I don't know why, but I felt like shooting in 17* weather and don't you know it! As soon as I get loaded up an ready, the very light cloud layer says, lets snow on him! It got pretty good at one point I had to stop long enough till the wind died down enough that I could see my target. Nothing really built up, just a good wind blow snow that opened up to clear blue skies after I went back inside.

Anyway, I wanted to test my flintlock in this weather so I took 70gr Olde Eynsford 2fg charges, .020" patches lubed very thinly with my anti rust patch lube & also my buckskinners lube ( no i do not mix these lubes together lol) , 4fg goex and a freshly cleaned rifle. Had a couple shots get away from me, I think the wind blown snow got into my pan powder as I was charging the rifle and I got a couple very slight delays, but enough to throw me off.

I also got a much better hold on my rifle where I could get a solid cheek/shoulder weld and that really helped me out with flinching and my accuracy greatly improved to where I even shocked myself LOL.



Top 4 shots are with my anti rust patch lube ( notice how both groups have a pulled shot? Those were the 2 slight delayed shots I got) Bottom 4 are with my buckskinners patch lube. Rendezvous will be fun next year with a group like that! Now to get practicing shooting that group off hand LOL.


Stupid day to go out shooting! My reloading hand got to cold it turned red and swelled up.


At no time did I ever take the time to wipe the frizzen/flint or even the pan clean, it was to cold for that crap.

I have shot flintlock in the snow and cold and never had an ignition problem. That looks like some good shooting there. And yes, cold hands are miserable. Almost as bad as cold feet.

Sometime in the future try shooting and loading in a rain. That will really tune up your skills.

ahhh you need a good pair of the irish setter elk tracker boots! I got a pair for warranty replacement since a cheaper pair didnt hold up, they recommended the elk tracker with 400 gram insulation and man those suckers are warm! I wear them now that its cold out and no more cold feet. Poor blood circulation to my hands and foot or something.

MD...

I know all about hunting in the cold Bud. The flintlock season here in PA can be very challenging as far as weather's concerned. I have hunted in weather from -10 to near 60 degrees in January. I've seen the weather change from sunny and clear to rain, freezing rain, sleet, and then snow in a matter of hours. I got in a stand early one overcast New Year's eve morning and within a half hour, it began to snow big, wet, snowflakes the size of a quarter.
I had a cow's knee on my lock but I had a heck of a time trying to keep the snow from building up on the barrel and covering the sights. Well lo and behold about a half hour after it started (and was still snowing), here come the deer, headed right towards me.
One big ol' doe came right up within 40 yards and I tried to clear my sights enough to see them before removing the cow's knee but no dice... she caught my movement and peeled out!
The coldest day I ever shot a deer with a flintlock it was -7 when I left the house at daybreak. About a half hour later, a young deer came out of the neighbor's cornfield and traveled about 150 yards straight to me and offered itself as a sacrificial lamb so I obliged!! Damn, I was happy that hunt ended early!!

BPS

I have warm boots. Here in northern Wisconsin, especially the muzzle loader season we have hunted in as much as -30 below. So I have a pair of Sorrel Dominator Boots good to -100 degrees. Although who in their right mind would check that out?

The coldest that I really think of a deer harvest is, my brother and I were in a blind. It was -22 when we left. He sat there shaking so bad he finally said he was going over to a friends blind because they had heaters in their blinds. So he left. And I still say, as he walked out, the deer figured he left and no one was in the blind. This doe, a nice not huge but not little doe walked out. My tag was for a doe. And I popped her with a cap lock Renegade (I was not into flintlocks yet.) And as I field dressed her she steamed like a stove pipe. Boy the insides of her was nice and warm as I dressed her.

Yea... a day like that would make you look forward to be gutting a deer!!

BPS

A cold front is hitting us tomorrow. I'm heading to the lease in the late evening for a cold 29° Friday morning hunt. Burrrr! It won't be getting back up to a predicted 54° high until around noon.

LMAO@ 29 degrees being Brrr.... Me and Cayu would still be sweatin in that heat wave!!!

I,m with ya SH54.

Barry and I are in the same boat here. Weather in Jan in PA is a toss up and changes like a woman changes her mind! I've used powder dry (or fletch dry) mixed in with my 4Fg powder to help keep it dry. Even then I'm constantly checking my pan. When the weather gets wet I carry a silicon impregnated heavy cloth like a chamois with me and hold it on the lock with a rubber band.