Leave it loaded?

[stank]

If I load a clean gun with black powder, for hunting, and do not fire it. Is it ok to leave that load in the barrel until I go hunting again or should I fire and clean the gun every day? Will the un fired black powder hurt my barrel?
Thanks
Stank

 

[Walkingeagle]

Will not hurt anything.
Just remember that moisture plays a huge factor. Raining, high humidity or cold temps and bringing the gun into a warm environment will cause condensation. All these may affect ignition reliability. But unburned black powder is not corrosive.
Walk

 

[Grimord]

Put a balloon over the muzzle, and lower the hammer onto a foam ear plug over the nipple, or a toothpick in the touch hole of a flinter if you are going to leave the gun loaded. I have done this for an entire deer season with no issues. At the end of the season I either shoot the gun or blow out the load, clean and put in the safe.

 

[S.Kenton]

If I load a clean gun with black powder, for hunting, and do not fire it. Is it ok to leave that load in the barrel until I go hunting again or should I fire and clean the gun every day? Will the un fired black powder hurt my barrel?
Thanks
Stank

You can leave it loaded just as you said, clean and moisture free. It’s the chemical reaction of the powder burning that causes the corrosion or oxidation. I’ve left mine loaded up to 6 months in clean barrel. However, if you shoot one shot, then the rifle needs cleaned and oiled up.
Ive Known rifles to fire after years of being loaded.. not sure I’d recommend that..

 

[Sidney Smith]

I routinely leave my guns loaded for the entire hunting season, so long as I don't go out on a humid or moisture laiden air day. In the latter case I will pull the load when I get home. But if its been dry out, the charge stays in until I kill my quarry or the season ends.

As I write this I have a load in my 20 gauge smooth bore that I took out turkey hunting last weekend. I will be using this gun this weekend as well. I keep the muzzle covered, and a coiled pipe cleaner in the flash hole to remind me there is a charge inside the bore.

 

[old ugly]

I used to hunt on the west coast Canada. I would never leave a load in the gun too much humidity. depends on the climate.

 

[shane a gress]

If mine is loaded for a while I have removed the liner and pick out a few grains of powder. Put in some fresh 4f, install the liner and good to go.

 

[bud in pa]

I have left mine loaded for a couple of months, just put some fresh prime in the pan and it went off without a hitch.

 

[SDSmlf]

I may leave a muzzleloader loaded (unloaded as far as law is concerned, with no prime or percussion cap) during hunting season, however..... I place electrical tape over the muzzle (keeps mosisture out and helps avoid double load by me) and attach a tag to the hammer/cock piece that the thing is loaded. Remember most in this game are of the more experienced age group. No guarantee that we won’t go toes up before it is unloaded and the loaded gun finds its way into the possession of some unsuspecting and possibly clueless heir. If left loaded, I want to leave clear and obvious clues.

 

[dragnetbill]

I may leave a muzzleloader loaded (unloaded as far as law is concerned, with no prime or percussion cap) during hunting season, however..... I place electrical tape over the muzzle (keeps mosisture out and helps avoid double load by me) and attach a tag to the hammer/cock piece that the thing is loaded. Remember most in this game are of the more experienced age group. No guarantee that we won’t go toes up before it is unloaded and the loaded gun finds its way into the possession of some unsuspecting and possibly clueless heir. If left loaded, I want to leave clear and obvious clues.

Came up with this clue to remind that my hunting rifle has been left with a load; thanks to the blessings of the golden years; I was cutting the wrist bands off of my bride last month after bringing her home with her new hip when the idea light came on. These wrist bands are not hc/pc, but they are tough and you can write on them with a sharpie. Safety first.

 

[SDSmlf]

Came up with this clue to remind that my hunting rifle has been left with a load; thanks to the blessings of the golden years; I was cutting the wrist bands off of my bride last month after bringing her home with her new hip when the idea light came on. These wrist bands are not hc/pc, but they are tough and you can write on them with a sharpie. Safety first.View attachment 9225

I’m guessing that your bride’s wrist band didn’t say ‘loaded’ while she was wearing it?

 

[reddog]

About ten years ago, as an experiment, I left my '60 Army loaded for almost six of them. Five cyl's fired just fine, the other one I didn't load. No rust or corrosion.
Whatever you do, don't leave a rifle loaded with a wet patch or wet patch and pyrodex especially. Good friend of mine did that back in the early '80s, I learned a solid lesson from his mistake. I load with the powder charge, then a dry wool or fiber wad and patched ball lubed with a grease type lube, whatever I happen to feel like using at the time, SPG, mutton tallow, mink oil, LOOB, etc. I like SPG the best and usually have some on hand for black powder loads in cartridge rifles.

 

[Col. Batguano]

So long as you are not using a water-based lube for the patch you should be fine. If you really want to cover it, you could even swab a very light coat of oil in the bore above the load, but in that case, a good precaution would be to store the gun muzzle down to keep the oil in the bore from creeping down in to the patch and contaminating the powder.

But, I honestly think that if you loaded the gun with a clean bore to begin with, and used a non water-based lube for the patch, that the loading process with the ball and lubed patch will have given your bore the protection it needed.

When hunting I always put masking tape over the muzzle anyway. That keeps errant dust and moisture out of there. When you shoot, the air pressure blows it off before the bullet / ball gets there.

 

[dragnetbill]

I’m guessing that your bride’s wrist band didn’t say ‘loaded’ while she was wearing it?

My first thought was that it was probably a universal color code for "Explosive; Do Not Irritate"; but, then I saw it is a color code for Allergy to medicine.

 

[Eterry]

I've left my muskets loaded for months... and haven't had an issue. My good friend left his P61 loaded for about 3 years... when he leveled on a fat doe it was dead before it hit the ground.

 

[hanshi]

Since I use mink oil for a lube in the bush, I've left rifles loaded past the end of the season before firing them; and this was down in hot, humid Georgia. As long as you use real black powder, a grease type (not water based) lube; the load will stay viable for years with no damage. But if the gun gets wet, it gets fired. You can't leave a fired gun loaded or a wet one.

 

[Griz44Mag]

I have left mine overnight, but have always taken a deer the next day. I stick an orange rubber earplug in the barrel, and a red leather between the nipple and the hammer. I leave as is until get to my hunting spot, then cap it for hunting. The last deer I shot launched the rubber earplug, I caught a glimpse of it heading off to the left of the barrel. The 8 point ran about 30 yards and succommed to the hole punched through both lungs - exactly where I was aiming at 93 yards away.
I load with balls patched with mink, and would have no problem leaving the charge in barrel until next use. It is per se - sealed and waiting...

 

[Tom A Hawk]

I have left some loaded for up to six months. No issues with ignition nor accuracy.