hunting with a muzzleloader

[dmboct19]

If hunting with a muzzleloader and you don't shoot what do you do with the load till the next day,shoot it out or uncap a percussion and empty the flash pan on a flintlock? Would this be safe then to transport, how long can you do this? I want to hunt with my guns this season but am unsure of this, all help appreciated!

 

[Sean Gadhar]

Look at your state laws, here, Colorado, uncaped/clean pan is unloaded per Div. of Wildlife. Last big game hunt I went 5days with the same powder,patch,&ball in the barrel. But that was camp/hunting/truck I have only had a loaded "Powder in the barrel" muzzleloader in my home once (I broke a ram rod with the ball 1/2 way down & had no replacement)

 

[ohio ramrod]

Ohio considers a muzzle loader as unloaded if not capped or primed. My self I always either discharge and reload the next day. Or leave the rifle in the barn. You don't want to take a cold gun into a heated building. It will condense moisture. Just think how glasses fog up. :idunno:

 

[BLACK3]

Here in Massachusetts a Muzzy is unloaded if the cap is removed or the flash pan is empty.

WARREN

 

[necchi]

And there you have it.
Most states consider it unloaded and safe to transport as long as the cap/prime is removed.

The issue of leaving the charge in has always been under contention,,
Many (including myself) leave them loaded for the entire season. My personal longest was just over 3 months, it was then capped and it fired the load accurately.

Living here in Minn with cold outside temps, I'm carefull to avoid brining the gun into a warm house after a cold day. During the mentioned 3 months the loaded rifle was either out in the locked garage or in the trunk of the car.

Other folks will shoot and clean the gun, or use compressed air/CO2 dischargers and blow the load out each day and reload the next,

What ever trips the hunters trigger, persay, :wink:

 

[George T.]

Now that I have a CO2 unloader I will unload and reload in the morning, However I used to blow out the pan or uncap but leave the main charge be.

Geo. T.

 

[cynthialee]

here in Washington it is not 'loaded' so long as it doesn't have a charge in the pan or a cap on the nipple

 

[majg1234]

:dead: :stir: I pull the ball and load and reload every AM,didn't for many years but now I do.The only misfire I've had with a capper was after leaving it loaded 3 days.On the otherhand left a Grey Hawk loaded almost 2 yrs due to a deployment ....it fired right off after sitting in the safe all that time :idunno:

 

[Bruce H]

Yep, uncapped/unprimed here in MN. I do like you and leave the powder and ball loaded until I am through hunting and ready to head for the long drive home; the longest that's been is 5 days. I always leave my rifle locked in the truck because I don't want to take a chance on condensation bringing it into a warm cabin. And I NEVER try to reuse a cap that I have taken off the nipple; I'm always afraid it may be loose fitting with the second use and fall off without me noticing. Caps are cheap.

 

[dmboct19]

Thanks for all the input, i believe I will leave it charged and un cap or empty flash pan, happy hunting!

 

[feyx0006]

I unload at the end of each day, and the safest way to do that is to fire the gun in a safe direction (MUCH safer than screwing around with a ball puller over a full, live charge of powder). At the end of each day, the gun either goes into the back seat of the truck, or I bring it in each night (so some dirtbag doesn't steal it). With this comes changes in temperature and the possibility that condensation will wet the powder charge. I prefer a fresh load each day for this reason. And with only a single shot fired each day (maybe two on the days when "brown went down") there isn't really a lot of cleaning that needs to be done. A few quick swipes with some "moose juice" followed with a bore buttered patch, and you are good to go. Obviously, a thorough cleaning at the end of the weekend will be needed. Still waiting for the day when I can camp out and hunt for more than a weekend at a time...

PS: most states do consider an uncapped or unprimed ML unloaded and safe to transport. I suppose with a CCW permit (which I have) you could keep it half-cocked, locked, and ready to rock, but given the safety mechanisms on the old girls, I don't think it is too good an idea...

 

[okawbow]

I killed my biggest buck ever with my 54 cal flintlock that was loaded 2 years earlier and carried through 2 seasons. I've also killed a couple turkeys with a 10 ga double that stayed loaded a year or more.

As long as the gun is clean and dry before loading, and kept dry, I have no doubt it will fire normally even after being loaded a long time. Don't leave a gun loaded that has been fired and then loaded. The powder residue will draw moisture.

I always put a "loaded" note under the hammer when storing a loaded muzzleloader.

 

[jamesthomas]

I've kept my flintlock loaded for 5 days before, went off as normal when I went target shooting. My brothers rifle has been loaded since Nov. 12th. It will fire as normal whenever he gets a shot at a deer, I betcha.

 

[Rat Trapper]

Yesterday I killed a doe with a rifle that had been loaded for 5 days. Every day and the end of the hunt I would pull the cap off and put it in the patch box. I always put tape on the muzzle and tape over the nipple to block out any air or mositure and then keep the rifle in a case out on an unheated porch.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

In Maryland unprimed or uncapped is "unloaded" for transport purposes, but I shoot the rifle at the end of the day, into my favorite stump. It's the second stump that I have used for this, as a few years ago I broke up my first stump, recovered the slugs shot into it over several years, and re-cast them into proper round balls.

LD

 

[Mark Sluka]

Yesterday I killed a doe with a rifle that had been loaded for 5 days. Every day and the end of the hunt I would pull the cap off and put it in the patch box. I always put tape on the muzzle and tape over the nipple to block out any air or mositure and then keep the rifle in a case out on an unheated porch.

Agree,If you are going to leave it loaded, dont bring it in to a heated room after being outside in the cold all day. You may get moisture from condensation. I leave mine in the unheated garage if i dont pull the charge.

 

[cynthialee]

me and Matt85 loaded our rifles day one of the hunt and hunted a week, the entire time bringing our rifles in and out from the cold
his rifle went off on day four when he baged his deer and mine went off on day 7 when I cleared it

 

[Rat Trapper]

me and Matt85 loaded our rifles day one of the hunt and hunted a week, the entire time bringing our rifles in and out from the cold
his rifle went off on day four when he baged his deer and mine went off on day 7 when I cleared it

You can get away with that if it isn't too cold outside. Better to not do it. I always put black plastic tape over the muzzle (you would not believe how many animals I have shot with the tape on the muzzle) then remove the cap and put tape over the nipple. My nipples are vented, so I need tape rather than leather over it to keep mositure out.

 

[Matt85]

here in Washington it is not 'loaded' so long as it doesn't have a charge in the pan or a cap on the nipple

durring my hunt on cynthialee's property i left my gun capped and loaded for 4 days before i found a deer in my sights. i did however had a dry wool wad between the patch and the powder to keep the lube from soaking into the powder.

-matt

 

[Roguedog]

I understand that we all have our own idiosyncracies, but when using black powder in a clean barrel, I leave it loaded. Of course I remove my cap when I'm not hunting but I do leave the load in the barrel. Maybe I've been lucky but I have yet to have a misfire, even after several weeks of the gun being loaded. Having said that, I do not bring a cold gun into a warm house. I usually keep the gun in it's case in the garage to maintain a consistent temp. This is what works for me. As they say, your mileage may vary.

Jeff