How long do you leave your muzzleloader charged during season?

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How long do you leave your muzzleloader charged during season?

  • Never - Fresh every day

    Votes: 3 21.4%
  • 1-2 days

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 3-4 days

    Votes: 1 7.1%
  • 5-6 days

    Votes: 1 7.1%
  • 1 week

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 2 weeks

    Votes: 2 14.3%
  • All season

    Votes: 7 50.0%

  • Total voters
    14
  • Poll closed .
I'm incredibly lazy, I don't enjoy cleaning guns but I will do it every time I fire them (especially with bp). Because of that I rarely use my inline unless I'm on a multi day hunt and it only gets unloaded flying out of the muzzle at a deer or pushed out the back end of the barrel before heading home. The latter because bp projectiles are like gold bars here. Can't legally travel with a loaded weapon in Aus anyhow.
 
Just shot my night stand .51 navy sheriff. It's been loaded close to 2 years. All Chambers fired perfectly. I only load five, hammer down on an empty chamber. Crisco/parrafin mix over properly seated .451 rb. #10 caps pressed firmly on the nipples. I always grease nipple threads and cylinder arbor/post. Clean it right, load it right, works right.
 
So i have to ask the stupid question, what chemically happens after bp is fired that makes it so corrosive?
 
It's hygroscopic, it attracts water/moisture from the air.

That's why plain, lukewarm, room temperature water is all that is needed to dissolve the fouling.

No soap, fancy chemicals, alcohol, Windex, vinegar, etc.

JUST PLAIN COOL WATER.
 
I cannot remember if mild sulfuric acid is produced when black powder is ignited, and consequently reacts to moisture in the air.
 
All I know is that from my first m-l, a flintlock longrifle in 1971, I chose never to leave it loaded overnight. It, and every other muzzleloader that I have ever owned, has always been cleaned immediately upon returning home after shooting. Whether at the range, or hunting.

Until recently, all of my long arms have been flintlocks, as have been two matching .62 caliber Hawken halfstock pistols with steel swivel ramrods.I have also owned a replica, Italian, Colt 1860 .44 caliber percussion revolver; and a Shiloh Sharps, 1863, .54 caliber, musket cap, percussion, breech muzzleloader.

When hunting, I have always viewed the cost of shooting out the load, and reloading, to be insignificant compared to any possible damage that might occur due to leaving one of my semi-custom, or custom flintlocks loaded for an extended period of time.

The same will hold true for my CVA Optima V2 pistol. By the time it ends up in my hands for the first time, I will have over $1,400.00 invested directly in the pistol itself. This from a very lightly used (50 shots) pistol with an approximately $300.00 trade value.

I will be shooting BH209, and as many brands of ffg/fffg black powder that I can get my hands on. I might even give Swiss f 1/2g black powder a try.

I will be using the Lehigh Defense BH-BH-C1 CVA V2 breech plug with the removable vent liner that is designed for BH209 loose powder.

There is no way that I will risk my investment in the pistol by leaving it loaded. Especially, when it can be so easily unloaded by removing the breech plug and pushing out the load with a 1/2" wood dowel.
 
.......I will be shooting BH209..........There is no way that I will risk my investment in the pistol by leaving it loaded..........


Suit yourself. It is your investment. Do as you wish. But...........Just for discussion.......just for fun.............

What is the risk? Blackhorn powder is not hygroscopic. Blackhorn burnt residue is hygroscopic. Blackhorn powder isn't hygroscopic.

If the gun hasn't been fired, there is no risk is there? Or is there? What is the risk?
 
Suit yourself. It is your investment. Do as you wish. But...........Just for discussion.......just for fun.............

What is the risk? Blackhorn powder is not hygroscopic. Blackhorn burnt residue is hygroscopic. Blackhorn powder isn't hygroscopic.

If the gun hasn't been fired, there is no risk is there? Or is there? What is the risk?
The problem that I have with leaving muzzleloading firearms loaded is that regardless of how one tags/identifies the loaded gun; it's always possible to lose the tag/forget that it was left loaded. And, the possible negative consequences of that.

Leaving a weapon loaded overnight while on a hunt is one thing. There is is certain situational awareness regarding the loaded weapon vis-a-vis the hunting camp/cabin. Even for the duration of a multi-day hunt in the above situation.

But, for long hunting seasons, overlapping seasons, or consecutive seasons interupted by gaps; where the hunter is unsuccessful early in the season, and wishes to leave his/her weapon loaded for months at a time, at home----- NO THANKS!!!!

I don't live in the 18th or 19th Century where my life, and my family's life depends upon a constantly loaded muzzleloading firearm to protect ourselves from maurading Indians, outlaws, bandits, or foreign armies.

Neither, am I dependant upon a muzzleloader for feeding myself, or my family; where a readily loaded gun might mean the difference between eating, or going hungry.

I live in the 21st Century, and even though BH209 is non-corrosive, I still see no compelling reason to leave my m-l weapons loaded for long periods of time.

When I leave the range, they will be empty. When I am finished hunting, I will pull the charge, or shoot the weapon dry.

