Would you choose a revolver or semi for the most reliable “go to” gun for prolonged exposure in extreme cold weather? Why?
Is there likely to be a difference?
I currently have 3 wheelguns, but I’m thinking about carrying a Glock or Springfield XD for cold weather reliability.
Your thoughts?
A revolvers mechanism is much more intricate than a semi auto pistols.
If you’re talking Arctic environment; snow/sub zero temps- give me an auto loader all day long- or a ticket to Aruba.
Decades back Chuck Taylor did a piece on this very thing. The Glock won out over all contenders; from memory mod. 28 S&W, 1911, something else- maybe P-35.
The Danish dog sled Patrol (Slædepatruljen Sirius). Patrols the Arctic wilderness of NE Greenland carrying Glock 20.
Personally I’d select a hammer fired semi-auto. Primers can be fickle in cold weather and hammer fired guns tend to hit them harder.
The solution is probably more simple: pick what you like and try to make sure it is carried next to the body under your outerwear so your own body heat keeps it warm.
I would have to say that the Danes in Greenland are probably the most experienced at extreme cold.
Yeah.
When I handgun deer hunt in the cold I carry an N frame S&W in a “Tanker” holster under my coat.
Never had a problem with it.
My experience in harsh environmental conditions with handguns is that Glock has never let me down.
Extreme cold weather carry needs different lube and some common sense.
We used to carry a 44 Mag revolver while working in the AK backcountry. We switched to G20s several years ago. Everyone was and to the best of my knowledge still is happy about that change. Way lighter, more rounds, faster reloads, very reliable.
Just as an interesting historical note; some soldiers in the Red Army preferred the Nagant revolver over the Tokarev pistol in harsh cold climates.
Are you planning to take a trip somewhere, or just winter in Arkansas?
I carry a Glock in different forms all winter in Alaska. I don’t really like shooting in sub-zero temps, but I do so at times. Down to -20F I have had ZERO issues with my G17,G19, and G20, even when carried in a chest holster outside of my coat.
Pretty much all law enforcement in Alaska carry Glocks, including the Alaska State Troopers.
I’d pick a USP or maybe an HK45 for reliability in cold weather.
The lockwork of a revolver getting condensation and freezing solid would be a significant concern of mine. And I don’t like taking sideplates off revolvers, especially since that requires using a screwdriver and keeping track of some small screws, which would be fun to do with winter gloves on. I have had issues with not being able to let the trigger out to reset on double action revolvers, due to glove thickness or because the glove got caught between the bottom of the trigger guard and the trigger. I would probably rather have a single-action revolver for extreme cold weather. At least I can keep cocking the hammer to keep firing.
By comparison, I’m reasonably certain that I can pull a slide off a USP, spray everything down with a cold weather lube, and reassemble with lobster mitts on. And I’ve never gotten my gloves stuck in the trigger guard of a DA/SA auto.
The Danes carry Glock 20s because it’s the only modern duty pistol available in 10mm. And they’re worried about polar bears more than people. Their primary arms are M1917 rifles with the top of the rear aperture lopped off (not unlike a Rob Haught modded shotgun sight - reportedly because blowing snow can block the aperture).
Does it make that big of a difference tho? Cops used to carry revolvers for the better part of a century. From Alaska to MN to FL. aere there ever any issues of revolvers freezing up?
Perhaps this sums it up:
https://www.ballisticmag.com/2018/05/23/glock-17-torture-test-ocean/
Glock 17 Survives 18-Year, 250,000-Round Torture Test Including 6 Months in Ocean
The method by which I proposed to “wring out” the Glock 17 was simple: I’d buy one at my local gun shop, then carry and shoot it in all kinds of weather and terrain conditions—in the heat, cold, rain, show, dust and mud. I’d shoot it and shoot it and shoot it, using every kind of ammo I could find, until it broke.
Moreover, in order to find exactly how tough the Tennifer finish actually was, I decided to present the pistol from a variety of holsters until the finish was virtually gone. I had to dry-practice mornings and evenings for a half-hour or 45 minutes anyway, so what better vehicle to get the answers I needed, right?
