flintlock rifle in winter

Feb 18, 2017 18:54

Setting: fantasy, based on ~1730s Europe ( Read more... )

1720-1729, ~weapons: firearms, 1730-1739, 1700s (no decades given)

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Comments 5

syntinen_laulu February 19 2017, 08:46:40 UTC
Sub-zero temperatures are no problem for black powder weapons; in fact they are a positive advantage - black powder is hydrophilic and if there's any moisture in the atmosphere it will instantly suck it up; it may well fail to ignite altogether, and if it does ignite it will leave even more residue than usual and your weapon will clog up even faster than usual. If it's seriously cold - crisp dry sub-zero cold - then there is little-to-no moisture in the air, and therefore no problem with overnight dew etc. She just shouldn't keep it in her bedroll with her and the dog ( ... )

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dinogrrl February 19 2017, 18:16:58 UTC
Yeah you're right, I meant musket instead of rifle. I even had that specifically noted in my 'notes to self' file and I still wrote the wrong thing here :p thanks for the reminder!

And this is all good info! Thanks for taking the time to reply, this is really helpful.

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Re: RE: Still not spam - Continued dinogrrl February 19 2017, 18:26:11 UTC
My MC definitely isn't a sharpshooter so I doubt she'd be carrying anything 'special' (and as I replied to the other commenter, MC is actually using a musket, not a rifle; this is what I get for writing entries when I'm tired and don't read my own notes).

Those are all some really great ideas for mishaps! Thanks for all the suggestions :)

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Re: Still not spam - Continued dinogrrl February 19 2017, 18:20:50 UTC
I think your comment prior to this one got eaten but this one's full of really good info! Thanks a lot!

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turbobeholder February 20 2017, 14:01:14 UTC
As syntinen_laulu said, cold itself isn't a big deal - the difference between a glowing spark and room temperature is still much greater than between room and winter outside. You ever seen a flint based lighter used in cold? Wheellock does much the same. Primitive flintlock is probably less reliable - but then, it always is.
Water can be a problem, specifically from melting snow.

Ice can be a problem too. All it takes to glue the moving parts with ice is a single snowflake at the wrong place, melted when you touch it or bring the piece inside or near the campfire, then frozen again.
I guess this could be cleared pretty quickly by carefully forcing the mechanism to move manually and then cocking it again (it's not as delicate as a pocket watch, after all), but that's still not the same as ready for action.

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