Do revolvers actually hold up better in freezing temps?

[Wickham]

A buddy of mine swears his revolver never fails in cold weather while semi-autos choke. Is there really something to this or is it just fudd lore? I'm talking like below zero conditions

 

[Dermako]

I might disagree to a point.
Years ago was in Fairbanks in January and during the course of a snowmobile outing with temps in negative 30’s we pulled out two Glocks and ran a couple magazines through each with no issues whatsoever.
I would question what the grease in a revolver would do at that temperature.
Don’t get me wrong, I actually have more revolvers than semiautomatics but don’t take the revolvers in the field as a carry weapon.

 

[CoachChris]

Penn fishing reel oil remains fluid in sub-zero temps
Tri-Flow claims their oil remains fluid to -60°

 

[Kraigwy]

I spent 22 years in Alaska. 20 of which I was in law enforcement. 21 years in the Alaska NG. My Service Revolver was a Smith Model 28, 357. As a LE officer I was required to have a weapon off duty. I was infantry with an airborne unit plus did my stint as a company commander of an Eskimo Unit in western Alaska on the Bering Sea. Meaning I have a lot of years carrying in some pretty cold weather. Now from my time as a grunt in Vietnam I fell in love with the USGI 1911. Also carried it in the National Guard. Still love it.

Have extensive experience with both the one I would say was the most dependable want the Smith N Frame 357 Revolver.
Now having long been retired, living in Wyoming my constant companion is my Smith J Frame 38. If I hit the mountains without a rifle it’s back to My Model 28-357 (which by the way my department gifted me when I retired).
In shot, I’d pick the revolver as the most dependable.

But to be honest I don’t have much experience with the plastic guns they have now days.

I do know a little gun in the pocket beats a heavy gun in the truck every time.

 

[Blahd]

I’ve carried both in below zero hunts. Revolvers shrug off ice, snow, and frozen lube better than most semis, but it’s not magic. A clean, lightly lubed semi will still run fine. Revolvers just give you fewer moving parts to freeze up

 

[Wind River]

In freezing cold weather the weak link is usually ME. I’ve had no trouble with an auto in cold weather but I do like revolvers. There’s something about a well made revolver. The older pinned Barrel S&Ws are my favorite.

 

[Wickham]

I spent 22 years in Alaska. 20 of which I was in law enforcement. 21 years in the Alaska NG. My Service Revolver was a Smith Model 28, 357. As a LE officer I was required to have a weapon off duty. I was infantry with an airborne unit plus did my stint as a company commander of an Eskimo Unit in western Alaska on the Bering Sea. Meaning I have a lot of years carrying in some pretty cold weather. Now from my time as a grunt in Vietnam I fell in love with the USGI 1911. Also carried it in the National Guard. Still love it.

Have extensive experience with both the one I would say was the most dependable want the Smith N Frame 357 Revolver.
Now having long been retired, living in Wyoming my constant companion is my Smith J Frame 38. If I hit the mountains without a rifle it’s back to My Model 28-357 (which by the way my department gifted me when I retired).
In shot, I’d pick the revolver as the most dependable.

But to be honest I don’t have much experience with the plastic guns they have now days.

I do know a little gun in the pocket beats a heavy gun in the truck every time.

Thanks for sharing your experience! That's decades of real cold-weather carry, it sounds like revolvers proved more reliable in your Arctic conditions. I appreciate the practical perspective especially since you've run both platforms extensively in serious cold