Rain and the Flintlock

[nathan.davis]

I plan to go dear hunting this year. Given the unpredictability of the weather, what seems to work for flintlocks in a light drizzle?

 

[Alden]

A waterproofed caplock.

Covering the flintlock action with a "Cow's Knee" works till u r ready to shoot, then fails...

 

[wayne terry]

Pray it stops raining lol :rotf: anyway a lock and frizzen cover and alittle thing i learned watching a movie melt candle wax where the frizzen meets the pan but be careful it does work

 

[Rifleman1776]

I just keep at half cock and carry the rifle with my hand over the lock. Can be uncomfortable but works. And afterwards, watching your chapped hand heal at home is the most fun.

 

[BrownBear]

We hunt in the wet a lot up here. I use a cow's knee, but with precautions. Even in a light drizzle it's possible for water to bead up on the barrel and run down into the lock. My cow's knee is cinched tight down to the barrel/stock at the front end plus I smear a little of my patch grease over that point to help make a dam. I can loosen the rear tie and change pan prime without disturbing that front tie, so it's a no brainer. This setup also works in heavy rain, but at that point I'm also covering the lock with my raincoat.

Best thing possible for you to do is to go to the range on rainy days and shoot. You'll quickly discover what doesn't work, plus you'll figure out what does work for you. Priceless.

 

[Rusty_Nail]

I plan to go dear hunting this year. Given the unpredictability of the weather, what seems to work for flintlocks in a light drizzle?

Propped in the corner of the den! :wink:

 

[matt denison]

Agreed. Sitting on the couch watching football works great. Next best thing for me is wrapping a large handkerchief tightly around the barrel and lock. There is a picture of me holding my trade gun wrapped like this on the Link website. It works and is simple.

 

[Ken Cormier]

I use a cow's knee and they to seal edges of pan with beeswax. And sit under a tree to slow down the rain. :idunno:

 

[graybeard]

Football season shouldn't start until about mid December. By then most of my hunting is done. Hunting in rain or snow with a flintlock has been very frustrating for me. Flinters work best in the rain if they are cleaned and in the gun safe. graybeard

 

[BrownBear]

Best thing possible for you to do is to go to the range on rainy days and shoot. You'll quickly discover what doesn't work, plus you'll figure out what does work for you. Priceless.

That bears repeating. Taking a flintlock into the rain without practice in the rain is exactly like hunting with a strange gun. Because they are different guns in the rain, and require different care and feeding. It's all theory until you've done it.

 

[George]

I always load the first time in the dry if I know I'll be in the rain, and I've learned over the years to keep the gun dry enough to fire, once it's loaded. The problem comes when I have to reload in the rain and can't find shelter. If it's a fairly hard, steady rain that can be a bit of a chore.

The spout of your powder horn can get clogged.
The stopper of your powder horn can swell.
If the pan gets water in it, tough to get it dry enough.
If water gets into the muzzle, powder clings to it.
Humidity turns pan fouling to soup, hard to clean and dry.
Your wet hands and the brim of your hat will put water where you don't want it.
Many others.

A steady, hard rain will check out your skills. Flunking is easy.

Still, I really like it, because if you can pull it off, take game in rain, it's very satisfying, sort of a flintlock final exam. I've killed squirrels and turkeys in rain, have hunted deer many times in rain and killed them on rainy days, but not while it was actively raining.

Spence

 

[roundball]

I plan to go dear hunting this year. Given the unpredictability of the weather, what seems to work for flintlocks in a light drizzle?

This is what I made / use on those days:
----------------------------------------
I've made what I call full length "rain covers" for my Flintlocks and they've worked fine the half dozen times I've needed to use them.

Strong cotton duck outer, soft wool army blanket liner, used three aerosol cans of Kiwi Camp Dry spray silicone (tent spray), giving the outer cotton duck a soaking every few days over several weeks.

 

[nchawkeye]

This is what separates the men from the boys, the reason we use flintlocks is to put ourselves in a position to learn how to make these guns function in all conditions...Each of us has to work out the details but here are a few things I do...

First, how does the frizzen fit the top of the pan??? Some have a pretty bad gap, this can be made pretty tight by carefully filing the bottom of the frizzen or the top of the pan so you don't see a gap...

Next, stick with FFF powder when raining for priming...Take a bit of your lube and seal the pan/barrel/frizzen area so that your prime stays dry...

Keep the gun under a poncho, rain coat, over sized coat, whatever it takes...Most water runs down the butt and into the pan area...Make a waterproof cow's knee as well if you think that will help...Wear a wide brimmed hat to keep rain off once a shot opportunity arrives...

I never worry about covering the muzzle as I keep that pointed down...I also seal area where brass and wood meet with bees wax just to help waterproof those areas...

In addition, learn how to find cover like cedar trees to sit under, it's amazing how dry you can stay if you find the right place...

And, I have often done as Roundball mentions, load gun, don't prime and carry until I get to my stand area...

 

[Alden]

Best thing possible for you to do is to go to the range on rainy days and shoot. You'll quickly discover what doesn't work, plus you'll figure out what does work for you. Priceless.

That bears repeating...

:rotf:

 

[rr11]

The best method I have found in a rain is to use a shooting house and change the priming often. Shooting in the rain is trying practice helps.

 

[jethro224]

Brownbear, Spence, and a couple of other guys gave good advice on how to keep your rifle running in the rain.

The one thing I might add is to not let your wife find out you are out hunting "dears". Tell her you are hunting deer instead. If she finds out you are hunting dears, rain will be the least of your problems. :shocked2:

 

[bpd303]

:rotf:

 

[Kenny54]

i like to hunt in the rain and have taken several deer with flintlock while raining. spence hit it. i`ve had all those things happen. look down and your hat dumps water on the pan, powder horn plugs will swell and are tough to get out if not constructed properly,etc,etc.it is a challenge and experience is the only real teacher. and then when the rain starts to freeze. :grin:

mink oil around the pan and frizzen and tape or something over the barrel will help with the first shot, next shot is tricky in a rain, i kneel and try to cover the lock with my coat as much as possible

 

[Dean2]

Load main charge and seal the barrel with electrical tape. No need to remove to shoot. Keep fizzen covered and plug flash hole with tooth pick. Prime only when ready to shoot, remove toothpick and wipe frizzen with dry or alcohol soaked cloth before priming.

Second shot is much easier to load if you use pre-measured loads in plastic containers. Use your raincoat or hat as a shield over the barrel when pouring the second round of powder and running the ball home. Again cover with a piece of electrical tape.

 

[Col. Batguano]

Load main charge and seal the barrel with electrical tape. No need to remove to shoot.

:thumbsup: That goes for any rifle. It's easy for barrels to get clogged with snow, mud, or foreign matter. Clogged barrels can lead to some unintended consequences. If you use a big enough piece of tape you can use the portion that wasn't shot away after your re-load. That way you don't have to bring a roll of tape with you in to the woods. Of course, that's a big game sort of thing if you don't think you'll do much shooting in any given day. If you plan on shooting a lot then bring the tape with you.