Left it loaded for how long ????

Hi all,
my hunting buddy and I decided to use M/L rifles only this season and I thought I would report the findings.

Nov 5th we both fired a couple caps on our M/L's, then ran dry patchs down the bore on both, removing all the excess oil left from cleaning. Then a quantity of FFFg went down the bore, and using cloth patches we had rubbed crisco into (melting the crisco and pouring it over the patches is SO messy) we both seated a round ball, capped the rifles and went hunting.

The first couple days I pulled the cap when I brought the musket into the house or took it home. Then I remembered an acticle I had read and found a pencil eraser and placed it between the cap and hammer. Bob continued to remove the cap when not hunting.

We hunted every weekend, the guns stayed loaded, in the dry, until Nov. 26, when I had a shot at a nice doe. I raised the rifle, cocked the hammer, and BOOM!!! No hang-fire, no nothing, (also no deer, but thats another story).

Bobs rifle stayed loaded until Dec. 11 when he was sitting in MY STAND and shot a nice 8 point buck at about 25 yards. He cocked the Hawken and BOOM!!! No issues at all. (He owes me half the meat for using my stand!!!)

So, my musket was loaded for a day shy of three weeks, Bobs was loaded for five weeks. The weather was dry, almost no frost or dew, no rain. We took precautions by wiping the bore well to remove oil and using patches not overly soaked with lube.

Am I suggesting my way was right? Not at all, just mentioning the little experiment we conducted on behalf of muzzleloaders everywhere. (ok maybe we just too lazy to clean after every hunt).

anyway, there's our results...let the games begin!

Eterry

I load several of my guns with GOEX on a clean dry bore at the beginning of our three-month season, and use different guns for different hunts (tree stand/still hunting/caplock/flintlock/etc.). Some of those guns will stay loaded the entire season before being shot. I've never had a failure to fire.

Loaded a .54 Lyman GPR on November 18th a few years ago. Kept it in the back of the truck or in the garage. In February the next year I took it to the range and touched it off. Perfect bullseye. Breech area looked shiny and new when she was cleaned. Had to use a little flashlight, but looked as good as the day she was bought.

This was in Illinois.

Dan

A friend a few years ago loaded for deer hunting and never got a shot. Left it loaded until just before the next deer season. I don't recommend it.

I routinely load my flintlock for the early muzzleloading season in mid October and leave it loaded until I get a shot. That might not come until mid December during the late season, so leaving it for 2 months is sort of a yearly routine. I have also left one for 5 1/2 months as a test. It fired instantly that time, I've never had anything but normal ignition after leaving it loaded.

I never stop the touch-hole or take any special precautions, and have become convinced there's no need to, good quality BP exposed to the atmosphere fires normally, even here in horribly humid Kentucky. My guns are always loaded into a clean, dry barrel at home before the hunt, no fouling shots, no caps popped even if I'm using a percussion gun.

Spence

Just the other day I took my deer rifle out in the "back forty" and unloaded her into a ditch bank. No hangfire at all, just the familiar "crack".
This rifle had been left loaded for three weeks or so. I load my gun at the start of hunting season and they only get fired if I take a shot at game or the season is over. I use Goex 3f and make sure the gun is clean and dry before loading the charge and ball. I use caution to keep moisture out of it when in the field, and keep it in my unheated garage if I bring it home still loaded. My biggest concern is condesation wetting my powder. Thats why it stays outside if loaded. I also remove the cap and let the hammer down on a small piece of leather over the nipple. I`ve been doing it this way for years with no problems.
I wouldn`t recommend doing this if you use Pyrodex though. I`ve had bad experiences getting fake powder to fire if left loaded more than 24hrs or so.

ohiosam said:

A friend a few years ago loaded for deer hunting and never got a shot. Left it loaded until just before the next deer season. I don't recommend it.

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I don't recommend it either, but I had a friend load his flintlock in December for PA's late season and not get a shot. Just to see if he could, he left it loaded until the next October for the early ML antlerless season and killed a doe--rifle went right off. If it's kept dry a load of black powder will keep for years, I think.

