Pull shot and powder daily or leave loaded?

[Raynor]

In your fowlers, do you pull the shot, wads, and powder at the end of each day or leave it loaded? Curious what most do. Thanks for any info.

 

[Rebel]

Not if i haven't fired it and plan to hunt again the next day. Just don't take a cold gun into a warm house though. That will cause problems with condensation.

 

[mmahlock]

You should also remember that if you leave one or both barrels loaded over night or for a day or so before shooting them that you need to re-ram them before shooting them. The loads in double shotguns tend to loosen up when one barrel is shot or when they are transported.

In the early 19th Century E. Baker wrote about an appearantly significant problem of shooters shooting one barrel and reloading and not re-ramming the unshot barrel one or more times resulting the unshot barrel exploding when finaly shot. This also occured when guns were left loaded for a period of time before being shot.

 

[Le Grand]

Also, use a "needle" or something to feel through the touch-hole to feel if there is powder just inside. Add a little FFFFg to that and you can be rather sure that your gun will fire when you want it to. Le Grand

 

[The Baron]

I've left my fowler loaded overnight in dry weather, with no problem. I left it loaded (sitting in the house) for 4 days one time as an experiement and then went to the range and it fired immediately.

Having said that, I wouldn't leave the gun loaded unless it was dry weather. A fresh load always makes me feel more confident when hunting, as I wouldn't want any regrets if I missed a once in a lifetime shot.

 

[Mike Brooks]

Depends on what you're lubing with. If you are using a heavily lubbed cushion wad it may dampen your load in that period of time. I usually shot my fowlers at the end of the day and reloaded in the morning again.
Rifles I tend to leave loaded over night as I use wonder lube as a patch lube.

 

[Boomer]

Slightly OT but I thought you might find this interesting.

I grew up in the hills of PA & one day deep in the woods I found the ruins of a burnt out 1 room cabin. All that was still standing was the stone chimney.

I searched the ruins & found a 1/2 stock percussion rifle. The stock was badly scorched & the 40cal barrel had a slight bend to it. Being 8yrs old when I found it, it was my new toy rifle & I proudly toted it around.
One day some powder trickeld out of the barrel. I realized that the rifle I had been carrying for the better part of a month was still loaded. Well I shook it & got all the powder I could out of it. I would guess it was 20-30grains. I knew the gun had been laying in the forest for the better part of 100yrs & I thought for sure that the powder had to be dead but there was only one way to test it...

I stuck a lit match to it. Now this was my 1st experiance with black powder & the resulting flash & puff of smoke left me sufficently dazzed that it took a few seconds to realize that I just about took my tumbnail off.

Moral of the story? The holy black remains potent damn near forever!
Ironicly this incident led to my interest & subsequent loave affair with muzzleloading.

 

[DrTimboone]

Is that how you got your name? :hmm:

 

[roundball]

In your fowlers, do you pull the shot, wads, and powder at the end of each day or leave it loaded? Curious what most do. Thanks for any info.

At the end of every hunt, I get home to the garage and pull it or bloop it out with compressed air.

Missed a 6 pointer in the early 90's from a hang fire with a ML I had left loaded...have never and will never leave a ML loaded overnight again.

It only takes abot 60 seconds to pull a load and patch wipe the bore...costs 25 cents...and I like the confidence I get knowing I have a fresh new load for every hunt.

"Eliminating all risks improve the odds of success"..........My .02 cents

 

[whitetrash078]

I have had a simillar experience; missing a nice fat doe because of a hangfire is enough to make one :cursing: for sure. I aways start the morning off with a fresh load in any ML gun I intend to hunt with.

Just my .02

Erik