Crow-Feather
32 Cal.
I hunted once when there was a fog. Next day when I got my shot, rifle misfired with damp powder. Now I use a CO2 discharger and load fresh every day. Not fair to the deer that I wound with a half wet powder charge.
-
Friends, our 2nd Amendment rights are always under attack and the NRA has been a constant for decades in helping fight that fight.
We have partnered with the NRA to offer you a discount on membership and Muzzleloading Forum gets a small percentage too of each membership, so you are supporting both the NRA and us.
Use this link to sign up please; https://membership.nra.org/recruiters/join/XR045103
How long can you keep a flintlock loaded?
- Thread starter Magungo1066
- Start date
Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2014
- Messages
- 6,898
- Reaction score
- 10,014
Type and brand matter not to this discussion.
Does to me, some types and or brands are better suited to long term storage than others.
The devil is always in the details.
Felix the Cat
40 Cal
I have dealt with gunpowder filled artillery shell that has laid underwater for over 150 years. On removal of the fuze, the gunpowder was as good as the day it was made..
Gunpowder is not a chemical compound, it is a mechanical mixture of simple elements and chemicals and, provided the charge has not been wetted, will last indefinitely. Put simply, the main degradation mechanism is if the potassium nitrate component is allowed to dissolve and migrate away from the others. There is an argument that heat cycling and/or mechanical vibration could cause separation, but particularly with corned powder this would have to be over very extended periods..
I am well aware of the culture in hunting circles for keeping muzzle loaders loaded during the hunting season. I'm sorry, but I really think this is a selfish and dangerous attitude these days, particularly with a flintlock, which can easily self prime. The number of accidents that have occurred with loaded muzzle loaders that have left the custodianship of their original owners remains significant. Should we really be allowing this to continue..? Leaving firearms loaded is no different from planting mines in your back yard! There is no need to do it! You are not seriously suggesting that you need to rely on a muzzleloader for self protection, or you need to take that buck that has wandered on to your drive?
Muzzle loading tends to be the preserve of the "Mature" shooter, who should really know better.. none of us live forever, and do you really want to have a legacy that demonstrates that you were responsible for the death or injury of a grandchild or great grandchild after you have gone? Modern society simply does not understand guns, least of all muzzle loaders, and the potential for disaster is increasing rather than decreasing..!
Unloading a muzzle loader with one of the modern devices is quick and easy.. just do it! Never leave any firearm loaded without supervision!
Gunpowder is not a chemical compound, it is a mechanical mixture of simple elements and chemicals and, provided the charge has not been wetted, will last indefinitely. Put simply, the main degradation mechanism is if the potassium nitrate component is allowed to dissolve and migrate away from the others. There is an argument that heat cycling and/or mechanical vibration could cause separation, but particularly with corned powder this would have to be over very extended periods..
I am well aware of the culture in hunting circles for keeping muzzle loaders loaded during the hunting season. I'm sorry, but I really think this is a selfish and dangerous attitude these days, particularly with a flintlock, which can easily self prime. The number of accidents that have occurred with loaded muzzle loaders that have left the custodianship of their original owners remains significant. Should we really be allowing this to continue..? Leaving firearms loaded is no different from planting mines in your back yard! There is no need to do it! You are not seriously suggesting that you need to rely on a muzzleloader for self protection, or you need to take that buck that has wandered on to your drive?
Muzzle loading tends to be the preserve of the "Mature" shooter, who should really know better.. none of us live forever, and do you really want to have a legacy that demonstrates that you were responsible for the death or injury of a grandchild or great grandchild after you have gone? Modern society simply does not understand guns, least of all muzzle loaders, and the potential for disaster is increasing rather than decreasing..!
Unloading a muzzle loader with one of the modern devices is quick and easy.. just do it! Never leave any firearm loaded without supervision!
I started to hunt in the early 50s, continuing through till now, switching to muzzleloaders around 2000. I found myself wanting to leave my muzzleloader loaded if I didn't get a chance to shoot that day at game. After a couple of sessions of this, I admitted to myself, that I didn't want to shoot that load off, because I was too lazy to go home and clean the barrel. Anyway you look at it it's a very dangerous thing to do. I never in my life brought a loaded cartridge rifle into my house, and I wouldn't allow my kids or wife to. I didn't want them to get back into our pickup without removing the shell that was in the barrel, if they didn't get a chance to shoot. Now, I really believe that those newer rifles are the safest weapons in the world, and yet I don't want a loaded one in my house or in my vehicle. Why in the name of good judgment would I do the same thing with a muzzleloader that has a more dangerous powder than the other guns I have? We each have to make our own decision, but the only reason I will now bring a loaded muzzleloader home is because, for some reason I couldn't shoot it because of mechanical failure or improper loading.
