloader action in the cold

Joined
Feb 8, 2022
Messages
307
Location
MN
I noticed on my last bird hunt (temps around 10F) that the bolt sometimes slid closed slowly. Only noticed it a couple of times and when temps got a bit warmer there was no issue. And ultimately, no misfires or delayed second/third shots - this only happened when I was reloading the gun.

So, I'm guessing some of you will have experience & know-how with this problem.

My hunch is there may be lower-temp and/or lower-viscosity gun oil that will solve the issue...but thought I should ask.

I have one more hunt in January that I expect will be quite cold...
 
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Watch out for oil with telfon in it, but from what I have seen most hiccups are caused by too much dirt followed by too much oil to overcompensate from the lack of cleaning. Don't go crazy with gun oil and a 10-minute cleaning of the action can be huge.
 
Teflon, particularly dry lube Teflon is a no go in the cold, I used some back in the day and turned a really reliable auto into a single shot as soon as it cooled off, scrubbed it clean and never an issue since then!

My SBE2 is sometimes sluggish in temps below 20f, typically due to lack of maintenance by me, gun still shoots just slow when loading. Definitely an over use of oil sometimes as well, really thin coat of a quality oil made for the cold works wonders!
 
Low temps are rough on any type of oil. use it sparingly this time of year. Also, just don't miss your first shot so you don't have to worry about it.
 
For shotguns Break free CLP has worked all winter for me in Canada.

Also worked on my Ripcord drop away arrow rest on an 11 day polar bear adventure in February with super cold weather.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone - current forecast calls for temps in the single digits to teens, blowing nicely, some snow on the ground, and many many birds!
 
The owner of Boss shot shells told me to use very little synthetic Mobil 1 5W 20 automobile oil. Really works great when it gets below zero.
 
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