Keep your powder dry

[hhughh]

Have tried hunting three times in the rain this season. "Lost" my powder charge all three times. Even tried a surgical glove (I know---not PC) stretched over the lock and snugged up tight, but water still found it's way down the flats and into the touchhole. Result? The pan went off fine. Nothing in the barrel. Any and all suggestions--PC or not--are welcomed at this point. Tomorrow is the last day of season, and rain's in the forecast.

Thanks

Hugh (him who's thinking he might have got a mite hungry on the frontier during the rainy season)

 

[Rebel]

1)Try running a bead of beeswax or something down along the stock/barrel flat on the lock side to form a kind of dam to keep water from running down. 2)Seal the lock with some grease around the pan.3)Keep lock up under your arm as much as possible. 4)Wrap the lock with Saran Wrap. 5)Take your caplock instead. :grin:

 

[rice1817]

A small ball of beeswax warmed in the hands and then kneaded into the space between the barrel flat and the stock just forward of the lock keeps water from draining down the barrel channel and into your vent.

I much prefer a greased leather "cow's knee" to saran wrap or a bread wrapper. The plastics water-tightness also means that it cannot breathe and under certain conditions condensation will form under the plastic and soak your prime.

 

[roundball]

Any and all suggestions

Things to consider:

1) Keep you muzzle down 100% of the time until ready to take a shot;

2) Keep the central lock area up under your coat where its warm & dry;

3) Refresh your prime at least hourly, if not every 30 minutes;

4) Dont forget step #1

 

[Trench]

I had the same thing happen to mine and lost a deer because of it earlier this season. The ideas that are listed in this string all work. I didn't have any issue with ignition at the end of a rainy day after I followed most of these instructions.

 

[paulvallandigham]

PUt a piece of saran wrap on the muzzle of your rifle before putting the patch and round ball on top of it, Cut them off together when you seat the ball, so that the plastic wrap acts as a sealer to keep water from running down the barrel and past the ball and patch.

Keep the barrel pointed down , with the lock under your armpit. I use a pancho for rain gear, and keep the poncho over the rifle, without the muzzle sticking out. Use some tape on the muzzle to keep water out of the barrel. d

I prefer using beeswax to create a dam in front of the frizzen to keep moisture and water from running down into the pan, or, I suppose, into the vent. I think a good idea for protecting the vent, and the powder charge from moisture getting in through the vent is to soak a cleaning patch in rubbing alcohol, and put half of it on the pan, held down by the frizzen, and the other half up against the vent and barrel. The evaporation of alcohol will wisk away any moisture that has gotten, or will get into the chamber through the vent hole, and the alcohol will displace any water in the patch itself. Take a small ( 2 oz.) bottle of alcohol with you so you can renew the alcohol in the patch during the day. This does mean that you have to prime your gun when you hear or see game approaching, but in a down pour, unless someone else is moving towards you chasing the deer out of their beds, the deer might not be up and moving about at all in the rai.

If you are going to stalk the deer in their beds, then do as RoundBall has indicated, and that is change your priming powder every 15 minutes, and use grease to seal the edges of the frizzen and pan to keep moisture out.

Be sure that whenever you wipe down the frizzen and pan, that you also wipe down the flint, both top and bottom. Moisture can condense on rock, too.

 

[jdstrang]

Y'know, they wuz reasons that caplocks replaced rocklocks so fast. I think ya done rediscovered one of the big ones... :hmm:

 

[BrownBear]

I've lived and hunted extensively here in rain country for the last 30+ years, and if you don't hunt in rain you don't hunt.

For flinters, one friend has hunted here exclusively with flinters for the last 20+ years and another has been doing so since 1972. Neither has ever had a misfire on deer due to rain. Both keep it pretty simple. They keep their muzzles down, use cows knees and keep the locks under their raincoats as well. Why argue with simplicity and success?

And caps are not a cure. Another friend had six misfires on three deer with his capper last day of the season this year. He finally figured out that it was due to hanging his capper inside his shirt and sweating in his raingear for several days in a row.

I've never had a misfire in the rain with my cappers, but I'm not very PC about it. I use either a strip of black electrical tape or one of those little black condoms over the muzzle. I also use one of those little sections of tubing that slips past the cap and onto its joint with the nipple. When I've managed to leave home without those, I've run a bead of chapstick around the same joint.

Everyone I hunt with up here keeps a scrub roll of electrical tape in their possibles bag and uses it over the muzzle in addition to keeping the muzzle down.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

What type or make of rifle are you using?

 

I've never had a misfire in the rain with my cappers, but I'm not very PC about it. I use either a strip of black electrical tape or one of those little black condoms over the muzzle.

I didn't know they even made little black condoms.. :haha: :grin: :rotf: :blah:

 

[Rebel]

Ohh yea, those Little ones are Condom-miniums.

 

[BrownBear]

Don't be looking for them in the big and tall department!

:blah: right back at ya! :wink:

I think they're put out by Traditions, if I recall correctly. You can get a pack of a dozen or so in a blister pack along with those little sections of tubing I mentioned. Sportsmans Warehouse out here in the west always has a bunch of them hanging on the wall, but I don't know about anywhere else. Probably find them online at Traditions, if I'm right about who puts them out.

Kinda immaterial cuzz these are leftovers from a buy several years ago. I just keep them in my bag in case I lose my srub roll of electrical tape.

 

[Sherlock]

Consider too that there is a certain kind of rain that is not good for hunting in at all with a flintlock. Wonky

 

[Britsmoothy]

I seem to recall a choice of colours but I did not realise you can get small ones, wish I had known :rotf:
Sorry, could not resist :redface:

 

[roundball]

"Muzzlemitts" are like .40-.50 cents each...VERY expensive because they're made for hunters :shake but I found you can order a box of 500 for a just few dollars from drugstore supply places online...they're nothing but large size finger cots:

 

[Russianblood]

If your powder gets damp, it's time to "fix bayonets" Brown Bess forever! :haha:

Seriously, keep your lock area covered and your barrel pointed down and it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[pennsyltucky]

i just carry the gun upside-down. has worked very well for me. also, i use 2F or 3F for priming since i believe it has some kinda coating that keeps it dry better than 4F.

 

[olgreenhead]

Go to[url] http://cdlyles.com/[/url] he got the answer look on his trade blanket and you will see a rain cover for your flinter i have one and it does wonders .

 

[Sherlock]

Frog strangler rains aside, if its not too bad I use a chapstick to dam up the barrel/wood junction ahead of the lock, grease the edges of the pan cover part to seal them, and pull off that piece of heavy duty scotch tape I have off the buttplate and stick it over the muzzle & trim it. BTW, There's more than one frontier reference to packing up and getting under cover too. Wonky

 

[tg]

"They keep their muzzles down, use cows knees and keep the locks under their raincoats as well. Why argue with simplicity and success?"

the above is hard to beat, I would only add useing 3f for priming, I have hunted in the sideways rain in November in Oregon with 40 MPH wind in my face and had no problems using the above method just don't take a casual attitude to aiming and firing...reloading for a second shot may be another matter so make the first count