For self-defense I'll take a .45ACP 1911, a pump-action, 12 gauge tactical shotgun, a 6.5 Creedmoor, bolt-action Steyr Scout rifle, and a 6.5 Creedmoor, AR-10, semi-auto rifle. NOT ONE OF MY MUZZLELOADERS.
 
From my experience with black powder, and I have shot 1 lb. cases of it 25 cans to a case. Cannon down to 4F. The burned sulfur in the powder breaks down into an acid base that is very hydroscopic and will attack gun metals of all types.
I have left percussion guns loaded with black an entire deer season with no problems in firing at the end of season. Also with no corrosion in breech area. They were properly cleaned and stored up to wiping down and loading before hunting . Keep in mind I'm not talking about an inline or flintlock.

As far as cleaning, remove the barrel from the stock. If it has a removable breech plug, remove it, If not remove the nipple. Place a sauce pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. Do this outside if possible, lean the barrel against something because it's going to get very hot. Pour the hot water down the bore and flush it well. Quickly scrub it with a wet patch and finish flushing with the remaining water. You want the barrel to hot to touch. After flushing wrap something around it to pick it up and lean it muzzle down and let it cool. After cooling patch it out with an oil base cleaner of your choice and or alcohol inside and out followed by the oil. The alky will insure no water residue. But if the barrel is hot enough after flushing it will normally dry itself 100%. Before storing coat the bore with a heavy coating of RIG on a patch.
It all might sound like a hassle but it's an old tried and tru method that will work 99.9% of the time if done correctly. I have several guns that have been stored this way for a number of years and not the first sign of a problem. I'm sure they could be wiped out with Hoppes, dried, Loaded and go hunting or to the range.
 
What wmdbowman said, At the end of season I flush with boiling water and run patches just like he does. No problems. I leave my gun loaded all season and store it in the garage so it doesn't condense moisture. Spit patch between shots and it can be loaded for up to 6 weeks with multiple shots during that 6 weeks. No problem. And I use that T7 stuff.
 
snapbag, good to hear it works with T-7. I suspect this method will work with all the black powder substitutes except maybe Black Horn which is a cellulose base propellant and not as aggressive attacking metal. Good old Hoppes works fine on B.H. no hot water needed for me.
 
This is going to be my first year using blackhorn 209. I will shoot 2 rounds the day before the season then load my hunting load. Depending on the weather, I won't clean until after the season ( a week). Any other powder I clean after firing that night no matter how tired.
 
I only use about 3 mag primer to foul my bore. Run a DRY patch once to even out the fouling. Then load up for the hunt or range day. I usually do this the night before. 209 primer fouling is non corrosive and 3 mag primers produce quite a bit of fouling in the bore.

If i happen to shoot during the hunt and i have multiple tags. It stays that way until im done hunting. Usually only 2-3 days. You can probably safely extend that with a quick dry patch and dry climate. In very humid conditions i would not risk it even with BH209. Not a chance i would try it with Pyrodex or real black. T7 would get a quick wet patch high in ISO to speed the drying.

If its not fired at all with BH209, it stays loaded until i shoot it out unless i got caught in heavy rain. I dont typically hunt in rain but i have been caught off guard a couple times.
 
I load my cap lock on a clean barrel, I do not foul it since real BP is so corrosive (as are all subs, save maybe BH209...never used it) once it's burned. It pulls moisture out of the air and starts the rusting process in short order. I had a friend show me his rifle the very next morning after he had shot the day before and didn't clean it that night. The fouling was mostly white and almost looked crystalized. Very nasty looking.

I clean with the bucket of soapy water method. The flame channel has always been clear after cleaning this way. I've never once found it not to be clear after being cleaned and stored. I only use a light film of Barricade for bore protection and always store it muzzle down. I never bother with snapping a cap before loading, I can clearly hear the air hiss out through the nipple when I push the PRB down on top of the powder.

I leave my side lock loaded from Oct 10th until Dec. 14th. Barricade provides bore protection the entire time. Oct 10th is opener of whitetail season and runs until Dec. 1st. Dec. 2nd is late season muzzleloader only elk, runs until Dec. 14th. For safety and to keep moisture out I put one of those red adhesive TC stickers over the end of the barrel and also place a yellow foam earplug on the nipple and set the hammer on it. All of my family knows that indicates it is loaded if they for some reason get into the locked gun cabinet it is stored in.
If I shoot it gets cleaned that day when I get home.
I guess I'm lucky with my clean bore shot. It hits low, but windage is good. All I have to remember is that the clean bore shot is a 50 yard zero and my fouled bore shot has a 75 yard zero.
If I do not end up taking a shot I use a ball puller and pull the load so I don't have to do a full cleaning.
 
I leave the ML charged during season for several days or until I shoot it at game depending on the weather. After season to prevent corrosion I never leave it charged. I always spend a couple of mag primers to foul the barrel normally the night before the hunt or range session.
 
I leave the ML charged during season for several days or until I shoot it at game depending on the weather. After season to prevent corrosion I never leave it charged. I always spend a couple of mag primers to foul the barrel normally the night before the hunt or range session.
That’s what I’ve always done, but am following I could stand to learn a bit from you guys!
 

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