Cold Weather Tips
08-21-2005, 12:30 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Manitoba, Canada
Posts: 127
Cold Weather Tips
Just wondering if some of the long time shooters out there might offer a few cold weather tips/tricks - weather here in ML deer season can often be at or even below 32 F. I imagine if you are going on day long hunts, if you bring the ML indoors, it should be cleaned as ifit was going into storage, even tho you are going out thenext day? I wouldplan on discharging the gun at day's end each day.Also what effect if any does freezing weather have on pyrodex pellets? I am thinking of the pellets in the box they were purchased in - if they sit in the car all day and get really cold, and then they are brought into a warm house.
08-21-2005, 01:59 PM
#2
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Roanoke, VA
Posts: 730
RE: Cold Weather Tips
I haven't experienced any problems with pyrodex pellets and cold weather. I usually hunt in weather down in the 30's and lower, and in all types of weather. I leave my gun loaded throughout our early one week season, unlessI get a shot at a deer. SometimesI bring it in the house, and sometimesI leave it in the truck overnight. Never experienced any problems.
08-21-2005, 04:47 PM
#3
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
RE: Cold Weather Tips
Cold weather can play tricks on a muzzleloader in more ways then you might expect. First off the pyrodex pellets will not actually freeze per say, as they would need to be wet in order to freeze like ice. They will get verycold of course but as long as they are kept dry, they will go off just fine.
Before you start your hunt for the day prepare your rifle like you normally would. Swab the bore with alcohol to remove any grease, dirt or water. Then be sure and run a couple of dry patches. It is critical to make sure there is no moisture in the barrel. Now load as normal.
If you're going to be hunting where it might be raining or snowing. Put a finger cot over the muzzle of the rifle. A finger cot can be purchased at any pharmacy. They are a small rubber/plastic balloon like device that people place over a cut finger to keep dirt and moisture out of a wound. By rolling this over the muzzle of the barrel, it will keep all moisture from going down the barrel in the form of rain or snow. You can also shoot right through the finger cot without taking it off should the need arise.
If you are hunting with an exposed breech like my Black Diamond XR I simply take a piece of cling wrap or handi wrap and stretch that over the open breech . This will keep the moisture out of the breech area. Again, you can still shoot the rifle without taking it off.
If you are hunting with a percussion side lock, a small piece of cling wrap can be placed over the percussion cap to keep it dry. Other like to use candle wax. They rub a candle along the bottom of the cap so water can not get under it and kill the cap. Also it does not hurt when hunting in wet conditions to change the percussion cap every hour. Face it, better to waste a few caps then miss that critical shot you waited all day for.
When you return home from the days hunt, and lets say you have not fired the rifle, you have a couple choices. You can fire the rifle off, and take the UNLOADED rifle into the house and clean it, starting with a fresh load the following day.
You can pull the load out of the rifle and simply wipe the bore out (I done that today on the range when stubborn projectile refused to be seated). If the rifle has not been fowled then there is no need to really clean it. Then you reload the following day. It is safe to drop the breech plug and let the powder fall out the back end of the rifle and then push the projectile out of the barrel. Then you wipe the barrel out and reload with a new projectile the following day. In the case of pellets, if they are dry you can reuse them also. Personally I would change out the pellets and use new ones, saving the others for range duty or as a back up pellet load.
The last choice is to leave the rifle loaded. Here you need to take some very important steps to protect yourself and other. If I am going to leave the rifle loaded, I put a red bandanna or cloth through the trigger guard. This signals everyone that the rifle is loaded. I also take measures to be sure that the rifle is in an area where it will not be disturbed. I tell those around me, the rifle is loaded and warn them do not touch. The other thing you need to remember if you are coming from hunting in the cold, do not bring that loaded rifle to a warm place. As we all know for those that wear glasses, you come into a warm house for being outside and what happens? Condensation of course. The same will happen in the barrel of the rifle if you bring a cold rifle into a warm house, car, cabin, etc. So I take the rifle to the wood shed. Here, I remove the finger cot. I then place a cotton cloth on the ground. I place the rifle muzzle end down onto the cloth. That is for the event that any moisture would form, it would flow downward, away from the powder charge. On the breech I remove the cap, 209, what ever, and lay a paper towel over that area. Make sure the rifle is in a place where it will not fall over and will be dry. In the morning I replace the finger cot, and cap the rifle with a new cap.
Personally , I fire my rifle off at the end of the day, clean it, and reload. This tells me a couple things. First that my water proofing habits worked, and the rifle would have fired. Next it tells me that the rifle tomorrow will start clean and with a fresh load, so if it fired today then there is no reason to think that it will not fire tomorrow. I do it for piece of mind. I used to leave them loaded, but got stung even though I took all the necessary steps to water proof and to store the rifle. The choice is yours.
As for hunting all day in the cold, I do it all the time and the rifle will always fire for me 99% of the time. That is the beauty of a muzzle loader you have one shot, one chance, and then there is always the possibility that it might not fire. What could be better?
Before you start your hunt for the day prepare your rifle like you normally would. Swab the bore with alcohol to remove any grease, dirt or water. Then be sure and run a couple of dry patches. It is critical to make sure there is no moisture in the barrel. Now load as normal.
