Pull Load at Days End??

[bowbender68]

Do you guys discharge your load after a days hunt? Can I pull the cap and leave it loaded inside the tent each evening? If you discharge, what is the best way to do so, compressed air to blow it out, or manually pull it? I have seen the plugs that Cabelas sells that are supposed to prevent rust if brought into a warm area from the cold. Do they work well? Any thoughts and input are much appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Canerod]

Depending on the weather, I do both. If it's pretty dry, I'll uncap or unprime and leave the load for the next day. Just be careful, cause the rifle IS loaded, just not capped. Treat it as a loaded gun.

If it's wet, I'll either shoot it out or pull the load, just depends if I feel like fully cleaning it that evening or not. I've seen guys use the CO2 dischargers and it's pretty much the same as pulling the load, but I have a ball puller and I don't have a CO2 discharger, so you can guess which I do.

 

[Rogue River]

I've left mine loaded for a week with no problem. I just put an OP wad on the end of the muzzle and a small piece of plastic over the nipple to keep it from drawing moisture and most important leave outside warm building where there is no sudden temp change.

 

[roundball]

Do you guys discharge your load after a days hunt?

I fired my load out at the end of the first day I ever hunted with a muzzleloader because the guy I went with said that's what to do....then I had to clean it.

I have never "fired" a muzzleloader to unload it it since that time about 18 years ago...I pull the load after a day's hunt and load fresh for every new hunt...save the patches & balls for the range after the season is over

 

[rabjr]

You don't have to unload every night but you better make sure of a few things. One make sure your gun is absolutely clean and dry before loading. Make sure the guns prepped right to ensure ignition. My gun is cased and left in a locked vehicle in cold weather. In mild weather brought in the house. I've never yet experienced a misfire or delay while hunting.

 

[catman]

I fire the load if I'm coming home and then do the warm water clean thing, if I'm going to stay in the woods over night & hunt the next day I remove the cap, leave it in the truck with a cork plug down the end of the barrel.
My reasoning for firing at the end of the day, I always fire 2 caps before I load my gun & then run a alchohol patch to get all of the oil residue for sure out of the barrel and what was pushed out of the flash channel & then load it (target or hunting). I've never had a misfire or a hangfire doing it this way. You only get 1 shot in this game 99% of the time...

 

[chapmans]

I just fired off 2 muzzleloaders today from deer season the first one was a .45 traditional caplock that my son's girlfriend was using, she only went out twice, it was loaded in Nov. It went off like it was just loaded!! The second one was my .50 cal flintlock, it was loaded on Dec. 8 I picked and primed and it went off like it was just loaded also. If they are good and dry when they are loaded and kept where there isn't a big change in temp I have never had a problem.
Longball 58

 

[MikeC]

I'll leave mine loaded for a week or two with no issues. I clean the barrel and lock with alcohol and let it dry before loading and the gun never comes in the house once it's been uncased outside. I dump the pan, bunch up a cleaning patch and close the frizzen on it so the touch hole is covered, put in it's case and in the shed it goes until the next hunt, never an issue. I lube my hunting patches with mink oil so I don't worry about contaminating the powder and I have an air-tight seal. If I need to pull it I do that manually with a screw type puller and a range rod, never had a problem.

 

[Little Wattsy]

Do you guys discharge your load after a days hunt? Can I pull the cap and leave it loaded inside the tent each evening? If you discharge, what is the best way to do so, compressed air to blow it out, or manually pull it? I have seen the plugs that Cabelas sells that are supposed to prevent rust if brought into a warm area from the cold. Do they work well? Any thoughts and input are much appreciated! Thanks!

Everything I know I stole from these guys and here is what I did this year and it worked GREAT!
Blew the load with the CO2 discharger every night, wiped clean with alcohol, dry patched, reloaded, ready for a cap and more hunting in the morning.
When it was needed.....It worked.

 

[Keppy]

I leave mine loaded. I just leave it out on my ATV in the plastic gun case. I have left it loaded for up to 5 days. I always take the cap off and put a piece of leather between the hammer and nipple. I have always put a over sized lose patch in the end barrel after loading. It does have olive oil on it. I can still get a hold of it if needed. I figure it keeps snow and other unwanted things getting in the barrel. Has no effect on shooting. This past season I had it loaded for 5 days in 20 above to 20 below weather. Last day of the season I thought this will be a good test. At 40yds I hit with in 2 inches of where I aimed and no hesitation in firing. Now if it were raining I might do things different. I guess a little common sense goes a long ways too. What ever makes you feel good.

 

[musketman]

Can I pull the cap and leave it loaded inside the tent each evening?

You can, but to prevent moisture from getting into the charge through the nipple I always lowered the hammer softly on a scrap piece of heavy leather to seal the bore.

Note: If the hammer is lowered on the leather hard, it will work like a leather punch and plug the nipple, don't ask me how I know this. :haha:

 

[longfowler]

I leave mine loaded all deer season, but I clean them with brakecleaner before loading and never have a misfire. I also leave it in the truck so there's no condensation from warming up indoors. just take the cap off. this morning I just fired my nephew's gun, went off no problem, and it's been loaded for about a month!

 

[Rat Trapper]

I always clean the inside of the barrel with alcohol before loading. I pop couple caps prior to loading also. Once loaded, I put a piece of black tape over the muzzle. When I come home, I pull the cap and place a piece of leather over the hammer and lower the hammer. Put the gun back in the case and leave it on an unheated porch until the next hunt. The black tape stays on the barrel all through the hunt. I do not remove it even to shoot. I've hunted all over the world with modern guns with the tape also, never had a problem. Just shoot through the tape when you get a chance to shoot.

 

[tg]

I have always left mine loaded unless things got really wet, usually leave them loaded till I shoot something,done it that way for many years and never had a problem, if there is any chance there is water where I don't want it I will shoot the gun to unload it, I've never been much into modern do-dads if not really needed when shooting to unload I usually make it a practice round at something I can tell where it hit.

 

[renovato]

I always just pop out the load with CO2. Probably not necessary, but I do it for my own peace of mind. You can reuse the ball, so you're only out a couple pennies worth of powder. Sure easier than pulling it.

 

[Trench]

I unload at the end of the day. I had a misfire last year that cost me a deer. At midday, I leave the rifle outside to keep any condensation from forming inside the barrel. If the weather was really, really dry I might leave it overnight.

 

[roundball]

I always just pop out the load with CO2. Probably not necessary, but I do it for my own peace of mind. You can reuse the ball, so you're only out a couple pennies worth of powder. Sure easier than pulling it.

The CO2 dischargers are a great gadget, and I have one in my range box to use there...but to avoid going through a lot of cartridges my normal practice is to 'pull' mine after every hunt when I get back to the garage.
I keep various caliber rods hanging on pegboard next to a waist high carpeted work bench I made with a 3/4" plywood top bolted to a Sears rolling tool chest...lay the rifle on the carpet, grab the correct caliber rod off the wall, pull the ball and blow out the powder with an air compressor...only takes about 30 seconds.
I reuse the balls / patches at the range...and its amazing that even with the huge "hollow point" created in a pulled ball, at least to 50 yards they seem as accurate as new balls.