Dumb question

[rusticbob]

I need to know something. This is my first season hunting with a flintlock for turkeys. If I do not shoot, should I pull my load? Or is is possible to use it again the next day?
Is it weather dependent? In other words, if it a “ bluebird” sunny and dry day,(rare here this year), would you pull the load or discharge the gun? Or empty the pan and use the load the next day.
If I was shooting percussion , I would probably use the load again next day.

 

[Grimord]

I believe you could leave the load in the gun, just remove the powder from the pan and put a tooth pick or feather in the touch hole. If you over powder wad is not heavily lubed, it should not contaminate the powder. I would also but something (I use a party baloon) over the bore to keep out moisture.

 

[Rifleman1776]

If the gun is clean when you load it you can leave that charge alone for centuries and it will work. Any burned residue from earlier shots however will attract moisture like crazy and the gun must be cleaned at the end of the day.

 

[mushka]

No such thing as a dumb question but you'll have to make up your mind about the answers. Listen, then do what works best for you.

 

[Granville]

I make sure my Bess is clean and dry when I load it, it stays that way until I shoot a bird or the seasons over, I hunt a lot from canoe on the river with no problem. Clean dry powder does not attract much if any moisture so far as I can tell anyway. I do unprime and put a toothpick or twig in the hole at night.

 

[Grimord]

I can attest to the fact that you can leave a charge in the gun for some time provided you plug the touch hole. I came across a 15 gauge Fowler 2 years ago that still had a charge in it. The gun had been displayed above a fire place for over 50 years, and before that it was in another house above the fire place for about 30 years. When i got the gun I immediately check to see if it was loaded using the ram rod and was surprised to find it was. I primed the pan, placed the gun in an old tire and tied a string to the trigger. Backed off about 10 yards behind a tree and yanked the string. The gun fired off, although it seemed to be very under powered. When I cleaned the gun I found a dark crust ring of crud where the top of the powder charge must have been.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I need to know something. This is my first season hunting with a flintlock for turkeys. If I do not shoot, should I pull my load? Or is is possible to use it again the next day?
Is it weather dependent? In other words, if it a “ bluebird” sunny and dry day,(rare here this year), would you pull the load or discharge the gun? Or empty the pan and use the load the next day.
If I was shooting percussion , I would probably use the load again next day.

I don't keep the load very often, but when I do, I put a toothpick into the touch hole to seal up the main charge, and carefully remove it when going out the next day.

LD

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

I need to know something. This is my first season hunting with a flintlock for turkeys. If I do not shoot, should I pull my load? Or is is possible to use it again the next day?
Is it weather dependent? In other words, if it a “ bluebird” sunny and dry day,(rare here this year), would you pull the load or discharge the gun? Or empty the pan and use the load the next day.
If I was shooting percussion , I would probably use the load again next day.

You have already received some answers, but I would like to add: When prime is removed there will always be a few grains sticking to the TH and or the pan. I would suggest either taking the flint out or using a leather frizzen cover when in storage.
Good luck hunting!
Larry

 

[nhmoose]

I use a small feather to block the touchhole. That is after I sweep the prime away. The frizzen then stays open all the way with the hammer down.

sorry for speling had an eye injection this morning and not seeing well.

 

[hanshi]

As long as the gun hasn't been fired, gotten wet or loaded with water based lubed cards & wads it can stay safely loaded until you choose to fire it. A feather in the vent hole and the frizzen opened is all you need. I've left BP guns loaded for months with no problems.

 

[jackpine54]

A couple of years ago I had my 20 gauge fusil loaded up with buck and ball for late December doe season. I ended up not firing it that weekend and set it in the corner. Got busy with some ice fishing, snow geese, walleyes and coho salmon, you know grocery shopping. I finally primed it and shot out the load in June. Hope that helps answer your question.

 

[Homesteader]

The gunmaker who built my long guns said that just about every original he looked at had a little feather (which he thoughtfully included in my rifle's patch box) for exactly that use. He claimed that people in the day knew a feather sticking out of the touch hole under a closed hammer (frizzen) meant the gun was loaded but unprimed. I've heard and read that from others too.

 

[Daryl Crawford]

If you are using an oil soaked wad, be mindful that you might not want to stand it up in the corner. My wads are literally soaked in oil (using the shychief load) and oil squeezes out when I load. I've never left this kind of load in the gun all that long (maybe overnight) but I put it horizontal, slightly pointed barrel down with a paper towel in the bore in case any oil ran out.
You shouldn't have issues from one day to the next.

 

[Sidney Smith]

You have already received some answers, but I would like to add: When prime is removed there will always be a few grains sticking to the TH and or the pan. I would suggest either taking the flint out or using a leather frizzen cover when in storage.
Good luck hunting!
Larry

There's no reason to remove the flint or cover the frizzen. Leave your frizzen open and the cock down. Place a toothpick or quill, or other such object to block the touch hole, and you will be fine. No way the gun is going to fire with the frizzen open.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

There's no reason to remove the flint or cover the frizzen. Leave your frizzen open and the cock down. Place a toothpick or quill, or other such object to block the touch hole, and you will be fine. No way the gun is going to fire with the frizzen open.

You are absolutely correct about no ignition, provided the frizzen stays open and the cock down! I had a discharge in the 70s from a flintlock that had the prime out. The gun was pointed in a safe position, but I filled my pants in a brown way. I personally like to error on the safe side. To each his own level of safety.
Larry

 

[toot]

No such thing as a dumb question but you'll have to make up your mind about the answers. Listen, then do what works best for you.

DUMB QUESTION , is the one that you don't ask!

 

[gerryherd]

Frizzen open with leather stall over it, toothpick in touch hole. Check local game laws to verify that constitutes an unloaded gun (it would in any state I’ve hunted in, but some states are getting weird these days).

 

[Snydly]

I have left my smoothbore flintlock loaded for over a week and when I was able to go back into the field in search of a longboard,,, it performed flawlessly. Many times for 2-3 days ... always works fine. I do put a feather in the touch hole when not using it.

 

[jefair1]

DUMB QUESTION , is the one that you don't ask!

I think the correct quote is "There are no dumb questions, only stupid mistakes."

 

[hanshi]

Just as a test I fired one of my flintlocks without any prime in the pan; this was a few years ago. Out of about 10 trigger pulls it fired twice. Mine are always stored with frizzen open and cock lowered. I've left a few loaded for months and they fired like the champs they are.