stay loaded..or unload at night?

[870 expressmag]

i am new to muzzleloading.....when you come in from hunting at night...and you weren;t fortunate enough to have a deer walk through your sights...so you just remove the 209...or should you remove bullet and powder also?

[Biff Mayhem]

I shoot the load at the end of the day -- sometimes at lunchtime too. Depends on the weather/humidity index. You can go either route if it's a dry hunting day. Just make sure you keep the bore temperature constant the best you can... another words - keep the loaded-but unprimed ML outdoors.

[bearfat]

I have left mine loaded for the entire 2 week season. At the end of the season I've shoved out the bullet with the in-lines and remember once going in on the traditional and grabbing the ball with a worm I think. I've also simply fired them to see if they would. They did.

I've left them outdoors in the truck but on some occasion have brought them inside overnight too, esp when they got wet from rain. I'd put a fan on them to dry overnight, and light oil on the metal again.

Never had a misfire yet...but I degrease and burn out the flash channel with a small torch before I load them.

My buddy had one at his cabin he left loaded all winter and it fired ok without any evidence of problems.

I've seen one guy that poorly cleaned a fired one and stuck it in the closet for the winter. It was pathetic looking with the rust.



Above pic during a couple of wet Minnesota days. Never unloaded the barrel at night.
After you clean it keep an eye on it and re-clean it in a few weeks in case some rust showing up somewhere.

[manofthe45]

I don't always fire mine to unload it at the end of the day, but I always pullthe charge or remove the breachplug and push it out.  BP is corrosive.  even with 777 or its brothers I wouldn't leave it loaded over night. my .02

[tscott]

Shot a nice 12" spike buck yesterday morning. I always load my inline the night before the opening (sans primer). I don't like fumbling around in the dark loading. I have never had a problem with no fire. I have not had the need to fire after 48 hrs, but it stands to reason that unless you are hunting in rain, should not be a problem leaving loaded for a week or 2 season. No loaded gun goes in the house. I leave loaded guns high in the garage overnight.

[daddywpb]

Would leaving it loaded for long periods of time cause corrosion in the breech where the powder sits? Seems like it would make it rough, or worse, rusty.

[Redhawk1]

I leave mine loaded and remove the primer. I have done it for weeks at a time. I even left it loaded for a month and then finally remover the breech plug and removed the powder and bullet with the ramrod. I did not have any rust or anything in the barrel. I know several guys that left them loaded tell the next season and just shot them off when we went to the range to check accuracy.

I will never leave a M/L loaded after I have fired off one round and then reloaded it. I will drive away from my hunting area a discharge it in a safe area.

For a safety caution to myself, I put a red dot on the muzzle to make me aware that the M/L has a charge and bullet loaded, it will come of when I shoot. You can get them at Wal-mart or office supply store, they fit the end of my Encore just right.

http://www.officemax.com/max/solutions/product/prodBlock.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&expansionOID=-536896197&prodBlockOID=537113882

[Hammerspur]

I usually leave mine loaded overnight, but I leave the rifle outside in my truck or garage to keep temp and humidity more consistant.

There isn't much to be concerned with in terms of powder load attracting moisture and causing corrosion at that point in the breech
from my experience if using one of the newer propellents  (777, Black Mag, etc.)... I forgot to unload a couple years back at the end of a fruitless season, put the rifle aside and never got back to it for ? months! When I remembered much later and knocked out the bullet and powder (Black Mag) the bore was spotless from breech to muzzle.

I CERTAINLY wouldn't try this stunt with Pyrodex though!!!

[Wolfhound]

I leave mine loaded and locked in the trunk. The only time I pull the load is after hunting all day in wet conditions. It's probably not necessary since my powder has never been wet, but I do it for peace of mind.

I've always questioned the legality and wisdom of shooting it out at the end of the day. The legality since shooting after hunting hours is illegal, and the wisdom of shooting during hunting hours while on stand because it could spook that animal just out of sight.

[Biff Mayhem]

Shooting the ML when leaving the deer blind at time expiration is not illegal. Also hunting in 200 miles of the Huron National Forest allows some hunters the opportunity to shoot their guns off miles away from where they hunt at lunchtime. That's me!

[simonkenton]

"Would leaving it loaded for long periods of time cause corrosion in the breech where the powder sits? Seems like it would make it rough, or worse, rusty."

You can leave black powder loaded in a gun for years with no ill effect. I have left a cap and ball pistol loaded for two years, and all five cylinders fired fine, and there was no corrosion in the cylinders. As to bp subs, I don't know.
I have left a TC Hawken loaded for a month with bp, during deer season, and it fired fine. No corrosion in the bore. I just remove the percussion cap when I am done hunting, before I put the gun in the truck. Let the hammer down, the nipple is sealed.
I left a Savage loaded for over a year, and it fired fine after that year. No corrosion in the bore. Of course, that was smokeless powder.

I don't see a problem with leaving a gun loaded for a while, unless you have been hunting in the rain. Moisture laden air cannot get past the ball or sabot. If you put the hammer down, or close the bolt, no air can come in from the breech. I can't see what harm it would do to the powder, or to the gun.

[Wolfhound]

Shooting the ML when leaving the deer blind at time expiration is not illegal.

