Hey troops. I plan to hunt with a T/C Hawken caplock for the first time this December in Michigan. Looking for tips to protect against the elements and maximize odds of ignition.

I understand sudden warm-to-cold or cold-to-warm is a no-no and will kill powder in a hurry (i.e. condensation).

Beyond that, what can be done to the rifle itself? I'm thinking Johnson's paste wax on stock and barrel, a balloon or tape over the muzzle and perhaps teflon tape on the nipple threads. What tricks do you all use especially at the lock? After all, that's where the magic happens

Along these lines, is a musket cap or Mag Spark (209) conversion worth considering?

Mag Spark works very well, never had a failure or hang fire.

When I hunted with a side-lock I sprinkled a small amount of loose powder under the nipple. Keep things dry. If in rain or wet snow you may need plastic protection over the nipple.

birchwood casey hopper spit on the outside of the barrel. A well lubed patch (Not the hopper spit!) will also help the bore.

Never and rust in a auto transmission so lube the lock in inward parts with auto fluid. Like said been using accura shot with rifle primmer so mag spark are real good An have a great hunt

I am a Michigander and since no hunting restrictions exist concerning designs of MLs, I quit winterizing my sidehammer MLs last winter and traded the caplocks for sealed ignition inlines.

Unless you are a traditionalist, I suggest doing the same. The only weatherproofing I will do this winter is a cotton-ball over the muzzle while in the woods. It's all that is needed with my T/C Omega and Knight Vision.

If a flinch lock, never carry it muzzle up when raining or snowing. The water will run down the barrel to the flashpan. Carry with your hand in front of the lock, rifle under your forearm, that will keep most of the water away. YMMV, but it works for me. A sling is the fastest way to get the thing water soaked.

I like musket caps, but they are kinda hard to find. Stay away from the CCI's, as they are not as good as they were. CCI reduced the charge for re-enactors. I recommend Nobel. Muzzle down, cover the lock with nearly anything to keep out the wet.It is not all that hard, you just have to be conscious of where the water is. The only thing that ever really boogered me up up is loading, and getting water down the barrel. That is a bad idea.Dripped off my hat, and into the barrel. PITA.

There's a little dingus called a cap guard, I think, that's a section of soft, pink tubing that goes over the nipple and cap to seal that end. A finger cot or small balloon over the muzzle will seal that. It's also a good idea to put some paste wax, bullet lube, or grease over the base of the nipple to keep water from pooling there and seeping inside.

I killed a doe in a windy wintry mix a couple years ago using the cap guard and by keeping the muzzle down. Conditions could hardly have been worse for a ML.

I follow the same protocols expressed by ol' Pappy. I don't know where to get those little cap guards anymore though. Luckily I bought a pocketful of them once, and since I only use them when hunting they have lasted me a long time.

I also had some success weatherproofing a flintlock pan with soft grease smeared around the juncture of pan and frizzen. Of course, if the frizzen itself is wet then ignition suffers. To that end I keep a leather guard (hammer stall) on it when rain is in the offing. But then snap shots are problematic. More than once in my life I forgot to take off the hammer stall in my haste to take a shot...

Of course, if the weather turns to crap, at that point I'm headed for the bar or a warm fire anyway. A glass of single malt scotch is the best way to winterize.

Some great ideas guys...thank you. I'll be employing some of the tricks mentioned. Who knows, perhaps the weather will cooperate but am preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.

Reading elsewhere it seems the Goex FF I have is a good thing relative to ignition reliability.

I'll probably pick up a Mag Spark if for anything versatility. Was a bit surprised to be able to only buy one pack of #11 percussion caps somewhat locally. Shortage apparently or just no longer popular? 209's were available everywhere I looked. Having a Mag Spark handy seems like good insurance.

Also came across mention of T/C Hot Shot SS nipples. They are still around but not as readily available as they used to be. Discontinued according to Midway...bummer. http://www.midwayusa.com/Product/91...sion-cap-1-4-x-28-thread-stainless-steel

Looking forward to toting the Hawken around Michigan woods this December pretending to be Jedediah Smith

Probably the best advice yet

I have a piece of black rubber hose, almost like dirtbike fuel line, that I put over the nipple when doing dry fire practice. I leave that over the capped nipple with the hammer down on it and have had no issues...just don't forget to remove it at the moment of truth. As for the muzzle, I just use electrical tape like a centerfire rifle.

We have always used 3F, tried the 2F and it was ok. In a flinter, the 3f makes decent flash powder in a pinch. The 2 not so good.

Lots of good ideas here. Only thing I can really add is being anal about your cleaning and de-greasing prior to loading. I swab the bore with alcohol and use pipe cleaners soaked with same to clean and dry out the flash channel under the nipple. I think more miss-fires have been caused by sludge in the flash channel than wet powder. A good tight fitting cap and bullet will keep out pretty much anything short of a dunking but shielding the lock from rain or snow and sealing the muzzle is still needed. You're right about the condensation, once the rifle gets cold keep it cold. If you uncap the rifle, immediately seal the nipple from atmosphere. I lower the hammer on a piece of inner-tube but other material will work also. Good luck chasing the deer with your caplock, good fun!

Thanks for the extra ideas guys. Using an alcohol swab prior sounds good too. Saw on another forum (cayugad I believe) had the same advice. He'll shoot a few caps (no powder) just to be sure the flash channel is clear.

I had a work seminar today a distance away and wouldn't you know I passed right by the semi-local (or semi-remote) gun shop and picked up two more packages of caps. Apparently Dynamit Nobel 1075 is a good cap? Hope so as I now have 300 of them

Also got lucky and found a T/C Hot Shot nipple there too. I thought they had been discontinued. Perhaps it was just old stock, idk. Anyway, was glad to bring it home.

I've already casted some .530" pure lead round balls. Hoping to pack up the Goex FF, .015" and .018" patches and get to the range soon to shoot this new-fangled technology for the first time

Don't know what the deal is with caps now. I picked up a few a couple years ago, but the price was out of sight. If that 209 thingy works, it'll be cheaper than caps are around here.

I was going to spend $100 on a Western ignition setup for my Knight, but given the current situation, I'll pass. Regular 209s are pretty common at about $3 per 100 in bulk, half the price of #11 caps. The 209s will light BP just fine.

One more thing. Make yourself a nipple pick or two out of piano or leader wire and use it every time. Make it long enough to go right into the charge. Cheap insurance.

Agree on the caps. Nobody has much locally - CERTAINLY not good musket caps. Buy them online, and you have to buy 1000. Just not any around. Traditional rifles are not very popular, and that might have something to do with it.I still contend the barrel doesn't know what platform it is mounted on. My traditional rifles shoot very well indeed.

I just checked on the musket caps to satisfy my curiousity, and found that CCI only makes caps designed for "reenactments". That's why they suck for shooting. Apparently, they weren't selling enough to keep real ones in the product line.

RWS caps are available online, but run about .09 per, before shipping and hazmat. If you need 'em, you can get 'em, but at a stiff price. For Hawkens and such, I'd stick with CCI 11 mags. Musket shooters are stuck, I guess. If I had a musket, I'd bite the bullet once on the hazmat for 5000, keep 2 or 3K, and sell the rest at my cost to defray the expense. In this area, there are a lot of folks that need the musket caps and I'm pretty sure they'd sell. Elsewhere, who knows?

A local dealer might be persuaded to inlude a brick or two in his regular order, provided his supplier carries them and you were willing to pony up in advance. That would save you the hazmat.

A waxed leather cover for the lock work in foul weather.

Search terms: 'cow's knee and muzzle loader'.