Leaving it Loaded

[PreserveFreedom]

I did a little experiment, since the topic of leaving your muzzleloader loaded for several days has come up so many times here. On November 3rd, I loaded a .50 cal rifle in the following manner:

• Swab the barrel with alcohol
• 100 grains of Goex 2F
• Pack powder down with ramrod
• Insert felt wad
• Pack down with ramrod
• 25 grains of cornmeal to absorb any moisture that may get in
• Another felt wad to seperate bullet lube from everything else
• Pack everything down with the ramrod
• Ram down conical bullet lubed with Bore Butter
• Swab barrel (while loaded) with Bore Butter to prevent rust and make it slick for firing
• Put primer in place

I brought this rifle with me almost everywhere I went for over a month. Some nights I left it out in my pickup while I was sleeping inside. Sometimes I brought it with me when I left and took it in when I came home. It was exposed to warm days, cool nights, and humidity. Today I pointed it at the ground in my back yard and pulled the trigger. It fired just as if I had loaded it five minutes ago. I do not know if the extra steps that I took had anything to do with absorbing moisture, but if anyone here has been having trouble with misfires on day two or later of hunting, you may wish to load it like I have. Please note that while I used a lubed conical bullet, any projectile should work the same as far as ignition reliability. I use conical bullets more than PRB do that is what I used for this experiment.

 

[Tony Logan]

Glad it worked. I am wondering if the layer of cornmeal was necessary with the felt wads and bore butter bullet. What I am asking is,do you normally load using the layer of corn meal or is that just part of the experiment?

 

[lorren68]

I swab the barrel with a dry patch, then load 70gr FFG Goex followed by a .490 ball and .015 ticking lubed with bore butter. I have left my rifle loaded for up to 2 weeks with the nipple uncovered (no cap). My rifle fired just like it was loaded 5 min ago. I left my rifle in my truck, brought it in the house, carried it hunting 3 or 4 different days, and it still fired just fine.

 

[PreserveFreedom]

Glad it worked. I am wondering if the layer of cornmeal was necessary with the felt wads and bore butter bullet. What I am asking is,do you normally load using the layer of corn meal or is that just part of the experiment?

I did it strictly for the experiment. This was the first time I have left a black powder weapon loaded for more than a few hours before firing. Since I have heard some complain about misfires, I figured I would combine a few theories that made sense to see if they worked.

 

[Maestro]

Not my normal practice, but on two separate occasions I've left flintlocks loaded for a year (with no special precautions other than a half of a toothpick in the touch hole). After a little picking and pushing some prime in the touch hole, they both went off perfectly. There was no rust or damage to the bore at all.

(FWIW though, leaving a flintlock primed in a vehicle is prohibited in Pennsylvania.)

 

[Ron_T.]

I don't have a problem with the idea of leaving a traditional muzzle loader loaded during a hunting season, be it a week or a month.

However, I do have a problem with leaving any firearm loaded beyond a hunting season except for self-defense firearms which remain loaded for years in many cases.

I have read reports by people saying that they found an old muzzle loader that had been in someone's attic for a large number of years untouched and when they checked it out, they found that the muzzle loader was left fully charged and LOADED... turning it into an "accident-waiting-to-happen"!!!

Unlike breach-loading guns, muzzle loaders tend to be a lot more difficult to determine if they are loaded or not unless one is truly familiar with how determining the state-of-loading of such a rifle may be done. However, a good many center-fire shooters would have NO IDEA how to accomplish this action... and, therein lays the "DANGER".

If a seasoned shooter doesn't know how to find out if a gun is loaded or not, what is the general non-shooting public gonna do?

Jus' my 2¢...


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

 

[Rifleman1776]

The pounding and packing, wads and cornmeal have me scratching my head. Why? I know you said experiement.
Oh, well. This question comes up a lot. The key is to load the gun when it is squeaky clean. I load once at the beginning of deer season and if I don't shoot while hunting I'll fire to unload at the end. No problm. Fires and not corrosion. For a long time my home defense gun was a Ruger Old Army. Loaded (clean) it stayed that way for years and fired when call on. No corrosion. BP does not corrode. The residue of fired bp does corrode.

