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Leaving a flintlock loaded for 7 days
- Thread starter kyron4
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Maybe a bit of over thinking. I hunt with multiple guns and have my own method so I know when and what is loaded. Seven days is nothing. Have fired guns loaded for over a year with no change in performance or POI, but never saw a reason to make a YouTube video.
Brokennock
Cannon
I though we aren't supposed to double post.....
Sorry, I couldn't remember how that worked here, rules be rules I guess. I just deleted the post in the hunting forum.
My .44 Army revolver was loaded for over eight years ( possibly more). It fired great last summer.
You hear stories of gun shop finds where a BP gun was found "loaded" for years. 
Experiments like this are fun and revealing. I encourage everyone to safely experiment to satisfy their curiosity.
There are a some "IT Depends" scenarios here. There can be emergency/forgetfulness or other reasons to leave a blackpowder gun loaded. However:
A-Loading a fresh clean barrel then leaving a flintlock loaded will probably (may not) fire considering the issues presented in the video (hang fire, pan flash, etc.).
B- Reloading after firing the gun then leaving the flintlock loaded....Even if you clean above the load, there is still corrosive powder residue in the "chamber"/breech. NOT GOOD.
C- Loading a field cleaned barrel then leaving the flintlock loaded... better than B but still not good. A thorough cleaning is needed to prevent corrosion.
D- If hunting with a "left over" load, you are risking a hang/mis- fire so your might be risking it on a potential once in a lifetime buck.
Can you leave a blackpowder and or flintlock loaded and have it fire? Yes and I am sure many people including myself have had this happen in their muzzleloading lifetime. I ruined a couple of barrels in my youth by neglecting proper blackpowder cleaning and care etiquette.
Pull or fire your load in a safe environment. Clean your muzzleloader properly. You will be a happier camper/hunter/shooter in the long run.
Kind regards,
Dan
There are a some "IT Depends" scenarios here. There can be emergency/forgetfulness or other reasons to leave a blackpowder gun loaded. However:
A-Loading a fresh clean barrel then leaving a flintlock loaded will probably (may not) fire considering the issues presented in the video (hang fire, pan flash, etc.).
B- Reloading after firing the gun then leaving the flintlock loaded....Even if you clean above the load, there is still corrosive powder residue in the "chamber"/breech. NOT GOOD.
C- Loading a field cleaned barrel then leaving the flintlock loaded... better than B but still not good. A thorough cleaning is needed to prevent corrosion.
D- If hunting with a "left over" load, you are risking a hang/mis- fire so your might be risking it on a potential once in a lifetime buck.
Can you leave a blackpowder and or flintlock loaded and have it fire? Yes and I am sure many people including myself have had this happen in their muzzleloading lifetime. I ruined a couple of barrels in my youth by neglecting proper blackpowder cleaning and care etiquette.
Pull or fire your load in a safe environment. Clean your muzzleloader properly. You will be a happier camper/hunter/shooter in the long run.
Kind regards,
Dan
Brokennock
Cannon
I believe, if I recall correctly, our friend @Britsmoothy frequently shoots game and reloads, then ends up leaving that load in the gun until another day's hunt, with no ill effect. Keeping in mind that often his next outing is the next day or within a couple days.
I think he attributes this success to the use of only animal fat or vegetable based lubricants and bore protectants.
As long as it is clean when loaded it can stay usable for almost forever.
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I haven't tried "almost forever" (attempted humor) - but I've left mine loaded in a clean barrel for weeks at a time with no ill effects. Shoots just like it was loaded 5 minutes ago... If the weather was exteme, as in rainy/high humidity I might pull the load..
hanshi
Cannon
I've left cleaned rifles loaded for the entire hunting season. They're never damaged and fire perfectly months later. I once owned only one handgun and it was a c&b revolver. I kept it loaded next to my bed and it even got a little wet when rain blew through the window before I could close it. But months later it fired with no problem.
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I dont think I'd take a muzzleloader out with a load thats been sitting for a few days. Losing a chance to put meat on the table because of a finicky flinter is just too great a risk for me. Even I'm waffling on my percussion 54 cal because even with a fresh nipple installed I sometimes end up with a dud.
Yep, use the right lube and even a fouled gun is safe. Sometimes I don't clean for a week.
I use to panic and wake up in the night with anxiety if I had not cleaned a muzzloader. Then it clicked. Right lube and gun is dry equals no worries.
The issue of cleaning in a hurry is completely over hyped!
Trapper-Jack
Pilgrim
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I noticed a couple things that he could have done to help himself. I don't believe he plugged the touch hole before letting it set out overnight, three days or a week. I only saw once where he stuck a vent pick in the vent was when he couldn't get it to go off. I usually pick the vent every time prior to priming the pan. I also noticed that when he cleaned the barrel, he had a range rod with a regular jag on the end. If his rifle is like mine, a Lyman GPR, it has a chambered breach that is under sized from the bore. A regular jag won't go past where the breach is threaded into the barrel. I use a brush with a patch to get all the way to the bottom when I clean it or it may not fire from the fouling build up or from excess liquid from cleaning the bore.
Well people have discovered the hard way that a black powder muzzleloader can still be fired after a hundred years or more. So yes they can be loaded for a very long time and still work. Granted a flintlock might need a priming charge though.
Brokennock
Cannon
Operative word being, "may."
They have been known to go bang when flint hits frizzen and no prome is in the pan.
Years ago there was another traditional muzzleloading forum, "Muzzleloading Life," and I seem to recall the owner/admin putting a hole in his cabin wall by accident dropping the flintcock with the frizzen closed but no prime. Heard other similar tales of woe over the years.
I remember reading somewhere where people would tap the buttstock on the ground to cause a bit of the charge trickle into the flash pan. Rapping the gun with one’s hand would do it too.
No argument that your method will work. My experience has been that with a clean dry bore prior to loading, it may not be necessary. Unless the gun has been exposed to a downpour or a swim in a stream. I have left multiple guns and barrels loaded for extended periods of time (think a year or more) and they have so far all fired and POI had not changed, at least at 100 yards. For me it was just something to try out of curiosity.
Not much comment on your percussion guns duds, other than you may have a cleaning issue. Unless I have a no bang percussion cap, a clean dry percussion setup will light up.
Ballshooter
45 Cal.
I loaded mine for the 14 days for my early hunt was in the rain a few days, it went off just fine.
