I'm hunting with my .54 Lyman Deerstalker (stainless, percussion) this year. I've had it for several years but haven't shot it a lot and haven't hunted with it for a few years. Never really have hunted with it much, actually. I went to an inline for a while (T/C Black Diamond) and decided I preferred the more traditional muzzleloaders, so I sold the Black Diamond.

I live in Washington state and this year I'm chasing blacktail deer which I also have not done in several years. So what I'm wondering is what powder would be the most reliable in rainy and humid conditions? I have Triple 7 in double F and the other day I went out and put about 25 Harvester 330 grain hard cast bullets w/sabots through it. Accuracy was acceptable out to 100 yards but I did get a few hangfires.

It could be my fault for not being diligent in being sure the powder was getting all the way down in to the nipple area when I loaded the gun. But still, I have been doing some research since then and I read a lot of comments about how Triple 7 may be difficult to ignite with a sidelock and #11 caps.

So, I'm thinking of either trying Triple 7 in FFF, or Pyrodex, either RS or P. Or possibly even real Black Powder, if I can find any around here. But not even considering which one is easier to ignite, which one is less likely to absorb moisure while hunting in rain? Or is that something I don't even need to worry about as long as I shoot the load out at the end of every day, clean the rifle, and re-load in the morning?

Oh, and I'm also thinking of buying a musket cap nipple to see if the musket caps will provide more reliable ignition. Any thoughts on this?

Black powder has the lowest ignition temperature of the three. Next is Pryodex, then Triple Seven.

But that should not be the issue. If your gun ignites T7 in the dry it should also do so in the rain. It's all about gun management. Load on a dry barrel. smear some beeswax around the cap after it's placed on the nipple. put some electrical tape on the muzzle, and you should be good to go. The real culprit causing a damp load in wet weather is moisture entering the muzzle and seeping past the bullet. Keeping the muzzle covered and pointed down as much as possible is the solution.

When using 2F T7 in my sidelocks I need to bump the side of the lock to make sure the powder gets near the nipple to assure reliable ignition. Not usually a problem with 3F, but I usually bump it anyway.

Goex FFF...

As mentioned it has the lowest ignition point...Pyrodex was developed with a higher ignition point (by taking the sulfer out of it) so it could be shipped cheaper and not have to be stored in a fire proof safe...777 has a higher ignition point than Pyrodex...Go with more reliable ignition and keep your powder dry...

I've had my flinter in a complete downpour and have it still fire...It's just about learning what you are doing...

Thanks for the reply. So... have you had good luck with 3F Triple 7? I'm a little leery of using it since they say 2F is for 50 cal. and larger, and 3F is for smaller than 50 caliber.

I would like to stick with Triple 7 because of the ease of cleaning.

777 won't work in flintlocks...

As far as cleaning...I plug the touch hole with a tooth pick, pour water down, tip the barrel a few times and the residue pours out on the ground...Then dry with a couple of alcohol patches and oil the barrel and I'm done...

Black powder cleans up real easy once you learn you are burning charcoal and water is all you need as a cleaner...

Oh, the FFF rule for .45 and below and FF for .50 and above...This myth was developed in the 40s...The 1940s...

During the 1700s there were 2 desginations of powder, cannon and musket....

It's a myth that you can't use FFF in .50 calibers and above...I use 80grs of Goex FFF in my .54 and have for over 20 years...This way I can charge and prime with FFF instead of charging with FF and using FFFF for prime...

In addition...I'd have to bump my charge up to 90grs of FF to equal the velocity I'm getting with FFF...Less powder, less fouling...FFF also burns cleaner than FF, less fouling...

Thanks for that! You would think that Lyman, T/C, and others would stop putting that "rule" into print. I see it all the time.

By the way, my Deerstalker is not a flintlock.

They sell a product called a muzzle mit and that goes over the muzzle end of the rifle to keep water out. If you get near a place that has the doctor's gloves, those have five muzzle mits per glove. You shoot right through that. Large balloons will also work. Finger Cots will also work (you get them at a pharmacy).

On the cap, take a birthday candle and if you know it is going to be wet, after to set the cap, rub that candle around the bottom of the cap where it meets the rifle. The wax will stop water from going up there. Also go to a garage that sells tires. Ask them if they have any old tire vale stem covers. I have a large bag of them from a friend. Pull back the hammer and put one of them valve stem covers over the cap. Now lower the hammer onto the valve stem. It helps shed water off the cap and acts as a safety. Just remember you have to take the valve stem cap off to fire the rifle. Just drop it. Or lace a fishing line through it with a needle and tie it to your trigger guard. When you drop it you will not loose it.

Another little trick for wet day hunting... Once the rifle is loaded, before you head out.. take the nipple off the rifle. Now drizzle a little powder down that nipple port. And replace the nipple. I bet it fires on the worst day.

As for powder... Since you want to shoot Triple Seven for ease of cleaning you can shoot 3f. If the accuracy is no good, then 2f. Yours is not so much a powder problem as a loading problem. Also what kind of cap were you shooting? When you had a hang fire, had you swabbed before that with a wet patch? That will cause a hang fire. Use pure alcohol to swab with next time. Just a little on the patch and swab in short strokes.

Also changing over to a musket cap is a good idea in wet weather, but make sure your hammer is made to fire off a musket cap. It probably is, but check it. See if a top hat fits into the nose of that hammer.

As for black powder.. I shoot it all the time. I was shooting it today. Other then windy, it was beautiful out. The rifle I was shooting was a Black Mountain Magnum. When I was ready to come in for the day, I leaned the rifle against the bench and sprayed Windex down the bore of the rifle until it came out the musket cap. Then I sprayed a little more. After it stopped dripping, I saturated a patch with Windex and swabbed the bore. The patch was hardly dirty. So I did the same thing again. That one looked clean. So I ran a dry patch down and it came up clean. I was shooting Goex 2f. Ignition was excellent, lots of smoke and power. Accuracy was great with the Shockwaves.

Thanks for all the advice cayugad. Very helpful, I appreciate it. I was swabbing with T/C black powder solvent every 3 or 4 shots, so that may have been the reason for the hangfires. Like I said, I haven't shot a sidelock much at all for quite a few years so I've got to get back into the routine. I will try the 3F Triple 7, and maybe a musket cap nipple if I can find one. Our early muzzleloader deer season starts September 25th, so we COULD have dry weather, but it's hard to say. Being western Washington, it could rain every single day just as easily. September is normally one of our dryer months of the year, but weather this summer has been different, to say the least.