How long do you let your powder sit in the bore between sits?

[RyanGeiler]

Greetings all. As you can tell by my post count, I'm a new member and new to muzzleloading. Son and I have put the percussion .50 c through the paces and I'm feeling pretty good 100 yards out. So this season, I plan on trying my luck at a whitetail with it. I got one with an inline last year @ about 50 yards and I'm experienced with whitetail.

So this leads me to my question--often during season I do a morning and afternoon sit. With a muzzleloader--how long can powder sit in the barrel? I planned on removing the cap and safely stowing the rifle until the afternoon (or maybe even the next morning). Since powder season is late December, I'm not 'too' worried about humidity damping the powder.

I'd certainly welcome any experience here, thanks!

 

[coloradoclyde]

Powder can sit for months, years, decades, or more in a clean bore. (Clean means clean not oiled or fired ).

If you fire a single shot, the residue become very hygroscopic and acidic. Time then becomes your enemy. If I fired a shot in the morning and didn't plan on hunting again until evening, I would clean my gun. I've yet to have a clean gun misfire. Also, I never reuse a percussion cap when hunting.

 

[deermanok]

If I hunted in dry conditions, I'd leave my gun loaded for a week or two.

 

[RyanGeiler]

That's what I assumed (and hoped!). I've been told to coat the inner bore with bore butter (which I did after this last cleaning). Does that change the equation any at all?

do you still test fire a cap before riding over to your stand?

Thanks again!

 

[SDSmlf]

With a muzzleloader--how long can powder sit in the barrel?

If you have a clean DRY bore, load can sit a long time. Have left loads in both percussion and flintlocks (with something covering nipple opening and/or a feather or toothpick in the touchhole) from the end of hunting season (end of December) until late the following summer. Experienced no change ignition or POI. As a. FYI, I use a bore protector that provides a dry film (Eezox for example) that will not foul loads like Bore Butter (crap at best in my opinion). Full disclosure, I do NOT recommend, nor do I use loads from the previous hunting season for the following hunting season. I live in North Carolina, and with our humidity (50% relative humidity is low, and as I type this, Weather Channel says humidly is a 87%), I’ll say I was curious as to what would happen if I left a gun loaded from season to season.

 

[Phil Coffins]

I don’t understand “test fire a cap” and bore butter isn’t something I would use for hunting.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Powder can sit for months, years, decades, or more in a clean bore. (Clean means clean not oiled or fired ).

If you fire a single shot, the residue become very hygroscopic and caustic. Time then becomes your enemy. If I fired a shot in the morning and didn't plan on hunting again until evening, I would clean my gun. I've yet to have a clean gun misfire. Also, I never reuse a percussion cap when hunting.

Fixed that for ya.

 

[deermanok]

That's what I assumed (and hoped!). I've been told to coat the inner bore with bore butter (which I did after this last cleaning). Does that change the equation any at all?

do you still test fire a cap before riding over to your stand?

Thanks again!

I always load my rifle the day before the hunting season starts.
I run a dry patch or two down the barrel to pull out any oils. Next I pop a cap or two while pointing the barrel towards the ground or floor with a small piece of toilet paper in front of the bore. If the flame channel is clear, the force from the cap will make the paper jump a bit. When I see that, I'm good to go for loading up.
That's my pre-hunt routine.
A lot of shooters aren't big fans of bore butter.
Some other type of light oil is probably a better choice.

 

[dragnetbill]

Greetings all. As you can tell by my post count, I'm a new member and new to muzzleloading. Son and I have put the percussion .50 c through the paces and I'm feeling pretty good 100 yards out. So this season, I plan on trying my luck at a whitetail with it. I got one with an inline last year @ about 50 yards and I'm experienced with whitetail.

So this leads me to my question--often during season I do a morning and afternoon sit. With a muzzleloader--how long can powder sit in the barrel? I planned on removing the cap and safely stowing the rifle until the afternoon (or maybe even the next morning). Since powder season is late December, I'm not 'too' worried about humidity damping the powder.

