Leaving gun loaded?

[trapperdan2061]

Well how long can you leave a charge in your rifle, real black powder, patch and ball.

No cap of course.

Thanks :thumbsup:

 

[Trench]

Some guys on here report buying old guns with newspaper wadding from the 1910's. So, a long time!

:grin:

 

[J.D.]

I had one that was still loaded, with a viable charge, that dated from before the War of Northern Aggression.

IMHO, it's best to load a card wad over the powder, to prevent the load from absorbing patch lube, if you plan to leave one loaded for a few days.

IMHO, I wouldn't leave a live load in a piece for over a few days, nor would I leave a patch in the bore that was lubed with a water based lube. I wouldn't leave a load in a dirty bore either.

God bless

 

[fleener]

My main concern would be what do you have on your patch? Spit? Some type of lube that will help corrode the barrel?

Black powder, is stable, as long is it does not get wet.

I bought a ML shotgun, an oringinal from the mid 1800's that was loaded, no shot, but powder and newsprint, near as I can tell it was 40 plus years since it had been loaded. No difference in crossion in that area.

I have 3 rifles in my gun safe right now that were loaded sometime in the past 2 years, no worries, I also know that there is nothing additional in the barrel to cause it to oxidize.

snapper

 

[David W.]

Well how long can you leave a charge in your rifle, real black powder, patch and ball.

No cap of course.

Thanks :thumbsup:

As long as the barrel is dry and clean when loaded, it will last as long as it will in the can, which is virtually for ever. Using the proper patch lube is also important. Spit lube is right out as it will cause your barrel to rust, even over a short period of time.

I do suggest you place a piece of leather over the nipple and plug the end of the bore.

If you have taken the rifle out on a rainy day, I would suggest unloading. If you have been out in the cold and bring it into a warm house, I would also suggest unloading it.

 

[ohio ramrod]

Powder kept dry will fire even after 100 years, But a spit patched ball can "corrode weld" to the barrel so solidly that a 1/4 inch steel rod can be driven through the ball without the ball breaking free in one year!( This is from an article in Muzzle Blasts a couple of years back )

 

[jbtusa]

...so long as you don't take it home still loaded!

 

[paulvallandigham]

I had a stuck ball from a spit patch, that let a steel screw( ball pulling jag) drive through it, and it still would not budge. I had to pour soap and water down the barrel and let it sit, before the ball and patch would break loose from the sides of the barrel. There was a rough spot which could only be rust, after I cleaned the barrel out. I went at it with a tight jag, two cleaning patches and various abrasives to remove the rust, and smooth the bore again.

So, the article was not an exaggeration.

Since it happened to me, I don't use spit on patches when hunting at all, and if I am at the club, and the line is closed when my gun is loaded, I ask permission to empty the gun, so the spit patch won't sit in the barrel drying while targets are changed. I also now pour oil down the barrel to soak the cloth patch any time I have to pull a spit patched ball with my ball pulling jag.

If the owner of the gun doesn't know what was used on the patch( old guns inherited and found to be loaded), I go ahead and pour oil down the barrel to soak the patch, just to be on the safe side. Its worked for me several times, and has always made pulling a ball much easier. :thumbsup:

 

[Stumpkiller]

I left one for 11 months in my garage as an experiment. Went off and hit about 2" high at 50 yards - likely because the patch had dried out. Otherwise fine.

 

[trapperdan2061]

I am using bore butter for my lube so there is no chance of corosion, but maybe a cardboard plug is a good idea I would assume it will effect the way it shoots, so I woukd have to sight it in this way. Thanks for all the info

Dan

 

[necchi]

I left one for 11 months in my garage as an experiment. Went off and hit about 2" high at 50 yards - likely because the patch had dried out. Otherwise fine.

Glad ya did that and shared. I left my rifle for 3 months, dutch shultz dry lube patch.
Put the ball where I aimed at 50yrds with the first cap. No trouble with the charge or the bore.
That was one poor season for deer hunting

 

[dlpowell]

Mines' been loaded since October.

Poor deer season here too.

 

[roundball]

Well how long can you leave a charge in your rifle, real black powder, patch and ball. No cap of course.

As you see, several different answers...speaking for myself personally, after missing a good buck back in the 90's from a delay fire, I vowed I would never, ever do that again and never have...as difficult as it is the get a good buck or a turkey in the sights to begin with, and the few pennies a load costs, it just isn't worth it to me...plus there's no possible safety or bore issues to even worry about.

I either use a ball puller or blow the load out with compressed air when I get home, save the balls and patches for range plinking. Wipe the bore, let the ML warm up and completely dry out in the house over night...then I always load fresh before the next hunt so there's never a question that ignition and POI will be 100%.

 

[rabjr]

Well how long can you leave a charge in your rifle, real black powder, patch and ball.

No cap of course.

Thanks :thumbsup:

As long as it takes, unless I find myself hunting in bad weather, then I'll discharge, clean the gun dry and reload the next morning.

 

[luieb45]

Not to hijack your thread but if I were to not fire my rifle during the first day of hunting, and wanted to leave it loaded, would keeping it in the warm house or my garage which isn't heated. I was just wondering if keeping it in the house would possibly have more moisture.

 

[Jason Lewis]

Not to hijack your thread but if I were to not fire my rifle during the first day of hunting, and wanted to leave it loaded, would keeping it in the warm house or my garage which isn't heated. I was just wondering if keeping it in the house would possibly have more moisture.

leave it in the cold garage with the case open. otherwise if you bring it in moisture will condense both inside and outside the gun. just like on a cold can of soda.

 

[rabjr]

Not to hijack your thread but if I were to not fire my rifle during the first day of hunting, and wanted to leave it loaded, would keeping it in the warm house or my garage which isn't heated. I was just wondering if keeping it in the house would possibly have more moisture.

'I will not say where mine is left, just not in the house but in a locked unheated place with a folded cleaning patch held down over the vent by the frizzen.

 

[necchi]

Ya that's a big deal luie,
esp, in our northern climates. Gotta leave'm outside or somewhare to avoid the temp quick swings :thumbsup:
Mines either in the locked garage or in the trunk of the car.
It's tuff here in Minn. Sometimes you need to run the air conditioner during the day and the furnace at night :haha: 50-60* swings per day can be the norm in the fall.

 

[Poor Private]

I kninda look at it this way-- If I load a cartridge pistol with bullets, it's the same as loading a cylinder up with powder, wad ball and then capping. Most people don't think twice about leaving a loaded pistol laying(safely) around for a few months without firing why should a properly loaded pistol cylinder be any different. You just have to be wise in how you store it. As others before have said, keep it in an even temperate spot to reduce condensation.
Of course myself I can't keep a gun loaded more than a few days before I get an itcy trigger finger and want to go out and fire it. :rotf: I just love the smell of fired BP.
If it's a longgun think of it as a looong cartridge. completely sealed without moisture invasion.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Perhaps the most famous gunfighter of all, Wild Bill Hickok, was known to empty his cylinders on his Colt 1851 navy .36 cal. revolvers, by shooting the loads out. Then he cleaned and oiled the guns, and reloaded them for the day. He carried them in a sash around his waist, cross draw style( butts forward), but without the use of holsters. He carried them relatively high under his arms, because he knew he was more likely to need them over a game of poker than in any other situation. He practiced drawing from a seated position.