Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders Cold, snowy, Flintlock shooting

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 shot at zero and below and it was noticeably slower. I don't know if the springs were tight or what, but certainly slower.
If it is wet I mix a water proof powder in my primer. That also makes a delay, but it literally makes water run off the powder like a ducks back. Better slow than just a click.

FWIW when I run the primitive snowshoe biathlons w/ my muzzleloader I use a 62-cal 48" club butt musket that loves a charge of FFFg as the charge powder. Have run in temps in high single digits once and in the teens 2 or 3 times and never had a slow-fire.

Offhand shooting with a flintlock is one of the toughest shooting skills to master, I still look for a tree to lean against.

Ready to make meat!

Wooden "flints", a ton of dry fire, and some safety glasses helped me reconcile my head on this after YEARS of struggles. Now I can run the flinter pretty good. Usually.

Havent thought of that in all the times Ive shouldered mine and thought, wish I could dry fire it...Thanks.

Take a spring-powered clothespin. Lop off the tail end of one of the ends you squeeze. If you have a bigger lock, use both ends. Fix them in the jaws like a flint, and you're good to go.

Some recommend a rubber eraser, but I found that they get beat to snot in a hurry. Wood works better, imho.

I was out trying to sight in my 36 flinter for a rabbit hunt . it was -15C . I couldn't get much accuracy cuz I think the patch and lube was freezing in the barrel. anyone here have a cold weather lube that might work ?

I use the mink oil by Track of the Wolf as my Winter time and hunting patch lube. Never have had it freeze up on me yet!

FWIW when I'll volunteer as a judge at the last shooting station for the Winter primitive snowshoe biathlons we run here in New England, during one 17-degree day I had no less than 8 ramrods broken at my station in a 3-hour shift; 7 using Bore Butter and the other spit patching.

I had my steel-cored wooden-coated ramrod by 'Primitive Ramrod' with me, plus some liquid Hoppes BP Patch Lube placed tight inside my clothing to stay liquid from my body heat, plus a tin of TOW's mink oil ... and all shooters were at least able to load and complete the course.

For the steel-core ramrods, see: http://www.periodramrod.com/index.html

Superb link.

VT course?

Yes, at the Smugglers Notch event in Jeffersonville, VT.