Wet weather tips for muzzle loaders

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cayuga

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I see some are discussing how to treat their muzzle loaders to insure ignition in wet weather. This is a great topic! I personal live in Northern Wisconsin. Our muzzle loader season consists of snow storms, freezing cold temperatures, even rain or sleet sometimes. So knowing how to prepare your rifle for the elements is critical.

My methods are my methods. I am not insinuating they are the best or only methods. They are simply my methods. I would love to hear yours. When you do/if you do, be sure to state whether its a inline or traditional rifle style. Also in traditional is it a flintlock or percussion. Thanks.

INLINE

Before I load the rifle I swab the bore with isopropyl alcohol. I then run two dry patches after the alcohol. This removes any oils, grit, grime, etc. Then I push a clean dry patch to the bottom of the bore and pop a #11 or 209 primer. I pull that patch and must see a burn mark on it, or I will not load. When I see the burn mark, I load. Then before I head out into the elements, I cut the finger off a latex glove (doctors offices are full of them if you have an empty pocket). Stretch that finger over the muzzle. Then a small rubber band. You're now dry on that end. If it is an open breech inline, like a Knight LK, T/C Black Diamond XR, stretch a piece of plastic wrap over the open breech after you cap the rifle. You are now set for the weather.

TRADITIONAL PERCUSSION

As with the inline, I swab with alcohol, dry patch and again I must see a burn mark from the cap ignition. This tells me that the fire channel is clear. After loading, a latex glove finger and rubber band over the muzzle. For the cap I use one small piece of plastic wrap over the cap. You can shoot right over that. Then I have the valve stem cover off a car time (plastic ... garages are full of free ones). Open the hammer and lay that stem cover over the cap and plastic wrap. I even went as far as to put a piece of fishing line I threaded through the cap and tied off to the trigger guard. When you're ready to shoot, cock the rifle. With your finger flip the stem cover off. And BANG! you are ready to shoot.

TRADITIONAL RIFLE FLINTLOCK

The same goes for the flintlock except I don't pop caps of course to check that the vent liner is clean. This is done with a pick. I use an old guitar string and push that through the vent liner to make sure the path is open. I then load the flintlock. Again the latex finger and rubber band over the muzzle end. When I load the rifle I put a fuzzy pipe cleaner into the vent liner. When the powder and ball is in it, slowly drag that vent liner out. This pulls powder right up to the back side of the vent liner.

For the lock in cold wet weather I used to go to extremes. But now simply use a cow knee to cover the lock when I am out in the elements. Also in wet weather, every 30 to 45 minutes I change the powder in the pan. Be sure to bring dry patches and when you change, wipe that pan out good before putting in new 3f or 4f pan powder. Again cover the lock ASAP. I use an old chunk of torn plastic tarp to cover the lock and trigger area. Using this method I have harvested deer in snow storms and the gun never failed to fire.

The important part is prepare the rifle properly before you load it. You want no oil or moisture in that bore before you load that rifle. Dry and clean, always keep it dry and lean. Also if your powder and caps are old ... are you ready for new? Range time will tell you this.

Good luck this hunting season. As they say, keep your powder dry. I would love to hear your methods..
 
Great write up as usual. I use the same inline process and have never had an issue even in heavy rain.

I gotta ask tho. What is a "cow knee"?
 
my disc extreme pop 2 209 primers then load .. electric tape over the muzzle... cayuga your lk 93 do you put bow string wax over the nipple and the plastic wrap ???? thanks WORM
 
03mossy said:
Great write up as usual. I use the same inline process and have never had an issue even in heavy rain.

I gotta ask tho. What is a "cow knee"?

A cow knee is leather which has been saturated with oil and wax. After you apply it you hit it with a hair dryer making the wax melt into the leather pores. The cow knee has a slight bend in them in the middle the reason being you place that over the lock as you walk or sit. And rain, snow, sleet will slide right off that treated leather and never get to the lock.

A cows knee is a holster of sorts that covers the lock. It does actually look like a cow's knee.
 
You're making me feel bad, I just Chuck some tape on the barrel and set off!

