Unloading a Rifle

[MinnesotaChuck]

Hello! New member and new to muzzleloading. I've been practicing with my .54 caliber Cabela's (Investarms) Hawken style percussion gun. I shoot patched roundballs and target practice has been going well. Going on a special State Park hunt tomorrow and Sunday where I can take up to two does. My dilemna is this. If I don't get one, what do I do at the end of the day? I've read you can leave the gun loaded but without a primer cap. It makes me nervous transporting it like that in my trunk. But perhaps I shouldn't worry if put some leather in between the hammer and nipple or take some extra precautions. My only other option I guess would be discharging the gun into the ground or side of a hill on the way out I guess. Not a huge fan of that either. Thanks for any input from you veterans.

P.S. I bought this gun 10 years ago with giftcards and never got around to using it because I became enamored with bowhunting. I tried to sell it last year and the most anyone would give me for this brand new gun (purchased for nearly $400 many moons ago) was $75. So glad I kept it. Because this thing is fun and awesome to shoot. I can't wait. I will shoot a fawn I think if I get the chance just to say I was successful my first year. Those northern corn fed fawns can be pretty big this time of year. lol

 

[Rifleman1776]

Just fire in a safe direction. Go home and clean it. Good luck on the hunt.

 

[fleener]

Take the cap off and transport it, no problem. I have done that for years, no issues.

I have also dumped it in a hill or in the ditch at the end of a hunt, if I was not going out the next day or if the gun was dirty and I wanted to clean it.

Fleener

 

[Phil Coffins]

I remove the cap and lower the hammer then put it in a case. No problems for many years of hunting. I wouldn’t put leather or anything else under the hammer for fear of fouling the hammer.

 

[tenngun]

If it’s cold and you have uncapped be sure it goes in to a cold trunk or car.
Don’t take it from the cold in to a warm house. Sudden changes in temperature changes can cause condensation to form on the steel and dampen your charge. Leave it in an un heated area. I e had guns loaded for months.

 

[QuinnTheEskimo]

I only shoot off the load if I’ve fired and reloaded or have hunted in the rain or heavy snow, otherwise I uncap it and it stays in the garage. I’ve never had a problem.
Tough to beat a big grain fed fawn.

 

[Rat]

For sure, it's not going to go off without a cap. In fact, go to the range, and dry fire it a thousand times without a cap. You'll need a new nipple, or two or three, and maybe the hammer will break at trigger pull 999, but it won't go off.

On the other hand, don't try that with a flintlock, and no powder in the pan. Sooner or later, a spark will bounce into the touch-hole, and she will go off. When I un-cap a percussion gun, I always fold up a small wad of paper towel, and put that between the nipple and hammer.

 

[MinnesotaChuck]

Thanks all! So I take it you are saying slowly lower the hammer all the way down with paper towel in between?

 

[MinnesotaChuck]

I may do some split day hunts vs sitting all day. Do I don’t want to have to fire twice a day if nothing presents itself.

 

[hanshi]

It's legally unloaded if the cap is removed. Also, if the load in the rifle is lubed with a grease, it can be left loaded for a long time with no problem.

 

[tenngun]

For a real gun ( flint lock as it’s known to some) you can plug the vent to keep it safe. I use a sliver of wood.
( The Flintlock comment was tongue and cheek and not disparaging to cap lock shooters)

 

[russellshaffer]

I left my caplock loaded, just taking off the cap for transportation and storage, for the entire Eastern Oregon deer season. The season is short and I did not carry the rifle in the rain. When it was over I fired the rifle and it went off just fine. If it was raining very hard I would get the load out one way or the other every day. I did have a problem many years ago with getting one wet and that was another story. Good luck with your hunt.

 

[MinnesotaChuck]

Thanks! And may ha e to get a “real” gun eventually. Lol. I have a blind set up on top of a saddle in a ground blind with heavy trails along both hills. I e thought about bringing my buddy heater but maybe not encouraged with black powder. Still, do long as I keep the gun away from it.

 

[longcruise]

For a real gun ( flint lock as it’s known to some) you can plug the vent to keep it safe. I use a sliver of wood.
( The Flintlock comment was tongue and cheek and not disparaging to cap lock shooters)

Hah, "tongue in cheek" to you, but now I need counseling.

To the OP, if you go to the auto parts store they have little rubber caps used to plug unused vacuum ports on car engines. Just push one over the nipple. . you can let the hammer down on it or leave it at half cock. I do it not as a safety factor, but to seal the breech area off from weather and humidity. Also handy if you are caught in the rain or snow.

It's also handy when cleaning. I seal the nipple with it and fill the barrel with water for about one beer or sodey pop before going to work on it.

Good luck with the hunt.

 

[Rat]

Oh I like the rubber line-cap idea.

 

[renegadehunter]

I remove the cap and set a soft, moldable earplugs over the nipple and lower the hammer on it. I also put electrical tape over the end of the bore. The tape and earplug are to keep moisture out of the barrel, as well as signal that the gun is loaded. The gun can be shot without the tape being removed, so I never bother to remove it until I shoot at something or decide to unload it. If I hunt in the rain then I shoot it out at the end of the day, but otherwise it stays loaded the entire season. I have an unused room in the house that I have closed off the heat vents in and that is where I keep it while it is loaded. It has always gone off fine when I do finally shoot it out.

 

[PluggedNickel]

For a real gun ( flint lock as it’s known to some) you can plug the vent to keep it safe. I use a sliver of wood.
( The Flintlock comment was tongue and cheek and not disparaging to cap lock shooters)

Thanks for that. My Charleville got a delivery exception today USPS Express Delivery, NOT! Bummer, we were here all day waiting on it too!

Glad you were kind enough to explain or..........
I may have got my wittle feelings hurt, and had to take my clown doll and gone home!

 

[Griz44Mag]

Thanks for that. My Charleville got a delivery exception today USPS Express Delivery, NOT! Bummer, we were here all day waiting on it too!
Glad you were kind enough to explain or..........
I may have got my wittle feelings hurt, and had to take my clown doll and gone home!

1957???? Maybe 1956......
I love breaking out the old pics and taking that trip back into time.
The pepperbox I got from Maddman was 3 days late, good old USPS-PMS, always fails when you need them the most.

 

[PluggedNickel]

1957???? Maybe 1956......
I love breaking out the old pics and taking that trip back into time.
The pepperbox I got from Maddman was 3 days late, good old USPS-PMS, always fails when you need them the most.

You nailed it! I try not to take myself too seriously.

 

[Rifleman1776]

It's legally unloaded if the cap is removed. Also, if the load in the rifle is lubed with a grease, it can be left loaded for a long time with no problem.

Should probably caution, that is legal in many, maybe most, places in the U.S. But, do check local laws to avoid a bad experience with the law. The rest of the advice would only apply if the load in the rifle was put in with a spanking clean bore and breech. If it had been shot, then discharging and cleaning at the end of the day is a must.