Rain Covers for my Fintlocks

[roundball]

I bought a Rain Cover which fits my T/C Hawken Flintlocks very well and I wanted one for my new larger, longer Virginia. I rough cut the material, sweet talked my Bride into helping out with the final cutting & sewing, and she did a great job.

First pair of photos is the one I bought which fits the Hawkens perfectly...a medium color cotton duck with linen lining.

Second pair of photos is for the Virginia...a dark brown shell from tight weave 'cotton duck' material, with the liner made from soft, smooth tight weave green wool army blanket material.

Will saturate the Virginia's shell with applications of silicone spray...bring on the rain !

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

Good photos. I like the green color against the stock in the lower picture. Do the covers just fold over the rifles, or do you have some sort of closure for them? :thumbsup:

 

[roundball]

No closure...the botton is stitched back 8" from the muzzle but the rest is open...you slide the muzzle in and the rest just drapes down around the rifle.

You can have it folded in a vest or coat to put on it if a shower comes up...or if its lightly raining or snow falling from tree limbs you can just hunt with it on and let it slide off if you need to get ready for a shot

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

That is a very slick idea. :thumbsup:

 

[roundball]

It is a great idea...but just so its clear, it was not 'my' idea.
I bought the top one in the photo...and wanted a larger one for my Virginia so I made the bottom one.

 

[dbutch]

Roundball can I order one from you in blaze orange?
Looks good ! would like to here of a report after you give it a water test.

 

[roundball]

Roundball can I order one from you in blaze orange?

:grin:

Looks good ! would like to here of a report after you give it a water test.

Live test won't until April turkey season...and then I'll have to have some rain on one of 4 Saturdays.

Kiwi 'Camp Dry" Silicone spray itself has been well established for decades in terms of being a serious water repellent for tent canvas, etc...so I have no doubt the Silicone will do its job...and any rain hard enough to defeat this rig will have me headed back to the truck :grin:

 

[dbutch]

Roundball...any waterproof gear I buy or make I like to prove..Ordered a water fowling bibs and jacket from a big name retailer .first thing I did when I got it home (they claimed it was 100% waterproof)was put it on and had the wife turn the garden hose on me. I'm not talking full pressure here just a mist....It failed ..I dried it out repacked it and shipped it back....This is how I proof (waterproof gear) try it you might be surprised how well it works.

Thanks again for the input on the rain fly here's my version- cut from old rain bibs.. glued seam 4 inches from the muzzle back..slips on and off .This has been rained and snowed on 4 times -dry powder works!

 

[roundball]

Additional information if anyone is interested.
Even though the photos make the sizes look the same, the photos are misleading.
Finished dimensions are:

Small cover that I purchased and will use on Hawkens with 33" barrels:
3+1/4" x 6+1/4" x 51"

Large cover that fits the larger, longer Virginia with its 39" barrel:
4" x 7+1/2" x 57"

 

[roundball]

"Sight Slide" enhancement for rain covers
=======================================
If you happen to make/use a rain cover like the one in PHOTO 1...and your front sight has a fairly sharp 90* angle on it like mine does, it might snag when letting the rain cover slide down off the muzzle...and/or prematurely wear out the liner.
To eliminate that problem with mine, I opened up the muzzle end and installed a 6” ”“ 8” long thin piece of leather using 2 sided carpet tape.

PHOTO 1 - RAIN COVER

PHOTO 2 - APPLYING THIN LEATHER WITH 2 SIDED CARPET TAPE

PHOTO 3 - FOLDING THE MUZZLE SIDE-ENDS BACK TOGETHER

PHOTO 4 - MUZZLE END SEWN BACK TOGETHER, READY TO HUNT

 

[Muskeg Stomper]

Good update, thanks. I hadn't begun mine yet so will plan on adding leather as well. ZMy flinters would all give me the same problem.

 

[roundball]

And it doesn't have to be leather of course...a piece of light canvas, cordura nylon, etc, should work as well

 

[Pork Chop]

Couldn't you just ease the sharp 90 on the sight to make it less of a scraper?

 

[roundball]

Couldn't you just ease the sharp 90 on the sight to make it less of a scraper?

I'm sure I could...I could even grind the whole thing off too :grin: but it works too perfect for me to want to risk messing with it...and the thin layer of a slippery/durable piece of material is nothing to install...and easily replaced if it wears out in 50 years :grin:

But that Virginia is a real deer machine and I'm not messing with it

 

[dbutch]

Roundball Nice work!!!

 

[Marc Adamchek]

Did you, or rather, your wife sew the green wool onto the duck canvas or did the canvas already come lined?

 

[roundball]

Two separate pieces...cotton duck material, and wool army blanket material...laid them out separately, made the measurements and cut the two pieces.

A narrow hem was then sewn around the border of each piece separately, then we laid them together and sewed the two pieces together.

Then we folded the rain cover closed to sew the muzzle end shut and stitched back underneath from the muzzle about 6".

Really pretty straight forward, done in less than an hour.