days end discharge?

[alpini]

My biggest fear is my rifle not firing when opportunity presents itself. Does anyone discharge their rifle at the end of the day and reload a fresh charge the next morning during a hunt?
   Does anyone keep the same charge through out the entire hunt? I'm afraid of moisture or oil fouling my charge during the hunt.
   How about cleaning? Does anyone take any precautions to insure positive ignition before or after cleaning while in camp?
  I seem to always experience charge fouling the next morning so I'm doing everything I can to prevent this such as keeping oil out of the bore, storing the rifle muzzle down during the night (encased), nipple priming, using patch lube as rust preventative and fresh capping every morning.
  Any tips out there? I'm also open to critique. How do ya'll do it?

   Thanks, Clay

[savageT]

My biggest fear is my rifle not firing when opportunity presents itself. Does anyone discharge their rifle at the end of the day and reload a fresh charge the next morning during a hunt?
   Does anyone keep the same charge through out the entire hunt? I'm afraid of moisture or oil fouling my charge during the hunt.
   How about cleaning? Does anyone take any precautions to insure positive ignition before or after cleaning while in camp?
  I seem to always experience charge fouling the next morning so I'm doing everything I can to prevent this such as keeping oil out of the bore, storing the rifle muzzle down during the night (encased), nipple priming, using patch lube as rust preventative and fresh capping every morning.
  Any tips out there? I'm also open to critique. How do ya'll do it?

   Thanks, Clay

Clay,
I have experienced the same concerns that you do about squeezing the trigger and getting a SNAP instead of a BOOM.  It's happened a couple time with me at the range and I switched to another brand of musket caps that were a bit hotter.  One of the things I forget to do sometimes is after loading the powder and bullet/sabot, I lower the barrel, turn the lock on its side and strike it with the palm of my hand to get the powder into the firing hole.  Seems to work every time....if I remember??

Now, about firing, cleaning and reloading.....Yes I do all that to ensure dry everything.  Fire off a few caps before leaving camp and reload. I like to use a good grade of soluble oil such as Ballistol to coat the bore and nipple passage.  If you place a dry patch on the jag and insert before firing off a couple caps to blow the oil into the patch, you can remove most of the oil before loading.

[Ironwood]

Good topic alpini.  I have a .50 cal. CVA Hawken.  Here in East Texas moisture can be a real problem.  I discharge each night and reload next morning.  I do a little scrubbing with water and oil down at night.  Next morning.  I swab the barrel with a alcohol patch.  Then a dry patch or two.  Snap a cap and the drop in a charge.  While holding the barrel vertical I slap the side of the rifle near the side lock a couple of times,  seat the ball or bullet, cap the rifle and head for my stand.  

To insure the rifle goes boom when I pull the trigger I have replaced the nipple that came on the rifle with a Hot Shot nipple.  Also I've found that Pyrodex and Triple 7 are much more susceptible to moisture mis-fires than real black powder.  Triple 7 being the worst.  I've had mis-fires with Triple 7 after a morning in 100% humidity.  

Hot Shot nipple, CCI caps, and Goex powder, fresh load every day, works for me.  In more arid climates I'm sure things are much different.

[mamaflinter]

Savage T Switching to hotter caps, hotter nipple (for example if using a nipple that accommodates #11 caps, going from standard to hot shot) as well as hitting the rifle with palm of hand as you instructed (lock side DOWN) will all improve the fact that the rifle will go off.  

Ironwood you are correct as well in that there have been several misfires with the subs over using standard blackpowder.

Alpini I'd like to extend the invitation to visit my website. It might help you with some of your questions. You can find it at http://mamaflinter.tripod.com/

[Bob/FLA]

One year that stands out, I used a T/C Renegade in Wyoming.  It rained and misted for 5 days straight.  I covered the bbl with a piece of tape and put a soft lube around hte cap, sealing it away from the weather.  After 4 days I finally discharged it.  BOOMMMM!!!!  Just like normal.  Never hesitated.  IMHO, I believe that if you prepare for foul weather, you should have no issues.

[alpini]

Well, I guess I ain't too old to learn new things. Trouble is that I forgot most of them long time ago.
   "Snap insteed of boom", that phrase really takes me back. I went through a 5 year shooting slump once because of my flinching. I had to learn to shoot all over again. Another topic in itself.
   All good pointers, I going to try to remember the touch hole strike when I load. I'm hoping for good weather but also preparing for rain or snow.
   Mamaflinter, thanks for the invite. I'm headed over there now.

[Gregory]

Clay

I've kept my stainless steel inline loaded through a two week season, using Goex black, and it went boom at the end of the season.  I did keep the gun out in an unheated garage (locked in a car trunk) during that period so it wouldn't have condensation problems.

[johnt]

Yep,that's a biggy Gregory! That indoor/outdoor temp swing and condensation! I leave mine outdoor's also and have gone day's with a satisfying "boom" at the end of the hunt.

