Flintlocks in the humidity

[Nuthatch]

Here in CA’s Central Valley, the humidity is dropping and temps are rising. We’ve been having beautiful weather. So I took my flintlock out yesterday with my younger boy (age 10). I had been having a devil of a time with my Pedersoli Kentucky up to this point. It would only fire once every 2-3 misfires and only if I loaded up the vent with powder. It was driving me crazy. And when I say we had high humidity, I’m talking 90-99% with thick fog. It’s the kind of air so laden with moisture that just lighting off powder creates a soup of fouling in the barrel in just a couple of minutes. A dry patch would always come out wet.

Then, yesterday, it was near flawless. Only had one or two misfires out of about 20 shots. Temps were in the low 80s and humidity was below 50%. I thought it was the commercial powder I recently bought that made the difference but then I put the homebrew in and it worked just as well. Hardly any delay at all on the flintlock. My percussion gun went off so fast, it felt like a centerfire. The last time I shot the percussion gun was in a foggy duck blind and it would hang fire just a little every time.

So for those of you who hunt with flintlocks or who hunt birds where you’re reloading throughout the day, exposing your powder to the dripping wet air, how do you manage to keep your gun & powder in working order? How do you manage your shot if you’re expecting a hangfire and possibly lower velocities?

 

[Sidney Smith]

My method is to not take the flintlock out on extremely humid days. I normally only experience this during spring gobbler season when it can get quite hot later in the season. On those hot humid days, I just take one of my unmentionables and just go with the flow. I'd rather be out hunting and it doesn't matter what gun I use.

 

[david w]

I don't know what is going on with your miss-fires. I've hunted in the rain and shot a deer. The buck showed up right at sunset.

 

[Robby]

First glance I misread it as flintlocks and 'humility'. I though, amen brother, this should get interesting. HAH!
Robby

 

[Flintlock]

Try priming with FFG or FFFG especially when conditions are most and wipe the pan constantly between shots. And carry a good sized knife. lol

 

[user 49399]

I shoot flintlocks in the rain quite often. That’s when I get a break from farm work . It’s at a gun range, under a shed, but still damp conditions. As said above, I prime with 2f and wipe the pan, frizzen and flint after each shot.

 

[waksupi]

If you are having misfires, get a breech face scraper, and use it.

 

[SamTex1949]

Ok you say this " I thought it was the commercial powder I recently bought " ! are you priming with non Black powder ?? are loads not real BP ??

 

[JCKelly]

Even my matchlock would go BOOM in light rain. But then, nothing like a smoldering cord to ensure powder goes BOOM. And, come to think of it, I was still using real du Pont powder.

 

[Nuthatch]

Our fog & humidity isn’t like a light rain kind of humidity. It’s a deep, penetrating humidity like an old cave or like it has been raining non-stop for a couple of months. You can set your clothes out on a line but they’ll never dry. And we don’t see much of the sun sometimes for weeks. At 50 deg here, I get bundled up in thermals & such every day to keep warm. 25 deg in Arizona feels warmer to me. That’s the kind of humidity we have.

As to my powder, I have Schutzen now. Homemade the first couple of times. Those first couple of times, I was priming with some very fine screenings off that homemade powder but also with just straight powder (kind of 1.5-3F). I had to over fill the pan AND dribble some powder into the vent and I could only get a fuse firing. The results were weak, too. Hitting a gong at 25 yards would dent the ball but it wouldn’t smash it. Tried a duplex load of Pyrodex and that was better. But it still couldn’t ignite well.

But Sat, at 20% humidity, everything worked beautifully. So with turkey season coming and some plans for duck, small game, etc. next season, I’m looking for ideas on how to use a flintlock while hunting in these insanely humid conditions.

 

[Brokennock]

Our fog & humidity isn’t like a light rain kind of humidity. It’s a deep, penetrating humidity like an old cave or like it has been raining non-stop for a couple of months. You can set your clothes out on a line but they’ll never dry. And we don’t see much of the sun sometimes for weeks. At 50 deg here, I get bundled up in thermals & such every day to keep warm. 25 deg in Arizona feels warmer to me. That’s the kind of humidity we have.

As to my powder, I have Schutzen now. Homemade the first couple of times. Those first couple of times, I was priming with some very fine screenings off that homemade powder but also with just straight powder (kind of 1.5-3F). I had to over fill the pan AND dribble some powder into the vent and I could only get a fuse firing. The results were weak, too. Hitting a gong at 25 yards would dent the ball but it wouldn’t smash it. Tried a duplex load of Pyrodex and that was better. But it still couldn’t ignite well.

But Sat, at 20% humidity, everything worked beautifully. So with turkey season coming and some plans for duck, small game, etc. next season, I’m looking for ideas on how to use a flintlock while hunting in these insanely humid conditions.

If your home brew as a main charge gives you the ballistic performance you are looking for regarding energy and accuracy during periods of lower humidity, I would continue to use it as a main charge and use your factory powder as priming powder, especially during high humidity.
This should make your Schutzen factory powder last longer. It being glazed, your homemade powder I assume isn't, it should be much more moisture resistant. It will still be hydroscopic when burnt so the pan will still need to be cleaned and dried every shot, I use 91% alcohol for this.

 

[tenngun]

Try priming with FFG or FFFG especially when conditions are most and wipe the pan constantly between shots. And carry a good sized knife. lol

Yup
I prime from my horn. Bigger grains seem less effected.
Also if sitting I check prime often.
I’m one of those guys who blow down the barrel. In humid conditions fouling turns to sludge. You gotta make sure touch hole is open and dry.
Wipe that pan clean and frizzen too between shots.
I like traditional stuff but I do have some pipe cleaners when out and it’s a bit moist. In the place of pipe cleans a vent prick and thin muslin will work and in had this in foggy days at events

 

[hanshi]

Up until fairly recently I lived in the very hot/humid deep South. I no longer hunt but have been out shooting on thick humid days, dense fog and pouring rain. The gun always fired as I was able to carry it around (and keep it dry) all morning regardless of rain, mist or just summer humidity. But in uber high humidity I fired it over and over and when I stopped black water poured from the bore. I've never really had a problem with water or humidity affecting black powder in an unfired or swabbed out gun or pan.

