I started a discussion at work today about leaving your flintlock loaded at the end of your hunt, an

[sniper68]

I have left mine loaded for up to a couple of weeks, as long as it ain't been raining. Always "PLUG" the vent and I like to cap the muzzle with a small bright balloon.

 

[jbtusa]

Do NOT leave the gun loaded! My concern would be the operation of Murphy's Law and leaving a charge in the gun. It's too high of a risk for a disaster waiting to happen. Besides the disaster waiting to happen, I've spent too much money on my rifles to risk pitting the bore.

 

[Stumpkiller]

did i miss something or are these people first cleaning and then reloading the weapons or just leaving a load in the uncleaned gun ?

personally, i have a "bedside" bp revolver that i keep loaded (and capped) for .... uninvited guests, but it is thoroughally cleaned *before* loading and then unloaded at the range every month.

~d~

Well that's a cat of a different stripe. The sun never rises on a dirty muzzleloader. Clean them at the end of the day no matter what. Unfired with a clean load and good pre-load lube wipe I have no fears of storing . . . unless I got caught out in the rain that day.

I do not keep a loaded m/l near the bed. But you can come dance with a .45 ACP some night if you feel the need.

 

[RC]

:hmm: QUESTION??? seein how we on our way here... :wink:

is black powder(I'm thinkin goex, for me) corrosive unburnt????

I totally understand not leavin a dirty gun loaded(or leavin a gun dirty :shocked2: fer that matter) knowing what it could do...but,leaving a gun loaded,unshot/(clean but loaded) ball& powder with a greased/oiled patch/wad fer a couple days...is that harmful to the bore?? the can is NEVER corroded... :hmm:

I understand the unload/safety thing, but I'm in camp,,and the 3 of us KNOW they're loaded....(actually, they always are, but you know what I mean...)

 

[No Deer]

Unburnt black powder is non corrosive. Pyrodex on the other hand, from what I have read about it, is very corrosive unburnt.

 

[renovato]

I won't even leave a muzzleloader loaded overnight. Why risk a damp charge during a hunt, when it's so easy to just pop out the ball with a CO2 discharger and reload the next morning? Also, saltpeter is a salt and absorbs moisture. I don't want it sitting in the barrel any longer than necessary.

 

[pichou]

As to legality... that's usually up to a Judge to judge, and I hope never to get to that point. If it is going in the car, it is unloaded. If hunting on our land, it goes in a locked cabinet. We mark the loaded guns with painters tape over the muzzle and around the trigger guard. They only stay that way for a day or two at most. Dirty and loaded = :nono:

:v

 

[CZMark]

In Wisconsin it is not up to a Judge; an unprimed muzzleloader is considered, by law, unloaded.

 

[sproulman]

i agree with you on a ROUNDBALL but i use a powerbelt 295 in my .50 cal.

they are buck a shot. :shocked2:

i wish they would have put threads in the hollow point of powerbelt :rotf: then i could pull it back out.

some say use a co2 thing to blow the powerbelt out, thats great idea but too cheap to buy the co2 thing :rotf:

good info on spit patch.



our tests over on huntingnet under BORE TESTS by CAYUGAD ,he even put water in test,more than we would get hunting and no rust showed up after 2 weeks in the bore and all protectants worked fine.

he even sprinkled GEOX on the bores with the lube and no rust.

if i use rb, i will empty at end of day because its CHEAP.

but with pb ,i would like to leave it in bore as i hunt for 4 weeks steady if i dont get buck.

 

[tg]

I is as safe as you choose to make it, check local laws for legalitis, if done properly it will not hurt your gun, it is a mater of personal preference thereis no justifiable need for idiotic finger shaking on this question, by any know it all types.

 

[db3]

Thank you to all for the info. I pretty much thought this was common sence but I wanted to get everyones opinion. thanks

 

[ciffer]

in my state (MN) it is legal for anyone to have a muzzleloader loaded with powder and projectile, as long as it is not primed. unprimed it is not loaded, primed it is loaded.

technically it is legal to have a loaded, primed muzzleloader in a vehicle if the owner has a permit to carry.

during deer season i would leave my gun loaded if it hadn't been fired. i'd leave it loaded for day or two if unfired. if i had fired it, or it had snowed while i was out, or the day or two had passed, i'd fire it to empty it, then clean and lube.

i typically leave my guns primed during hunting season on the reasoning that it is safer for me to leave the cap on the nipple, with the muzzle ALWAYS in a safe direction. continuously unpriming and priming is more dangerously because of the risk of the hammer slipping when lowering the hammer on to the cap. i had an accidental discharge because of that with my .50 cal pistol. thankfully i had made sure i had the muzzle in a safe direction before lowering the hammer.

 

[Swampman]

Unburnt black powder is non-corrosive, as is unburnt Pyrodex.

 

i believe BP becomes hygroscopic once burnt, and not until.
:v

 

[chuck-ia]

Once in a great while I have left it loaded over night, if I am planning to hunt in the morning, I allso put a tag (LOADED) on the trigger guard. As far as leaving it loaded for days or weeks at a time, not a chance. Not concerned about the damage to the gun, it can be replaced. A person can take a lot for granted, you don't really think about it, till you have a loaded muzzleloader in the garage and you are being life flighted to a hospital 80 miles away. flinch

 

[Galen Futtrell]

THIS IS TRUE, I LEFT ONE LOADED FOR BETTER THAN 6 YRS. IN MY SAFE. "FIRED" LIKE I LOADED IT THAT MORNING. HOPE THIS WILL HELP. :thumbsup:

 

[Mike Brooks]

I don't have alot of paranoia about loaded guns being around, I have loaded hand guns in several strategic spots around the house, and often carry one loaded in a pocket when I have to rub elbows with undesirables. An unloaded gun is only as good as a club or a rock..... :wink: I treat all guns as loaded, ever time I pick one up or am handed one I check to make sure whether it's loaded or not.

 

[pichou]

... thereis no justifiable need for idiotic finger shaking on this question, by any know it all types.

That would be me, I expect. I was stating my opinion. In a CIVIL way, I might add.

 

[tg]

"That would be me, I expect. I was stating my opinion. In a CIVIL way, I might add."

Actualy it had nothing to do with you Pichou

 

[tg]

"i typically leave my guns primed during hunting season on the reasoning that it is safer for me to leave the cap on the nipple, with the muzzle ALWAYS in a safe direction. continuously unpriming and priming is more dangerously because of the risk of the hammer slipping when lowering the hammer on to the cap."

I don't think I can go with that one, I sure would not recommend it to anyone, the muzzle can be placed in a safe direction while removing and installing the cap, I thing leaving the cap in place is a much higher risk safety wise.