Cold Weather Muzzleloader Hunting

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bigbull

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Quebec
I am contemplating the purchase of a muzzleloader for late fall deer hunting, time and place is the
end of November in northern Saskatchewan (0 to -30 temps).
I have hunted in this region during that period with a centerfire rifle and know what
precautions/preparations are required for rifles to function reliably so I have to ask the question.

Are there muzzleloaders that are better suited/more reliable for cold weather hunting than others, and
what if any special precautions should be followed to maintain top reliability?

Your personal experiences with specific makes and models would be appreciated.
Thanks
BB
 
As a general rule, inline ML's are less likely to misfire or hang fire in poor weather. For one thing, some use shotgun primers instead of percussion caps, giving a lot more ignition power. Also, some inlines are actually totally enclosed, which obviously keeps the weather out. I am not knowldgable about inlines, I'm sure others will help out.

Side lock rifles can be more demanding, but in my opinion, can be reliable. A little bit of preparation goes a long way. In wet weather, just rig up some sort of cover for the nipple/cap. I have shot lots in cold weather, and didn't see a problem. You may need to experiment a bit with different patch lubes, if you are using patched round ball. I have had good luck with simple canola oil in the past. More recently, I have switched to water soluble machining oil/water mix, and let the patches sit for a while to let the water evaporate before use. I'm not sure how well that would work in a cold weather hunting situation. Otherwise, I don't see any reason not to shoot a sidelock in inclement weather. Please understand that I am a side lock enthusiast, so opinions will vary... There are good reasons why inline muzzleloader sales have outpaced sidelocks. I simply don't care about those reasons. As always, YMMV.
 
I used a .50 traditions flintlock penslyvannia rifle this fall up in fort st. John. Took a nice mulie with it and i never had an issue.

I would prime right before i was ready to fire but left it loaded for a couple days at a time and it went off without a hitch!

I wont comment on inlines as Ive never used one I dont intend too. If you want to hunt with a muzzleloader get one thats in the spirit of it and it will be far more rewarding.

Cheers, McLean
 
Further to my earlier post... I mentioned that you can rig up something to keep the weather out of your cap and nipple. It took me a while, but I finally found on Track of the Wolf, a leather lock cover. It fits over the hammer and breech area, including nipple, and fastens on with a strap/snap. I saw it some time ago, and forgot where. I'm ordering one for myself. I think it would be the real deal.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I did have a misfire this fall, when I drew on a BIG non-typical buck, 20 yards. It was pouring rain at the time, I wasn't expecting rain, and I didn't have a nipple condom with me. Oops. OTOH, I don't view that as a big deal. He'll be around next year, and so will I. I been bowhunting and muzzleloading long enough to not sweat the little stuff, and at this stage, it's all little stuff. YMMV.
Oh, I also forgot, I hunt with a Lyman Great Plains .50, that I built from a kit in the early '80's. I really like the rifle, and last fall I learned a bunch of stuff that really improved accuracy. If you are interested in shooting patched round ball, invest $20 in a "book" titled "Black Powder Rifle Accuracy" by Dutch Schoultz, of Missouri. It's not very impressive to look at, a self-published thing, only a few photocopied pages paper- clipped together, but it is pretty damn good. Google it, his website gives you quite a bit of the information for free.
I am surprised that you haven't received any input from the inline enthusiasts, although I assume they will make an appearance, and I hope they do. There is a real solid case to be made for buying an inline. They are without question more technologically advanced than sidelocks. Some are even kinda nice to look at, if you like that sort of thing. Look around, and go with your gut. Only you know what floats your boat. Enjoy looking!
 
Yeah i saw the one on track of the wolf and made some for my guns. Cost me nothing really as i already had the leather here ! Thats are the cats behind ;)

Cheers, McLean
 
I use sidelocks, and don't have any issues with reliability. I prefer the flinter actualy. Real Black powder will ignite very reliable in either flint or cap guns. Subs like 777 pyrodex can be a problen. My rem 700 Muzzle loader never see's the light of day. It is no diferent than shooting with the 30-06 as far as satisfaction goes.
 
Thanks for the input guys, It is good to hear from the traditionalist crowd, I also have used traditional
muzzleloaders in the past and at one time belonged to the Canadian Muzzleloaders assocciation here in Quebec,
I competed very successfully at the time using a Jonothan Browning Mountain rifle in 45cal. of coarse I was only
using patch and ball in the rifle and only Black Powder, all open sights of coarse, I have a bunch of awards to show
for my efforts, I enjoyed the sport and want to get into it again but for hunting purposes, I never hunted with my
guns at the time and no longer own the Browning or the Thompson Hawken that I also used. So basically starting from scratch,
I do still have my possible bag and all my other stuff.
I was hoping that some of the inliners would chime in since there are so many using inlines for hunting.
Easyrider I know about the breech protector you spoke about and it would be dandy as long as no quick shooting is involved.
I must say one of the things that I like about the traditional stuff can be summed up in one word "SIMPLICITY", that goes
a long way in keeping this uncomplicated when out in the field. The traditional rifles lack the long range reach of the newer
inlines but I think within their range the patchball can hold it's own.
Mrclean, good to hear the flinters side of the story, I have never fired one because I always had in the back of my mind that theyare really busy with all the exposed components and moving parts
but they definetly have a cool factor to them.
Keep them coming guys.
BB
 
Too bad you sold that Browning, Bigbull. Man, those are nice rifles! Regarding your comment about longer ranges and traditional ML's...if that is an issue, there is no need to go to an inline. There is a whole discipline of shooting out there involving long range muzzleloader shooting (LRML). A slow twist patched ball has a range limit of around 100-150 yards, but if you go to a slug gun, where the projectile is a conical bullet with a length of around 2.5-3 calibres, and a twist rate of 1/18" or so, depending on caliber, long range shooting is very doable. I personally have no experience at all with LRML, but I have spent the winter months researching the topic, and I have to try this!!! Competitions take place out to 1000 yards! Sadly, there are no cheap LRML off the shelf rifles. The one I am contemplating is the Pedersoli Gibbs, which runs around $1700 plus moulds, sizing dies, and other doodads. Ouch! On top of that, it weighs 11 lbs., and has no ramrod. Also, and probably most important, they fire a loose fitting bullet, and it can work its way off the powder charge if carried around muzzle down. Altogether, not an ideal hunter rifle. Another option is to rebarrel a T/C Renegade, or similar. Green Mountain makes a drop in barrel wit 1/18 twist, which should work.
Please understand that I have no personal experience with any of this, so really, it's all BS. I am, however going to put my money where my mouth is as soon as I get home from vacation. If you are interested, I can recommend some reading material. One excellent site is www.researchpress.co.uk. If you already know all of this, sorry for taking up space...
Glen
 
I should first say that I have a deep appreciation for the history of the more authentic styled muzzleloaders. In spite of that, I'll offer a comment on the I lines since nobody else is going to. For the last several years my kids and I have used a couple of stainless and plywood, Leupold scoped smokeless powder shooting sabot loading monstrosities. Taken purely as a hunting tool they are very impressive in range, hitting power and lack
Of recoil. I watched a bull moose go down like it was hit by a magnum(rifle would have been legal) and they usually crush deer. I've never had any problems with weather.
 
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