Got a question. New to BP and wanted a flintlock and got talked into percussion as I live in Washington state. How do flintlocks fair in rainy climates? I'm guessing they used 'em here back in the day and still do. I read they used a leather cover over the frizzen?
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Flintlocks and rain
- Thread starter coxral
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A rain cloud seems to follow me everywhere so I do have some experience in the rain. I don't think the caplocks really have that much of a advantage in the rain. I do carry a greased cows knee to cover my lock, and do my best to keep the lock covered with my matchcoat or piece of tarp I'm using for a cape. Nothing is fool proof but neither is handling little caps in the rain. Oh, and I found out don't were a tricorn while priming the pan, danged things make a pretty good funnel.
A cow's knee, dab of grease lube around the frizzen pan cover, keep the muzzle pointed slightly down, and keep the lock tucked up under your coat. Check the prime occasionally to make sure it is still dry. It'll work.
Our deer season in Illinois is short so I hunt no matter the weather. There have been days I spent deer hunting with a flintlock when it rained or snowed all day long.
The only time I ever had a problem was when I leaned my rifle, muzzle up, against a tree to answer nature's call. I did not have any grease lube around my pan either... Had more urgent things on my mind and didn't stop to think where all those raindrops on the barrel were going to end up. FYI, they end up in the pan. Wet the charge in the breech too. Had to unload and start fresh.
Our deer season in Illinois is short so I hunt no matter the weather. There have been days I spent deer hunting with a flintlock when it rained or snowed all day long.
The only time I ever had a problem was when I leaned my rifle, muzzle up, against a tree to answer nature's call. I did not have any grease lube around my pan either... Had more urgent things on my mind and didn't stop to think where all those raindrops on the barrel were going to end up. FYI, they end up in the pan. Wet the charge in the breech too. Had to unload and start fresh.
Yeah, kinda thought I jumped the gun a little! No pun intended! Gonna play with perc a little and try to get a flintlock next. Maybe I can find someone to trade one for my inline I got for a compound bow trade! Just think the flintlocks are more Traditional!
Luv dem flinders. If your new to traditional ml cap guns are good learners. Flinter a work in any weather you want to be out in. It is a learning curve to get them to work.
I've hunted squirrels on many rainy days w/ my flintlock and never had any problems. The areas I hunt seem to be better when there's a light rain.
The use of a calf's knee is mandatory but I don't take any other precautions except one....after a shot, thoroughly clean the pan and wipe dry. Found out the hard way when the new prime in a fouled pan yielded "black soup" and it was only drizzling and the calf's knee was in use.....Fred
The use of a calf's knee is mandatory but I don't take any other precautions except one....after a shot, thoroughly clean the pan and wipe dry. Found out the hard way when the new prime in a fouled pan yielded "black soup" and it was only drizzling and the calf's knee was in use.....Fred
smoothshooter
50 Cal.
I have found percussion guns to be more troublesome in rainy weather than flinters because the condensation that starts forming around the breech end of the barrel immediately after firing is easier to wipe away before loading the next shot with a flinter ( everything accessible ). With a percussion gun, the condensation tends to form inside and under the nipple, where access is more difficult.
hanshi
Cannon
I always carried the rifle with the flint lock under my arm or jacket. I've hunted in pouring rain with a percussion and draped a plastic baggie over the lock.
Been shooting flinter fourty years, don't recall that problem when I was a cap shooter, but I was in a drier environment then, that is food for thought
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Rain, snow, Deer hunted during a snow storm once....I was sitting on a stump.....Looked at my barrel, it had about 8 inches of snow piled on it....gun still fired.
The worst weather is really hot steamy humid weather....Best chance for a misfire( probably caused by my own sweat)......even then misfires are few and far in between....
The worst weather is really hot steamy humid weather....Best chance for a misfire( probably caused by my own sweat)......even then misfires are few and far in between....
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It's so darned easy to keep things dry for the first shot, it almost doesn't count.
The real test of your rain gauge is what happens with follow-up shots. Fouling turns to goo in the pan from a previous shot, and it's DEATH on the prime for the next shot if your act isn't together for cleaning up the pan and flint and everything else.
We have a lot of snowshoe hare, and it's not uncommon to get 20 or 30 shots in a morning or afternoon with anywhere from a minute to half an hour between shots. I take it for granted that my first shot of the day is going to go just fine with reasonable precautions against wet. But you'll earn your PhD in Flintology if you're going to be doing more shots.
It's easy enough to do, but details are important. I just LOVE listening to the cussing when guys figure they have it altogether just because they can make that first shot go bang, then they get another shot and another and another at hares. It's better than a front seat at a circus. :rotf:
Being a good sport I step in at about that point and help them with making their guns shoot more than once.
The real test of your rain gauge is what happens with follow-up shots. Fouling turns to goo in the pan from a previous shot, and it's DEATH on the prime for the next shot if your act isn't together for cleaning up the pan and flint and everything else.
We have a lot of snowshoe hare, and it's not uncommon to get 20 or 30 shots in a morning or afternoon with anywhere from a minute to half an hour between shots. I take it for granted that my first shot of the day is going to go just fine with reasonable precautions against wet. But you'll earn your PhD in Flintology if you're going to be doing more shots.
It's easy enough to do, but details are important. I just LOVE listening to the cussing when guys figure they have it altogether just because they can make that first shot go bang, then they get another shot and another and another at hares. It's better than a front seat at a circus. :rotf:
Being a good sport I step in at about that point and help them with making their guns shoot more than once.
