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flintlock in the rain?

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evanschd

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I'm heading to the woods this afternoon. There is a 30 deg drop in temperature predicted between 1:00Pm and midnight which is perfect to get the deer moving, but there's light rain off and on here in Ga this afternoon. Any tips on keeping my load dry?
 
I load as usual , then lay a piece of wool cloth over the lock area. The wool will soak up the moisture. If I know there will be heavy rain I use a piece of wool folded with a piece of plastic in between the folds.
 
Do a search for "cow's knee" - a greased leather cover for the lock & breech area. Not hard to make & easy to slip off quietly.
 
Cover the muzzle with something water proof. ON this short notice, plastic wrap and a rubber band, or electrician's tape will do.

I like to grease the bore AFTER I load the PRB down the barrel. That protects the bore from the ball forward to the muzzle from rusting. It also keeps moisture from condensing on the inside of the bore, where it can gather and run down to the ball and, possibly, soak its way through the patch to foul the powder. This is more a problem with rifled barrels, where sealing the grooves is more problematic, than with smoothbores.

Keep the muzzle pointed downward, and carry it under your armpit, so that whatever coat or poncho you wear to stay dry can cover the gun, too.

As to the back end of the gun, either plug the TH with a quill, or consider soaking a cleaning patch in alcohol, and then fold it into an "L" shape, laying it up against the barrel, on top of the EMPTY flash pan, so that one part of the patch covers the pan, and the other covers the TH. The evaporation of the alcohol will keep any moisture that might get into the barrel and powder OUT. Just close the frizzen on top of that lower part of the cleaning patch. Take a small bottle of alcohol with you, so you can freshen the patch if it dries out in a couple of hours.

This method will require you to remove the patch, and then prime the pan when you hear or see a deer coming, but unless some other hunters is pushing a deer, deer usually move very slow and cautiously in the rain. You should have plenty of time to prime your lock.

You can also use a Cow's Knee to cover the whole lock, but unless you already have it, its a bit too late to get now.

The Rain robs Deer of their ability to Hear well, and disturbs their ability to Smell ( it washes the air of scents). Add the winds that normally come with these storm fronts and you get NOISE, as well as lots of air movement that doesn't give deer much time to smell anything"! Under these conditions, deer are forced to use their Eyes Only for self defense, and they are Not used to this kind of sensory limitation. All these reasons cause deer to move cautiously, forcing them to stop and look, and try to smell the air before entering an open area. ( About 95% of our human sensory perception is visual, unless you do regular exercises to increase your ability to smell, hear, taste, and touch.)

[Hint: Put a blind fold on. Then sit and listen, and smell. Have a friend map a course, with ropes strung from tree to tree. Then walk that course blind folded, identifying plants, and trees by their feel, smell, and even their taste.] You will find these exercises will not only enhance your sensory abilities with your other senses, but they will also enhance your ability to SEE MORE. :hmm:

Don't move fast, or loudly. Remember that most wild animals "Listen" with their feet, too. If you stomp through the area, the vibrations in the ground made by your feet will be felt by animals a long way from you. Walk lightly, and slowly. Use the same Rhythm of walking that you hear deer use- same speed, same pattern of steps, same length of stopping, before moving again. Stick to game trails- Don't "bust brush". Watch out for making noise above ground when your clothes brush against branches. Listen to the alarm calls of other small animals. Squirrels, and birds often will be the first to spot you, and "announce your presence to everyone". Stand absolutely still, until the calls stop, and then double that amount of time before moving again. Move only when the wind is blowing, and then only as far as the wind moves a tree branch or the grass in front of you. Stop when the wind stops. never stand upright, unless you are next to a large tree, that will mask your upper body movement. Plan your movements to use the game trails that run from one large tree to the next.

Its not 100% true, but most deer that are feeding, with their heads down, wiggle their tails back and forth before lifting their heads up to take a look around. Watch for that, and STOP. Get down low so you are not silhouetted against the sky. Wait for the deer to put its head down again, to move.

All of this is made more difficult in the "Wet", and particular concern has to be given to keeping the action dry. I recommend taking several towels, or paper towels, to use to wipe down the flint, top and bottom jaws, and frizzen, both the top and UNDERSIDE of the frizzen, and then the pan of course, before priming it. Prime with the same powder you use in the barrel. Leave the $fg powder home. The coarser 3Fg or 2Fg powder will stay dry longer, and will fire just as well, if just a few milliseconds slower, than 4Fg. Most of us can't hear the difference.

