Shooting Traditional Firearms and Weapons > Trail Walks and Trekking

Protecting your flintlock on longer Treks

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Captchee:
I do a lot of hunting with my flintlocks  here in Idaho . As such in the fall we can have  days that start out cold and then  by afternoon be  in the 90”s .
 Or it can start out hot then turn to blowing snow and rain .
 Years ago I stopped using a cows knee . Total PITA when you need to take a shot  quick .
 Here is what I found that works well for me .
After loading I  thumb in a little grease  along the  top edge of the pan where it meets the  barrel .
 While hunting  I carry the gun so that the lock is  under my arm  and protected . I also check my prime often .
  When it seriously starts to rain  in turn the gun over can carry it upside down  but still tucked close in  so as to protect the lock
 For bore protection , frankly I don’t concern myself with that unless im loaded with a conical and the weather is bad  . In which case I practice muzzle awareness  by keeping the muzzle level or slightly down in the carry even though  the conical is a tight fit .

 The real problem is late  fall when we get a lot of fog  and snow  with very low temperatures and im deer or elk hunting .
 This time of year  the elk and deer have been pushed down . But  this also means that the mountain lions are following the herds .
 I have had days where  I have cut the tracks of 5 different cats  within a morning hunt .
 They like the fog and  you better have a gun  at the ready  for  most times your going  or they are going to be real close before you  see them .
 In those case I carry my rifle just as I described  above with the lock tucked under my arm . I also check the prime even more  and replace it every time I check it  regardless of how it looks

Buzzard:
RC; I carry no protection for the rifle at all! Suppose i could wrap my frock around it i had too. I agree with Captchee about the cow's knee, largely worthless. His manner of carry is correct also. I have more trouble with snow getting in my lock than rain. When it's raining, i pay more attention to where my rifle is in my hand. I get lackadaisical in woods in the snow and forget to watch out. In either case, when i remember, i simply wrap my bandana around the lock area and tie with a simple overhand knot that i can pull away quickly and smoothly! Never tried the grease around the pan trick. Guess i'm to fumble fingered for that, besides, if i can't keep my gun in firing order, i deserve to starve! Mother Nature deserves to win some to yaknow!

Loyalist Dave:

--- Quote ---my Chambers NE Fowler which will be fitted for a bayonet, something that a frontier militia man might have owned in the 1760s.
--- End quote ---
 

Hey Pardner,
..., then it wouldn't have been fitted for a bayonet.  

Bayonets were property of the crown and sometimes sold to colonial governments, not readily available to civilians, and were stockpiled in Military armories, if the colonies had them at all.  One of the problems Washington had when the AWI started is the militia folks who arrived without muskets (most didn't), didn't have bayonets or even arms to mount them, and thus could not deal with British Regulars with King's muskets, who did.  Bunker Hill (Breed's Hill) was a loss though the Continentals held the high ground, and they repulsed two of three assaults..., because the ammo ran short, and they had no bayonets, so had to withdraw.  

And a wooden rammer and a bayonet doesn't mix well..., a huge design flaw in the original King's musket, which was quickly upgraded to a metal rammer.  Too easy to break off the wooden rammer without the wooden stock to help support it when stored beneath the barrel, and you must remove the wood to allow for the socket of the bayonet.  

So I'd save your money, and the lines of the gun, and carry a proper tomahawk, instead of a bayonet.

LD

Rasch Chronicles:
Loyalists...

Always ruining the party...

LOL! That makes alot of sense. I am repeatedly embarassing myself here with my lack of knowledge.

Now what to do... Make up a story of how I obtained a King's bayonet before The American Revolution, get a French one instead from a Frenchman who dropped his rifle when overrun, claim ignorance and run around while people snicker behind my back at my lack of HC...

Choices, choices.

Best regards,
Albert “Afghanus” Rasch
Charged! Hog Hunting at its Best!
?O??? ????!

rickevans:
"...a proper tomahawk..."  is a fine solution!

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