Fishinfreaks has a great thread running just ahead of this one about hunting in rain. This got me curious about what others may do to rain-proof their firearm so things go right when it matters.
I hunt muzzleloaders exclusively for deer and as a rule stand hunt, but will take a couple strolls/still hunts thru the day just for circulation sake. I’ll hunt in wet weather as long as the rain isn’t a heavy driving rain with a lot of wind. Wet weather can create issues with the smoke poles though and how people deal with the water element varies widely.
I hunt in-lines and use a fairly water proof powder but I still take precautions. Once the gun is loaded, but not yet primed I slip a finger cot over the muzzle which prevents anything from slipping down the barrel. Shooting a sabot is supposed to prevent water intrusion , but I’m seldom in the mood to find out otherwise hence the barrel condom. At the other end, when I place the primer in the pocket I rub a small amount of soft bees wax across the primer face and under the lip of the edge. This will allow the breech to close tight but keeps water of any sort out. And if I am sitting in the stand I may also just lay a little piece of plastic zip lock over the break in the breech to shed and water while the guns is at rest. It’ll fall away when the gun goes to the shoulder. These two things have saved the day for me more than once I am certain.
For my optics I make sure to have some soft lens tissues in a zip lock where they’ll be handy and kept dry….think shirt pocket. I also have flip-up lens caps that do a wonderful job of keeping the optics both clean and dry. The covers flip up quietly and with little effort….hardly an intrusion but invaluable. I’ve just found that taking time to cover the little things makes everything work that much smoother
What do others do to make sure you’re really ready when that moment arrives? In the past I’ve had some real misery meet me when I have brought the gun up and found a wad of accumulated snow plugging my view or rain drops froze to the lens. And while I have no way to prove it I am convinced that on one occasion I had a mess of water in the bore that really threw a shot off mark in a gun that was as a rule a one holer with 5 shots at 100 yards.
Other people do similar things. What do you all do?
