End of season refitting the muskets.

[Adam Helmer]

Our PA Traditional (flintlock) deer season ended January 15, 2005. It is cold here in northcentral PA so it is time to tweek the muskets. (Ok, they are muzzleloading rifles, as one purist e-mailed me recently, but I like the term muskets and will use it interchangeably.) I fired up the old woodstove in the living room and then detail stripped many "muskets." I put a light coat of boiled linseed oil inside and outside the stocks after I pulled the locks. I cleaned the locks and barrels while the stocks dried. It was ZERO degrees outside and 75 degrees in the living room. I cleaned out my possibles bag while the stocks dried near the woodstove and the loyal Golden slept nearby. It seems the years roll by faster and faster as I age. The muskets are now put back together and ready for another year of service for chucks, targets and deer in 2005. Good shooting to all Long Hunters and keep them in the black.

Adam

[Gil Martin]

Adam,
I am certain your muskets get plenty of TLC and show it. A little preventative maintenance goes a long way in keeping our guns in first rate condition. I do the same on my smokepoles and look forward to the next seasons. All the best...
Gil