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Gun left loaded for how long???
- Thread starter hou5ton
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hou5ton said:
FYI...published test results in Muzzleblasts or Muzzleloader magazine a couple years ago proved that dry unfired black powder sitting in sections of barrels for one year brought no harm to barrel steel during that 12 month period of time.
Protrucker
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djnye is correct. The powder is not corrosive until it has burned. Think about it....powder comes in steel cans & does not become a problem.
I have many times not fired when hunting with a clean gun(usually my turkey gun), put it into my gun cabinet loaded & left it there until the next year when I hunted with it again. I have never had a problem getting it to fire & upon wiping/inspection, there has been no rust or corrosion af any kind. I do always seal the touch hole or place a rubber bleeder cap(for auto brakes) over the nipple to keep out moisture. As a safety precaution, I have tags that insert into the trigger guard that ask, "Is it loaded?" When I leave a gun loaded in the cabinet, the tag is in the trigger guard.
I have many times not fired when hunting with a clean gun(usually my turkey gun), put it into my gun cabinet loaded & left it there until the next year when I hunted with it again. I have never had a problem getting it to fire & upon wiping/inspection, there has been no rust or corrosion af any kind. I do always seal the touch hole or place a rubber bleeder cap(for auto brakes) over the nipple to keep out moisture. As a safety precaution, I have tags that insert into the trigger guard that ask, "Is it loaded?" When I leave a gun loaded in the cabinet, the tag is in the trigger guard.
hawkchucker
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It is my understanding that they are fight on the salts not being active until fireing, but I also believe that they do become corrosive if moist.
So barrell sweating may become an issue. I might be wrong though , anyone have thoughts?
So barrell sweating may become an issue. I might be wrong though , anyone have thoughts?
hawkchucker said:
Yes, my thoughts[url] are...in[/url] my opinion...that this whole notion of leaving a muzzleloader loaded seems like a lot of fuss for questionable gain.
I just unload a rifle when I'm done using it...it's simple, only takes seconds, and I don't have even a remote possibly of a loaded gun being around the house for an accidental discharge...
:v
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While I worked for a gunsmith in the early 80's there where common tails of people going through their grandparents effects and finding loaded civilwar era arms in the attics. While I don't believe everything I hear... you hear things enough times makes me wonder...
hawkchucker
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The reason I bring up the sweating is that I hunt in New England, and when hunting up here we usually leave the firearms outside on the porch, unloaded. this way you dont have the barrell get those little rust blossoms on them from coming into a warm home.
As for leaving a very old charge, well yes charges 100 years old have gone off. I have been to a shop in Ma. that has a hole in the wall from someone checking the barrell of a flintlock.
I will try to find a photo of the wall. It was left as a reminder to the owner to check all firearms. Unfortunatly the store closed in Milford Ma. after he passed 8 years ago.
As for leaving a very old charge, well yes charges 100 years old have gone off. I have been to a shop in Ma. that has a hole in the wall from someone checking the barrell of a flintlock.
I will try to find a photo of the wall. It was left as a reminder to the owner to check all firearms. Unfortunatly the store closed in Milford Ma. after he passed 8 years ago.
It's not just a story. I have owned a couple of anitque ML guns that were still loaded when I bought them. The powder had become a hard cake that was difficult to remove. There is no telling how long the those guns had been loaded.
The old wives tale of corrosive salts being formed, on firing, is pure myth. Black powder fouling merely absorbs moisture that casuses rust and pitting.
The powder in a gun left loaded in a damp area MAY absorb enough moisture over a long period of time to cause rusting. That said, heating systems in most houses produces air much drier than ambient humidity, so I doubt that leaving a gun loaded over a period of time will cause a problem.
J.D.
The old wives tale of corrosive salts being formed, on firing, is pure myth. Black powder fouling merely absorbs moisture that casuses rust and pitting.
The powder in a gun left loaded in a damp area MAY absorb enough moisture over a long period of time to cause rusting. That said, heating systems in most houses produces air much drier than ambient humidity, so I doubt that leaving a gun loaded over a period of time will cause a problem.
J.D.
JackAubrey
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I have left a Lyman GPR loaded for 15 months.I finally fired it and it went off w/o hesitation.Absolutely no indication of rust , pitting or corrosion of any kind w/in the barrel.I had a twist tie on the trigger guard to indicate the loaded condition w/in the gun safe.The hammer was down on a Kap Kover.Having said this,I would concurr w/ the other gentlemen who pointed out the sweating of a barrel,this seems a reasonable concern if that condition exists.Best regards,J.A.
J.D. said:
:hmm:...gonna have to do better than that to convince me...
:grin:
I can taste the salt in BP residue on my fingers...and if I get a little residue in a nick on my finger from a sharp flint, it burns like...well...salt in the wound
:grin:
hou5ton said:
Please tag any gun left loaded...
Just because you know it's loaded, doesn't mean the next guy knows it is...
If left for extended periods, you could even forget that it's loaded, a simple tag will serve as a reminder...
Just my two cents....adding them on here at the end so far of this thread. Re guns left loaded....a lot depends on when and where. I can recall as a youngster that a lot of my relatives that were farmers all had a loaded shotgun in the kitchen. I've hunted with a lot of what today would be called "old timers" that lived sort of in the bush if you will, in northern Wisconsin that kept their rifles loaded all season and then some. It was not that unusual. Actually, thinking back it would have been very unusual to find a not loaded gun in thier homes. As far as someone "messing" around with another person's gun...you gotta be kidding. That was about the quickest way I know of to get the livin hell beat out of you. 'Course today...with all the PC manure around...that is a no no.
Everyone will have to decide whether or not to label the gun as loaded, I (myself) would feel better if I tagged it...
Not just from the adult/kid aspect of it, I know everyone is suppose to treat all guns as if loaded, this is just a good practice, but there are those out there that stray from that golden rule...
A little extra insurance never hurts...
Not just from the adult/kid aspect of it, I know everyone is suppose to treat all guns as if loaded, this is just a good practice, but there are those out there that stray from that golden rule...
A little extra insurance never hurts...
Here's one from almost-personal experience: 2 playmates of mine, age 12 and 13 had their great grandfather's civil war rifle. They would make caps out of the white end of strike anywhere matches and had done so for a couple of years. On a rainy day they were playing indoors and did the usual with the match head cap, except this time, the gun went off and blew a hole in the living room couch...while one brother was aiming at the other, he, thank god, wasn't aiming very well and missed him by at least a foot...
I don't know when the gun was loaded..this happened in 1946...Hank
I don't know when the gun was loaded..this happened in 1946...Hank
Walks Alone
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roundball said:
:thumbsup: My policy as well roundball, and the best one to follow in my opinion.
I read awhile ago in an old issue of Muzzle Blasts ( I think ) a study done on patched round balls left in the barrel for weeks, months and the results, well they wern't good. It reported that the patch aheared to the bore, and the only way to remove it safely was to remove the breech plug and push it out, or should I say hammer it out. Just thought I'd throw that into the soup...........George F.