Squint
Squint
A friend of mine named Dave used to work in a gun shop in Houston. One day a neighbor of his stopped in the shop, said he had an "old muzzle gun" that his uncle had mounted over the fireplace for as long as he could remember. The uncle passed away and this acquaintance got the weapon and did Dave know anyone who knew "about those old guns." Dave admitted he did and suggested the neighbor bring it by that evening for an examination and a check for functionality. It turned out to be a flintlock fowling piece. Dave examined it carefully, checking the
pan for priming and putting the ramrod down to the breech to check for a load. All negative. He made sure the flint was tight and reasonably sharp, and told his neighbor it appeared to be in working order. The neighbor cocked it, lowered the frizzen, and squeezed the trigger --- and blew a hole in Dave's kitchen ceiling!
Dave swore he checked the bore, and the only thing we can think of is perhaps there was some powder left in the bore and it all settled to one side, allowing the ramrod to pass on to the breech plug face. Dave was pleased that his heart didn't stop, but his wife was really annoyed when she got home.
pan for priming and putting the ramrod down to the breech to check for a load. All negative. He made sure the flint was tight and reasonably sharp, and told his neighbor it appeared to be in working order. The neighbor cocked it, lowered the frizzen, and squeezed the trigger --- and blew a hole in Dave's kitchen ceiling!
Dave swore he checked the bore, and the only thing we can think of is perhaps there was some powder left in the bore and it all settled to one side, allowing the ramrod to pass on to the breech plug face. Dave was pleased that his heart didn't stop, but his wife was really annoyed when she got home.
hanshi
Cannon
I have three guns and rotate them during the season. If one is not fired and doesn't get wet it stays loaded either until I get a deer or the rifles turn comes around again.
if the gun is clean I often leave a hunting load in for months. BUT I always have this little leather tab in my pouch which I slip over the hammer. Avoids making stupid, dangerous mistakes!
Last edited:
I would sometimes leave my rifle loaded for the entire muzzleloader season. Would fire it off on the last day.
I still treat all guns as if they are loaded.
There were still old shotguns found behind kitchen doors when I was a kid.
Some were still loaded.
I suspect each of us has his custom in regards to the practice and will likely stick to it.
I recall the "experienced" guy who blew himself to pieces a couple years ago fooling with a civil war dud.
I disarmed some duds and souvenir grenades in VN..
I have better sense than that now.
There were still old shotguns found behind kitchen doors when I was a kid.
Some were still loaded.
I suspect each of us has his custom in regards to the practice and will likely stick to it.
I recall the "experienced" guy who blew himself to pieces a couple years ago fooling with a civil war dud.
I disarmed some duds and souvenir grenades in VN..
I have better sense than that now.
Archer 756
40 Cal.
THE FIRST RULE ALL GUNS ARE LOADED UNTIL PROVEN NOT.
Felix the Cat
40 Cal
Yes.. you know that, I know that, but the future is full of people who don't....!
My suggestion for a "First Amendment to the First Rule" is..
"NEVER LET A LOADED GUN GET OUT OF YOUR POSSESSION"
Lol, "we should know better." (Cracks me up)My flintlock only stays loaded until a 10 point walks by. Then it spontaneously unloads.
I've have kept them loaded for a week or so without a problem... I had a friend a police officer tell me he had a call one day were he watched a victim bleed out from a flintlock stored behind a seat during hunting season pulled across the carpet and the incident was listed as an accidental discharge caused by static electricity... I would challenge the frequency of such an incident is remote... However just simple muzzle control he would still be alive today... States I am familiar with a muzzleloader is considered unloaded if the pan is empty or the cap removed... So during hunting season I keep a load in the barrel for various reasons... But treat every gun as loaded... As a military Safety Officer I have investigated many discharges from unloaded weapons... Luckily no casualties....
Redmoon
40 Cal
I have had times in my life when an unloaded gun wasn't an option... Even the time when the Kentuck was a territory or region, the time to load your gun wasn't during the initiation of an ambush or a bear bursting through the cabin door... As long as you follow Archer 756 always treat a gun as loaded except when proven otherwise... which is why I mark the loading rod with an empty chamber mark... And never let a muzzle point at something you don't intend on shooting which is why I carry binoculars when hunting and in my bug out bag down range among other reasons... And if I can't control the situation like young children in the house it stays on my person positive control or is locked up in the safe... but that is my choice...
ugly old guy
40 Cal
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2019
- Messages
- 347
- Reaction score
- 188
How long can you keep one loaded?
How long do you want to keep it loaded?
Genuine 200 plus year old antique front stuffers that have been hanging untouched over the fireplace or out in the barn for 150 to 200 plus years (yeah. "old house" and "old barn") have been taken down and found to have been loaded and put up by great-great-great-great gramps or granny. (or possibly add a great or two uncle or aunt).
I'd not want to shoot the load out, since there is always the chance some know nothing stupid moronic ***** (you know every family has at least one) from a later generation loaded it with smokeless powder.
How long do you want to keep it loaded?
Genuine 200 plus year old antique front stuffers that have been hanging untouched over the fireplace or out in the barn for 150 to 200 plus years (yeah. "old house" and "old barn") have been taken down and found to have been loaded and put up by great-great-great-great gramps or granny. (or possibly add a great or two uncle or aunt).
I'd not want to shoot the load out, since there is always the chance some know nothing stupid moronic ***** (you know every family has at least one) from a later generation loaded it with smokeless powder.
