Leaving a powder and bullet charge in the barrel

[BE Wild Willy]

My view is an unloaded gun is just a chunk of steel while a loaded one is a useful weapon.

My sentiments exactly...

 

[hobowonkanobe]

yyyyep. Me too. I specifically got my Howdah pistol for that purpose, tho keeping it loaded for long periods still makes me wary, but, it's fast and easy to load, and no where near as difficult to unload sans firing it as any ML rifle.
Also, and this was one of the original reasons I bought it, is that it is very easy to load a "blank" in it for scarin off Coyotes. Powder, some chunk of cotton rag and a cap. BIG boom, no coyotes and a safe dog.

 

[larry wv]

If we find one unloaded around here we load it. Larry

 

[ebiggs1]

Yes, to each his own. My CC revolver is loaded all the time, too, but it is also with me all the time.
Otherwise there are no loaded, left unattended guns allowed here. :thumbsup:
The chance of an unforseen accident is way more than a home invasion.

And, IMHO, if you are depending on a BP firearm for self defense, you really need to do some more thinking on this matter. :td:

We may like to play act like we are in 1800 but ain't. :hmm:

 

[Archie]

I have had some very lively discussions on this subject. Almost to the point of physical violence from the other end of the discussion. I will not presume to know what is best for anyone but myself. I will not try to dictate what happens anywhere but in my own home or property. You do as you like and I fully support your right to do exactly as you like until harm is done to others or their property. So with that being said, I will not allow unattended, unsecured, loaded or unloaded firearms in my home, outbuildings or hunting camp. Please take notice that I ended that last sentence with a punctuation device known as a "PERIOD!" I know that some state laws say a muzzleloader is unloaded in the absence of an ignition source. Well, this aint the first time I have disagreed with the State or Federal Government.

 

[cynthialee]

Yes, to each his own. My CC revolver is loaded all the time, too, but it is also with me all the time.
Otherwise there are no loaded, left unattended guns allowed here. :thumbsup:
The chance of an unforseen accident is way more than a home invasion.

And, IMHO, if you are depending on a BP firearm for self defense, you really need to do some more thinking on this matter. :td:

We may like to play act like we are in 1800 but ain't. :hmm:

the debate I had to go through to get a handgun in this house was settled on the caveat that it had to be black powder
The fact that very few people know how to load a black powder revolver was the main selling point to my sweety.
Personaly I would like a Judge or a .357 magnum but it is what it is.

I am pretty sure that an old school wheel gun will work for me if I need it. Worked well enough for many years for many people.

 

[BE Wild Willy]

And, IMHO, if you are depending on a BP firearm for self defense, you really need to do some more thinking on this matter. :td:

I need to clarify the comment I made earlier. I do keep loaded firearms at the house for protection , and at times while abroad if legal. None of these however are of the BP persuasion.

 

[chuck-ia]

You are not going to convince anyone that keeping a loaded (not tagged) muzzleloader is unsafe, untill someone is hurt or killed, then it will be, well, why did they have it loaded in the first place, or, all kinds of excuses here. flinch

 

[Scharms]

I fire after every hunt (but I hunt in my backyard). I took in a T/C grayhawk on trade a few months back. I checked it with the ramrod & sure enough someone rammed a maxi-ball home and it sat for who knows how long... Pulled the nipple only to find rust & what was once powder... Its still in there, I'll deal with it after deer season... Although I don't have much hope that the barrel is any good.

 

[ebiggs1]

Right off the top of my head I can come up with nine (9) good reasons to not allow unattended loaded muzzle loaders, or any firearm, in your house, for that matter. :hmm:

They are all grankids and each has a name and loves to come over to grandpa's house.

Now in my situation, I live in the country, in Kansas and there is almost no crime. If I lived in the inner city of Kansas City, Kansas, maybe my view would be different. It may be worth the added risk.