Sent from my ZTE BLADE A112 using Tapatalk
 
I should add, personally the only time I've had an issue with an inline in the rain is reloading for a second shot. Fortunately I didn't need it but at home when I knocked the shot out I had wet powder

Sent from my ZTE BLADE A112 using Tapatalk
 
I actually had my Black Diamond XR FTF one morning. I had used the rifle the day before, muzzle covered, etc... took the primer out for the night and left it in an unheated garage. Next day, new primer and went hunting. Had a small buck come through, pulled up and the primer went off but not the Pyrodex RS. Second primer, primer went off but not the powder. Went back home, pulled the breech plug and pushed out a damp plug of Pyrodex RS.
 
Great write up.

I remember you talking about the valve stem cover last year in a thread where I was talking about a hangfire that occurred with my TC White Mountain carbine. Now I have a plastic bag with a few extra valve stems I scrounged sitting in my muzzleloader tool box for this season. :D
 
Thanks for the tips everyone. I just recently sat in a climbing blind when it started raining and didn't react in time to cover up the end of the barrel. When I got home, I unloaded the gun, then cleaned it completely. I will use either the plastic glove or the black electrical tape for future hunts.
 
Another good option to cover the muzzle of the barrel is to use a kids balloon. Been using them for years. You can usually get a bag for about $1.
 
For percussion guns, both online and sidelockers, wrap the nipple with plumber's tape across the face ( powder side). It will seal the rear of the charge and the cap blast blows right through it.
 
The local pet store has a roll of air tubing for the fish tanks that makes a nice water tight ring to go over a #11 nipple. A 25ft roll is $3, just push this over the cap and nipple, 25ft has lasted for years. I have a piece of red rubber gasket material I cut to fit the face of my Black Diamond striker, just place it on the face and let the striker down till I put a cap back on it.
 
I like that description of the cows Knee. When I was young, and first started Commercial fishing, My dad, and the guys from his generation all called your deck raingear "oilskins". It was so common to hear, for me, that I got into the habit myself. Now Ill say it once in a while to the younger generation, and they just look at me funny for a second. You can almost see the lightbulb go on after a delay, But its not a phrase they hear anymore.
 
Squeeze said:
I like that description of the cows Knee. When I was young, and first started Commercial fishing, My dad, and the guys from his generation all called your deck raingear "oilskins". It was so common to hear, for me, that I got into the habit myself. Now Ill say it once in a while to the younger generation, and they just look at me funny for a second. You can almost see the lightbulb go on after a delay, But its not a phrase they hear anymore.
LOL!
My first job out of high school was on a commercial fishing boat. I seem to recall tugging on, tossing, and tying knots in "Manilla Rope." If you want to quickly build bulletproof calluses on your hands, just work with "Manilla Rope" for a while. If you can find any nowdays!
Remember the depthfinders that used a pencil to mark squiggly lines on a big roll of graph paper that moved slowly across the machine? Remember crawling around in the slimy, filthy bilges of ancient wooden boats, hammering gobs of cotton in between the planks of the hull? Sounds weird, but that really did make the hulls watertight (for a while).
Oh, the memories! It is kinda fun teasing the younger generation with this stuff! :p
 
Interesting note about taping your barrel. Last elk season, I got caught out the last day in a heavy rain. I didn't find the glove fingers I usually would use but I did have some Gorilla brand duct tape in my emergency gear so I used that. The next day, before heading home, we all fired on a makeshift range near our camp to clear the weapons. I totally missed the target. Didn't even touch the paper. After I got home, I went to the range to try and figure out what happened. 3 shots hit in a nice cloverleaf about 2" high a 50 yards, right where they were supposed to be. Hmm, only thing different had been the duct tape so I taped the barrel and tried again. Sure enough, totally missed the paper. I am not sure just what is happening but I will leave a barrel naked rather than use that tape to waterproof it again.
 
Very good info for keeping my powder dry.still trying to find where you introduce yourself to the forum.
 
Bearman 49 said:
Very good info for keeping my powder dry.still trying to find where you introduce yourself to the forum.

Welcome aboard. Here is where you can introduce yourself.
viewforum.php?f=2
 
My guns are in-line breaks and I use finger cots on the barrels if its raining/wet snow. I also carry some 3" squares of 3mil plastic. I lay one across the split in the action/barrel and keep the rifle on the horizontal until I need to shoot. I'm usually hunting an elevated stand with quite a bit of room so keeping the gun flat is no problem. I've hunted pyro and t7 powders and pellets in the past with no issues on ignition and will be doing 209 this year, again expecting no issues.
 
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