# What would a Mountain Man do??



## Railroader (Oct 11, 2020)

Once an old timer had his front stuffer loaded, did he keep it that way till he shot it?

Was there a timeframe guideline for a reload?

How picky, really, were they about cleanup?

Lot of questions run thru a man's head while he's holding a Hawken, and not seeing deer...lol


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## NCHillbilly (Oct 11, 2020)

I don’t know, but I loaded my flintlock last November, and that same load went off just fine a couple weeks ago.


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## fishfryer (Oct 11, 2020)

I'm not a mountain man,but I have used and shot black powder since the early '70s. I've left black powder loaded several times from one year to the next,the charge always went boom when I pulled the trigger. My guns were in an air conditioned house however between outings. Temperature and humidity were in normal range,at least most of the time. I would think that a firearm loaded with black powder in the southwest would be a surer bet than one here in the humidity. There were surely different ideas among the the people of the 18th and 19th centuries about whether and how long to leave a charge in the firearm. There are authors who say that Wild Bill Hickock discharged and reloaded his famous revolvers every morning. If you lived or died by your weapon you would develop strict ideas about your loads,I believe.


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## Nicodemus (Oct 11, 2020)

The Eastern Longhunters and the later fur trappers of the American West were probably meticulous about the care of their weapons. They had to be. Lives depended on those weapons. When you might be a thousand miles from any type of supplies, you rationed what you had, so I figure a rifle would be kept loaded till needed, and about the only time they would get wasteful with powder and ball would be during Rondyvoo times. A good barrel cleaning can be done simply with cold water and a patch. After drying, a light coat of oil, which would have been bear oil, rendered oil from buffalo fat, or the kidney fat from deer, mountain sheep, and elk would be used to protect all the metal parts. Most "mountain men" also preferred flintlock actions rather than the new percussion locks due to availability or lack of on percussion caps. If your flint gave out and you had no spares, you could always find or make a new flint yourself. Plus, those little caps are hard to hold when you have on mittens, or if you have a mad grizzer or a mob of Blackfoot coming down on you.


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## flintlock hunter (Oct 11, 2020)

My thoughts exactly! Powder and ball wasn't a short truck ride down the road, and even though a patch lube may have dried out a bit between firings, any inaccuracy that might occur as a result was worth saving the ammunition stores.

The Mountain Men also kept a water resistant rifle covering over the gun almost constantly to help ensure it would go bang in inclement weather.


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## Hillbilly stalker (Oct 11, 2020)

And reclaimed there lead when possible, from bodies, beast and trees.


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## flconch53 (Oct 11, 2020)

In the east one of the reasons guns were hung over the fire place was to dry and keep dry their powder. It works having dried wet powder over the fire place myself. There are many accounts of mountain men pulling the load in their guns ,cleaning and reloading. Also remember in the Rockies there is very little humidity so powder drawing moisture from the air didn't happen much. Another point is that real blackpowder gets more volatile with age and doesn't become corrosive until it is fired


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## deermaster13 (Oct 11, 2020)

I left mine loaded over the off season and it touched off the first time. My reading of them it seems they were always aware of damp powder so after any rain the pan was cleaned and refreshed with powder. Nipples on capped weapons easily removed and a tad of powder put in the touch hole after a pick was used.


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## Hillbilly stalker (Oct 11, 2020)

Mustn't forget most carried a pistol or 2 for close quarters defense. Probably kept them loaded and cleaned as well. Being in Injun or Grizz country most likely had some impact on their readiness. You could only mess up once most likely.


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## flintlock hunter (Oct 11, 2020)

deermaster13 said:


> I left mine loaded over the off season and it touched off the first time. My reading of them it seems they were always aware of damp powder so after any rain the pan was cleaned and refreshed with powder. Nipples on capped weapons easily removed and a tad of powder put in the touch hole after a pick was used.




Clearing and drying of the flashpan is still done today on rainy days, or even snow.
Othen the pan and frizzen are mated to minimize moisture creeping into the priming charge.


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## flintlock hunter (Oct 11, 2020)

Hillbilly stalker said:


> Mustn't forget most carried a pistol or 2 for close quarters defense. Probably kept them loaded and cleaned as well. Being in Injun or Grizz country most likely had some impact on their readiness. You could only mess up once most likely.


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## Twiggbuster (Oct 11, 2020)

Kept mine loaded more than once
After Priming with primer went off on first hog I seen.
Keep it dry as possible


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## trad bow (Oct 11, 2020)

I keep my gun loaded throughout hunting season but I also shoot throughout the seasons so I keep a fresh load in gun because of that.


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## Railroader (Oct 11, 2020)

Good stuff, fellers...

Nice lunch break reading.


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## Darkhorse (Oct 14, 2020)

A couple of things come to mind here. Most trappers were part of a company, they were seldom alone so while a couple of trappers were cleaning their rifles in the creek, several others with loaded guns watched their back. But a free trapper, one who isn't signed on to a trading company, might have a rifle or two, a pistol or two, and a shotgun. A small raiding party he might handle alone, but a large war party probably takes his scalp.
The mated pan and frizzen. Absolutely! I always mate mine, it takes one to three hours usually to get it right. I don't really know the term for this but mated covers it pretty good. I use swiss files and sandpaper on a flat piece of wood. The frizzen is to hard to work with so the pan is fit to the frizzen. I use some kind of marker like Jerrows and paint the bottom of the frizzen. Then press it down against the pan top. When the frizzen is lifted the high points on the pan will how as black marks. Next, while keeping the top of the pan flat, file and sand those high points away. It wil take a number of these before it's flat. The way to check a pan  to frizzen fit is to hold the frizzen down against the pan and hold it to a light. The amount of light that  shines through will show how well the fit is. If this is not done your prime will leak out until the pan is empty. I have seen locks that had a gap 2FG would sift through. So check your fit. If your lock doesns't need it then your ahead of the game. If it needs it best get to fileing.
I take pains when I load my rifles prior to season opener. Mainly to be sure no oil or grease contaminates the powder. The rifle remains loaded until I fire a shot. Then the process begins again until the next shot is fired. During the season my rifles are always loaded. When the season ends I fire the last shot and give that rifle a good cleaning followed by a couple of coats of good wax.
My rifle barrels are too expensive and I have to much time and effort in them to take a chance and leave one loaded from year to year.