 

[ebiggs1]

That's why ALL GUNS ARE LOADED UNTIL YOU KNOW BETTER. :hmm:

 

[MikeC]

I load mine at the beginning of the season and it stays loaded right up to the end if I don't get a shot, never a problem. Once loaded it never comes in the house, stays in the shed.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

I confess I have left a hunting rifle loaded from one season to the next and it fired without hesitation every time, nor did I find any indication of corrosion. Those have all been percussion rifles and when I remove the cap I let the hammer down on a scrap of leather over the nipple.
I do question your use of corn meal to "absorb any moisture". I'm sure it would do that, absorb and hold moisture to create rust. A felt wad between powder and bullet to prevent any lube contamination of the powder would not only be sufficient but better.

 

[rabjr]

Never thought of using corn meal and I don't see a need for it at all. Always taken care of loading for hunting season and that load stays in until I get a shot or hunt in bad weather. Took two deer this year with two different flinters. One had been loaded and used for 6 days and the other 2 days before getting a shot. Both went right off as if just loaded.

 

[crockett]

I think the conclusion we can draw from this, my own being similar, is that you can leave a muzzle loader loaded for an extended period of time and it will shoot.
Even when a muzzle loader is loaded at the range and fired, if residue plugs up the vent, nipple- etc you'll have problems. If the exact same thing happened on a gun loaded and shot a few weeks later- the blame would be the time period BUT it sure seems that is not the case if the gun is properly loaded at the start.
And. My view- Okay to load and leave for a muzzle loader season- as long as you keep a sharp watch on the firearm but at season's end- probably best to unload.

 

[SgtSchutzen]

I also leave my rifle loaded untill I shoot at game or the season is done. To remind myself or anyone else that the gun is loaded I have a tag that says LOADED that I put through the trigger guard.

 

[larry wv]

I fired off a flintlock this afternoon. It had been loaded and hunted with for 3 years. It fired the first hammer drop. Been leaving it and a few others outside in an old pickup truck. No condensation that way. If I fired one I would not do that. Clean they are ok.Larry

 

[chuck-ia]

Ron, I totally agree with your reply. You won't convince others on this site that it is unsafe to leave a muzzleloader loaded though. In my mind the exception would be to have a tag on the gun that says it is loaded, (like another poster stated). Most people just assume the gun is unloaded, have no clue how to check if it has a charge in the barrel. What it boils down to is the person that leaves a muzzleloader loaded after season is over is just plain and simple LAZY. Probably shouldn't be using a muzzleloader anyway. Modern guns are a different story, easy to check to see if loaded. Sorry for the rant, this topic allways strikes a nerve with me. flinch

 

[RC]

I leave mine loaded during hunting,,till I shoot at somethin, weather is bad or jus feel like cleanin an reloadin...at camp,you brought it in tent...got warm, then cold, then warm,..then... ...only thing I do is stand with barrel down...no idea if that makes an diff, but figure if there's condensation..it'll run out lol...never had a problem with it firing..cept when used 3fff sorta....hannnnnnnggggged a bit.. use 2ff now. as for leaving loaded..they all are, anyone (imho) smart enough to check a modern weapon..would seem to assume a ml was loaded too...still good to mark them as loaded..an know who is or will be within reach.. :thumbsup:

 

[crockett]

I put the ramrod in the bore and then case the gun. During the short muzzle loader season I hunt every day so after dark the gun goes in the case and before sun up the gun is taken out of the case, and is in my pocession at all times, AND I don't have any kids running around the house. Safety depends on a lot of factors. If there were kids in the house I'd unload at day's end.

 

[larry wv]

Looks like you called me lazy. May as well call me stupid also. Make a clean sweep of it. Been farming since a teenager don't owe a dollar to anyone. Care to rethink the lazy idea. Dumb maybe lazy no. Larry

 

[Maestro]

Looks like you called me lazy. May as well call me stupid also. Make a clean sweep of it. Been farming since a teenager don't owe a dollar to anyone. Care to rethink the lazy idea. Dumb maybe lazy no. Larry

Yeah, me too, Larry... he has no idea how I may have stored my loaded flintlock or even why. No big deal, though - I really don't give a rip what he thinks! :grin:

 

[SgtSchutzen]

I don`t appreciate the lazy comment either. Some of us have other things to do besides hunt and play with our guns all day (like work). I`m not going to fire my gun, then spend half an hour cleaning it every time I use it. My gun is uncapped, cased, and tagged as loaded when not in use. I was taught to work smarter not harder.