10 more days....

[Boerrancher]

Well in 10 days ML season for deer starts here in MO. They don't call it ML season any more it is now called Alternative Method Season. I spent a couple hours on the back deck with the old trade gun blasting tin cans at ranges from 30 to 50 yards. It was wet and nasty but I wanted to see how the old flinter worked in 100% humidity. I found that if I wiped the pan out after ever couple shots she just kept on shooting. I only had one misfire and that was on my 4th shot and I had not wiped moist residue out of the pan. I was pleased at how easy it was to keep a flinter running in the wet weather. It is much easier than a cap gun. If there is a heavy dew I don't bother taking my 32cal cap lock out, as it quickly becomes a PIA to get it to go off. Never played with a flinter in the rain, only the heavy dew. I have just found another reason to own a 32cal flint lock.[smilie=w:

Best wishes,

Joe

[Coffeecup]

Joe-
My main gun for a lot of years was a cut-down Brown Bess. I found that in conditions like that, FFFg was a more-reliable priming powder than FFFF. It seemed to resist drawing moisture from the air for longer. For follow-up shots, the FFFg was definitely more reliable. Ignition was a tad slower, but not objectionably so.

These days I'm back to a rifle, and the ignition is so fast it startles me, even primed with FFg. My hunting partner this year is a friend's 16 year old son, he's using a caplock but thinks ignition on my flinter is faster.

Jim

[Boerrancher]

Jim,

If I do everything right my flinters have lock times close to that of many cartridge guns. My cap locks... not so much. I find the flint lock to be much more reliable in bad weather. I also don't notice at reasonable ML distances much difference between my rifles and smooth bores. Out past 80 yards the difference start showing up.

Best wishes,

Joe

[smoked turkey]

Joe, I am also looking forward to "muzzleloader season" here just south of you. I have talked to a few other hunters around here and it seems they are looking forward to being able to use a handgun. I prefer to use my muzzleloader also. I am sure you will be posting a good picture and will have a nice hunt. I look forward to hearing about it.

[Steppenwolf]

My ritual is to wipe the frizzen, flint face and pan between shots.

Edited to add, good luck with your hunt!

[KyBill]

ML here in KY 8th and here I am up late got the Deer Shakes already going to rain 3 days here up to 6 inches WoW!!!! guess I will hunt the cedar thickets any one got an Umbrella for my gun?

[quilbilly]

Alternative method season???? Interesting concept. I suddenly have images of atlatl's.

[DIRT Farmer]

Going out this AM in the rain also. I hope I can make good on the flinter being more reliable in the rain, now if I can remember to get a feather from the chicken house for the touch hole.

Alternate method season, what came to my mind is a spot light and a 22.

[waksupi]

Going out this AM in the rain also. I hope I can make good on the flinter being more reliable in the rain, now if I can remember to get a feather from the chicken house for the touch hole.

Alternate method season, what came to my mind is a spot light and a 22.

I use a scrap of virgin wool, about 18" square. Lay it over the lock area, and it should be large enough to also secure in your grip carrying by balance, or cradled. Sheds water very well, and just falls away when you need to shoot.

[Boerrancher]

Ric,

Is that scrap of wool just a chunk of hide with the hair still on? or is it wool that has been sheared and worked into a cloth? Interesting concept either way. Please elaborate more and photos would be better still. I have been thinking about using a piece of oil cloth but the wool seems a bit easier to manage and would be much quieter in the woods than the rustling of oil cloth.

Best wishes,

Joe

[waksupi]

Ric,

Is that scrap of wool just a chunk of hide with the hair still on? or is it wool that has been sheared and worked into a cloth? Interesting concept either way. Please elaborate more and photos would be better still. I have been thinking about using a piece of oil cloth but the wool seems a bit easier to manage and would be much quieter in the woods than the rustling of oil cloth.

Best wishes,

Joe


Joe, mine is just a scrap of an old blanket.

[DIRT Farmer]

waksupi, that makes since, as I have found raw wool justs beads up water insted of soaking it up and you can keepit primed.

We, Hurbertus and I saw three fawns, one doe and the fork horn that has been hanging around my daughter-in-laws stand. I decided to perserve family peace and not shoot HER deer.

[Hubertus]

Hi DIRT_Farmer,

I am back home safe and sound.
That was really a nice weekend - including seeing the does and the buck - first time whitetail experience for me and really exciting so close by.

The fortunate thing is our deer season will go on for a couple of weeks so there is still a chance for me to take "The Lady" out.

Thanks again,
Hubertus

[DIRT Farmer]

Glad to have had you along Mike.

[Boerrancher]

Well by this time tomorrow morning I will be sitting in the woods with the old NW Trade Gun waiting for the first white tail to cross my path. I need to thin out some of these does. In the fields at night driving down the driveway it is nothing to count 30 or more does and several bucks. I have taken 2 bucks this season and I don't want any more. If I don't do something with these does I am going to have somewhere between 90 and 120 deer on this 300 acre farm.

Best wishes,

Joe