Extreme ML hunting

[gmww]

I'm always dreaming about the different types of hunts I'd like to go on. Over the past several years I've thought about an Extreme Hunt.

Musk Ox! My understanding from reading the several articles is that the hard part is the travel. Apparently, in a wood sled 30' behind a snow mobile is sub-freezing weather. Minor problems with an occassional Polar bear can also be anticipated. :shocked2:

I'm wondering how a ML would hold up under those conditions. I'd probably go with a .62 rifled underhammer.

Anyone game?

 

[gmww]

One more thing. I wonder at what point is it too cold for the rifle. Will the sub-subfreezing weather effect metal fatigue? What kind of lube for a bullet can be used that won't freeze to the barrel? I worry that a frozen bullet to the barrel along with very cold temp. on the barrel may create a catostrophic (sp?) failure. Any thoughts?

 

[paulvallandigham]

Don't worry about the barrel. As for a lube, I would stay with mineral oil, or a fine olive oil based lube. Oils do congeal at cold temperatures, and I have been out in minus 20 degrees temps, with 35 mph wind gusts. Its COLD! You can hear it in the squeak of your boots in the snow. The pitch your boots makes rises as it gets colder. You want the moving parts of the gun to be bare of all grease, and only a hint of oil for contact points. If you are going to hunt in these conditions, ask your outfitter or guide what to recommend as a lube. Just stay away from the oils made from animal fats, as they are the ones that congeal the fastest.

 

[Bearbait2]

Mr. gmww,
Though we have not hunted Musk Ox, never thought of such conditions as being extreme. :hmm:
Best Wishes

 

[BS]

Keep the action clean of oil........no oil.

And.............use a paper patched ball.....no lube..........."lube is bad"

 

[davy]

With polar bars n sich .. mixin with Blackpowder .. w'all ya mite wanna
ah set of these ta hunt with! :thumbsup: :rotf:

Davy

 

[Bearbait2]

Mr. Davy,
Please excuse my ignorance but I thought that is what everyone used! :blah: :rotf:
Must admit that the Wife does tend to balk when ever I try to enlist her aid as gun porter.
Best Wishes

(no offense intended)

 

[davy]

Wall up in yor neck of the woods I kin see it rite off! :grin: Beautomous country indeed! :hatsoff:

Davy

 

[Sharp Shooter]

Keep the action clean of oil........no oil.

And.............use a paper patched ball.....no lube..........."lube is bad"

What is a paper patched ball?

 

[BS]

Keep the action clean of oil........no oil.

And.............use a paper patched ball.....no lube..........."lube is bad"

What is a paper patched ball?

A ball patched in Paper! :rotf: :rotf:

This old thread explains most of it..........
Link to old paper patch thread

 

[paulvallandigham]

There are some modern silicon-based lubes available now that are designed not to congeal no matter the temperature. They also take heat quite well. The old rule was not to put any oil on anything- use bare metal. I think that was good advice for the most part back into the 1960's. But we now have better metals in guns, and these new lubes. I think just a dab of oil on the contact points of a gun will not stop its functioning, even in very cold weather. If someone is really worried about this, try the silicon lubes. I have used this in a semi-auto pistol that was shot in very cold- below freezing weather, and the gun did not hick up once. Again, don't overdue the use of any lubricants in very cold weather. You should check the velocities on your favorite load, however, as when it gets real cold, most powders don't put out the same powder they did at more ambient temperatures. This applies to both black powder and smokeless powders.

 

[gmww]

teflon patch maybe?

 

[BS]

How about a cap full of Cream of Wheat or Corn Meal and a dry patch. They work quite well!

Also migh want to have a set of pins [trigger and hammer] ground undersize and make sure there is plenty of slop in the slot for the hammer and trigger.

 

[bigbore442001]

I'll confess that I too share such fantasies as dream hunts/ extreme hunts like the musk ox adventure.

I believe that the .62 underhammer would work very well as such any other muzzleloader with a good heavy load. I remember reading about muzzleloader hunts where they took down musk ox with 50 caliber rifles with a good conical slug. No problem. As far as a lube, I'd strip the gun down and use no lube. Just use graphite on the moving parts. I'd probably use a pre-lubed patched round ball for the .62 with a minimal amount of lube.

The unfortunate part of the hunt that you described would be the cost of the hunt. To put the extreme into the hunt requires a lot of money. But it may be very well worth it.

 

[gmww]

How about a cap full of Cream of Wheat or Corn Meal and a dry patch. They work quite well!

Also migh want to have a set of pins [trigger and hammer] ground undersize and make sure there is plenty of slop in the slot for the hammer and trigger.

Would that be...Overpowder wad, cream of wheat, patch ball/conical? :hmm:

 

[BS]

How about a cap full of Cream of Wheat or Corn Meal and a dry patch. They work quite well!

Also migh want to have a set of pins [trigger and hammer] ground undersize and make sure there is plenty of slop in the slot for the hammer and trigger.

Would that be...Overpowder wad, cream of wheat, patch ball/conical? :hmm:

That would be ...powder/CoW/patched ball

The fist shot with a clean barrel looks really strange, with the patch so clean.

Even dry patches with no lube don't burn. [levi material] thinner patch material may very!

Oh ..............and don't forget to use a musket cap.......more spark and easier to handle in gloves.

 

[playfarmers]

I have hunted in extreme weather [-30], and found that some lubes do not work well at all. The best test for that is your feezer. One big problem I noticed is that Pyrodex [what I used to use], gave a big hang fire every time I shot. Real black powder gave no problem at all. Just what I have seen over the years.

 

[djnye]

we are of like mind. after freezing many things to see how they react(olive oil freezes quickly)i have arrived at three things i use. animal grease for patchlube, dri-slide(molybdenum disulfide)for lock lube, and alcohol(denatured--not rubbing which has a lot of water in it)for swabbing.

take care, daniel