Rainy Day Shooting

[Al Lapp]

Went with a small group yesterday to shoot the Trail. (there was four of us). When we got to the club it was raining pretty hard. I was the only one shooting a flinter. I felt sorry for them trying to put the caps on their rifles with wet hands, while my flintlock never failed to fire. It has a large Siler lock. Great shoot although we all ended up pretty wet. I had to wipe the pan dry after each shot but that was all.  Al

[Hungry Horse]

Years ago, I got roped into going to rendezvous that I really hadn't planned on going too. So, since it was the last minute, I just threw all my gear in the truck, and headed out. When I arrived it was drizzling rain. The next morning it was still drizzling, and since it had been raining all night, the moisture in the air surely would  create ignition problems for us. The group I was shooting with were shooting trade guns, so the cap gun crowd  started heckling from square one. The first target was a long gong, out about 150 yards. I measured out my regular charge of 70 grins. of 2FF and made my shot. An enormous cloud of smoke encircled us and the ball fell about ten yards short of the gong. Everybody roared, and then I realized that I had been experimenting with shooting some 3FA blasting powder I'd been  given, and hadn't refilled my horn with 2F. This stuff was very old, and heavily graphite coated. I double dipped my measure for the next target and other than the smoke, it shot fine. By the end of the course all the guys in the my group were loading out of my horn, and not a cap gun was functional.
 This keg of powder from the Giant Powder Comp. was found, as a rancher made one last pass through an old hay barn, that the fire department was scheduled to burn down for practice. It was wedged between one of the poles holding up the roof and a cross buck. I had about six pounds of powder in it. And, I still have the old keg, although I've shot up all the powder.

                Hungry Horse

[Candle Snuffer]

I don't recall ever having any trouble getting a cap or flintlock to fire in wet conditions.  Perhaps it's because I use RWS caps, and I try to keep my lock area (both flint and cap) covered somewhat in my arm pit when conditions are wet.   I don't know?  In any event, those shoots and hunts I've been out on where there was moister in the air I have not experienced any trouble.

At shooting matches I have noticed others having trouble with both ignition systems in wet conditions, and to be honest it's usually the same folks having ignition ploblems in wet conditions as they do in dry conditions regardless if they are shooting (or trying to shoot) a cap or flintlock.

I personally feel that failure to ignite one's charge in wet conditions is more from lack of understanding their firearm and keeping that lock area as dry as possible, and perhaps not giving their smoke pole the tender loving care it deserves when cleaning.   

[nosrettap1958]

I don’t know why you guys try to compare a flinter to a caplock all of the time.  The caplock will out perform a flinter in every situation except if the holder of the caplock is negligent in taking care of or cleaning his firearm and the guy who holds the flinter is not.

[BrownBear]

One mod I'll add to your procedure Al.  Trail shoots are pretty steady shooting. If you go a long time between shots, as on small game, upland bird or waterfowl hunts, wiping the pan isn't enough.  You have to dry the flash hole too.  Given a half hour or an hour between shots, it's a good trap that surely results in misfires if you don't dry it thoroughly.  I use pipe cleaners.  Doesn't hurt to wipe the flint and frizzen face, too.

[Daryl]

Time, as Brown Bear notes, can indeed cause problems if not taken care of, with both ignition sources. I've only been shooting flinters for about 6 years, maybe a couple more, and can reflect on decades of NO probems with my cappers in wet weather, snowed, sleet or rain - never a problem. After learning to run my flint guns, no problems with them either, as Candle Snuffer noted so well.

[Al Lapp]

I'm sorry if I offended anyone with my post. I was not attacking percussion guns.I have more percussion firearms than flints. Also there was no problem with them not firing. It was mostly the heavy rain at times plus the cold, there were a few caps dropped trying to place them on the nipple. I was more trying to make a point of how impressed I was with how my flinter worked under those circumstances. I have only had my flintlock for about a year, and this was the worst conditions that I have used it in. I have had a couple of flintlocks in the past but with very poor locks and even in good weather you didn't know if they were going to fire or not.   Al

[Hungry Horse]

I've always had more trouble with cap locks in the rain than flintlocks. That being said, I must confess that all these troublesome cap guns were either a patent breech, or a CVA type drum system. A traditional drum, and nipple, fares much better. The problem seem so be in the small passageway between the nipple, and the main charge. Black Powder being hygroscopic attracts moisture like a magnet, and if this passage way is long, small, or crooked, you're going to have trouble in damp weather. As was mentioned before, the lag time between targets plays a big part in this as well. I would imagine a Knox style flint breeching system would have the same problem as the caplock patent breeches.

                     Hungry Horse

[Habu]

The only gun I never had trouble with in the rain, at one time or another, was an old '63 Springfield.  I'm not sure anything will stop a musket cap from setting off the charge.

[hanshi]

I've been out in fog, mist, near 100% humidity and very light rain conditions with both flint and percussion and never had a problem.   I kept the locks dry under my armpit or covered with part of my coat while the rest of the gun got wet.  One rondy I went to was on a very muggy summer day.  My flint rifle never refused to fire because of the wetness.  When the shoot was over some soupy fouling actually dripped out the muzzle.  A few dry patches cleaned the bore up fine.  I did have to frequently wipe the pan during the shoot.

I don't go out in moderate to heavy rain simply because I don't like it and I hate to see my guns get soaked.  I suppose they get just as wet in mist but it isn't as uncomfortable as flat-out rain.

[Vomitus]

When priming,I've had the Angel !$@! in my pan! A good wipe and all is good again. Ignition with a flint in the rain isn't a prob for me.

[blunderbuss]

 

 I went hunting once and loaded my flint Jäger while it was raining I didn't get a shot for two  days but she fired just fine. I had to track him in the mud and there wasn't any place to cover the rifle while field dressing the buck so I covered the lock and two days later I fired that load with no trouble. I had to change the priming from time to time.

Also I found a product many years ago called "Dry Powder"by La-Chute-LTD its a powered silicon ??'s added to the priming and it's wonderful the priming powder will just' scoot' around in the pan on a rainy day.