Rain and flint.

@Britsmoothy

Tell me more about the flintlock please. Age, gauge, barrel length, etc.

I am old, hunting is supposed to be fun. Hunting in the rain is not so I don't

Well done @Britsmoothy!

Britsmoothy said:

Self timer sir. Most cameras and phone cameras have timers for the shutter.

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Self timers and GorrillaPods make life much easier when you want to be in the pic. Any time you see a pic with me in it you can be sure it was taken using a self timer.

hanshi said:

That's a very fine looking gun you're carrying, too. An interesting difference between UK shooters as opposed to shooters here in the colonies, is that in the UK they wear Sunday clothes and look rather "gentlemanly". But in the colonies we typically dress much more like the homeless more likely than not, and look ...well, scruffy

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Great observation @hanshi! A few days ago I was thinking about this when looking at pics of Saxton Pope and Art Young wearing ties while bow hunting. One advantage of my "scruffy" attire is that I don't mind blood from game getting on them.

Great observation @hanshi! A few days ago I was thinking about this when looking at pics of Saxton Pope and Art Young wearing ties while bow hunting. One advantage of my "scruffy" attire is that I don't mind blood from game getting on them.

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Blood??.....that's what the servants are for

NorthFork said:

@Britsmoothy

Tell me more about the flintlock please. Age, gauge, barrel length, etc.

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I don't remember the barrel length.
It's a reproduction of a Manton (apparently) by Artax. 12g. Sorry, I have not aged it.
The lock is quite fast. Had to harden the frizzen some and soften the spring.

Another successful hunt! Nice rabbit! Nice gun!

Nice looking gun and rabbit. Dan.

Britsmoothy said:

Blood??.....that's what the servants are for

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That's funny! I don't know why that reminded me of the Zulu War, missing leg skit from Monty Python's The Meaning of Life.

If I'm already out and it starts to rain I usually stay out unless it starts to pour. If I plan a Flintlock hunt and it's raining when I get up, I usually leave it in the cabinet, and grab one of my modern guns, or I don't go out at all.

So that was Monday. Damp Monday! Did I clean the gun?
Nope.
Did I worry about it?
Nope
Why?
Because I use a grease type of lubricant suitable for black powder. Ok this time it was Wonder lube, that I don't rate very highly but I used it this time.
So Saturday morning comes and I load it up just like Monday. No crusty sensations as I ram the cards. They just slide down as normal.
I never cleaned the lock either.

This morning I missed two squirrels and then got two with one shot!


This morning I cleaned the gun like normal. Boiled water after a disposable kitchen wipe was run in the bore and out again. Water in, water out until it runs clear. Now a drying patch ( that still comes out black but that's just carbon) then while hot my bee's wax and olive oil inside and out.
I removed the lock, the first time in years. Under the soot was clean steel. Zero damage! I had coated the inside of the lock with my same lube!

This is nothing new to me and I chuckle at the sense of panic many sublimely emit about having to clean their guns in an urgent rush.
Use a good black powder lubricant, preferably home made and regime during loading whether rifle or smoothbore and you need not worry your selves stupid about that old nasty black powder!

Jess seems might proud of her work there!! Well done Brit!!

nhmoose said:

I am old, hunting is supposed to be fun. Hunting in the rain is not so I don't

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Hunting is supposed to be challenging. That is why it is not called 'harvesting'.

Rifleman1776 said:

It rains in England? I lived there three years and do know better. Never hunted there but here, when hunting in rainy weather with my flintlock I carried primed with my hand over the lock to protect it. Key to success is a good lock properly set up.

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Was in England three times … London … so foggy I never got to see the clock on Big Ben.. Rats

Remember a couple of years back our group did a woods walk competition in Noah’s Ark down poor! Gallons of water poured from the skies by the second.

Everyone was having a hard time. I managed but was extremely difficult to say the least.

The hardest part for me was not falling on my ass slipping and sliding on that god awful muddy trail we were navigating! The trails were very hilly and muddy.

I was wearing a pair of Townsend trekking shoes with flat bottom sole’s. Had to be period correct you know!

Thought I was back in Wyoming on the ski bunny slopes. Was definitely a sight to see. Ya just had to be there!

Respectfully, Cowboy

Dale Lilly said:

Was in England three times … London … so foggy I never got to see the clock on Big Ben.. Rats

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You didn't miss much friend!

Rifleman1776 said:

Hunting is supposed to be challenging. That is why it is not called 'harvesting'.

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Yes it is supposed to be challenging, but there's no law that states you must hunt in the rain. If it floats your boat go for it. It's not for everyone, especially us old farts.

Sidney Smith said:

Yes it is supposed to be challenging, but there's no law that states you must hunt in the rain. If it floats your boat go for it. It's not for everyone, especially us old farts.

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Bet yer a kid compared to me.

Actually Britsmoothy you look very well dressed for a English hunter, me on the other hand I lean very much to the scruffy look, as to the rain most of the really larger deer I have shot was in very bad weather I like the rain and especially the snow hunting and yes I am now officially a codger, The rabbits I like to hunt right after a light snow especially the evening prior to the hunt track them and find them sitting in the brush look for that big black eye.