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## density1 (Oct 14, 2020)

George Frederick Ruxton wrote about the mountain men of the 1840's. His book "Life in the far West" has many stories about the trappers he met. 
Warning: He was not politically correct


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## flintlock hunter (Nov 5, 2020)

Darkhorse said:


> A couple of things come to mind here. Most trappers were part of a company, they were seldom alone so while a couple of trappers were cleaning their rifles in the creek, several others with loaded guns watched their back. But a free trapper, one who isn't signed on to a trading company, might have a rifle or two, a pistol or two, and a shotgun. A small raiding party he might handle alone, but a large war party probably takes his scalp.
> The mated pan and frizzen. Absolutely! I always mate mine, it takes one to three hours usually to get it right. I don't really know the term for this but mated covers it pretty good. I use swiss files and sandpaper on a flat piece of wood. The frizzen is to hard to work with so the pan is fit to the frizzen. I use some kind of marker like Jerrows and paint the bottom of the frizzen. Then press it down against the pan top. When the frizzen is lifted the high points on the pan will how as black marks. Next, while keeping the top of the pan flat, file and sand those high points away. It wil take a number of these before it's flat. The way to check a pan  to frizzen fit is to hold the frizzen down against the pan and hold it to a light. The amount of light that  shines through will show how well the fit is. If this is not done your prime will leak out until the pan is empty. I have seen locks that had a gap 2FG would sift through. So check your fit. If your lock doesns't need it then your ahead of the game. If it needs it best get to fileing.
> I take pains when I load my rifles prior to season opener. Mainly to be sure no oil or grease contaminates the powder. The rifle remains loaded until I fire a shot. Then the process begins again until the next shot is fired. During the season my rifles are always loaded. When the season ends I fire the last shot and give that rifle a good cleaning followed by a couple of coats of good wax.
> My rifle barrels are too expensive and I have to much time and effort in them to take a chance and leave one loaded from year to year.




I mate all my pans to the frizzens as well! Only way to be reasonable sure the gun will go bang when you need it to. An improperly mated pan/frizzen not only lets moisture in, causing a hang or misfire, but if the gap is big enough, it can mt the pan of priming powder in a stiff breeze.


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## Robust Redhorse (Nov 14, 2020)

They were probably crazy OCD about their muzzleloaders.

I don't know for sure, but I bet they pulled the bullet every day they hunted in the rain.

I hunted in high humidity (no rain) with a modern, in-line a couple of years ago in FL, for only 3 days. Got it home, put in a new 209, and only pop.


I think injuns had the advantage in the 1700's!


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## flconch53 (Nov 14, 2020)

The advantage the western mountain man had was the very low humidity in the west. But wiping sticks were a big trade item


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## nrh0011 (Dec 8, 2020)

Enjoyed reading this.


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## shdw633 (Dec 9, 2020)

Nicodemus said:


> The Eastern Longhunters and the later fur trappers of the American West were probably meticulous about the care of their weapons. They had to be. Lives depended on those weapons. When you might be a thousand miles from any type of supplies, you rationed what you had, so I figure a rifle would be kept loaded till needed, and about the only time they would get wasteful with powder and ball would be during Rondyvoo times. A good barrel cleaning can be done simply with cold water and a patch. After drying, a light coat of oil, which would have been bear oil, rendered oil from buffalo fat, or the kidney fat from deer, mountain sheep, and elk would be used to protect all the metal parts. Most "mountain men" also preferred flintlock actions rather than the new percussion locks due to availability or lack of on percussion caps. If your flint gave out and you had no spares, you could always find or make a new flint yourself. Plus, those little caps are hard to hold when you have on mittens, or if you have a mad grizzer or a mob of Blackfoot coming down on you.



I would imagine they shot their's a lot more than modern day hunters do.  They didn't pass on too many critters they could eat and more than likely fired their weapon on at least a weekly basis would you not say.  I say this because of how corrosive black powder is on a gun barrel.


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## Nicodemus (Dec 9, 2020)

shdw633 said:


> I would imagine they shot their's a lot more than modern day hunters do.  They didn't pass on too many critters they could eat and more than likely fired their weapon on at least a weekly basis would you not say.  I say this because of how corrosive black powder is on a gun barrel.




It`s actually not corrosive until it has been fired. Those hunters and trappers had to be very particular, especially if they were in Shawnee territory in the east and Blackfoot territory out west. They would only shoot if necessary. Remember too, that game was plentiful, especially in the east in those times, so they could pick and choose.


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## flconch53 (Dec 9, 2020)

The longhunters in particular harvested most of their deer hides in with their rifle. This hunting was in the summer so meat would have to be procured several times a week. Alot of the hunting was with torches at night. So yeah they shot alot. The hunters went out in fairly large parties so it took a big group of indians to bother them. Boone had one party that had 7 men 23 horses and I forget how many dogs.


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## Nicodemus (Dec 9, 2020)

Some good reading on Meshach Browning, and also this book on the Longhunters.


*https://www.amazon.com/Long-Hunt-Death-Buffalo-Mississippi/dp/081170968X/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&qid=1607528331&refinements=p_27%3ATed+Franklin+Belue&s=books&sr=1-4 *


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