I'll leave mine loaded for a couple weeks at a time, but then I'll fire her off and clean it up. JMO

I usually leave my caplock loaded for a couple of weeks at a time during hunting season.
When I do unload the rifle,I shoot into my target behind the house.
The rifle does seem to shoot a couple of inches lower than normal after leaving it loaded for a period of time.
I figure the patch dries a little.I use Olive oil for a patch lube

I've left them loaded almost an entire season with no problem; ignition was instantaneous. You do not want to do this with any water based lube, of course.

I used to do the same when using cap guns, saw no need in unloading and reloading during the season and several times the gun was put up at the end loaded (marked "LOADED")and not shot until the next range day that spring/summer. The only difference I see is I always took the nipple off after loading and trickled 3F under it until it rested just under the nipple. My gun always went off in the woods in all kinds of weather, something I can't say about everyone else I hunted with.

Well, like I said, I have left mine loaded a couple days, but never this long a period. The only maintenience was we pulled the nipples and inspected the powder, it was still loose and dry, so we put them back together.

I am going back hunting tuesday, my days off changed and I need to bloody my rifle and put some meat in the freezer.
Eterry

That is the best way to insure the gun will fire after some period of storage. But, You will be surprised at how many shooters don't even OWN a Nipple wrench, much less take it with them.

In 1985, I hunted some new ground with 6 other members of my local gun club. 5 used percussion rifles: 2 of us used flintlocks. Opening day began with cold rain and mist, then fog, as the sun came up. The other flintock shooter shot the only deer taken that day, just at sunrise. No other shots were fired.

At the end of the day, we were all asked to unload our guns( Illinois law THEN required an empty barrel for transporting a MLer in any vehicle)by shoot at a heavily damaged apple tree that the deer had chewed on. It had to come down, and the manager didn't want to use a chain saw for fear of spooking the deer off the property.

NONE of the percussion rifles Fired on the first hammer falls. Not ONE of the percussion shooters had a nipple wrench with them.

When I came it, My flintlock fired right off, as did the other flintlock. I had to go into my range box to get my nipple wrench to help pull nipples and put some dry powder under them to get most of the percussion guns to fire.

The percussion rifle SHOOTERS were disgusted: They were unhappy with their own guns, and they were equally upset that both flintlocks fired right off. They had given us a lot of grief about using a flintlock in such wet conditions, right up until we pulled the triggers on our rifles. :hmm: :redface: :shocked2: :surrender: :thumbsup:

I usually (always!) shoot my flintlock at the end of the day but than, I shoot it again and again and again”¦sometimes twenty agains. Than I clean it. Shooting one is addictive, one shot deserves another!

a buddy of mine left his blunderbuss loaded for like 2 years, granted, its a flintlock and ignition time was a bit slow but it went boom first try

I have 3 loaded since middle of nov last year. Will fire them after the 1st of jan. I don't bring them inside when its cold out. Larry

That is the secret- don't take your guns inside a warm, MOIST room, and then back out again. That is how condensation forms inside the barrel. Leave the gun someplace protected, but out in the air with the relatively same air temperature as what you experienced during your hunt. Keep it somewhere dry- of course, but don't let it warm up again, and the take it out into the cold and expect it to fire correctly, if at all. :idunno: :hmm:

I solve this problem by never leaving my guns loaded, after the hunt (I will leave my rifle loaded...OUTSIDE...if in camp for several days).
It's my belief...right or wrong...that powder down the barrel acts as a moisture sponge, and whether the gun fires CRACK, popBANG, or pop.....Bang! doesn't tell you if you're doing damage to your bore.
Besides, an unloaded gun never went off by accident. :shake:

I load mine with triple seven in November and leave it until mid January if I don't get a shot. Always goes boom like normal and check with drop in bore light. No problems. I hang a tag on it with LOADED in red so there is no misunderstanding that it is loaded.

paulvallandigham said:

That is the secret- don't take your guns inside a warm, MOIST room, and then back out again....... Keep it somewhere dry- of course, but don't let it warm up again, and the take it out into the cold and expect it to fire correctly, if at all.

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That has been the party line for a long time, but it doesn't work, for me. I do all that forbidden stuff and my guns fire normally.

Spence

Yea Spence, we weren't worried about leaving the guns outside either, we treated them like any other gun. I dont imagine 150 years ago anyone leaving their weapon outside, but I'm not sure. Methinks the trick is removing as much grease from the bore/nipple before loading, and not using a patch dripping with lube. It seemed to work for us, but your mileage may vary.

Eterry