I'd certainly welcome any experience here, thanks!

A load that is placed into a clean/dry barrel can be left as long as you like. I have only had one fail to fire over the years and that occurred when I left a load unfired for several days after sitting in some very heavy wet snow conditions.
What I like to do is attach a warning LOADED tag to the rifle after removing the cap/priming. In the attached photo is my inventive use of a hospital wrist band for this purpose; I put one in my gun case anytime I go hunting.

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

…just remember that when you are transporting a loaded gun in your car/truck, you’ll need to check your state laws. Where I hunt, I understand that I am permitted a loaded FLINTLOCK in the truck as long as there is no powder in the pan. I assume, but have no true knowledge, that you may be legally ok with a cap lock by removing the cap.

 

[LME]

I don't know how long black powder last but what I do know is a tenant family living on a farm in N.C. was burning trash in their yard. There was a Civil War cannon ball that was in the fire pit . It had been there for years and no fire had set it off. One day the fire must have gotten hotter than ever and the ball went off! I don't recall anyone getting hurt but this is the story as told to me.

 

[user 36911]

I've always shot the gun out every night. Right or wrong i've always done that and will continue. I like starting the morning with a fresh load.

No way will I bring a loaded gun in the place where I live.

 

[LME]

I've always shot the gun out every night. Right or wrong i've always done that and will continue. I like starting the morning with a fresh load.

No way will I bring a loaded gun in the place where I live.

I agree with you! "If it ain't broke don't fix it"! I also should mention that a modern gun should be fired or unloaded before entering any building. I worked for a gun store once and a weapon went off in the store. No one hurt but we put signs on the door for people to read. It is dangerous plain and simple!

 

[user 36911]

I agree with you! "If it ain't broke don't fix it"! I also should mention that a modern gun should be fired or unloaded before entering any building. I worked for a gun store once and a weapon went off in the store. No one hurt but we put signs on the door for people to read. It is dangerous plain and simple!

Especially, if someone uses a flintlock. They've been known to fire with no powder in the pan. A long shot but it can happen.

 

[Brokennock]

I swab my bore with alcohol before loading or heading to the range. Usually a few patches and a few dry ones, to remove any oils or greases.
If all my hunting has been fairly dry I've actually left a gun loaded a few months with no ill effect. I'm shooting flintlock and I do plug the flash hole with a tight fitting toothpick or wooded grilling skewer (depending on hole size) the end of which is colored red to remind that there is a charge in there.

Ditch the bore butter.
If shooting a caplock place a greased patch or piece of leather between the hammer and nipple after removing the cap.

 

[IROCZ]

I've left my T/C flint loaded for over a year with no I'll effects. I just fired my Uberti Army after it had been loaded for almost 3 years. I don't shoot enough!

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

My state has two seasons for muzzleloaders; early fall and then after the regular season. If I don't shoot my muzzleloader in the first week's season, I routinely leave it loaded (in a warm dry place, uncapped) until the next season...two months later. Never had a failure to fire or other issue. If I don't shoot in the second season, I either pull the charge or shoot/clean before putting it away for nine months.

ADK Bigfoot

 

[user 36911]

Is a PRB load that expensive for you guys? I don't get leaving it in.

How much do you spend on the hunt? On equipment? A PRB load is peanuts.

 

[excess650]

I hunt with a flintlock and will dump the prime at the end of the day and plug the vent with a round toothpick. This prevents accidental discharge and allows me to hunt with the same charge until I fire the rifle at game or the season is over.

Its not a matter of the cost of a PRB and powder charge, but eliminates the need to clean and the unnecessary noise since I'm hunting close to my cabin, literally in the surrounding woods.

 

[deermanok]

Not to start an argument but balls, powder and caps are precious commodities these days. Being an old yankee, I hate to waste anything.