When next week's flintlock muzzleloader season opens, success in the field can be dependent on the reliability of one's firearm. While a portion of the experience comes from taking a step back in time, an untimely misfire is not a welcome event.

According to one 13-year veteran of late season muzzleloader hunts, fine tuning the equipment can ensure that your flintlock, though considered a primitive weapon, is dependable and efficient.

Like many late season hunters, Tony Tagliati of Indiana County began muzzleloader hunting as a way of extending his time in the field.

A bit of a perfectionist when it comes to how his firearms function, over time he's experimented with various aspects of shooting a flintlock, tweaking things to where both accuracy and reliability come to be expected.

Here are a few of his refinements:

Slate over flint"I've found that slate produces a more dependable spark than flint," said Tagliati. "It gives off a good spray of sparks"During recent seasons, Tagliati replaced the flint with slate as the spark-generating stone on his .50 caliber Thompson-Center reproduction of the Hawkin Rifle. A shower of sparks is produced when the slate strikes the frizzen as the gun is fired. The slate is seated in a pocket of leather, with the striking surface of the stone being exposed. The position of the stone must be adjusted as it wears from use.

Bring out the brassThe standard ramrods that come with flintlocks are made of wood or fiberglass, materials that can break when exposed to too much force. Opting for a ramrod with a greater degree of stiffness, Tagliati fashioned one out of a piece of brass round stock of the proper diameter. One end of the rod has been milled to a concave surface to seat round balls.The opposite end has been tapped to accept a variety of ends, including a ball retriever, which, as the name suggests is used to remove a stuck lead ball from the barrel.

A flash in the panA flash in the pan can occur when the powder in the flashpan ignites but the propellant in the barrel does not. Tagliati has found that some shooters tend to place too much priming powder in the flashpan, not allowing enough space for the air necessary to provide good ignition.He said to go easy on the powder and to experiment with your rifle to find out what is the correct amount.The flash hole, which allows the flame from the priming powder to reach the charge in the barrel, must be kept open as well. Tagliati carries a needle with him to service the flash hole. A paper clip is another option.

Speed loadingNot that muzzleloading is an activity where speed loading is typically necessary or desirable, devices such as Thompson-Center's Speed Loaders minimize the chance of error during the reloading process.One end of the plastic capsule contains the projectile, the other accepts the powder charge. Since measuring is done in controlled quarters, rather than in the field, it's a simple matter to get to correct amount in the speed loader.One final tip Tagliati mentioned is to be sure to run a dry patch or two through the barrel before the first hunt of the season. This will remove any excess oil in the barrel left over from the previous cleaning.