Hunting practices/preferences

[mnbearbaiter]

Thought id try and start a thread regarding what people do when hunting to gain peace of mind, as well as what powder charge/projectile are preferred! I shoot a .530 ball with a felt over powder wad and a .015 TOTW Mink Tallow Oil lubed patch with 85gr of T7 ffg out of my T/C Renegade! I found some rubber caps for turbine oil that i put over the nipple when not hunting! I also tape the end of the barrel with black duct tape, and cut it flush with octagon! Ive found that i can leave the gun loaded for many days/weeks provided i keep it in the elements and where condensation isnt going to happen! I know others who insist on loading each and every day as they like a fresh load each day! At a total load cost of probably less than a $1 each, its kinda silly that i try and eeak out a single loading until its needed, but i guess it does prove a point!!!

 

[necchi]

I leave'm loaded for the full season.
One year I loaded evening before the regular deer season, and shot the load out the first week of January.
No deer that year in either season.
I did take care to keep it out in the same temps, either locked in the trunk or the garage.

I guess the only thing I do different is to trickle a little powder under the nipple after loading.

For rain gear I use the fingers off latex surgical gloves. Just cut one off, roll it up then pull it down over the muzzle. I get 5 off one glove.

 

[S.Kenton]

I slip a small balloon over the end of the barrel for rain gear.I too tend to keep my rifle acclimated to the outside temps...when loaded I simply leave it in the garage or in my truck overnight. I load it once and only re-load it after I miss a deer. After the seasons over I simply shoot it, clean it and put her back in the safe.

 

[smoothy]

During the hunting season I too keep the gun loaded and in a storage room out in the garage to keep it "in the elements". If I shoot it during the hunting season I also clean it. My season can last a month. So its not going to get shot/cleaned after each day of hunting.

 

[Mike Brooks]

I leave mine loaded. No need to cover the muzzle if you have a tight patch/ball combo with a greased patch. No moisture getting past that.

 

[roundball]

"...to gain peace of mind..."

"...I know others who insist on loading each and every day as they like a fresh load each day..."

For me, the second statement supports the first.

Only takes me a minute and I save the ball or shot so the only wasted cost is the powder charge...pennies.

 

[Trench]

Having messed up an opportunity a few years back due to a compromised charge in my flitter, I start with a fresh load every morning.

 

[ebiggs1]

I have only actually taken the flintlock hunting one time. I shot a deer on the last day of the season. The gun was left loaded and unpampered the entire time except for a fresh prime each time out, which was twice a day.
I do, on the other hand, try different things (during non-hunting seasons) to satisfy my own curiosity. So far, the gun seems to not care what preventions I take, it fires every time. So I will still say I just load it and shoot it when needed. One thing I do is a card wad over the powder. Normally I don't use wads of any kind. It just seems to make since but I really don't think even it is necessary. :hmm:
Load it and shoot it. :thumbsup:
My load is 490 ball, 85-90 grs of GOEX FFFg, 4F GOEX prime, 018 cut patch and either Bore Butter or olive oil. Oh, yes, the card wad over the powder! :grin:

 

[Eric Krewson]

I hunt exclusively with flintlocks and selfbows.

In my main rifle I shoot a .530 ball over 90gr of Goex 2F with a wool wad between powder and patched ball to stop patch lube from migrating to the powder charge. In this rifle I get better groups with the wool wad.

In my .44 with the Bill Large barrel I leave out the wool wad. The rifle shoots poorly with the added wad but will shoot through the same hole at 50yds with any powder combination I have fed it so I don't worry about a little patch lube migration.

Left loaded a day, week, month or 6 months my guns go off like they were just loaded.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I load my percusion rifle with a "corn meal "buffer between the powder and prb( or mini depending on the rifle.). Then run a heavily lubed patch up and down the barrel to give the barrel a water proof coating since Ohio deer season often has rain. Once the rifle is primed I run a wax coated string around the base of the cap to seal the seam between the nipple and cap. And I never take a cold loaded rifle into a warm building/truck etc. I find this keeps the load "high and dry" for the season as long as I don't move through wet brush. :idunno:

 

[Rifleman1776]

I load my flinter at the beginning of the season and leave until I shoot or the end. I do run an oiled patch down the bore after loading. Never a failure to fire.

 

[RC]

mine stays loaded...until really wet damp day ..or jus feel like its time... guns have never failed me...and, I wonder jus as much with a new "fresh" load as I do with an old load...no way you can ever say, honestly... a gun did not go off because it was left loaded (uhhmm within reason! not soaked, etc.)...it might not have went off when ya loaded it. but that's jus my opinion...works for me..and only thing I do is stand with barrel pointing down..in the house,in camp..where ever I am..no worries about condensation inside outside..never a problem... :thumbsup:

 

[Mort Scott]

I load each time I go out. too much humidity here to leave my gun loaded, Have missed a nice buck because I thought I could leave it over night and use it the next day. won;t do that again.

 

[crockett]

I always use percussion and I never thought about there being a difference between percussion and flint. At day's end I remove the cap and put a pad of leather over the nipple and lower the hammer- seals things pretty tightly wheras the flash hole on the flint may not be as good a barrier from air moisture unless it is plugged. I have never had a problem with the percussion for the couple of days of muzzle loading hunting in my state but on a flint, for a longer period of time- might be a lot different from percussion.

 

[mnbearbaiter]

Good stuff guys, yeah i assumed alot of flint guys reload every day. I was hoping that this thread would get into load preference for certain animals, like "Do you try and up powder charge for a prb when hunting elk vs deer ?" Things of that nature?

 

[roundball]

I guess the logical conclusion is that everyone who leaves their muzzleloaders loaded, also leaves their .270 / .30-30 / .30-06 / etc. centerfire rifles (and shotguns) loaded in the garage too...

 

[mnbearbaiter]

Not really, in my state of MN an unprimed rifle is considered unloaded.

 

[roundball]

You may have misunderstood my comment...had nothing to do with primed or unprimed.
And everyone who answered that they leave their MLs loaded is not from MN...LOL

 

[RC]

its logical for me to leave my flinter loaded..no kids around,,and it's never failed me..an its legal..I assume I can still do that?...and no matter........logically, they are all loaded anyway..least that's how I was taught an how I treat a gun...

 

[rabjr]

I take great care in loading my flintlocks the morning of opening day and they remain loaded until I either take a shot at an animal or if I spend the day hunting in wet/damp weather, then I will discharge the load and start over.

Oh and by the way, you won't find any .270 / .30-30 / .30-06 / etc. centerfire rifles (and shotguns) loaded in my garage...