Inclement weather - cows knees

[roundball]

Some sort of rainproof cover?

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

Canvas treated with bear grease and beeswax I believe.  It is very waterproof. point the rifle down and it will slide right off leaving you ready to cock and fire.  Keeps everything dry. no worry about water in barrel channel etc.

[Dphariss]

I use a closed version, once water proofed or made from fairly heavy wool they don't hang up and will also slide off. Though longer barrels  are noas easy as a 30-36".
 And its possible to carry with your hand at the wrist under the cover as well.
I would think heavy linen treated with real bolied linseed oil would make a good HC cover.
The English indian trade rifles cave with covers.

Dan

[roundball]

Canvas treated with bear grease and beeswax I believe.  It is very waterproof. point the rifle down and it will slide right off leaving you ready to cock and fire.  Keeps everything dry. no worry about water in barrel channel etc.

Not challenging you personally, just want to be clear about what you're saying:
Are your comments relating the advertised purpose and operation of it...or have you personally hunted with it in rain to see how it works and handles under field/woods conditions?

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

Canvas treated with bear grease and beeswax I believe.  It is very waterproof. point the rifle down and it will slide right off leaving you ready to cock and fire.  Keeps everything dry. no worry about water in barrel channel etc.

Not challenging you personally, just want to be clear about what you're saying:
Are your comments relating the advertised purpose and operation of it...or have you personally hunted with it in rain to see how it works and handles under field/woods conditions?

I have hunted with it. Always carry it in my Haversack.  I have only had to use it once in a drizzly day of hunting in central GA. It worked very well......I am a still hunter, who stalks rather than hunting from a stand.... rain plus wet brush etc made it pretty wet..... I used the cover ...... I started hunting about 8:00 am.   Finally uncovered the gun at about 5:30 pm to get my shot at a doe.....No problem..fired just as normal.   Since it is only sewed up a few inches from the muzzle  it was easy to point the gun to the ground, let it slide off, lift the gun, aim and shoot.  I still wax my guns up pretty well when I am going out in damp weather..... but I certainly like this cover better than just covering the lock...... and I can't see any problem with it historically.....can't prove anything either way.

[Dphariss]

Canvas treated with bear grease and beeswax I believe.  It is very waterproof. point the rifle down and it will slide right off leaving you ready to cock and fire.  Keeps everything dry. no worry about water in barrel channel etc.

Not challenging you personally, just want to be clear about what you're saying:
Are your comments relating the advertised purpose and operation of it...or have you personally hunted with it in rain to see how it works and handles under field/woods conditions?

I have hunted with it. Always carry it in my Haversack.  I have only had to use it once in a drizzly day of hunting in central GA. It worked very well......I am a still hunter, who stalks rather than hunting from a stand.... rain plus wet brush etc made it pretty wet..... I used the cover ...... I started hunting about 8:00 am.   Finally uncovered the gun at about 5:30 pm to get my shot at a doe.....No problem..fired just as normal.   Since it is only sewed up a few inches from the muzzle  it was easy to point the gun to the ground, let it slide off, lift the gun, aim and shoot.  I still wax my guns up pretty well when I am going out in damp weather..... but I certainly like this cover better than just covering the lock...... and I can't see any problem with it historically.....can't prove anything either way.

Its pretty much a slam dunk if we use the 1781 order for British Indian Trade rifles which came with moulds and  "cases". But like many less durable items these would not have survived with the rifle to make it to the 20th century. What were the "cases"? Its not likely we will find out today.

Dan

[roundball]

"...I can't see any problem with it historically..."

 
My degree of 'HC' is basically the Flintlock I happen to be holding at the time...so there would definitely not be an 'HC' issue for me 

It looks like a pretty practical thing to have, particularly sitting on a deer stand for a few hours...thanks

[Dave Marsh]

I agree with Tim Boone.  I have the canvas cover from Curt Lyles as well.  Last year opening day of gun season in New York it poured all day.  I sat in my treestand with the gun usually across my lap from dawn until about a half hour before dark when an 8 point showed up.  I slid the cover off and shot him.  My flintlock went off without a hitch.  The year before I had a store bought cows knee and the lock got soaked and would not fire and that was after a half hour of sitting versus all day. 

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

This is the "cow's knee" I made for my hunting rifle.  It's made of 5 oz. cow leather, and does keep my lock area dry.  But like the canvas one, I think is is too noisy for stalking or still hunting - ie:  walking slowly through the bush.  Willows and brush make too much noise slapping it and rubbing against it as I move along.  But it's excellent for sitting and waiting, which I think is the most productive method to hunt anyway.

[roundball]

I use one of these and it has worked terrifically!!
I got it from Curt Lyles
www.cdlyles.com 

DT, glad you posted this...Curt should be starting one for me tomorrow or the next day...asked him to figure out a way to make it dark brown...thanks !

[tiger955]

another idea for keeping snow/rain out of the barrel.... cut the fingers off of latex surgical gloves and slip one over the muzzle, you can shoot it off without any affect on accuracy.

[sonny]

i made a rifle cover with an open slit up the bottom all the way to the tailpipe.I used linen an made a mix of beeswax an neatsfoot oil an asturated the whole cover with a paintbrush.when i hunt i keep one hand under the cover on the hammer,an the other hand on the cover on the wrist. If i see deer or jump deer  i push the cover forward an the whole works come right off as the cold temp makes the cover feel like stiff denim...sonny

[BrownBear]

I'm always moving through some really rough country, rather than sitting.  It's one thing to keep your lock under a coat flap and the muzzle pointed down while sitting, but another when you have to move, often using one or both hands for scrambling.  I find the simplest muzzle cover to be modern electrical tape, while the lock is best covered with a cows knee. 

I made mine from a scrap of chap leather, and cinching it down with the bottom tie pulls the front and rear down tight to prevent water running along the rifle and into the lock.  Took a little adjusting to get that seal, but I was rewarded in the end.  BTW-  When I say cinching, that deserves an explanation.  I punched a 3/16" hole in each side below the trigger guard, and I pass a 1/2" wide tie through those.  There's enough friction without a knot to hold it in place.  But with a single overhand knot it's really secure, but I can pull it off easily with a single jerk.  Handy, effective and quick.

[Pete G.]

I like the idea of the waxed canvas cover for a flintlock WAY better that electrical tape, glass bedding, etc. Those are fine for a scoped bolt action, but that kind of stuff is not what I am after with a flint gun.