How long do you leave a bullet and powder in your gun?

[RC]

Been muzzy hunting the last few days, but won't be able to go again until this coming weekend, and I still have the bullet and powder in the gun (no primer of course).  Any issue with leaving the bullet and powder in there for an extended amount of time?

[Smokepole]

If it's raining, I change powder every day.  If not, I go several days without worrying.  I do use a fresh cap each day, unless they're 209's.  If you clean your gun, be sure to dry it thoroughly before loading up.   

[high_hunter]

What smoke pole said.  If in question,  shoot it off, otherwise I'm good on the website even after a few days.  Once cleaned or fired I typically pop a cap or 2 with a patch on the rod to check I have a good burn. 

[IFunk]

I loaded up my Bighorn in early September of last year and finally discharged it on the last day of ML season (Dec 15th).  It went boom!  I wrap my bore with electrical tape and it rained nearly every day I hunted.  Not ideal, but I live in the city and can't just discharge it in the backyard.  You can always unscrew your breech plug and push everything out through the breech which I've done, but it's messy.  That loose powder will stick to the breech plug grease if you use it and then you have to make sure and get that crap out of the threads. 

[storyteller]

Thompson Renegade, Goex 3F, 2 years in the gun, boom on first cap.   I know , it is bad and all sorts of stories, but I did it.

[phildobaggins]

I'll leave a load in for a year. But I don't hunt with it. I'll load at the beginning of the fall and generally shoot the load out for storage, but I've forgotten and just shoot it out in the summer and clean and reload before the season during practice.

[Mtnwalker]

I loaded up my Bighorn in early September of last year and finally discharged it on the last day of ML season (Dec 15th).  It went boom!  I wrap my bore with electrical tape and it rained nearly every day I hunted.  Not ideal, but I live in the city and can't just discharge it in the backyard.  You can always unscrew your breech plug and push everything out through the breech which I've done, but it's messy.  That loose powder will stick to the breech plug grease if you use it and then you have to make sure and get that crap out of the threads.

I always get sketched out doing that even though I know it's technically safe 

[cbond3318]

11 months, 28 days

[Timberstalker]

11 months, 28 days

What if it's a leap year?

[cbond3318]

11 months, 28 days

What if it's a leap year?

I archery hunt.

[JakeLand]

Me personally I unload every night and brush it and run dry patches through it as I learned the hard way on a huge bull , it fired but as I would say it was like a juicy fart going off ... reload every morning and I have no worries or second thoughts my 

[haftard]

Ask your self this. How tight is the sabot. How wet has it been and how wet have you gotten. My gun loads pretty tight and I haven't had an issue with it not going off. If you are worried about it. Reload the thing. For me I would not worry about it enless it went swimming.

[Dan-o]

I load up my hunting load and then electrical tape over the muzzle.    I've tested this.   It doesn't alter point of impact.  So I figure no moisture is getting in fro the muzzle.  I close my breech with a piece of rubber over the nipple so no moisture is getting in that way at night or in transit.

If it's wet when I hunted, I reload.   I just don't trust a must cap to keep water out.

If dry, I will hunt all season.   

I've also left loads in for months at a time just to see.

They go boom if protected.

[riverrun]

I've never had an issue with my gun keeping it loaded all season. It always fires! I do cover the barrel with electrical tape or a rubber boot for barrels.

[LDennis24]

Mines still loaded from last October... I'll let you know in a few days if it still goes off. Always has in the past. Thompson center in-lines are very reliable!

[duckmen1]

Mine always goes off reliable. But always keep mine clean in any weather. If it stays dry I will keep it loaded during the general early season and clean at the end of the early season. But if it gets wet I undo breach, clean and reload. If I shoot at anything and for some reason still have a tag I clean and reload for next outing. Muzzleloaders can have a tendency to foul if left dirty and I have heard it time and time again. Someones gun didn't go off when needed. I am also careful about storing during a trip. Not to get it from dry to moist and or store it from hot to cold to hot environments causing sweat moisture. Try to keep environment storage stable. With proper precaution you will have a reliable gun every time. They are pretty quick to clean in comparison to thorough cleaning of a rifle getting all copper fouling and such out so they are not as much work as some people think.

