On a side note, I've been baffled by people commenting on the affect of chassis in cold weather. Metal feels colder than wood or plastic. If it's that cold, don't you just wear gloves? I'm in Colorado and it's currently -7 at my house. I shot a match two weeks ago in a snow storm. At times you couldn't even see targets. I just wore gloves. Mainly because my hands would have been too cold, in general. Not because I was shooting a chassis.
Having lived in ND and Minnesota for a long time, here’s my take on it.
Short version: gloves only
slow the cold conduction. This is really exacerbated at sub -30°F. Gloves are a pain because they get lost, wet, and reduce dexterity. Not using gloves is a very nice convenience at more moderate temps and it makes objects easier to use in cold weather.
Scenario #1 REALLY COLD
Like -30°F, -40°F. Even with gloves, a carried metal object at those temps will conduct cold right through one’s crushed glove insulation (crushed because you’re gripping the object). So carrying a wood stocked rifle in the hand over a longer distance would be much more doable at those temps.
If you are wearing
mongo mittens, big and thick enough to reduce manual dexterity to zero, you probably won’t notice this for a while. But it will happen. And meanwhile your hands are more like flippers.
But if you are wearing any sort of thinner glove that would allow you to operate, say, a rifle, then the cold will zap right through those if you carry the metal chassis for 10+ minutes. Maybe less. I have never timed it but have learned through experience that you just don’t want to touch, sit, or even stand on metal when it’s super cold, even with a big snow boots and a snowmobile-type suit on.
And sometimes you are forced to use bare hands even when it’s super cold. I like to mimimize that problem by having less-conducting materials on a cold-weather rifle.
If the outer part of the chassis is polymer, it’ll be easier to deal as ice won’t freeze to it quite as bad and as quickly.
Scenario #2 Convenience/Usability
Below freezing but not
really cold. Here, for me, it comes down to convenience and ease of use. Unless we’re talking about handling something rough or caustic that will tear your hands apart, I prefer not to wear gloves unless I need extra grip, like when I’m benching 270.
Gloves are a pain. They get lost. They get wet from sweat or from wet snow. They reduce dexterity. So if an object is made of some less conducting material, I might get away from not using gloves and am more comfortable for it (both not for keeping track of gloves and temperature comfort).
Like axe handles, shovel handles, steering wheels. Those would suck if they were metal. Of course a metal axe handle would vibrate you like Wile E. Coyote, forget about that for a second.
Think of an AI AT or Arctic Warfare, or a Sako TG22 made by the cold-weather Finns (I know you know who makes the Sako, just pointing that out for some others). They’re clad in polymer for a reason.
I think was a less-wise move for AI/Sako to make more externally all-metal rifles. Even though I have an AX for its looks (stupid). At least the handgrip bits are poly.
Think of it this way…cheek piece. Poly cheek pieces just make life easier in cold weather (vs a metal one, which I’ve never seen and would be bad).
Are you sure the affect is as drastic as you're saying it is? Would I have to go shoot a Foundation in order to go back and shoot an MPA order to pick it up?