 

[Nuthatch]

Up until fairly recently I lived in the very hot/humid deep South. I no longer hunt but have been out shooting on thick humid days, dense fog and pouring rain. The gun always fired as I was able to carry it around (and keep it dry) all morning regardless of rain, mist or just summer humidity. But in uber high humidity I fired it over and over and when I stopped black water poured from the bore. I've never really had a problem with water or humidity affecting black powder in an unfired or swabbed out gun or pan.

Yea, the first shot was always okay. So I don't expect it to be much of an issue for turkey or deer. But I'm thinking more about things like duck hunting where shots come and go throughout the day.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Here in CA’s Central Valley, the humidity is dropping and temps are rising. We’ve been having beautiful weather. So I took my flintlock out yesterday with my younger boy (age 10). I had been having a devil of a time with my Pedersoli Kentucky up to this point. It would only fire once every 2-3 misfires and only if I loaded up the vent with powder. It was driving me crazy. And when I say we had high humidity, I’m talking 90-99% with thick fog. It’s the kind of air so laden with moisture that just lighting off powder creates a soup of fouling in the barrel in just a couple of minutes. A dry patch would always come out wet.

Then, yesterday, it was near flawless. Only had one or two misfires out of about 20 shots. Temps were in the low 80s and humidity was below 50%. I thought it was the commercial powder I recently bought that made the difference but then I put the homebrew in and it worked just as well. Hardly any delay at all on the flintlock. My percussion gun went off so fast, it felt like a centerfire. The last time I shot the percussion gun was in a foggy duck blind and it would hang fire just a little every time.

So for those of you who hunt with flintlocks or who hunt birds where you’re reloading throughout the day, exposing your powder to the dripping wet air, how do you manage to keep your gun & powder in working order? How do you manage your shot if you’re expecting a hangfire and possibly lower velocities?

I seldom have to contend with humidity where I live...but there are those times of year where it is foggy, drizzly, and damp; flintlocks DO NOT like foggy, drizzly and damp.

At any rate, I always carry a cloth that I tie off on a strap of the shooting bag or tie around the powder horn. On moist damp days, I'll dump the pan every 15 minutes +/-, wipe it dry and recharge; then wipe the frizzen and the flint; seems to solve humidity issues for me. Carrying the gun tucked under my arm, and wrapped in a cows knee helps as well...though not a big help with high humidity...

 

[biliff]

I'm no expert on BP manufacture, but my understanding is glazing and graphite reduce moisture absorption. Has your home-brew been treated that way? If not, that may explain your problem.

I shoot in western Oregon. Right now the humidity is 86%. Pretty typical. Rain and fog is the norm during the winter. Our range was shut down a couple of weeks ago because the fog was so thick you couldn't see the 100 yd targets. Only precautions I take are when I put the gun up for a 20-30 minute smoke break. I wipe the pan, flint and frizzen (make sure you get the BOTTOM of the frizzen, too), put a rag over the pan and lower the hammer to hold it in place. Pan/vent stays dry and the gun goes bang with boring reliability all morning.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

..., And when I say we had high humidity, I’m talking 90-99% with thick fog. It’s the kind of air so laden with moisture that just lighting off powder creates a soup of fouling in the barrel in just a couple of minutes. A dry patch would always come out wet.

So for those of you who hunt with flintlocks or who hunt birds where you’re reloading throughout the day, exposing your powder to the dripping wet air, how do you manage to keep your gun & powder in working order? How do you manage your shot if you’re expecting a hangfire and possibly lower velocities?

Try priming with FFG or FFFG especially when conditions are moist and wipe the pan constantly between shots. And carry a good sized knife. lol

I Agree!


My first deer ever was with my flintlock, and it was drizzling rain. Over the years I've shot two other deer in rainy/foggy conditions. I LIKE it so, as the ground doesn't crunch under my feet, the visibility is down to less than max rifle range, and my scent is limited by the moisture. However, I do use 3Fg for my prime AND my main charge.

The worst time though, was during the fog. It's deceptive. Your barrel will likely draw a LOT of condensation from the surrounding air, and that then collects into larger and larger droplets, and runs down into your lock. Most often in the quasi-groove formed where your barrel and your stock meet, along the thin edge of wood. THIS then runs toward your lock right there the edge of the frizzen and the barrel meet, and PLOP right into your pan. To solve this you put a dollop of grease or lube onto a spot near your lock where the stock and barrel meet. This forms a dam, or otherwise every time you raise the muzzle, gravity brings those little water droplets closer to the pan. It takes very little water, especially on a smaller factory lock, to swamp the priming powder.

Couple this with refreshing the prime every now and then and using 3Fg instead of 4Fg, and you should have better results.

Forgive this photo, as the flint in the below lock is wrong, and is holding open the frizzen just a tiny bit, BUT that's good to check for too.

LD

 

[docmel]

California central vallet humidity? Is there such a thing: Try central NC in the summer (Right now)

 

[david w]

Today's humidity in my part of Arkansas is 100%

 

[Rifleman1776]

The vagaries and difficulties with flintlocks are what endear us to their use. Humidity is an issue with flinters. My practice is to wipe the residue from the pan after every shot using my swabbing patch cloth after wiping the bore. Failure to clean that out will result in a mud puddle.