Yes, I’m That Stupid

[Satokad]

I have a CVA Optima and a Hawkins style ML. Just came to realize that they have been sitting with powder and projectile all this time (no caps because I’m not THAT stupid).
is it ok to shoot them to clear?
Thanks.

 

[edmehlig]

You can try. If they don’t go off, you can just pull the bullets out.

 

[Muley Hunter]

I'd shoot them. Nothing bad can happen. Just make sure the bullet is down on the powder tight. The Optima would be simple to unload. Just remove breech plug and push the load out the muzzle.. The Hawken will be harder. I'd shoot it.

This is why I shoot out the load every night when hunting. You could die and someone else could have an accident if they didn't know it was loaded. You never know. It's always right to be safe than worry about the cost of a load.

 

[deermanok]

As stated, cap em up fire em off.
If the sidehammer doesn't fire, I'd say to unscrew the nipple and drop 10 or so grains of powder in the drum. Reinstall the nipple and fire.

 

[Muley Hunter]

Fire then off as long as you know 100% that you loaded them. I forgot to add that.

 

[jims]

I would check with a witness mark to make sure everything is OK.

 

[Satokad]

I will try this and use the safety suggestions. It was me that loaded them. Was going to go out the next morning, then life got in the way.
Thanks for the advise, folks.

 

[wild willy]

Any time I have to put a muzzleloader in the safe loaded.The ramrod in the barrel with a sticky note on it marked loaded.Unless they got wet I'm betting they will go off the same as if you just loaded them.

 

[dbowling]

i always write loaded on piece of paper and attach to barrel with rubber band even if just leaving loaded overnight. Usually just unload though.

 

[Browndogz]

Couple of questions, how long and how stored? I have loaded and left stored in cool dry environment. From the am of our early season early oct to mid December and always fires fine.

 

[Satokad]

I just realized that I didn’t give a timeframe. They were loaded by me 1 1/2 years ago during the season. They have been stored in the basement in soft-aided gun cases. I was planning on pushing down to make sure the projectiles hadn’t jostled up off the powder.

 

[rugerbh103]

The optima is so easy to unload, pull the breech plug and you're done. I'd shoot the Hawken. It will either go bang or not, can't see the harm in trying.

 

[gforney]

Civil war rifles and muskets have been found that were left loaded and they fired off.
100+ years. Just saying.

 

[Dwayne]

Stick a cap on it and go hunting. It will
Fire.
My flintlock is still loaded from 2 years ago. It will go off.

What i do, is put a piece of tape over the barrel of all my loaded guns. I usually stick a tooth pick in the flash hole. My friendputs a expended cap over the nipple.

 

[Wilcox]

Like Mr. Forney, I have found quite a few ML's that had been left loaded for many decades. When folks found out that I could clean/refurbish the old "wall-hangers", I had almost a line to provide that service. And about half of the old ones still had a charge in them.
First thing I would do would be remove any primer cap (most were percussion cap guns), then slide the RR down the barrel and see how far it goes. Usually lack about 2" or so of reaching where the breech was - determined by the drum. At first I did water injection to "neutralize" the BP, but after a while, on #10 or 12 or so, I would just try to fire them. Usually either pull the nipple or open the clean-out screw, trickle in a wee bit of 3F, new cap, and fire. And no, I didn't hold it - I had some surgical tubing and would lash it to my lead sled, string to the trigger, and fire. And, MOST of the time, they would go off.
If not, then pull the bullet, flush out the powder charge with soapy cold water, then commence cleaning. And most of the time they could be "restored" to be a useable ML rifle or shotgun. If not, a few customers had me plug the nipple base to preclude firing. Had one from the early 1840's - old Brit double shotgun, 10-bore. The owner said even his Granddad just had it hanging on the wall, in the family since new. Wound up being very shootable, and the owner took a Canada goose with a load of #4 bismuth shot.

 

[WV Hunter]

I tie a pink ribbon around my loaded rifles, just so I know at a glance when looking in my safe. Its common for me to hunt with a couple rifles each season, and I leave them loaded (on a clean bore) all season long, until I shoot at game. I killed a really nice buck one year with a rifle that I loaded a year earlier, and forgot to unload at the end of the season. Went off like I loaded it that morning.

 

[Okie Hog]

Just cap and shoot them.

My loaded muzzleloaders have rolled pieces of paper sticking out of the muzzles listing the powder load and projectile. .

 

[valkyrierdr]

I would try shooting them before I would try to pull a loaded bullet over powder.

 

[Waxxy]

First BP gun I bought unknown to me had a back loaded charge. The guy teaching me found that and convinced me the value of a witness mark I was fortunate that he was there to pick that up. How would I have known.? I ended up washing out the charge so I could start out fresh. A valuable lesson was learned that day.If you don't know what you are doing talk to someone who does. The guy I bought the gun from is a know it all, lot of talk, and it would not surprise me if it was him who loaded it backwards. i have heard that back loaded charges are not that uncommon, but I am not sure of that.

 

[brushblind]

If I'm the one that loaded it originally I would shoot it out, if someone else loaded it, not a chance, I'd pull it!