I live a hundered miles or so from the Oregon coast, and the rain = isn't=20 quite as bad here as has been alluded to in other messages. Over = at the=20 coast it's possible to get road killed fish, but that's beside the=20 point. Locally deer season starts the first of October and = runs for a=20 week into November. It has been known to start raining the = first of=20 Oct. and not stop until the 4th of July. But that doesn't happen = every=20 year and we can have hot dry Octobers. Lewis and Clark spent the = winter at=20 Astoria, and folks, it rains in that country, yet the hunters were = killing=20 lots of elk, hunting in weather so wet it rotted = their buckskin=20 clothes. I wanted to prove to myself that I could kill a buck in a = rain=20 storm using my flintlock .62 caliber knock off of an English = sporting=20 rifle. In order to do that I needed to do a little practicing = along with=20 watching how others do things in the rain. One of the first = things I=20 learned is that a flinter works much better in the rain than a cap = lock. =20 Caps seem to draw moisture if handled with wet fingers, let alone being = in wet=20 weather. That wasn't a problem on account of I don't own a = cap lock=20 and was wanting to prove a point anyhow. I just threw that in = because it's=20 one man's experience from watching shooting matches in wet weather, = so take=20 it for what it's worth. The first and most improtant thing I = discovered=20 when shooting in the rain is you need a roof, and that's where that = broad=20 brimed hat comes in. When you pour powder into the bore, = or prime you=20 can lean a bit forward, get the rifle in close to your body and get = it=20 loaded and primed dry. My rifle has a so called water = proof pan,=20 and I tried greasing as well as a calf's knee and they didn't work well = for=20 me. Cold and rain seem to cause water to condense in the pan, kind = of like=20 a wick. Here's what worked for me, keeping in mind that I'm 6'2" = tall, and=20 was in good condition -- not strong as a bull or anything like = that --=20 just much better condition than I am now at 66. I found that = the=20 warmth of my hand cupped over the lock was enough to keep the pan = dry. I=20 used no grease or calfs knee. Putting the balance point of the = rifle in=20 the crook of my left arm I held the rifle tight against my = stomach. After=20 awhile I had to use my right hand over the left to help hold the weight = of the=20 rifle off my left arm, which after two hours was really starting to = hurt. =20 The truth is, I think them old boys did what ever they had to, and if it = hurt it=20 hurt, they had to do it. So I gritted my teeth and kept=20 hunting. Not in a stand, I knew where the good spots were, and I = moved=20 between them. The rain was steady, it didn't let up the entire = day, and=20 there was very little wind. After awhile your arm doesn't seem to = hurt=20 quite so bad, and toughing it out I was able to ease up on a = dandy=20 black tail buck, and at 40 of my paces, offhand and without a rest and = with=20 instantaneous ignition I managed to unplumb his heart. I = proved=20 to myself I could do it, and haven't been to keen about getting that wet = and=20 cold again, so I've been inclined to hunt during the nicer weather = that=20 happens along once in awhile. Just a little body warmth keeps the = priming=20 from wicking water and to me that worked better than anything else = I=20 tried. &= nbsp; =20 Dale Nelson, Roseburg, Oregon

try 50/50 D - ----- Original Message -----=20 From: "James and Sue Stone" <jandsstone@earthlink.net&= gt; To: <hist_text@lists.xmission= .com> Sent: Sunday, November 30, 2003 10:22 PM Subject: MtMan-List: waterproffing

Looking to waterproof a = cows knee. I have some pure mink oil (no=20 silicon) and some real beeswax. What proportions of each should I use? Sparks - ---------------------- hist_text list info: http://www.= xmission.com/~drudy/mtman/maillist.html

try 50/50 D - ----- Original Message ----- From: "James and Sue Stone" <jandsstone@earthlink.net> To: <hist_text@lists.xmission.com> Sent: Sunday, November 30, 2003 10:22 PM Subject: MtMan-List: waterproffing

Looking to waterproof a cows knee. I have some pure mink oil (no silicon) and some real beeswax. What proportions of each should I use? Sparks - ---------------------- hist_text list info: http://www.xmission.com/~drudy/mtman/maillist.html