leaving powder in

[frontierman01]

should I unpowder my firearm everytime I'm not sucessful or can I leave my firearm loaded for a certain period of time before any bad things happen. It seems to be such a waste of shooting stuff.

 

[David Ratusnik]

Frontier- What do you mean by "I'm not sucessful"?? David

 

[grizs50]

I have had guns loaded with REAL blackpowder for years and they go off, s as long as your powder is dry it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Mad Professor]

Piece of duct tape to cover the end of the barrel and wax the cap in with a candle.

I only "store" this way if the barrel is spotlessly clean before loading.

 

[redwing]

Who would chance a misfire for .20 cents. Do you also save tooth picks. :rotf:

 

[vthompson]

I think that you are talking about being unsuccessful at hunting and leaving the powder and bullet in your rifle until the next day's hunt.
The way I figure it for myself is this: by the time I figure the cost of my rifle, the price of powder, balls, patches and other accessories that I need, it's not a problem for me to pull the roundball out and replace the powder the next day. But, thats just me.

 

[William O.]

Just keep in mind that gun powder is hydroscopic, that is, it attracts water. If you live in a high humidity environment then you won't want to leave it that way for very long unless you take steps to keep the water out, and several ways of doing that have been pointed out already. Leaving the powder and ball charge in overnight after an unsuccessful hunt is perfectly alright, just be sure to un-cap the nipple. The only thing you might have to worry about in case you leave your rifle that way for several weeks is the powder getting a little weak from absorbing water, but it's not going to invite rust and corrosion. Properly sealed, traditional gun powder will last for many years, however, substitute powders get weaker over time, and it wouldn't be a good idea to rely on them if stored in your rifle for many months.
Hope this helps.

 

[nightwolf1974]

I have had guns loaded with REAL blackpowder for years and they go off, s as long as your powder is dry it shouldn't be a problem.

+1 on that! i pick out my "lucky ball" and leave it loaded until i see something or decide to spark it off at the end of the season. :grin:

 

[grizs50]

>>>Just keep in mind that gun powder is hydroscopic, that is, it attracts water. If you live in a high humidity environment then you won't want to leave it that way

 

[necchi]

One year I was very "un-sucsessfull". I loaded in mid november for regular season, and didn't fire the gun till after close of muzzle season late december, it fired.
I was very carefull of indoor/outdoor temp swings though, and kept the gun out in the garage or in the trunk, cased. I didn't hunt in the rain so the gun stayed dry.

 

[ohio ramrod]

For a day or two there is no problem as long as the gun stays out of heated buildings and dry. But for long term there is a real danger of the ball "rusting in" . Muzzle blasts had an article about a year or so ago where they left several barrel segments loaded for an extended period and then checked for corrosion. What they found was some of the "spit patched" balls had a 1/4 inch steel rod driven through them and could not be driven out of the barrels. What they did find was no significant problems with the powder.Which is why long time loaded guns can be a real safety problem.

 

[Tumblernotch]

should I unpowder my firearm everytime I'm not sucessful or can I leave my firearm loaded for a certain period of time before any bad things happen. It seems to be such a waste of shooting stuff.

If it's cold weather and you want to keep it loaded make sure you keep the gun in a cold, dry building. Taking it in where it's warm will cause condensation to form inside the barrel and it will seriously weaken the powder. I learned this the hard way years ago. I shot a deer and could see the bullet in flight. It hit just hard enough to break the skin at 50 yds. Needless to say, the deer got away.

 

[jbtusa]

Why on earth would you risk an accidental discharge and killing or wounding a loved one? Unload the gun!

 

[Dphar]

should I unpowder my firearm everytime I'm not sucessful or can I leave my firearm loaded for a certain period of time before any bad things happen. It seems to be such a waste of shooting stuff.

Flintlocks I will store with a load in the barrel during hunting season. If everything is clean and dry they will remain perfectly serviceable for months at least.
Percussion guns are more problematical. Cap residue can cause an accidental discharge even if the cap is removed from the nipple. The compound is susceptible to impact or friction.

Dan

 

[paulvallandigham]

Lick a cleaning patch, and wipe the nipple off, when you take off the cap. Done. Its safe, now. Look down the barrel of the nipple, to see if any residue is in the nipple. If so, use a pipe cleaner to remove it.

At most, you can use a pencil eraser or a .32 acp casing over the nipple, to keep the hammer from contacting the nipple during transportation and storage.

I use the same technique to remove BP "dust" or residue from the flash pan when I remove the prime from a rifle for temporary storage.

:thumbsup:

 

[frontierman01]

I guess I'll unload the firearm since I did take it in from a cold to warm enviorment. thanks everyone for your advice. I forgot that one of the reasons for purchasing a muzzleloader was the inexpensiveness of the ammunition.

 

[Dirk Perry]

Remember, BP residue is hygroscopic.
Dry BP in a clean, dry barrel can stay good for years.

 

[Little Wattsy]

should I unpowder my firearm everytime I'm not sucessful or can I leave my firearm loaded for a certain period of time before any bad things happen. It seems to be such a waste of shooting stuff.

My buddy and I hunt in wet cold December Oregon weather...We choose to "unload", swab with alcohol, and reload every day. We also stay in a motel in a small town so we got the CO2 discharger abd fire it into the garbage can...My buddy collects all his connicals and my patches and balls and will shoot them at the range. they dont shoot bad. ANYWAY yes I would "unpowder my firearm everytime" and save the componets that you can, Might could use them in a pinch or shoot at the range but dont HAVE to "waste em" AND I feel much more certian about my charge the next day in the field!!

 

[tg]

"should I unpowder my firearm everytime I'm not sucessful or can I leave my firearm loaded for a certain period of time before any bad things happen."

No need to if everything has stayed dry, I hunt in NW Oregon and do not unload at the end of the day unless I feel I may have got some moisture in the lock area.I have not had a gun not off when I wanted it to yet.

 

[rabjr]

should I unpowder my firearm everytime I'm not sucessful or can I leave my firearm loaded for a certain period of time before any bad things happen. It seems to be such a waste of shooting stuff.

WHen I was using cap guns, I have to say I wasn't much concerned about bringing the gun in and out of the house. I would carefully load them and remove the nipple and fill the channel under it with 3F, then replace the nipple. Run a slightly lubed patch down the bore after loading. The gun would remain loaded until I got a shot or hunted in bad weather. Before replacing the cap for the next days hunt, I had a small dia wire that I would pass through the nipple to make sure everything was clear and recap for that days hunt. I never had a failure in a hunting situation, much to the dismay of a few deer.



With Flintlocks and what I have learned here since. I still take care in loading but now I case my flintlock after placing a couple of clean patches folded and covering the vent with the frizzen closed ontop of them and leave the gun well, lets just say in an unheated area, so theres no more heat extremes to worry about. Again my gun remains loaded until I get a shot or hunt in bad weather, then I will use the CO2 discharger and reload fresh. I have gone up to two weeks before pulling the trigger on a deer and the gun went off without a hitch. Just as fast as normally does.