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Hunt in the rain rifle cover someone made?

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did any one ever hear of the practice of putting a small bird feather in the touch hole at the end of the day to keep out the night moisture from seeking in and reducing the intregerty of the main powder charge?, all bird feathers have a natural wax on them.
 
Cows knee well oiled and change the prime occasionally, works for me in rain or snow, mine I make and they are held in place with a leather wang that is untied once I am on stand. Never had a problem.
 
BN, Spence hit the nail on the head again! I remember when Roundball posted the post about the cover.

I would think one of those canvas type covers with ties that several vendors carry would serve the purpose.

Cut it along the bottom and treat it with some water proofing, that should do the trick.
 
Assuming you aren't using a full cover but only a cow's knee, what about covering the muzzle with a condom to keep rain/snow out?
Would firing through it be likely to damage anything or deflect the ball?
 
I made a simple cow's knee out of lightweight deer hide. I folded it to make a peak so there are no cut seams, just needle holes which are easy to seal. I treated it originally with my regular beeswax-lard paste lube, heated it so it would absorb. I've never had to treat it again. It is very small, compact, light, fits in the bottom of my shot pouch and has worked for several decades.

If I go out when rain is predicted I treat the gun with the same lube by putting a bead of it all along the joint between barrel and stock. If you do it right that and the knee are foolproof.

cow_kneeC.jpg

cow_kneeD.jpg

cow_kneeF.JPG


On a wet turkey hunt:
WetKnee copy.jpg

Spence
 
Assuming you aren't using a full cover but only a cow's knee, what about covering the muzzle with a condom to keep rain/snow out?
Would firing through it be likely to damage anything or deflect the ball?
It must be lamb skin to be HC/PC
 
I made a simple cow's knee out of lightweight deer hide. I folded it to make a peak so there are no cut seams, just needle holes which are easy to seal. I treated it originally with my regular beeswax-lard paste lube, heated it so it would absorb. I've never had to treat it again. It is very small, compact, light, fits in the bottom of my shot pouch and has worked for several decades.

If I go out when rain is predicted I treat the gun with the same lube by putting a bead of it all along the joint between barrel and stock. If you do it right that and the knee are foolproof.

View attachment 54401
View attachment 54402
View attachment 54403

On a wet turkey hunt:
View attachment 54404
Spence
that is so neat. do you put a sealer between the pan & frizzen also? thanks for sharing it with us.
 
To be clear, as some seem obsessed with the lock, which is not why I am asking this. I made, have, and use a cow's knee. I even posted pics. I do seal the pan, and, I do not invite moisture into the pan once it has been primed dry, by opening it while it is raining or snowing/sleeting. Opening the pan repeatedly during precipitation seems counterproductive. Between the cow's knee, the sealer around the edge, and now, keeping my bag, horn, and lock, under my match coat,,,, I have no issue keeping the lock dry.
I am simply trying to cover my bases for when I can not always keep the muzzle pointed downwards.
I've used condoms and tape on modern guns, does not seem appropriate when everything else is pc/hc when hunting with my flintlock.

Also, why buy something I can so easily make?
 
I've used condoms and tape on modern guns, does not seem appropriate when everything else is pc/hc when hunting with my flintlock.
So, you think Ol' Daniel used a full length rifle case in the rain for Old Ticklicker? 😁
 
So, you think Ol' Daniel used a full length rifle case in the rain for Old Ticklicker? 😁
Nope. But we also read of the unreliability of guns at the time.

Honestly I'm not fully convinced a little rain can get past the patched ball or tight cards and greasy wads. But, could some pool up and freeze when the temp drops?
 
Water in the barrel when you fire can't be good. It doesn't compress and I'm not confident that it'll be wiped out ahead of the ball.

If a condom isn't P/C-H/C, how about a bit on natural sausage casing, i.e. intestine, tied over the muzzle. I'm trying a muzzle shroud, like a small cows knee, but worry about remembering to pull it off before a shot. I'd think that much resistance would affect accuracy like shooting through leaves & twigs, not much but enough.
 
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