Pro Tips on Moisture and Muzzleloaders

When it comes to water resistance, today's muzzleloader guns are leaps and bounds ahead of their predecessors. Still, heavy rain or changes in humidity can impact both the accuracy and function of a muzzleloader rifle. Knight Rifles pro staffer Bear Kelly provides advice to muzzleloader hunters on how to keep their rifles operating at maximum capacity.

"To make sure your rifle goes 'boom' even in the rain, always reinforce the barrel with a shoot-through cover over the end," Kelly advised. While a bullet-and-sabot combination provides some preventive barrier to the powder, moisture down the barrel is still the number one route to wet powder.

"When I muzzleload hunt in the rain, I always practice 'safe shooting,'" Kelly said. "I use a small water balloon and roll it over the end of the barrel to keep the water out. Some guys use black electrical tape and that works, but I like the balloon because I think it's more watertight."

Securing a balloon or electrical tape over the end of the barrel prevents moisture from contacting the powder from the barrel end, but the breech plug is still exposed to dampness. The Knight Rifle's Knight Disc Rifle is designed with a watertight seal that prevents moisture from accessing the powder.

"When I'm not hunting with my Disc, I keep the barrel pointed down and the action out of the rain as much as possible," Kelly said. "Also, if I'm hunting with a blued gun, I spray it down with oil prior to heading out. I watch out to keep the oil from getting around the nipple."

As furthur prevention, Kelly uses loose powder rather than palletized. "Loose powder absorbs less moisture and isn't as moisture-sensitive as pellets," he said.
Kelly keeps his extra loads in speed loaders inside a Ziploc bag, and he immediately unloads and cleans his rifle after hunting in wet conditions.

"Powder is cheap," Kelly said. "Always start off with a fresh load and a clean gun after hunting in the rain."