Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Push feed in cold/icy weather

Certainly not in life or death situations, but I’ve hunted with a Remington 700 Classic in Nov. and Dec. here in PA and NY for the last 38 years with no issues. Lots of snow, sleet, freezing rain and freezing temps.

I buckle my seatbelt every time I get in a vehicle. Never needed it, but someday it might make a difference. I feel the same way about PF vs CRF. I have no doubt that CRF is going to keep working in conditions where PF will not. But so far I've never found myself in a position where it would matter. I still like having the odds in my favor with CRF though. And the harsher the hunting and weather conditions the greater the odds of either failing. I can find no downside to owning CRF over PF, so why not.

Just don't let your bolt get wet when it's freezing outside, I've had this happen exactly 1 time and I was a relative newb to hunting in Alaska, needless to say I learned the hard way but it was a lesson learned.

Or M 70.

My 700’s have been good rifles. Never had issues especially not freezing bolts or triggers.

That and not cleaning it after falling in a snowbank or getting in or out of warm vehicles in zero weather.

PF will work fine. Keep the action clean and dry. Don’t use oil for that hunt. And keep blue tape over the muzzle.

My push feed elk rifle functions fine at 40 below.

Yep,

Is all common sense really lost ?

I have hunted with Rem 600 and 700s plenty of times in sub zero weather and in all kinds of precipitation. The gun went bang EVERY TIME it was supposed to and fed just fine. You have to keep the components clean and free of oil when it is really cold. Leave the gun in the truck overnight so to keep it at the outside temperature too. Nasty conditions require extra steps for all rifles. If you someone had a failure it was their fault, not the gun. BTW, never lost a bolt handle or met someone who has. I guarantee you there have been a few broken but they are few and far between, we just hear a lot about those few.

I stand by what I said earlier about mine, and my sons freezing up. When you are hunting in rain and then it freezes begins the nightmare. When your living in a tent for 10 days you even learn to leave the rifle outside to avoid extra condensation.
Went to “open” triggers and the issue resolved its self.

Its your life, so live it your way. But if I was in a tent for 10 days in the rain and cold, I wouldn't change my rifle, I would change my destination. At some point you have to decide where fun ends.

Good advice

I’ve had one freeze up on a rifle during a hunt, caused me to lose out on a lil 6 point whitetail, in MO.

Pink, no boom, cycle the action to get a fresh shell, pink, no boom

Once more w feeling. Same result

By now the deer is looking up at me in the tree stand, trying to get my .357 out just wasn’t gonna happen, at least not with a deer still standing there

Heard my dad shoot so I went to him to gut and drag out the lil spike he’d killed.

Had him try the rifle with same result.

Couple of hours later when things had warmed up ( it was colder than a well diggers azz that morning ) BOOM !


Too much oil around the firing pin made it sluggish enough to only slightly mark the primer.

Blue scares the animals. I find a taupe color to be more hunter friendly.

If you ever stayed in a Arctic Oven tent and had some of the best black tail hunting this country offers you would reconsider. Especially when your hunting companion is your son.

There's no downside to CRF except cost, and very little of that. However more rifles fail due to iced up triggers than iced up bolts. For a DG rifle, a simple trigger is a must.

If only you had cleaned the trigger thoroughly and used dry lube or lighter fluid...

Many, many years of hunting on Kodiak with 700s with many more using all manner of makes and models... only constant in the group was in A-Bort trigger linkage for corroding and seizing the trigger.

Some years ago, during a cold snap I tested a bunch of different makes and models of barreled actions. Any of them including 70s could easily be made to freeze up. None were any different than the others after cleaning and lubing with lighter fluid. And all were difficult to freeze after proper cleaning and lubing.

I use 700s without concern far more often than most in very cold, wet, and nasty conditions. CRF advantages are mostly fantasy...

Uh huh...