It's too hot for load work-up!

[Lost Sheep]

Sweat running in your eyes?

I read this somewhere from a guy who works outside in the sun.

On hot days, keep a cooler of ice water. Dampen a washcloth with the ice water and put it under your hat. It keeps him cool for 30-45 minutes. Repeat as necessary.

Lost Sheep

[FiveInADime]

Originally Posted by Mike / Tx

When I DO need to do some load work and the temps are up, I usually take a cooler of ice, a gallon of water, and a decent sized bath towel with me. I get the towel damp, not dripping wet, but enough to cool down laying on top of the ice in the cooler. When it starts to dry a bit I use the gallon jug to dampen it up again.

After shooting one or two rounds depending on what I am working with, I simply lay the towel over the barrel and slide it up to the front scope mount. I give it 3-5 minutes check it, and that usually keeps things somewhat cool. If I have a load that was developed for a specific temp I will try and keep the ammo reasonably cool sitting inside a plastic box in the cooler as well.

Usually however I work up loads from Jan thru Memorial day, then I will haul them out periodically during the summer and drop 5-10 of them just to check the differences in velocity with the higher temps. There has been a time or two where early developed loads shot fine in 70 degree weather, but flattened or blew a primer in higher temps. Since I might haul any one of my rifles to the country on any given weekend through out the year just in case I find a hog, I like to know that all laods are good in any temp I might shoot them in. Even when it has been 112 and mid day I have caught hogs making a break across out back pastures or my friends pastures heading for a water source.

With the towel trick your not going to get it down to 40 or 50 degrees, but you can get them down to a somewhat ambient or slightly cooler temp pretty quick. When you get home or while sitting there at the range take a patch with a drop or two of oil on it and slide it over any metal you might be concerned about. I have been using this for close to 30 years and not had any issues with rust or corrosion on any of my barrels.

I just did this today at the range. Just used a rag I had in my range box. It really worked well. I could only shoot 3 rounds or so before the barrel was to hot, but it only took 5-10 minutes to get the barrel back to ambient temp. (95°F or so). It wasn't too bad of a morning here in Phoenix but by 11:00am It was well past time to pack it in.

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[Nick0410]

I've been going to the range between 6-8:30 and while the gun still gets way too hot, I still stay at a somewhat reasonable temperature. One thing that sucks is picking up 9mm casings after the sun goes down while the girlfriends yelling at you that shes afraid of the dark since I shoot rifle first and then pistol

[m&p45acp10+1]

Here it is not only swelteringly hot. It is humid as well. Sunday the devil left at noon he said i realy is hotter than hadees in Texas.

I usualy sit in the shade with the breeze moving the hot air. Load work up is done either in the morning or evening. Sweat in the eyes is not good for groups.

Guys make sure to stay hydrated. The summer heat can kill you. We have had 3 deaths from heat stroke since summer started here.

[mnhntr]

Had the same problem here in MN. I had 3 days of range time to work up one powder bullet combo. Come on fall.

[Mike / Tx]

Sweat running in your eyes?

I read this somewhere from a guy who works outside in the sun.

On hot days, keep a cooler of ice water. Dampen a washcloth with the ice water and put it under your hat. It keeps him cool for 30-45 minutes. Repeat as necessary.

Lost Sheep

Well I have tried that as well as the gel wraps that you can stick in the fridge and then wear like a sweat band. They will both work for around 15 minutes and then, well your simply wearing a wet sweat band. For the most part the actual heat doesn't bother me much, I work in a facility where summer ambient temps are usually 100+ with the equipment we have. When I head to the country however, I don't HAVE to sit out there and I think that is the difference. Like mentioned above, even the breeze is hot here in most cases, throw in the usual 50 - 80% humidity, and no matter how you slice it, it can get pretty distracting. Usually I just tie a shop towel around my head for a sweat band and once I start to get beads trickling down, I call it quits.

Here it is not only swelteringly hot. It is humid as well. Sunday the devil left at noon he said i realy is hotter than hadees in Texas.

I hear ya on that, loud and clear. Been many a morning I have walked out the back door at the farm before sunup, and it was in the mid to high 80's. Last year there were plenty of weekends we spent mowing, disking, or whatever, by the headlights on the tractor or doing other chores around the house with clamp on, or the flood lights. We worked from around 2'ish in the morning till around 9 and then headed for the A/C, a cool shower, and a nap.

Back before we had neighbors within earshot of our back pasture, I would set up a few Coleman lanterns at my 100 and 200 yard targets, then I had a nice fluorescent lantern I would set up in the shooting shed. I would get done with chores and supper, then take a nap and around 9:30 or 10'ish head down to shoot till around midnight or so. Once they started building on the county road, half a mile or less back behind us, I knocked it off. I never got any complaints, but out of common courtesy, I figured they didn't want to listen to me all night.

[m&p45acp10+1]

Note I am sitting at home catching up on some of my reloading stuff like prepping brass. It is already well into triple digit heat, and getting hotter. Heat index is around 104 right now, and is expected to go to 108 by the end of the day. Think I am gonna sit inside, drink some cold drinks, and prep brass.

Casting today is out of the question. Way too hot. If i use the pot inside the AC can not keep up. If I do it in the shade outside I can not work more than 20 minutes before I am drenched in sweat. Oh well two more months and cooler weather will be here. I will trade a hot summer off for having a nice 65 and sunny on Thanksgiving, and Christmas days.

[bluetopper]

It's too hot to go shoot at all......100+ degree days for the forseeable future.

[homesick]

Our range has huge fans mounted which helps keep us cool but doesn't do much for barrel heat. I don't work on light barreled guns much but I usually work on light calibers / heavy barrels. This summer I have been woring on a 204 Ruger in a Savage 12 BTSS.
We don't get into the 100s here but high 90s and humidity. I can go out at 7AM and shoot till 9 before the fish bowl takes over the targets.

[m&p45acp10+1]

The range here opens at 10:00 am here it is just starting to get hot then. By noon it is in the triple digit heat range or real close to it. Two friends of mine that are area medics said they have seen 4 cases of heat sickness from people that were in the shade so you folks make sure to stay well hydrated. Keep yourself cool.

I can most times make it a ibt longer than the average guy here. I work in the heat every day. I am aclimated to the heat. Also I stay well hydrated, and take long breaks in the shade, as well as when I am in the sun I wear a big hat with cool damp rags in the hat, and wrapped on my neck. I can make it for a few minutes in the sun. Then I am back in the shade reloading. The rifle range is hot even though it is shaded. The wind does not move much under the shade. Rifle rounds get fired either right when the range opens, or in the evening after it has cooled off a great bit.

I am not afraid to say good sense prevails most times I will just stay home. I work on my reloading projects, or clean rifles. Every great once in a while I will clear off my bench, and organize everything.