Eighteen years and 250,000 rounds later, after immersion in both fresh and salt water dozens of times; being tossed into the sand, dust, snow, mud and grit; being presented from a holster and fired constantly in temperatures ranging from sub-zero to over 100 degrees; and even being left on the bottom of the ocean for six months, my conclusion is that the test Glock 17 is without a doubt a heck of a pistol.
To summarize briefly, this pistol still:
- Produced Ransom Rest 3-shot groups of just more than an inch at 25 meters with most factory ammo or handloads, including a wide variety of JHP and JSP bullet types.
- Exhibited minimal finish wear. Even after just more than one million holster presentations, it showed a bit of brightness only on the square edges of the slide and a couple of points near the grasping grooves.
- Hadn’t rusted to any significant degree, though it had repeatedly been exposed to all kind of salt- and fresh-water moisture.
- Continued to demonstrate virtually flawless mechanical reliability, despite being seriously abused and digesting a full 250,000 rounds. I didn’t even have to replace the original extractor until just over the 250,000-round mark. And it still used the original recoil spring and guide without a problem.
- Hadn’t suffered any kind of catastrophic failure of the slide or frame. Though a small piece of polycarbonate at the edge of the magazine well broke off during a particularly vigorous speed-load some years back, the gun’s function remained flawless.
- Outlasted no less than a dozen magazines, even though I make it a point to disassemble and clean them every two or three times they’re used.
Then there was the scenario when I installed Glock’s underwater kit and fired the weapon without a single stoppage while fully submerged. Have you ever done standard exercises from the holster at 3, 5 and 7 meters or multiple target drills while standing on the ocean floor 30 feet below the surface? As a sidenote, the reason I didn’t shoot past 7 meters was because the water quickly decelerated my bullets. Accuracy began to deteriorate excessively past that range.
I then left the pistol on the ocean floor for a full six months, recovering it on my next trip to the area. Subsequent examination showed only minor—almost microscopic—pitting on the slide lock lever and a small, oddly shaped pit on the left-hand upper corner of the slide just forward of the grasping grooves. Nothing else rusted—not even the internal surface of the bore.
Another G17 adventure I remember with fondness was when I took it to Alaska to see how it performed in sub-zero temperatures. On the day of the test, it was 40 degrees below zero in Kenai, Alaska. The camera had to be rushed into a special warm-up shed between frames to prevent the motor-drive and light-meter batteries from dying. Yet, the test Glock went through the entire 750-round test without a single stoppage.
Not impressed? Well, perhaps you’ll reconsider when I tell you the test format. It consisted of rapidly shooting the pistol until it was empty, quickly inserting a fresh magazine, then dropping it into the snow and leaving it there for 20 minutes. I then retrieved the pistol and attempted to fire. Now are you impressed? I certainly was.
I also buried the test gun in a sandy Arizona dry streambed, then recovered it and fired it without difficulty. Then, as if that weren’t enough, I tossed it into a running creek and duplicated the exercise. Still no malfunctions.
My take: The 9mm Glock is the SHIZZLE.
He has the old frying pan finish on the slide that made the difference…lol.
If I absolutely had to carry an autoloader and I was in some sort of insane mud/water environs an HK USP 45 is probably going to be my pic. It was basically wildly overbuilt. Honestly though, a stainless revolver is what I would be using.
HK45 or a Glock 45.
Something full size to make it easier to shoot with gloves.
Nailed it for all practical purposes. The revolver was a S&W 27, not 28. The 17 was the cleanest of the 4, none had malfunctions, and all were lightly lubed with RemOil.
HK45 or HK P30 or HK…
I’ve never shot cycles to effortlessly than HK handguns.
PB
I prefer the HK as far as being utterly reliable in all conditions…however, the Danish and Norwegian militaries issue the Glock 17 and seem quite happy with them. You can’t argue with what works. I have carried revolvers in the past, mostly on my Montana ranch. I would only recommend them if you need the extra power they can offer in Grizzly country. I had 44 mags and a 454 Casull. One could argue if you need that much power in a handgun, you should have a rifle…
Isn’t the HK double the price of the Glock? And if so is it really twice as good?