after the hunt

[buggybuilder]

I live in southern Wi. and I was wondering if any of you fellows from the northern area unload your powder charge and ball after the hunt? It is legal for me to pull the cap and the muzzleloader is considered not loaded. But for the sake of a shot the next day, should I have any concerns about a good discharge the following day?
I am using 90 gr. of Goex FFg and a TC maxihunter bullet.
Thanks for any help.

Bob

 

[Trench]

After last years incident, I'll be pulling my charge after every day this year.

 

[boar]

I have done them both ways. If using a max-hunter I have pulled them out, not as hard as a patch ball. I use a brass rod to loosen up the powder to dump out. Then hot water clean. I never dry fire before I load so there no residue, the gun is clean. If no bad weather, I will leave loaded for a few days. Once gun is out side I don't take inside. I will pull the nipple and check to see if powder is ok Might add a few grains. The main thing is how you clean your gun. Been doing this for years, haven't missed a deer yet because the gun didn't go off. I have cleaned the gun in field and loaded so I could leave it loaded for a few days. I used Map to clean it in the field. Always go bang. Dilly

 

[Robert Egler]

I almost never pull a charge, I don't like my hand over a live charge as I'm trying to get it out. I either shoot the charge out at the end of the day or secure the lock and leave it.

Since I shoot a flintlock I dump the prime, put a toothpick in the touch hole, cover the frizzen with one piece of leather and then cover the flint and hammer with another, leave the frizzen open and the hammer all the way down. I've kept a gun loaded this way for hunts a day or 2 later and never had a problem.

 

[Little Wattsy]

I got one of the CO2 dischargers and it was a snap to blow out the old load, swab a time or two with alcohol, dry patch, let "dry", and reload. Although it was the 5th day I kilt my deer with the 1st shot! :wink: :wink:

 

[renovato]

A lot of folks don't unload at the end of the day and that seems to work for them. I always blow out a load and start fresh the next morning. I figure it's cheap insurance, if for nothing else but peace of mind.

 

[nw_hunter]

What happened last year?

 

[smokehouseman]

Amen Plink! I'm with you on that. It's just too much time and effort put in up to that point to have something go sideways because of problem with the charge. That's not to say there can't be other issues connected with a misfire, but I think it serves to reduce problems. I make sure that after I use the CO2 I scrape to get all the powder out. :thumbsup:

 

[Keppy]

I guess I can say I'm up in the north country, so here's my answer. If I hunt say Saturday, Sunday and Monday. I will keep it loaded all weekend. I have not had any trouble with misfires. YETNow if the weather is rainy I will usually blow the ball out with the air compressor at the end of the day. But if it cold like it has been in Minnesota this year. I start out popping a cap or two. Then I load. Just remember start with a clean and dry rifle. I have a piece of leather that goes over the nipple. I also stick a over sized patch in the end of the barrel. That keeps unwanted stuff going down the barrel. When I get to the stand I cap it and at the end of the day I uncap it and put the leather over the nipple again. I have a plastic gun case on my four wheeler and that's where it stays all weekend in my unheated shed when not in use. If I bring the rifle in the warm garage it gets unloaded and I start all over. I have done some experimenting though out the winter a couple years ago. If you keep it dry and same temp I think your chances are good it will fire when you want it to. Now I might be on here crying the blue someday it didn't fire but I would think its because of something I did wrong or maybe didn't use common sense.
Our ML season starts this weekend. I missed a small buck with ML during the rifle hunt so hope I have better luck during the ML season.

P.S. I use Goex BP

 

[Trench]

What happened last year?

It was low light conditions in the evening and I was just about to start coming back in when about 7 deer passed only 25 yards away from me on the ground. I had left my rifle out in my garage over night and the air was moist. I shot and reprimed my rifle 4 times trying to get the main charge off. Each time the deer just stared at me. They didn't even run away. Just trotted off after the 4th attempt.

 

[Raider2000]

What I've done this past weekend was Load my rifle up in the +70*F house the night before "ofcorse not capping till I got to the stand" & while it as on my ATV or coming out of the stand I would replace the cap with a rubber vacuum cap & have a rolled up set of patches in the muzzle.

In stand all day with temps ranging from +20* - +40*F & then took it back into my +70*F house, Sunday I took it to the range to shoot it & it went off with no problems.

Now granted the temps last Saturday & Sunday were not like you guys in the mid North West & it was dry but I wanted to see if the sweating issue I've heard about would effect my rifle.
Tomorow I'll be hunting as well as Friday & Saturday so I'll probably leave my rifle locked in the truck during that time.

 

[tjohnson56]

I hunted north of Park Falls in Wisconsin this last week and it was fairly cold, -1 at the cabin opening morning. I wiped the barrel and dried with alcohol then let it dry in the warm cabin. After half a hour I loaded and put it in the unheated porch.

It stayed outside till we came home last night, now the thing is to get to our favorite stand its about a 40 minute drive in a warm truck. I'm going to the range on Friday to unload it so I'll give you an update on how it works with the first shot then. The last time I tried this it was almost two weeks the load was in the barrel and fired the first time no problem, but seemed to shoot high and I want to see if that happens again.

 

[Pork Chop]

Why not put the gun in a case in the bed?

 

[tjohnson56]

I've got a plastic hard case on top of the gun cabinet and took the soft case. :cursing: Didn't want the gun bouncing around on the rough roads, they are all gravel and the upkeep is not the best. I could see getting there and my hammer being a separate unit.

 

[tjohnson56]

Went to the range to unload the gun, it pumped a round within a inch of what was my POA first try, no hang fire, no problems.

It's a good feeling to know I can keep it loaded for several days and still have a very good chance of ignition.

Well the season has not been good so far but i've got till Dec 14 to fill a tag or two. Up north I saw more wolf tracks than deer tracks, never saw that many wolf tracks ever. :cursing: