Shooting a Ballard in cold weather ?

[Jack C., 69th NY]

A question was asked of me last night. I'll paraphrase for you, wording is not exact. Is there any danger or increased danger of shooting a Civil War era Ballard in cold weather? The question is alluding to the cast receivers of these arms and that some have cracked receivers, not necessarily from cold weather though. I do not know the answer. Any thoughts out there? I hate asking for opinions.

[John Holland]

I did some online research on "Malleable Cast Iron" and found that pipe fittings are made from malleable cast iron. A website titled "thepipingmart.com" stated: "Malleable Cast Iron has limited temperature tolerance and cannot withstand extreme temperatures as it can break down quickly." Unfortunately, they did not identify what they considered to be "extreme temperatures".

[John Gaskill 3037V]

Bruce Cobb told me that most cracks in the receivers started from the squared corner cuts in the receivers and too hot a charge. Most new made receivers leave a small radius at the corners.