With the coarser powder, I can wait up to 20 minutes before checking the priming powder to see if its beginning to develop a "crust". If that is present, I remove and clean the pan, dry the entire action, and then re-prime. I cover the action with my hand and hold the gun as close to my body as possible as I move in a crouch. Let the muzzle point the path in front of you. It will keep you on the game trails.

Coat your gun, both stock and barrel, with a good furniture wax( NOT AUTO wax) to protect both from the rain. If you use a paste wax, force as much wax down between the barrel and stock as possible, to act as a sealer for the barrel mortise. That keeps water from getting UNDER your barrel and rusting it.

Have a successful hunt. :hatsoff:
 
well I seal the frizzen pan cover with bees wax and tallow and use a barrel tampon which you must remember to remove before firing and a cows knee over the lock for rain and snow hunting and a dry patch over the powder charge befor putting down a greased patch and ball
 
Don't over think it, Cover your lock change your priming powder as often as you feel needed. If you spot deer change powder if possible before making your slow stock to the shot.

My son and I shot two deer same day a few years back in PA. on a very rainy day. That was my favorite spot and stock hunt ever. proved how well our wool keep us warm and how useful our flint locks are.
 
Good advice so far on keeping it shooting, so I'll go to another potential issue.

One thing to watch with any muzzleloader in the rain is what's happening to the barrel within the stock. It's less of an issue with a hooked breech and barrel wedges, but with pinned barrels on full-stocks you have to deal with the water that gets under the barrel once you get home.

If you don't keep the water out in the first place and/or have the bottom of the barrel protected you can get ungodly rust over the long term. Then there's the question of wood swelling and warping around the barrel channel.

I use stock finish to seal the stock inside the barrel channel, and at a minimum put a heavy rust preventive on the bottom flats of the barrel. You can also use a bead of beeswax or some similar soft waterproof material to completely seal along the sides of the barrel and around the nose.

I know it's a PITA to remove pinned barrels from a stock, but even after all those protective measures I go ahead and pull the barrel for cleanup after especially wet days.
 
paulvallandigham said:
Coat your gun, both stock and barrel, with a good furniture wax( NOT AUTO wax)


Maybe a little OT but what's wrong with the auto waxes? In the marines we always used Turtle Wax on the M16s and never saw any trouble with it. Even in and around salt water.

Admittedly, we were cleaning them wayyyy more often than most people ever would.
 
My experiences are the same as greenmtmalitia's. Using a good lock cover and periodically changing the prime has proved effective in a soaking rain.

I personally do not worry about the bore or moisture getting past my greased patch. The bore surface gets a good coating of bear/mink oil during the initial loading process and the greased patch seals the charge.

Two weeks ago, Mike and I were out during a steady heavy rain for most of the day. We changed our primes several times. On one occasion, both guns were left against a tree for an extended period while we made a warming fire. The prime on both guns were starting to "muck" up a bit when we were ready to move on, so as an extra measure, we used the tails of our undershirts to wipe the pans clean and dry before re-priming.

Both guns had the prime changed twice more before we called it a day. They both went off nicely when we shot the charges off back at the truck.

Had Mike gotten a shot at a buck that day, or me at a grouse, we had full confidence in our firelock's ability to perform in the present conditions.

I do admit that we both apply minimum methods and do not worry to much about our guns. All the gaps/pinholes were sealed years ago with grease/wax as BrownBear has suggested and that protects the wood from swelling and warping. We do use them in all kinds of weather and they have never failed us.

As well, any methods mentioned above will surely provide even better protection than the methods that I choose. Point being, try one out and go hunt in the rain with your flintlock!!!! :)

Included is a couple of pics that may help to further illustrate.

(lock covers made from leather that is heavily greased and waxed)
SANY0550.jpg


(Mike cleaning his pan before re-priming)
SANY0546.jpg


(We both got plenty wet as did our guns. Ceck out his shirt sleeves)
SANY0559-Copy.jpg
 
Not necessarily PC/HC but a trick from 'Nam was to cover the muzzle with a condom to keep the rain and dirt out. Finger cots, available in pharmacies are similar only smaller and more appropriate in size. Anyhow what protects your short arm can also protect your fire arm. No need to remove it just shoot through it when the opportunity arises.
 
I prime with 3f and occasionaly use a cows knee as below if rain is heavy, I keep the barrel pointed down a bit and have never covered the muzzle, sealed the frizzen or pan or built any dams and the gun has always went boom when needed, this is in NW Oregon in the Coastal Mts in November usually, a temperate rain forest, I try to keep the lock area protected under my outer wrap and cape, I suggest keep it simple and do some practice in the spring rains to get the
feel for it and keep it as uncomplicated as
possible, the reload after taking a shot is the interesting one.

lockcover-1.jpg
 
zampilot.......I agree that we are lucky in that aspect. I suspect that will change in a few years, but till then :)

tg.....that is good advice that you pass along about practicing in the spring! Never thought about it much, but that actually is the time of year that I gained most of my knowledge about making a flinter work in inclement weather.
 