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BrownBear, I just read this topic and it got me to thinking. In fact it inspired me to start a new topic in the General Muzzleloading section. Now I come back to this topic and just read your post. Would love to hear your input in the new topic as well due to the fact that your well balanced out with Traditional Muzzleloading as a whole!
Respectfully, Cowboy
Respectfully, Cowboy
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I also want to add that I'm sorry if some may see it as I'm scalping this topic, but rather wanting to expand on it in a new direction.
This is an excellent topic and leaves me wanting more! :grin:
Respectfully, Cowboy :thumbsup:
This is an excellent topic and leaves me wanting more! :grin:
Respectfully, Cowboy :thumbsup:
Very good point.
IMHO Even when shooting at the range in the rain it's not all that difficult to keep your rifle going with reasonable precautions. Those shots that may be a half hour apart are the real tricky ones. :hatsoff:
Part of the alure of the flinter is learning how to shoot and to take game in foul weather. Not going to work in a torrent, but then again the game is going to hold in a sheltered spot and not move anyway.
LD
LD
mr.flintlock
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I always carry a cheap plastic poncho with me and if it starts to rain I put it on and keep the lock area of my rifle covered and have never had trouble with my rifle failing to fire. As for your traditional cap lock, Depending on the make of your rifle, Many caplocks can be easily converted to flint ignition. I have an old Hatfield that I just screwed the drum and nipple out and put in a touch hole liner and added a flint lock and she works perfectly.
The Baron
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I had the same question as I headed out on a NY turkey hunt this past spring, into 2 days of forecast rain. We had 2 days of rain and one of heavy fog until about 10am. I simply kept my lock covered (all I had to spare was a fleece watch cap so I used that, plus held it under my jacket when it was really coming down). I changed my prime a few times each morning - not sure if that was really needed. After day 2 I wanted to shoot the gun and properly clean, reload. I was fully expecting ignition trouble but the gun fired just as fast as ever. What I learned is that flintlocks are just fine in the rain, just keep the lock area dry. Muzzle down helps keep water from running along the barrel/stock to your pan area, which certainly can't hurt.
I used to own a T/C New Englander cap gun and had 2 instances of not being able to get it to fire on a wet day (took 2 caps one day, the other day I think it took 4 before the boom). Mind you, I wasn't careful to keep the lock covered but that was two problems with the caplock and never one with my flinter. :hmm:
I used to own a T/C New Englander cap gun and had 2 instances of not being able to get it to fire on a wet day (took 2 caps one day, the other day I think it took 4 before the boom). Mind you, I wasn't careful to keep the lock covered but that was two problems with the caplock and never one with my flinter. :hmm:
I have shot in many woods walks in the rain. It seems that the guys that have cap locks have had more problems in the rain than the flinters. I think that the cap lock guys don't realize that they are as vulnerable to rain as flints and don't take as much care as the flinters.
As others have said, keeping the lock dry is the key.
As others have said, keeping the lock dry is the key.
Although I'm partial to flintlocks, I have to disagree w/ you on actual experiences of the reliability of flintlocks VS caplocks in the rain. Have hunted w/ both in the rain and the caplocks require far fewer requirements for reliable ignition than w/ a flintlock.
More precautions have to be made w/ flintlocks in rainy weather than w/ caplocks and perhaps the flinters realize this and take all the precautions....and the caplock users might not, judging from your stated observation.
A few years back hunted elk in Colorado w/ a caplock and it rained 8 0f the 9 day season...sometimes in only a drizzle but sometimes in a downpour. After 5 days I thought the load should be fired and a fresh load put in. The "old" rained on load fired w/o incident.
Analyzing the 2 ignition systems reveals that a tight fitting cap will not allow moisture to pass through and the properly lubed PRB won't either. So....what's left that would "deaden" a load in a cap;ock? Condensation would be a possibility, but if the caplock rifle isn't subjected to big differences in temps, condensation wouldn't happen. This also applies to flintlocks.
The main target of unreliable ignition of a flintlock in rain is the prime and an open TH. The prime and TH can be protected w/ a calf's knee and if after a shot, the pan is thoroughly cleaned and dried, the new prime under a calf's knee will provide reliable ignition in the rain. As far as the TH....my experience has been that I pay no heed to it....of course my TH liner has always been reliable, but some might require "picking".
All in all....more things can go wrong w/ a flintlock VS a caplock when raining, but the flintlock can be as reliable as a caplock....if all the precautions are taken.....Fred
More precautions have to be made w/ flintlocks in rainy weather than w/ caplocks and perhaps the flinters realize this and take all the precautions....and the caplock users might not, judging from your stated observation.
A few years back hunted elk in Colorado w/ a caplock and it rained 8 0f the 9 day season...sometimes in only a drizzle but sometimes in a downpour. After 5 days I thought the load should be fired and a fresh load put in. The "old" rained on load fired w/o incident.
Analyzing the 2 ignition systems reveals that a tight fitting cap will not allow moisture to pass through and the properly lubed PRB won't either. So....what's left that would "deaden" a load in a cap;ock? Condensation would be a possibility, but if the caplock rifle isn't subjected to big differences in temps, condensation wouldn't happen. This also applies to flintlocks.
The main target of unreliable ignition of a flintlock in rain is the prime and an open TH. The prime and TH can be protected w/ a calf's knee and if after a shot, the pan is thoroughly cleaned and dried, the new prime under a calf's knee will provide reliable ignition in the rain. As far as the TH....my experience has been that I pay no heed to it....of course my TH liner has always been reliable, but some might require "picking".
All in all....more things can go wrong w/ a flintlock VS a caplock when raining, but the flintlock can be as reliable as a caplock....if all the precautions are taken.....Fred
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