Deer Load not shot

[The Hungry Hunter]

How do you go about loading your rifle for a hunt? I know you use powder, patch and lube, but what happens after a days hunt,and you do not fire your weapon? Will the lube saturate the powder and make it not fire or do you put something between the powder and patch? Or do you shoot the ball and start over the next morning?

 

[VTdeerhunter]

I like to shoot and always shoot my gun at the end of every hunt, plus I enjoy cleaning and getting my gun and equipment prepared for the next day. It gives me a chance to check for anything missing or in need of repairs....

 

[gjr902]

I'm a shoot it at the end of the day guy too.

I use to leave it loaded, untill I had a series of catostropic miss fires.

I like to leave my gun, horns, and bag in my truck over night to keep them acclimated to the outdoor air temp. This helps stop condensaton issues.

That missfiring/condensating gun is going become a nice lamp and my new gun will never let me down. :thumbsup:

 

[rabjr]

You have to use the right lube, usually a grease type like Bear grease that will not contaminate the powder. I've gone up to a month before getting a shot before and several times up to two weeks. My gun has always gone right off with no ill effect on accuracy using bear grease.

 

[VTdeerhunter]

gjr has beem threatening to turn that gun into a lamp for years...but every year he shows up to camp with it in tow :yakyak:

He does have a very pretty new gun though so it will be interesting to see what comes out of the safe this fall :hmm:

I've been forced to super double top secrecy on the catastrophies...maybe if the next horn he makes me has one of them fancy picks in the plug I'll keep quiet :wink:

 

[VTdeerhunter]

gjr has beem threatening to turn that gun into a lamp for years...but every year he shows up to camp with it in tow :yakyak:

He does have a very pretty new gun though so it will be interesting to see what comes out of the safe this fall :hmm:

I've been forced to super double top secrecy on the catastrophies...maybe if the next horn he makes me has one of them fancy picks in the plug I'll keep quiet :wink:

 

[S.Kenton]

I'm with swampy on this one..as long as all the oil and moisture has been flushed out of the flash channel or breech of your M'ler, you should have no problems leaving it loaded indefinetely. I have went 2 weeks leaving my Lyman GPR loaded and shot a nice doe on the last day.. it fired without a hitch. I have left my M'ler loaded like this on countless occasions with both pre-lubed(oxyoke) and using my own home made patch lube..

 

[roundball]

Or do you shoot the ball and start over the next morning?

I don't 'shoot it out' after every hunt...IMO that makes an unnecessary cleaning chore, calls attention to yourself and the area you're hunting, particularly if you shoot it off after dark...people could hear it, come looking and find where you're parked next time, break into your vehicle...or worse. IMO, there's nothing to be gained by firing off a ML just to unload it, but that's just me.

I just tape over the vent for the drive home, pull the load, wipe the bore, take it a warm dry house overnight, and load fresh the next hunt whether it’s the next day, next week, etc.

Here's what balls look like after they've been pulled...I save them for range use...just as accurate at 50yds as brand new ones.

 

[The Hungry Hunter]

What about bringing the rifle into the warm house after being in the cold. I have always noticed condensation on the outside of the rifle, this must occur on the inside of the barrel also doesn't it? I have heard that some use a wasp nest pieces as a filler between the powder and the patch, would that work? Then just leave the rifle in the truck in the garage. I hunt in my own back 40 so i do not have to drive.

 

[paulvallandigham]

You can put a piece of waxed paper, or plastic wrap under the patch and ball at the muzzle, cut the vapor barrier and patch at the same time, and load them down onto the powder charge together to protect the powder from moisture infiltration from either rain or condensation in the bore.

Some people put tape over the muzzle to keep condensation out- but its still not wise to take a cold barrel into a warm home, or camp cabin. Leave the gun outside.

If you use a flintlock, fold a cleaning patch after soaking it with alcohol, and after dumping priming charge from the pan, put 1/2 of the patch in the pan, and the other up against the barrel covering the Touch Hole. Close the frizzen on the patch. The alcohol will evaporate, and in doing so remove any moisture that may have gotten into the powder charge in the barrel during the day's hunt and handling. The alcohol in the portion of the patch under the frizzen will travel up the fabric, thru osmosis, keeping alcohol as a barrier against that TH overnight.

If you are shooting a percussion gun, put a piece of plastic wrap over the nipple before you put the percussion cap on it. Once the cap is in place, lower the hammer, and cut, or break off any excess plastic around the cap. When the gun fires, the hot flame will instantly burn right thru the plastic, but the plastic will act as your vapor barrier as long as its in place. In theory, a gun loaded with vapor barriers at both ends of the bore should be able to be stored indefinitely, and still fire on demand.

There are other choices or options to use in sealing the nipple from moisture, but this is the cheapest and most efficient one available to day.

 

[The Hungry Hunter]

Thankyou for the info. I will write this down and try it this season, once again thankyou..

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Yep another vote for fire it to empty it at the end of the day. I find a good hardwood stump, and use that for several years, and then bust it open and harvest the lead, melt, and remold into good bullets.

LD

 

[VTdeerhunter]

:rotf: Roundball...you don't have to break into my truck :rotf: just reach thru the rust holes in the door if you see something you want :rotf:

 

[RC]

I leave mine loaded,unless its been raining or extremely damp..I bring it right in the house, stand it barrel down,an pic the touch hole next morn,reprime an good to go, never had a prob,,I use the same lube as Swampy (and I mean exact Same! lol)..never had a problem, an if I did, I doubt I could convince myself 100% that it was caused by leaving gun loaded..I've had fresh loads not go off! lol.(not hunting!,,much care takin for hunting load! :wink: ) and, I'm in n.y. too..if that makes any diff!

 

[roundball]

:rotf: Roundball...you don't have to break into my truck :rotf: just reach thru the rust holes in the door if you see something you want :rotf:

:grin: I hear ya, enjoy
A question was asked, I answered, and closed with: "...but that's just me..."


So shoot away as you like
:wink:

 

[hanshi]

If I don't fire the gun or get it damp I just leave it loaded until It does get fired, even if it's at the end of the season. Of course I start off the day with a grease lube so there's no contamination of the powder. Any wet or water based lube might contaminate the powder but the real risk is the rusting of the bore around the patch, which will dry out at some point anyway. Bore Butter or something similar prevents such mischief. I use an op wad of some kind as a sort of insurance.