A bit of cold weather testing on the air pressure held in the rifle. I pumped it up to right at 200 BAR per the guage on the pump and the guage on the rifle showed a hair past the 200 BAR reading. This was in the house with the temperature in the low 70's. I had the rifle and pump in the house a full day before doing this. Pumped it up and left it propped up against the corner wall for a day after pumping. The pressure guage stayed steady at just a bit over the 200 BAR line on the rifie.
Kept it on the porch (protected) overnight and all the next day. Night temps weren't cold, just to 1 below zero and the room was about 7 degrees at its coldest. Today was relatively mild with temps hitting 17 above zero and the room hit at least 15 above. The guage on the rifle reads a right at the 200 BAR mark. Its dark now so I am not firing it. Will see how it fares on the fill level for a few days in the cold. Mild temps for the next few days and then is projected to get cold again, the 10-25 below zero temp range. I'll check the guage on the rifle a couple times each day and see if any change shows up.
I realize looking at the crude guage on the rifle isn't the greatest measure of air pressure but is is the basic guage I will be seeing in actual field use. So, I use it here. The other guage on filling is the one on the Hill pump I am using. Will check it also after I shoot a bit and fill so I can keep track of air usage in the cold.
We have major winter storm warnings for our area for the next three days. No real cold but coming snow and 40mpg winds. Temps around zero and a bit above. Next week or so it will start getting cold again and I will keep track of the guage as it does. Can keep the rifle on the protected porch where it is colder than a mother in laws heart... this will give me a good idea of how the air pressure might change during our weather. Next summer I'll try to do the same in Death Valley area if possible so I can see the other extreme. There though I won't be able to fill in cool and store in hot as the whole trip will be hot.