[wadu1]

I've kept a charge and bullet in all year without a problem, change cap daily. I've got on loaded in the safe  that I loaded for a friend three years ago. Never got around to pulling the bullet or shooting it on New Years eve. I shoot Thompson Hawkins side locks, none of that fancy stuff. I read an article back in the late 60's where someone found a loaded Civil War musket in good shape and still loaded, they replaced the nipple and put on  a cap "Ka-boom"

[LDennis24]

Yeah I'm willing to bet all this other talk is from people who use the "improved" newer in-lines and I'll bet they shoot pellets. Pellets are the reason for hangfires and misfires in almost every situation I know of when a gun doesn't go off. That and using old primers or those CCI brand ones. They suck. Use only RWS caps and you should be good. Changing temps allows moisture to collect between the pellets or down the core of them and then you might be screwed and have to use one of those fancy CO2 discharging kits. I don't even own one cuz I don't need one. I have had one or two misfires when I was crawling through the wet brush and grass and completely soaked my gun. With that I usually carry a film canister full of FFFF and I take out my nipple and pack some in behind it and into it and boom goes the dynamite. 

[duckmen1]

Yeah I'm willing to bet all this other talk is from people who use the "improved" newer in-lines and I'll bet they shoot pellets. Pellets are the reason for hangfires and misfires in almost every situation I know of when a gun doesn't go off. That and using old primers or those CCI brand ones. They suck. Use only RWS caps and you should be good. Changing temps allows moisture to collect between the pellets or down the core of them and then you might be screwed and have to use one of those fancy CO2 discharging kits. I don't even own one cuz I don't need one. I have had one or two misfires when I was crawling through the wet brush and grass and completely soaked my gun. With that I usually carry a film canister full of FFFF and I take out my nipple and pack some in behind it and into it and boom goes the dynamite. 

I personally use Pyrodex rs loose powder. German musket caps. Follow my own judgment in conditions that I feel my gun has encountered and keep gun clean and dry accordingly. Again. Never any issues for me. But yeah you are right on some of those thoughts for sure on others.

[phildobaggins]

Yeah I'm willing to bet all this other talk is from people who use the "improved" newer in-lines and I'll bet they shoot pellets. Pellets are the reason for hangfires and misfires in almost every situation I know of when a gun doesn't go off. That and using old primers or those CCI brand ones. They suck. Use only RWS caps and you should be good. Changing temps allows moisture to collect between the pellets or down the core of them and then you might be screwed and have to use one of those fancy CO2 discharging kits. I don't even own one cuz I don't need one. I have had one or two misfires when I was crawling through the wet brush and grass and completely soaked my gun. With that I usually carry a film canister full of FFFF and I take out my nipple and pack some in behind it and into it and boom goes the dynamite. 

I'm those people LOL

I've never had a hang fire with CCI primers/pellets haha. The trick is to remember to put the pellets in the correct direction, and to not touch them with your fingers.

[JakeLand]

I run blackhorn and 209 primers, but I also hunt some of the wetter conditions this state has to offer now i swab and swap every night but again just for my piece of mind
Heading to muzzy elk camp ! Good luck every one

[Scruffy]

Not an issue to leave loaded, (unprimed) but DON'T FORGET IT IS LOADED AND DUMP ANOTHER CHARGE AND BALL IN THE BARREL.  They don't like dbl loads.....

[dilleytech]

If I don’t shoot at a animal It stays loaded until fall when I go out and check zero. Never had a problem. Keep the barrel taped.

[wadu1]

Not an issue to leave loaded, (unprimed) but DON'T FORGET IT IS LOADED AND DUMP ANOTHER CHARGE AND BALL IN THE BARREL.  They don't like dbl loads.....

You got that right, no double loads. I mark my ramrods to indicate loaded. Watching a Aquachigger U-tube on finding civil war relics, he has a barrel that he had x-rayed it has 7 or 8 charges. 

[haftard]

Not an issue to leave loaded, (unprimed) but DON'T FORGET IT IS LOADED AND DUMP ANOTHER CHARGE AND BALL IN THE BARREL.  They don't like dbl loads.....

Not an issue you just have more projectiles coming out the barrel. I will admit it the shot sounds funny and you'll know something is wrong. But didn't hurt the gun at all

[HntnFsh]

Leave my Bighorn loaded all season no matter the weather. I also leave it in my rig at night. 

[LDennis24]

Yeah I'm willing to bet all this other talk is from people who use the "improved" newer in-lines and I'll bet they shoot pellets. Pellets are the reason for hangfires and misfires in almost every situation I know of when a gun doesn't go off. That and using old primers or those CCI brand ones. They suck. Use only RWS caps and you should be good. Changing temps allows moisture to collect between the pellets or down the core of them and then you might be screwed and have to use one of those fancy CO2 discharging kits. I don't even own one cuz I don't need one. I have had one or two misfires when I was crawling through the wet brush and grass and completely soaked my gun. With that I usually carry a film canister full of FFFF and I take out my nipple and pack some in behind it and into it and boom goes the dynamite. 

