Am thinking/ dreaming of something heated, with the ability to stabilize(hyd outriggers?) that will house multiple shooters and gear, needs to be mobile but not road worthy. I have the "eskimo" style pop-up ice shelter... the door sucks to shoot from and isint real big, especially with an electronics table inside...am thinking of a 8 x16 fishhouse with a flip-up side door...kinda like the food servers at a fair? Would love to be shooting at -10!! I know you folks are creative, and make some neat stuff, throw some ideas at me!! Thanks!
Minnesota Winter shooting ideas
- Thread starter Pbgt
- Start date
in minnesota, one must shoot with the cold, not fight the cold......lol
funny things happen when you shoot when its that cold here and its good to know how to deal with it. I enjoy it but usually only in short bursts then it time to warm up....
let me know where you are at and maybe we can do some shooting this winter
funny things happen when you shoot when its that cold here and its good to know how to deal with it. I enjoy it but usually only in short bursts then it time to warm up....
let me know where you are at and maybe we can do some shooting this winter
There is a sports club here in Wisconsin that modified a tractor trailer to shoot 5 stand out of (shotgun) in the winter. Have a radiant heater in there. Trailer was donated. Works great. If I was going to do something like that for myself. I.would find a give away or cheap camper and gut it to fit your bench setup. You could keep furnace to heat, inverter for lights.
I shoot in the snow. Lay down shooting mat and shoot away. Just deal with the cold.
I'm here in Fargo, not to terribly far away. Typically shoot more rimfire, but getting my 6.5 creed more time out to push things further
I'm here in Fargo, not to terribly far away. Typically shoot more rimfire, but getting my 6.5 creed more time out to push things further
I could care less what temp it is, I will shoot in any weather...I was thinking about other folks, its hard for some to focus when they are numb, and the other thought is electronics. I have labradars, magneto speed, scope cam, dsl, go pro fusion, slow-mo camera and more... the battery operated stuff, especially the gadgets with touch screen or digital read-out including ball apps on smart phones tend to fair poorly in low temps. Getting data from every shot is important.
I shoot the 6.5 as well, what rifle are you shooting? What kind of distances have you been able to get to? Last winter I was in the NE area of ND, got almost a mile, what a blast!
Another way to practice while not laying in the snow.
Anyone near Menomonie, Hudson WI or across the border in Minneapolis area that has land they wouldn't mind another shooter joining them on? My main goal is to reach out to 1,000yds. The furthest I currently can shoot is 607yds due to geographical restraints. If so, please contact me! I will suffer through the cold lol.
I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota and for two years running I shot every saturday I was in town, if it was -20°, 99° pouring rain, heavy snow, in the rain and heavy snow I had to reduce my distances to see the target. I can't say all of the shooting sessions were pleasant but like ker2222 said "It is good to know how to deal with it" Gives you a chance to check out your hardware (gun and related stuff) but the softer stuff too like foul weather gear or whether the old Woolrich Malone bibs still fit. They still do fit by the way which is nice given the price.
I'm real close to Hudson on the MN side. I would love to find land close by to shoot, my range that I'm a member of is over an hour drive. You can shoot to 1,000 at Gopher in Harris, or Rush Lake range but that's way up in NW MN. I shoot those two places during matches. If you find anyone in the area, let me know. I can supply steel gongs, labor, friendly conversation, and a beer at the end of the day.
Was out again today, putt'in 6.5's on paper...its been so nice, dont even need gloves! In my original post, I was looking for ideas for keeping students warm, cold for some folks can reduce their ability to focus and retain training.
It has been an awesome December in Central MN without the snow!
The greatest obstacle to having a warm space from which to shoot is the mirage from escaping heat. While it can be a great teacher, the mirage sucks when you are trying to do load testing. Obviously, the colder it is outside, the worse the mirage will be forming at the window of your heated shooting house, deer stand, (or living room, kitchen, bedroom , etc.)
The greatest obstacle to having a warm space from which to shoot is the mirage from escaping heat. While it can be a great teacher, the mirage sucks when you are trying to do load testing. Obviously, the colder it is outside, the worse the mirage will be forming at the window of your heated shooting house, deer stand, (or living room, kitchen, bedroom , etc.)
This
There is no other option.
There is no other option.
A couple of ranges I am a member of locally (north metro) have warm up sheds near the rifle line. If there is a specific winter class you’re looking to host in the area, PM me and we can explore options.
I actually built one of those mobile bars, one of the last projects before retiring!! I think the warming house idea is great, I'd never thought of the mirage issue, thanks smooth1 . The kid and I did an early breakfast meeting to explore a suppressor/night shoot event, lot of logistics to work out first...Thanks Echodeltasierra, I will stay in touch. and.....I am in the process of getting more shirts made, will get you one.
Ive got a 10x15 shooting house with a heater in it with a slider window. When I spray foam the shop im going to put a window in the far corner so i can shoot 1300yds. I'm in ND, so I know how you feel with the cold.
You could also just buy or make a deer blind and either leave it on the ground, put it on stilts, or on a cheap trailer so you can move it to where you want to shoot. Put a heater in it and do spray foam on the bottom and all around the inside.
Ive seen guys doing this same thing with those expensive ice castles or old campers.
Hope that helps.
Deano
You could also just buy or make a deer blind and either leave it on the ground, put it on stilts, or on a cheap trailer so you can move it to where you want to shoot. Put a heater in it and do spray foam on the bottom and all around the inside.
Ive seen guys doing this same thing with those expensive ice castles or old campers.
Hope that helps.
Deano
^This. Most Minnesotans already have a stand. Put a heater in it, set up some steel and ring in the new year!
in boyceville. But....the cold weather thing...nope. I work out in this shit and while it is nice not having snow, i am still not enjoying winter. But i’d be in for something when it gets warmer out.
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