 

[Dphar]

Where I live if you go in the woods you may need to use your firearm for self-defense. We have 4 species of people killers and then there are the people you might meet. I often hunt with a FL rifle and a FL pistol.
Its not the gun you carry its how well you use it. In carrying one for a couple of years I found that a good 1860 Army, for example, was an excellent gunfighting tool. It points as good as anything I have ever carried. It was fast and accurate and I could easily get fast center (within a couple of inches) hits with it out to 10 yards+ without even using the sights it was accurate enough for people to about 100 yards. Its not a power house but its probably better than most 38 special loads people carry in short revolvers. I never felt at a great disadvantage and cannot see where 5 shot J frame 38 is much better. Chances are if you have to reload the revolver you are in trouble. But a C&B or FL for a carry gun is a PITA so I carry something more modern.
Where we live home invasions are not common. Though a friend of mine killed an unarmed guy in his house about 4 years ago. Guy entered in a "riotous and tumultuous manner" and in MT its legal to shoot the perp. This guy had tried to knife a guy in a local bar less than an hour previous and was headed for my friend's gun room when he encountered a 45ACP bullet, the shooter had a phone in one hand and the 1911 in the other. Sheriffs office in almost exactly a block from where he shot the guy. So when seconds count.....
I don't have kids in the house. If we do, should someone visit, they are WATCHED. We have loaded guns in the house even though the threat is slight. But if there IS a threat and unloaded gun is a poor club so we always have 3-4 in the house with at least a magazine in place.
But this is something that can change with the situation and people need to be responsible and if they have small kids or idiots around take proper precautions.
By the time kids are 10+ they need to have firearms training so they know proper gun handling and how to check and clear a firearm that might be in the house. 12 year olds can hunt in MT but must pass hunter safety

Dan

 

[Dphar]

Since I moved here I have had 3 black bears either in the yard (2) of at the fence (1). One had to be darted to get him out of one of our trees.
They come in during hard years looking for food around town.

Dan

 

[chuck-ia]

Just speaking for myself, modern guns are a whole different thing, most people without much gun knowledge can check a modern gun to see if it is loaded, not so with a muzzleloader, and just assume it is not. flinch

 

[Semisane]

Those of us who believe in having loaded guns in the house will never convince those who don't believe in doing so otherwise.

Those of us who don't believe in having loaded guns in the house will never convince those who do believeve in doing so otherwise.

Personal circumstances and experiences will always dictate what is "right" for an individual. Regardless, whether loaded or not, guns should never be stored in a manner that allows access by children.

 

[ebiggs1]

I suspect those of us that have our own children are more cautious about leaving an unattended loaded gun around the house than those that don't have their own children at home.

 

[cynthialee]

I suspect those of us that have our own children are more cautious about leaving an unattended loaded gun around the house than those that don't have their own children at home.

We have no kids and my spouse will not touch a gun, so I feel relatively comfortable with a loaded revolver in the house. When my brother and his wife show up with their kids my cavalier attitude about the guns change and I make things kid safe.

 

[Zonie]

Sounds good Cynthia.

I've about come to the conclusion that loaded guns in a house aren't particularly dangerous because of the people living there.
They usually know the guns are loaded and not to be fooled with.

Visitors on the other hand don't know the guns are loaded and often the only thing they know about handling guns they learned by watching movies.

They and kids the ones that pick up a gun and point it at others and pull the trigger.

Course, I'm preaching to the choir here. :redface:

 

[leslie]

Plus 1 We have great grand kids and they don't read too well so tagging a gun isn't going to do much good.As for keeping track of them while they are here good luck 2 and 3 yr olds are elusive and very quick.Too bad you couldn't bottle all that energy.IMHO loaded guns in a home frequented by kids is a disaster looking for a place to happen.One comment about secure storage,there isn't any such thing when it comes to kids,they have an eerie ability to unkidproof most anything.BTW this is based on experience.As others have stated the need for guns for protection varies with where you live.Around here a major crime is someone taking a chainsaw out of the back of an uncovered pickup.

 

[ebiggs1]

I wonder how many responders actually have kids of their own? Or grandkids, or great-grandkids? Some phantom amount, real or perceived, of security is not worth the life of one!
All my grandkids shoot with me except the three youngest and they know all they have to do is ask and a willing grandpa will go shooting with them. But under my rules and supervision.
I am not going to have an unattended loaded gun in the house. My CC is different because it is under my personal control all the time.

 

[cynthialee]

Last time there were kids in this house was about a year ago and before that it was about 3 years ago.

If there were children in our home or visiting, you are right, my attitude about the loaded firearms in the house would be differant.