How to load and store your rifle during hunting season

[Greenmtnboy]

I have seen a couple post in the last month or two partaining to fouling a shot before loading and do you pull your load every day wile hunting.
Wile I have learned over the years to stay clear of such topics because there are Trolls on this forum who know nothing about muzzleloading but will contadict anybody who does. So I decided that I will try again to help the new guys.
The answer to both questions,fouling shot and pulling load every night is NO AND NO.
OK here goes.
I shoot all summer for practice and compititions.
Once hunting season comes I hunt all sm and lg game animals from sept to Jan and many of my flintlocks and percession, smooth and rife stay loaded for months at a time.
This is what I do so I do not have to worry about unloading my guns every day and I have been doing this for 30 plus years and NOT ONCE!! have I ever had a hang fire,clatch, or a non firing muzzleloader or change in elevation or windage!
First before you load a muzzleloader YOU MUST!! swab out the breach area and nipple drum on percession, touch hole on flint with 97% rubbing alcohol getting rid of all oil,dirt or anything elce in the breach area and then patch dry, now load with blk powder,this will NEVER foul because unfired blk powder does not draw moisture EVER! I use a patch round pall with traditional bear oil and elk tallow mixed and stripped through my patch NO EXCESS GREASE ON PATCH!! this way your gun may stay loaded through out your hunting season and will never foul your powder under your patch.
I then oil in front of the PRB so my barrel won't rust.
All this allowes you to load and carry a gun without worry for extended periods of time.
Side note if you use a flint lock you must protect the touch hole from weather and moisture or you will have problems.
I have used this method taught to me by my Grand father after I built my first muzzleloader in 1982 as a 10th grader in shop class and NEVER had issues with my gun not firing.
I hope this helps I am in the field and not in front of a computer 99% percent of the time so take this info with a grain of salt but seperate the men from the arm chair buckskinners for there are many on this forum who like to argue for no other reason than to creat termoil and that is why I lurk and read but rarely post an opinion.

And please NEVER! shoot a muzzloader then load for hunting before cleaning AKA fouling shot.
YOU WILL WOUND ANIMALS THIS WAY. and your gun will draw moisture and ruin your load.
sorry about grammer but I could give a rats ass if my quick note then out the door does not meet anybodies high standards I got critters to hunt and backcountry to run.
:hatsoff:

 

[Britsmoothy]

Amen :hatsoff:

B.

 

[Vaino]

I agree w/ every point you made....except I don't use alcohol in the MLers and have never had a failure to fire if sparks are present and of course if the caps detonate which they always have done.

I do use alcohol....but it's used after the hunt in the form of a good bourbon.

Evidently you've got a whole lot of experience hunting and your advice should be heeded......Fred

 

[Patocazador]

Thanks for the information.

 

[Skychief]

We do it the same GreenMountainBoy. :thumbsup: it's gotta be right if it works! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Good luck hunting and don't hesitate to jump into any frays here, would like to hear more from ya!

Skychief.

 

[longcruise]

Here's a "me too" on that procedure. Only thing I do different is denatured alcohol and like to let it sit overnight or for an hour in the sun to be sure the alcohol is evaporated.

Could probably just as well let it set while drinking a beer or two. That would combine two good uses for alcohol. :haha:

 

[Brokennock]

Thanks Greenmtnboy, it's nice when someone here chimes in that also has proof they know what they are talking about. Theory is just that, theory, it does not indicate testing, trial and error, or boots on the ground verification.

 

[jimikinz]

That is pretty much how I do it too, other than I do not use the alcohol - I just hit the bore with a dry patch to get the oil out. Never had a problem.

 

[Black Hand]

I clean with soap and water (no alcohol) and load as usual (RB, ticking patch with bear grease, FFFg powder). If I shoot or it rains, I unload and clean. If not, I keep hunting.

 

[pab1]

Good info! :hatsoff: The only thing I do that was not mentioned is to put a piece of flagging tape on a loaded gun when I put it aside for any length of time (other than overnight). I left a .32 percussion of mine loaded a couple years ago since I planned to hunt with it again the following weekend. I tied flagging tape on the trigger guard as a reminder. Plans changed and I didn't wind up taking that gun out again for over a year. I always mark and use the ramrod to verify if a gun is loaded or not but I still like having this extra reminder. And yes, the .32 fired without a problem after being loaded for over a year.

 

[CG6018]

I can't find fault with anything you've stated here, young fellow. :thumbsup: I've loaded flintlocks just prior to our Pennsylvania early black powder season in October, kept them loaded through our regular rifle season in early December, and toted them with their original load through our special flintlock only season in January.

And, using the steps you suggest to protect the charge in the barrel, using half of a round toothpick in the touch hole when storing between hunts, running a patch with Barricade down the barrel to the round ball after loading, and using an alcohol wipe on the frizzen and flint before each day's hunt has worked for me for many, many years. Hopefully, I'll have a few more for additional practice. :hatsoff:

 

[robinsroost]

Good advice GMB. My only difference is that I soak a clean patch in carburetor cleaner and run it down the barrel, instead of alcohol. Keep yer powder dry......robin :wink:

 

[Danny Smith]

I do the same thing. Some of my guns are loaded up to a year with no problem. I would bet the pioneers kept their guns loaded as well.

 

[longcruise]

That would work fine with a flinter or percussion drum, but not so much with a patent breech capper.

I cap the nipple with a vacuum fitting plug, pour some alcohol down the bore and slosh it back and forth. Then I run a patch with the nipple uncovered to completely clear it. Then the nipple is removed and another patch run in and out to help dry the patent breech. Then it's Left to dry for a while. Usually overnight.

That's for a patent breech. I do the drum and nipple the same way although I'm probably being overly anal about it.

Flint guns are probably much simpler.

 

[DEWB]

I pretty much do the same. I was wondering what you plug the touch hole with. I will usually tear off a little peace of electrical tape and stick on it. We just got back from Colorado and I noticed I had a little bit of surface rust on the barrel where part of the tape wasn't stuck good. It didn't hurt nothing though. I might have to go back to using tooth picks. Dew

 

[wattlebuster]

Ditto :thumbsup:

 

[Len Graves]

All good advice. For flint vent blocking I don't like using a tooth pick, had one break off while hunting, a pain to get out of the vent. Try the old birds feather trick-or a porky pine quill in the vent. Popping a cap makes instant heat then cooling followed by condensation so alky or carb cleaner to dry or clean fire channel is better. Clean living and a little prayer can't hurt. Let it be a clean quick kill.