If you're going to be hunting where it might be raining or snowing. Put a finger cot over the muzzle of the rifle. A finger cot can be purchased at any pharmacy. They are a small rubber/plastic balloon like device that people place over a cut finger to keep dirt and moisture out of a wound. By rolling this over the muzzle of the barrel, it will keep all moisture from going down the barrel in the form of rain or snow. You can also shoot right through the finger cot without taking it off should the need arise.
If you are hunting with an exposed breech like my Black Diamond XR I simply take a piece of cling wrap or handi wrap and stretch that over the open breech . This will keep the moisture out of the breech area. Again, you can still shoot the rifle without taking it off.
If you are hunting with a percussion side lock, a small piece of cling wrap can be placed over the percussion cap to keep it dry. Other like to use candle wax. They rub a candle along the bottom of the cap so water can not get under it and kill the cap. Also it does not hurt when hunting in wet conditions to change the percussion cap every hour. Face it, better to waste a few caps then miss that critical shot you waited all day for.
When you return home from the days hunt, and lets say you have not fired the rifle, you have a couple choices. You can fire the rifle off, and take the UNLOADED rifle into the house and clean it, starting with a fresh load the following day.
You can pull the load out of the rifle and simply wipe the bore out (I done that today on the range when stubborn projectile refused to be seated). If the rifle has not been fowled then there is no need to really clean it. Then you reload the following day. It is safe to drop the breech plug and let the powder fall out the back end of the rifle and then push the projectile out of the barrel. Then you wipe the barrel out and reload with a new projectile the following day. In the case of pellets, if they are dry you can reuse them also. Personally I would change out the pellets and use new ones, saving the others for range duty or as a back up pellet load.
The last choice is to leave the rifle loaded. Here you need to take some very important steps to protect yourself and other. If I am going to leave the rifle loaded, I put a red bandanna or cloth through the trigger guard. This signals everyone that the rifle is loaded. I also take measures to be sure that the rifle is in an area where it will not be disturbed. I tell those around me, the rifle is loaded and warn them do not touch. The other thing you need to remember if you are coming from hunting in the cold, do not bring that loaded rifle to a warm place. As we all know for those that wear glasses, you come into a warm house for being outside and what happens? Condensation of course. The same will happen in the barrel of the rifle if you bring a cold rifle into a warm house, car, cabin, etc. So I take the rifle to the wood shed. Here, I remove the finger cot. I then place a cotton cloth on the ground. I place the rifle muzzle end down onto the cloth. That is for the event that any moisture would form, it would flow downward, away from the powder charge. On the breech I remove the cap, 209, what ever, and lay a paper towel over that area. Make sure the rifle is in a place where it will not fall over and will be dry. In the morning I replace the finger cot, and cap the rifle with a new cap.
Personally , I fire my rifle off at the end of the day, clean it, and reload. This tells me a couple things. First that my water proofing habits worked, and the rifle would have fired. Next it tells me that the rifle tomorrow will start clean and with a fresh load, so if it fired today then there is no reason to think that it will not fire tomorrow. I do it for piece of mind. I used to leave them loaded, but got stung even though I took all the necessary steps to water proof and to store the rifle. The choice is yours.
As for hunting all day in the cold, I do it all the time and the rifle will always fire for me 99% of the time. That is the beauty of a muzzle loader you have one shot, one chance, and then there is always the possibility that it might not fire. What could be better?
08-21-2005, 07:28 PM
#4
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Blissfield MI USA
Posts: 5,293
RE: Cold Weather Tips
I load mine at the beginning of the season and it stays that way until I fire it. Is what messes them up most of the time is taking them inside to a warm room after being in the cold. The barrel will sweat and can get the powder wet. I leave mine in the case in my trunk or in the garage until the season is over. Actually I leave it in my locked blind if I will be returning the next day. In michigan they are considered safe and unloaded as long as there is no cap or primer. I actually remove my bolt just to be safe.
Cayugad had some good suggestion as far as safety as well. I don't have kids or anyone to mess with mine even if I left it out. However if I bring it in the house I unload it. I either shoot it or use the plastic tube that came with it to dump the charge out the back end, then I push the bullet the out the front.
Paul
Cayugad had some good suggestion as far as safety as well. I don't have kids or anyone to mess with mine even if I left it out. However if I bring it in the house I unload it. I either shoot it or use the plastic tube that came with it to dump the charge out the back end, then I push the bullet the out the front.
Paul
08-21-2005, 09:13 PM
#5
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Colorado
Posts: 4,127
RE: Cold Weather Tips
Cayugad has a lot of good advice in his post. Personally, I leave mine loaded all season and, if no opportunities come along for a harvest,keep it outdoors. Never have had a problem. Somewhere I read that pellets are more resistent to moisture issues than loose powder. One thing I have seen, though, is that it can be very difficult to seat a sabot when the temps are on the low side. I once tried to seat a Barnes 250 Expander MZ in a T/C Black Diamond when it was 7 degrees above zero. Would not go down the barrel. Couldn't get it to go back out, after removing the breech plub, either. Took it back to myshop and left it for three hours in room temperature - came out without much trouble. These rounds seat pretty firmly in summer temps, but in cold weather you couldn't seat one with a hammer.
