Winter Flintlock Tips?

[Valkyrie]

The late PA season is approaching. I'm hoping to get the last four days of the season.

I shoot a TC Firestorm with a Lyman frizzen and Tom Fuller flints. I get reliable ignition and an almost imperceptible ignition time. The gun shoots great. But winter is here and I know I'll find myself in snow. I have a really nice cows knee I made from some scrap leather and a pattern I found online.

In damp weather I change out my pan charge of FFF every half hour too. Two years ago I was out in a gorgeous snow fall with half a foot fresh on the ground and yanked a 60 yard shot at a nice buck I jumped from his bed.

But I had a couple weather related misfires on rare occasion. Hence I started with a cows knee and changing my pan.

So what else is everyone doing during the winter when the snow is flying?

 

[Cruzatte]

Sounds to me like you've [ahem] got it covered. :grin: :thumbsup:

 

[armymedic.2]

Instead of changing the pan, while still at the house i cut thin slices of beeswax and roll between my fingers to make a thin snake. I lay the snake along the outside of the dish in the pan on the top surface and press thr frizzen down while its still warm. Then i do the same to the top of the frizzen where it meets the barrel.

This creates a water tight seal. Coupled with a cows knee ive never had an ignition issue.

I always figure in bad weather the last thing i wanted to do was open the pan to the moisture

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Yeah there are a couple of thoughts on that. You can also put a dab of grease on the edge of the stock where it meets the side of the barrel, just in front of where the lock mortise begins. Sometimes you get some thick fog or light drizzle and you don't realize that when you raise up your muzzle a little river of moisture can flow down the stock where it meets the barrel on the side with the lock..., right to the touch hole. :shocked2:

I shy away from sealing the pan with beeswax as I don't want anything slowing down the frizzen when it opens. So I too every now and then refresh my prime AND I make sure to prick the touch hole at the same time.

LD

 

[smo]

The biggest thing I can think of is be sure to practice shooting with your warm hunting clothes on....The extra clothing may change your hold which could cause you to miss an easy shot........ :redface: :shake:

I also enlarged the touch hole on my smoothbore & rifle as well. :thumbsup: Good Luck on your hunt. :hatsoff:

 

[mr.flintlock]

When hunting in the rain I normally put on a cheap disposable type of poncho and just keep the lock underneath it until I am ready to shoot. My rifle has never failed to fire.

 

[Black Hand]

I filled the barrel channel with wax (beeswax toilet bowl gasket wax) to avoid any moisture from the barrel channel wicking up behind the lock and into the pan (happened once). I also use a cows-knee and carry the gun with the muzzle down.

Once the channel was waxed, I didn't worry about changing out my prime as there was no reason. Changing the prime at regular intervals is wasting powder unless the prime is wet - It will be obvious if the powder is wet....

 

[BigBoreBLR]

There are 2 winter conditions...

Soft snow and air temp above 32 or well call 30

Dry or crusted snow below high 20s.

Humidity is the key here.

For the warmer... empty pan with a toothpick in the flash hole. Make sure your flash hole is 1/16ths. Almost every commercial gun is less than that. When you hear noise fill the pan and pull the pick.

This is me, but I've lost a shot on deer due to my flintlock. If it's that warmer humid winter day, I change theload and powder daily I'd the pick was pulled from the gun.

We ate assuming you're using real blackpowder instead of pellets. The gun will be much more reliable with loose powder.

Also, make sure powder isn't covering the hole. I tap the side of the gin with the pan side tilted down. So the powder is a bit more on the far side of the pan.

If I do pick the hole, I pour a tiny amount of 4f powder over the hole, push some on, and then pick the hole clean. It helps my gun after 10 shots at the range, but tend to do it if I feel I need to touchy the flash hole for whatever reason.

The tooth pick trick works wonders in rain storms. It's tough for stalk hunting, but tree stand hunting or in a blind it's the way to go.

 

[rdstrain49]

please don't ever proof read your posts. I love auto correct :rotf:

 

[Danny Ross]

Only problem is, when you are hard of hearing and the ground is wet, what sound? So there I set with no powder in the pan, a stick in my hole, and the deer looks at me as if to to say "You sight seeing today? That there is a right nice walking stick you got" :rotf: DANNY