[mamaflinter]

Let me tell you a little story. I loaded up my muzzleloader (I think I was hunting with the Hawken Flintlock that year) and according to Virginia's game laws, to constitute being UNLOADED you had to remove the cap off nipple or dump priming charge for transport.

Well we were new to muzzleloading at that time and had very little information to draw from as we knew NO ONE other than a friend we introduced to the sport (but he was newer than we were). Anyway we were bringing our rifles in after the days hunt. It was COLD that winter. It turns out that my rifle was loaded for over a month before I shot it. My rifle went off as though I had loaded it 5 minutes before. But it could have just as easily become contaminated from condensation. I'm telling you this so you don't make a big mistake and have your sights on a big bruiser only to get a click instead of a bang.

[Winter Hawk]

Living in SE Alaska means we hunt in the rain.  Period.  Makes it real tough if you are trying to use a flinter!  One of my fellow workers shoots percussion mostly, with great success.  He swears by carrying the rifle in a wool blanket case, and pulls it out when he is ready to take a shot.  He says this has done well for him, and I have no reason to doubt him.  He does discharge the gun when he gets back to the truck or camp, and cleans & oils it.  A couple of dry patches down the bore and snap a cap or two before loading up again keeps him going.

-Kees-

[HWooldridge]

I always had more trouble with oil fouling on the first shot from a clean barrel so I now fire a fouling shot with 20 grs and a cloth patch over the powder.  I then load the normal charge and have never had a misfire so far (knock on walnut)

[savageT]

I always had more trouble with oil fouling on the first shot from a clean barrel so I now fire a fouling shot with 20 grs and a cloth patch over the powder.  I then load the normal charge and have never had a misfire so far (knock on walnut)

HWooldridge
Let me just ask again what you do for a squib shot:  Loading 20 grains of powder, place a wad or clean patch over the load and fire.
I've just placed a clean patch over the jag and snapped a couple caps to blow the oil from the nipple channel into the patch.....Is this pretty much the same or do you believe a squib shot is necessary?


Jim

[HWooldridge]

Jim,

I have not always been successful in firing all of the oil out with multiple caps and a squib shot proves that the ignition path is clear and unobstructed.  I usually point the rifle upwards and have on occasion dropped in a small charge and fired with no patch just to have unburnt powder sprayed all over me.  In other words, the powder didn't ignite but blew out from air pressure.  That is why I don't trust popping a cap at grass and watching for movement because I don't know for certain that the powder will fire when needed.  A fouling shot also insures that your second shot in the field will encounter similar barrel conditions to the first shot.  A shot from a perfectly clean barrel will impact differently from the next ones due to less friction from the fouling.  I have also not experienced any problems with barrel rust from a day of hunting in moist conditions but suppose it could happen.  I live in Central Texas so we have more hot dry days than Seattle or other mossy areas.

[Cuts Crooked]

After all the normal prep to ensure good ignition, I hunt. If not fortunate enough to get a shot, I pull the cap, put a small piece of leather btwixt the nipple and the hammer (or under the frizzen in a flinter) and leave the gun stored outdoors. Next morning I pull the nipple, work a pick in the hole to loosen powder a bit, and dump a tiny amount out, replace it with a bit of fresh powder from my priming horn, replace the nipple, and set out to hunt again.

In over thirty years of hunting with frontstuffers this has never failed me in the field!

[KING]

     I always pull the nipple in the morning just before going out,and loosen up the powder with the prick.  I then add a little of 4f to it and so far............knock on the cats head......I have not had a missfire.  I also make sure I know where the first shot is going out of a clean bbl as one of the guys said,it will have a differant impact point when the bbl is dirty from the previous shot.  Hopefully,the differance is very small.....................stay safe...........King

[Triple Se7en]

Side-hammers should be fired everyday & primed beforehand when using the substitutes.  FFF powders hold up better in sidehammers.

With 209 inlines, I've gone a week without shooting it if I keep the barrel at a somewhat constant temperature on non-rainy week. You don't need to clean non-sulfur 777 residue everyday. I go 3 days on a fouled bore with no corrosion problems. If you are not completely removing oil storage deposits with alcohol before shooting your first shot, fouled bores generally shoot better anyways. Wider, more spread first shot patterns often occur on your 1st shot when you only use a dry patch to remove storage oils. Plain & simple... it doesn''t come out that easy & it will affect your first shot.

[Rummer]

I am a big fan of the end of day discharge for the sake of safety.  A great $30 investment is a CO2 discharger.  The muzzleloader can be discharged without a boom and as an added bonus if you ever managed to put yout bullet down the bore before the powder you can get it out with CO2 pressure a lot quicker than with a screw on the end of your ramrod.

John

[savageT]

Rummer,
I wish this were always true.  I have used a CO2 Discharger, as you describe for my side-hammer 50 cal. Traditions and have not had success.  Had to resort to removing the nipple and pouring powder in, replacing the nipple, repriming and firing to dump the load.  Nice idea, but doesn't always do the job.


Jim