Cold weather woods walk shooting!

[Roger Fisher]

Had a 22 shot w walk blanket shoot here in E Penna yesterday.  20 degrees and windy (in your face mostly).

I had watched the weather reports (don't we all) and forecast was close to the actual 20 degrees... (25 degrees I recall) but sunny!!  I turned lazy and decided that rather than schmear around with bear grease and loading blocks of which I have more than the average guy, I decided I would use dry teflon patching and that I should be able to get away with that since it would not be more than a few degrees below freezing.   Well, I got there and it was 17 degrees overcast and windy as H      .   17 of us went out in 2 groups.   Now I was dressed just right, My frenchy great lakes fur hat (w/tail, 'on the hat that is) deer skin mittens etc etc.
In any case the teflon seemed to have frozen 'fat' if there is such a thing.  I had to pound on the ball to enter it after a good battering.  After the first 3 or 4 shots I noticed that the patched ball was seemingly freezing to the bore at the starters end abt 6 or so inches down.  I had to borrow a mallet to get it past that point and then the ball would nearly fall in.   ripped patch for sure.  I dug out some thinner patch from my pouch and that seemed to get past the rough spot better but I could still feel that it was tearing up the patch after that spot.  I further noticed it got very tight about 2 inches above the powder charge area.  My wooden (primative ball starter snapped off (got the busted piece out no problem.
Needless to say I missed too many targets .   

Upon cleaning the old rifle at home My jag stayed in the bore and I had to go fishing to recover it.  The steel stud on the brass jag was stripped, apparently from pounding on the short started ball to get it by the rough frozen spot with the jag loose on the rod by a thread or so. 

So when it is cold use the bear grease, oil, mink sweat or whatever.  Things do tend to break when we get out of synch!   This post is only to be a word to the wise not to get lazy. 

(And to make the northern boys laugh and help their cabin fever malaise! )

[Ray Nelson]

I won't laugh at all....that's a tough outing at 17 degrees!

I've shot at zero before, thought I was a bit crazy and had nothing close to that happening in my loading. I don't remember anymore but was using either mink oil or some old Dixie lube which was surprisingly okay.

Ray

[billd]

Not trying to be funny, but has anyone tried antifreeze for patch lube, the environmentally friendly stuff?

Bill

[jimc2]

Roger  where was the shoot  i'm impressed with your endurance so is Arlene  jim

[Kelhammer]

I am sitting here wondering how much your barrel shrunk down from the cold.   

[Maven]

"So when it is cold use the bear grease, oil, mink sweat or whatever."

Roger, I applaud your hardiness, but not your bad luck.  As for cold weather lubes, do you think Crisco (white), mineral oil, or just plain vegetable (cooking) oil would be worth trying?  Btw, I realize none of them is likely to dissolve or otherwise manage BP fouling.

[Roger Fisher]

Roger  where was the shoot  i'm impressed with your endurance so is Arlene  jim

Boyertown - Divided up the course shoot 7 or so shots head for the clubhouse, thaw out then go out and do 7 or so more then back to the clubhouse etc.

[Roger Fisher]

I am sitting here wondering how much your barrel shrunk down from the cold.   

My 'rifle' barrel didn't; but I know one that did

[Roger Fisher]

"So when it is cold use the bear grease, oil, mink sweat or whatever."

Roger, I applaud your hardiness, but not your bad luck.  As for cold weather lubes, do you think Crisco (white), mineral oil, or just plain vegetable (cooking) oil would be worth trying?  Btw, I realize none of them is likely to dissolve or otherwise manage BP fouling.

I used to use Crisco then went to bear grease and/or bear oil. Just got lazy Sunday and thought I'd get away with not using the bear grease; but it was just tooo cold to do so.

I'm thinking our Northern friends are still laughing! Could be their froze up right now

[caliber45]

Heck, you guys think YOU got weather problems? Here in Tucson, it barely reached 70 today, and supposed to only be in the 60s tomorrow . . . When it gets into the low 60s, we old desert rats tend to go into hibernation. (We have to brag now, see, because when it gets to 100-degrees-plus in the summer, we can't . . .) -- paulallen, tucson

[Daryl]

Way to go, roger. Nice to see the older shooters getting out for some fresh air.   Most of us use a concoction of windshield washer fluid + something to help slow the evapouration - might have mentioned that before . It doesn't freeze. The previous thread made by Taylor mentioned by someone that it was 9 when we started and rose to about 12 by the end of the day. We, all 12 of us, shot for 4 hours. No one had difficulty loading except for one loading by a guy who was using spit for lube - of course, it froze after he stood around talking for a while.
I'm using windshield washer fluid with about an ounce of neetsfoot oil in a LHV container, the rest washer fluid. It's the -35 or -45 stuff- doesn't matter. Pre-cuts, pre lubed.  Doesn't matter what the temp - anything I'm likely to be out in, it can't freeze and is always easy loading, all day, with no wiping.
Taylor uses a similar mix, with a bit of soap added.
I'm staying away form soap from now on although it doens't appear to have hurt anything.

[Scott Bumpus]

Daryl,  how does the hoppes 9 plus do at those cold temps ?

[Daryl]

I used it last winter without any problems.  It worked very well, as a matter of fact, but it's hard to find around here. Have to order it in from Wholesale Sports via Calgary Alta, who passes the order to the Wholesale Sports in Kamploops BC, who ships it 300 miles to us. Bit of a pain, actually & the windshield washer fluid is so cheap in comparrison.- about $3.00 per gallon.  It's great for target shoting.

[Brian Jordan]

Our monthy shoot on Sunday was very cold as well. 6° with a -20° wind chill The guys that spit patch had some trouble with there patches freezing instantly to there barrels before they could get a ball started. Our course is 26 targets, and we only shot 12 of them because of the weather. We had alot of cold fingers. It was so cold the fire didn't even seem warm on Sunday, Heck it was so cold I even saw a democrat with his hands in his own pockets!

[C. Cash]

Heck it was so cold I even saw a democrat with his hands in his own pockets!

   I'm going to have to remember that!   Thanks for the heads up Roger.  I had the dickens of a time loading my flintlock during the weather episode in question as well.  Might have been a variance in the OX Yoke pillow ticking patches I am using.  I have 3 cans of the TOW Mink Oil...gonna see how my 54 shoots with it as it seems to work well.

[yip]

  yep! brian; it was so cold i broke a piece of the fire off and shoved it in my pocket! i was still cold though. hey that was a very interresting shoot anyway.congradulations on winning, i sure hope all enjoyed the shoot. hope to see you all soon       yip

[Hank*in*WV]

Too cold for me. I just couldn't make myself leave the house and make the drive up there. maybe next month.

[Brian Jordan]

I hope you can make it next month Hank! It's been 2 months now since you shot with us.

[Hank*in*WV]

Yeah, I guess I'll have to get some snow tires for the bike.

[Daryl]

Every day, I see people riding bicycles in Prince George - yeasterday, Tracy say a guy riding a unicycle of all things. Pretty icy all over the city, too.

[yip]

  folks who ride bikes  and folks who shoot black powder in below 0 temps are a little loco in their acorns! hank we heard there was a guy on a motorsickle froze to the road on rt 43, also a muzzle gun shooter frozen to the fire that same day. hope to see ya soon