Cold Shoot

[Kinman]

The monthly shoot for the Spokane Falls Muzzle Loaders is the second Sunday of each month, with exception to May when due to Mother's day we shoot on the 3rd Sunday.
This has to be the coldest January shoot I can remember in the past twelve years. We have waded out into mid thigh and knee deep snow before but not in temperatures in the single digits.
Normally in good weather we will have around twenty five shooter. Yesterday we mustered ten to twelve, two only came to shoot the monthly aggregate target which was an 8" bull at 100yds from the bench. I've seen it before in practice but not in a match, guys had patched round balls freezing in the barrel. Some guys are still using spit to lube their patches, guys with mixed grease lubes were fouling their barrels. I follow the high tech method of using teflon coated dry patches and use a cleaning solution between each shot which is made up of liquid dish detergent, water soluble mineral oil and water. I substitute RV anti-freeze for water in cold temps and never have an issue. One of the guys had his mainspring break in three places, two had to quit due to fouled barrels. Us teflon shooters prevailed and two of us won the match.
One of the guys had his lip freeze to the barrel due to his bad habit of blowing down the barrel to test if clear, he only lost a wee bit of skin.
Sorry no pictures...

 

[Onomea]

Those issues, extreme cold and muzzle loaders, had never occurred to me. There are probably historical cases where it made quite a difference in the outcome of a battle. E.g., where one side had muskets and the other spears/bows and arrows and clubs.

 

[Rustyt1953]

 

[Rudi]

I remember some frigid mornings in the duck boat. After your first sip of coffee, it would ice over.

 

[Kinman]

We have our shoots each month regardless of the weather. Winter brings out the hardiest shooters, poor weather is something to deal with. Since I shoot three days a week on average I get used to all the seasons and adjust accordingly. On a rainy day for example most guys increase the powder charge by 5-10 grains, rain has a serious effect on flintlock shooters, we don't often expose ourselves to full rain unless we are shooting at distances less than 50 yards. We are now basking in 60 degree days, stripping down to t-shirts, won't long no socks and shorts will be the dress of the day.
If you study about the hardships incurred by riflemen from the old days and war conditions, the weather had a major effect. In a way it is not much different from a football game played in poor or cold weather, the team acclimatized to that weather will most often do better. I like to shoot in the rain, it gives me an edge over the guy who may be a better shot, just off his game "that" much because of the weather. Heat has an effect the same way, takes less powder to achieve results...not as much as the rain does the other way. Guys that shoot traditional patches lubricated with spit in a hot barrel are at a disadvantage, some make an adjustment, some don't...most guys are just there to have fun. When its hot the barrel doesn't take more than a couple shots to get hot, when its cold it will never get hot enough to warm your hands. Thats one of the tell tales that it is warming up, recently I can feel my barrel getting warm to the touch in between shots.