That depends on your state laws. Here you would probably get a ticket. The CO's are very picky about it since we are only allowed to hunt until sunset. And even if it's not illegal, it's a little silly to shoot your gun off where you're hunting. If it's the very last day of the season I could buy it but not any other time.

Also hunting in 200 miles of the Huron National Forest allows some hunters the opportunity to shoot their guns off miles away from where they hunt at lunchtime. That's me!

Instead you might scare an animal where someone else might be hunting. That's mighty neighborly of you.

[Biff Mayhem]

If time expiration is 5:00 and you fire off at 4:59 -- it's not illegal. I don't know how long you have been a hunter, but I have fired in front of deer that never moved -- also fired at deer who moved - then returned to the exact same spot 10 minutes later.

Most hunters prefer deer that move anyways. So it may be unrightly/unkindly of you to remain quiet at lunchtime or at expiration time. I find large crowds of orange clothing and a hail of gunfire helps hunting more times than not. I personally think that walk back to the truck helps hunters when we're noisy walkers. Countless times my hunting partner shot a deer that came from my direction after my firing-off my load - my noisy walk in his directuion to accompany him for a walk back to the truck.

So shooting loads works both ways. The end result may be a wash on whether it helps or it's a hindrance.

[Chuck White]

I clean my Encore real good after making sure it's still sighted in prior to the early ML season opener and then load it and if I don't shoot it, I leave it loaded until the late season closes!

Then, I remove the breech plug and unload it!

No problems doing this, I have done it since I got my Encore when they first came out!

[Lawful Larry]

I clean my Encore real good after making sure it's still sighted in prior to the early ML season opener and then load it and if I don't shoot it, I leave it loaded until the late season closes!

Then, I remove the breech plug and unload it!

No problems doing this, I have done it since I got my Encore when they first came out!

I pretty much do the same as Chuck.  I only will consider down loading it if it was a reload after a shot.  I then like to scrub it out and then reload it then.  Otherwise it is really good to go. 

[Wolfhound]

If time expiration is 5:00 and you fire off at 4:59 -- it's not illegal. I don't know how long you have been a hunter, but I have fired in front of deer that never moved -- also fired at deer who moved - then returned to the exact same spot 10 minutes later.

As long as your watch is not slow. Our CO's are very strict.

10 years and I've never seen that happen. Once firearm season starts the deer get spooked fast. Our firearm seasons are probably more intense though. We have 3 days first season, 4 second season, 3 for muzzlelaoder, and 3 for late season. That probably makes the difference. And areas that don't have shooting happening become havens for the deer. A deer stayed at my wife's grandma's during the firearm seasons a few years ago. I got a picture somewhere of it laying next to a shed.

[Biff Mayhem]

We get a 15 day firearms season here from November 15 to the 30th. Then the Upper Peninsula gets a 10-day muzzleloader season the first week of December. The Lower Peninsula goes for 10 days in the 2nd week of December. This is all public & private land hunts. Private lands see benefits of early and late seasons sometimes to curb the deer herd over-abundance on farms.

[Critter]

My Knight is still loaded from last year and I wouldn't hesitate to put a cap on it and go hunting right now.  I cleaned and loaded it after I shot my last deer and never ended up going out again so it's still loaded.  I just put scope caps on it tonight and its still fine, no rust or anything else growing in it.  I am going to go to the range to reconfirm zero and try the new super glide sabots tommorow.

Biff,
Muzzleloader season for Zone 3(southern half of the lower) is Dec 1st to the 17th, same as last year.

[Biff Mayhem]

Biff,
Muzzleloader season for Zone 3(southern half of the lower) is Dec 1st to the 17th, same as last year.

Is that private & public?

[Wolfhound]

Here ya go Biff.



This is pretty typical. There's a large area here owned by a person who does not allow hunting. The deer congregate there every year.  My dad even has a few that stay in his acre of woods during firearms season every year.

[Critter]

Biff,
Yes, both private and public in zone 3.  They extended it last year.  I don't even have to change guns, I use my Knight for the regular firearm season.  It's like getting 4 weeks of gun season.

[daddywpb]

I CERTAINLY wouldn't try this stunt with Pyrodex though!!!

Is there something different about Pyrodex, because that's what I use? I have always pulled the load at the end of the day, but it sure would be nice not to have to do that. If it won't hurt my Omega, I'd happily leave it in there.

[GRIMJIM]

I will leave the load in a clean gun and remove the primer. If I shoot it and reload I clean it as soon as I can. I have been sitting in the woods when someone drives away from their stand and unloads their gun for the day. If you are going to unload your gun this way please be sure you're not ruining a hunt for someone else. You can always remove the breech plug, dump the powder and push the projectile out with the ramrod.

[Tn Jim]

I remove the primer and leave the gun in my truck overnight. Bringing it in the house raises the temp on the gun and causes condensation in the bore. Contrary to popular belief, black powder and Pyrodex do not cause corrosion. BP and Pyrodex residue do! Neither of them attract moisture until fired. If you don't fire the gun and leave it uncleaned, it won't rust any faster than a gun that wasn't loaded in the first place.

[wgr]

i agree powder will not cause corrosion  until fired   i load my rifle  and it stays  loaded till i shoot at a deer  i load it   making sure the bore is dry   to me the inportant thing here is to know were yoiur cold shot  will hit   a shot out of a dry bore will hit alittle diff than the rest