I'm those people LOL

I've never had a hang fire with CCI primers/pellets haha. The trick is to remember to put the pellets in the correct direction, and to not touch them with your fingers.

No trick to loading them the right way, they collect moisture regardless of how you load them. An open cavity is still there inside the pellets unlike a packed loose powder round. I know plenty of competition muzzleloader shooters and have used a muzzleloader for hunting almost every year in every environment. They all agree pellets suck. Wet environments and pellets will cause misfires and leave alot of residue in your gun. And CCI primers foul easily in the rain. This I know.

[Dan-o]

Not an issue to leave loaded, (unprimed) but DON'T FORGET IT IS LOADED AND DUMP ANOTHER CHARGE AND BALL IN THE BARREL.  They don't like dbl loads.....

You got that right, no double loads. I mark my ramrods to indicate loaded. Watching a Aquachigger U-tube on finding civil war relics, he has a barrel that he had x-rayed it has 7 or 8 charges.

I saw that!

That poor guy must have been scared out of his mind to just keep packing loads down the barrel.

[Scruffy]

Not an issue to leave loaded, (unprimed) but DON'T FORGET IT IS LOADED AND DUMP ANOTHER CHARGE AND BALL IN THE BARREL.  They don't like dbl loads.....

Not an issue you just have more projectiles coming out the barrel. I will admit it the shot sounds funny and you'll know something is wrong. But didn't hurt the gun at all

You may have gotten away with it but certainly not a recommended thing to do.  There are plenty of exploded barrels out there to prove to consequences.  I personally shoot my muzzleloaders after the season is over.  Hate taking that shot, just means I am in for a good cleaning after.....

[Sitka_Blacktail]

Just remember if you are hunting in freezing conditions, you can end up with moisture inside your barrel which can affect your powder.  Especially if you bring your gun inside at night. Frozen metal in a warm space will cause condensation.  Think of your car window after a cold night. you will have condensation on the inside.  It can happen from the barrel getting cold then bringing it inside a warm vehicle too. Some times many times in a day.

[LDennis24]

Just remember if you are hunting in freezing conditions, you can end up with moisture inside your barrel which can affect your powder.  Especially if you bring your gun inside at night. Frozen metal in a warm space will cause condensation.  Think of your car window after a cold night. you will have condensation on the inside.  It can happen from the barrel getting cold then bringing it inside a warm vehicle too. Some times many times in a day.

 
Especially with hollow core pelleted powder. It's a lot less likely with loose powder packed tightly into your chamber.

[3cityhuntr]

Funny story. First let me set the stage.  Muzzleloader hunter for many years but I’m kind of a hack at it.  Same gun/powder/bullets from the beginning, X150, pyrodex pellets/powerbelt (I know, I know).  Anyway, many years where I’ve shot and missed in early season, not cleaned the gun and left that charge/bullet in, continued to hunt through late season, and the gun has either gone off when I needed it to or fired on the last day of season.  Fast forward many years to a late whitetail permit hunt. I had used the gun for a general spike elk season in October, only hunted a couple days and completely dry conditions.  Gun was stored indoors after that.  November comes along for my late hunt.  Seeing lots of decent bucks but no shooters. Driving along the road and see a shooter 5 point buck dogging a doe on huntable ground.  My buddy that’s driving turns around and tells me exactly what to do, so I do it. Didn’t have to get much off the road and I get within 5 yards of this buck.   I squeeze the trigger, the cap (musket) goes off but nothing.  Deer just stands there, 3 times over I reload caps and the same result.  Doe bails across the road to private ground and the buck follows her.  Mind you they crossed right in front of my buddy (no tag and no gun).  So I get back to the truck and what can I say.  He tells me for sure I had the pellets in the wrong way (igniter end not down). So I drop the breach plug out and out comes the pellet and I push the round out.  Igniter was down and pellets were dry (not stuck together, no corrosion at all.  That was late in the evening so it was a quiet ride going back to the motel in town.  Funny thing is my buddies dad and his hunting partner both had the same tag as me and were hunting the another area.  The night before the “event” we had dinner together where my buddies dad’s hunting partner talked about having a misfire on a buck just days earlier in another special tag (he had drawn 2 that season, quality and buck).  So literally the day before we’re talking about misfires and I didn’t think to mention that I had a muzzleloader that had been loaded for 6 weeks, nor did I think to swap out.  Needless to say I got a talking to by my buddies dad the night of the misfire.  Never filled my tag that season, I had my heart set on a buck of that caliber and never saw another one.  We still talk about it and chalk it up to not being that bucks time.  So now I reload every day.  Sorry Tommy!