Most Auto waxes have abrasive cleaners in them. If you find one that doesn't, go ahead and use it. Beeswax, wax based lubes, like wonderlube, and paste waxes can be used to fill the cracks between the barrel and stock.

I have a stock on an imported Swedish Mauser that came with the barrel channel under and above the barrel, under the handguard, coated with a thick grease that resembles water pump grease, more than it does cosmoline. The gun is 110 years old, but the royal blue finish under the handguard, and on the underside of the barrel protected by the stock is as rich in color as the day it was blued. All the metal that is exposed, in contrast, has lots of scratches and NO FINISH showing at all! The outside of the stock looks like its been dragged behind a truck for a couple of months. But, the gun shoots sub-1 inch groups off a rest at 100 yds. Whoever put that grease into the barrel channel and under the handguard KNEW something about protecting that barrel from rust. When I took the handguard off and saw that grease, and then the color of the bluing, I learned a very valuable lesson about caring for a gun that will see lots of use outdoors.

I do advise that you Seal the barrel channel, and other mortises, with gun stock finish rather than let grease or oil make direct contact with exposed( bare) wood. The wood will absorb the oils, and it will weaken, and destroy the wood over time. I put gunstock finish on the bare wood, and then, coat it with wax a couple of times, before packing it with grease.

Remember that this works fairly well in moderate to cold temperatures. If your shooting temperatures rise above 80 degrees, that grease may just begin to melt. There are synthetic greases out their that stay solid through a wider range of temperatures than water pump grease will. :thumbsup:
 
[i]"... use a barrel tampon which you must remember to remove before firing..." [/i]

:shake:

Tampions shouldn't ever be used in a loaded gun. You are introducing a barrel obstruction. If you feel you must protect the bore find something else to do it with like electricians tape or a condom but not a barrel obstructing tampion, please. Thank you.
 
laffindog said:
[i]"... use a barrel tampon which you must remember to remove before firing..." [/i]

:shake:

Tampions shouldn't ever be used in a loaded gun. You are introducing a barrel obstruction. If you feel you must protect the bore find something else to do it with like electricians tape or a condom but not a barrel obstructing tampion, please. Thank you.

Well said! Very well said!!
 
sorry if I upset some but I have used a tampon for 40 yrs in the rain and if anyone is fool enought to get buck feaver and not remember to take a tampon out then maybe he should just stay home and not hunt, they should definatley not handle a firearm at all I use what was used long ago not electrical tape
 
“I prime with 3f and occasionaly use a cows knee as below if rain is heavy, I keep the barrel pointed down a bit and have never covered the muzzle, sealed the frizzen or pan or built any dams and the gun has always went boom when needed, this is in NW Oregon in the Coastal Mts in November usually, a temperate rain forest, I try to keep the lock area protected under my outer wrap and cape, I suggest keep it simple and do some practice in the spring rains to get the
feel for it and keep it as uncomplicated as
possible, the reload after taking a shot is the interesting one.”


This is almost exactly the way I do it except I use 4f to prime with. I do have a cow's knee and I keep it on until I get to the stand. I do advise to go out in the damp and wet conditions BEFORE hunting season to see what your equipment is capable of. Last spring I tried to see how bad it could get before the gun would fail to fire and even with the barrel dripping wet, it still fired. Now I don't think you should point your gun towards the heavens or some such but reasonable precautions are all that's necessary. Remember flintlocks are simple tools and are best used with simple methods.
 
ebiggs said:
I do advise to go out in the damp and wet conditions BEFORE hunting season to see what your equipment is capable of.

And that's the key! Don't be awaiting sunny days for range trips. Get out there in the wet and see what you and your gun can and can't do.

One thing I learned, it's pretty easy to keep it in firing condition up till you finally get a shot. After that, reloading in the rain and keeping it in firing condition gets "interesting." :grin:
 
I got to shoot a lot this long weekend, Miss Elizabeth was gone for two days, so as the old saying goes, when the cat's away.................
I sot the 12 ga, I shot the GPR kit gun, and I shot my TC. One thing I will tell you is today was windy.
It was gusting around 45-50 mph and steady at 30 mph. Shooting in very windy conditions is more difficult to me than wet, rainy conditions. I don't know about Alaska but Kansas is a windy place!
 
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