I'm having SERIOUS temp issues.

try putting a second thermometer in there and see if it stays close to your original.

try this faq on temp guns from proexotics http://www.tempgun.com/FAQ.html#1

i stress these 2 questions and copyed from their site:

How close do I have to be to an object to take its temperature?
The invisible Infrared sensor of the Temp Gun “shoots out” in a cone shape. The farther away you are from your target object, the larger the spot you will be measuring. The PE-1 unit has a Distance to Spot ratio (D:S) of 1:1, meaning at 1 inch away, you are measuring a spot that is 1 inch in diameter. At 1 foot, you are measuring a spot that is 1 foot in diameter.

The PE-2 and PE-3 units have MUCH TIGHTER CONES. The PE-3 D:S ratio is 8:1, meaning at 8 inches away, your spot is 1 inch. At 10 feet, you are measuring a spot that is a bit over 1 foot in diameter.

The PE-1 works great at shorter distances. In the RC world, measuring engine temps, the PE-1 at $25 works fantastic. The PE-1 also works great for many general use needs, like cooking and food temps, or basking temps for animal setups. If you need to measure from a bit further away (or a lot further away) then the PE-2 at $45 is a good choice. If you need to measure from a distance, and have high temperature reading needs, then the PE-3 at $75 is the unit for you!


How far away does the Temp Gun shoot?
All of the non-contact Temp Guns on the market use Infrared technology to get a reflected surface temperature from the desired object.

The infrared beam “shoots out” in a cone shape, narrowest right at the sensor of the Temp Gun, meaning the farther away you are, the wider the area you are temping out.

So the usable distance of a Temp Gun is largely dependent on the object you are shooting.

If you want to shoot engine head temps in an RC Car, you are trying to shoot an area about a quarter of an inch in diameter, right in at the glow plug. For such a tight reading, you want to be as close as possible.

If you are shooting the tire temps on a Stock Car, you have a much larger area, and you can be further away.

For road or track temperatures, you can shoot from a few feet away and get an accurate reading. Remember, the closer you are to your object, the smaller the area that you will be reading.

For our use in reptile breeding at Pro Exotics , I typically shoot cages and animals from 8-12 inches away.

With the PE-1 Temp Gun, anything over 2 ft is really too far, as you will be taking a wide angle “average” temperature of an area, as opposed to a particular spot or object.

Try the PE-2 at $45 for a 6:1 cone or the PE-3 at $100 for an 8:1 cone that can read accurate temps at a much further distance.

NOTE: The red laser that is available on some of our Temp Gun models DOES NOT measure temperature! It is a separate beam that simply serves as a pointing device. The surface temperatures are measured using an invisible infrared sensor. The red laser can shoot a very long distance, across the hall, across the building, across the street. The INFRARED sensor only shoots (effectively) a short to medium distance, depending on the model's D:S ratio. So while you can use a “laser gun” and see a red dot on the wall 50 feet away, you ARE NOT measuring the temperature of that far away wall, but rather a general average temperature of a large area (from 50 ft). No infrared temp gun is any good at measuring empty air ambient temperatures.

shoot your arm pit. (seriously) what temperature does it read?