Would you clean or wait?

[Rick]

Fired my Elkhorn 3 times on Friday. Once to foul the barrel and twice to check zero before hunting yesterday. Hunted yesterday and today,the fired the rifle to unload it.

We're hunting again next weekend. Would you clean it,or wait and clean it next weekend when done for the season?

[PolarBear]

Clean it!

[huntitup]

 

[dawhunt]

Clean it !!
Bob

[bobcat]

I would not let it sit overnight without cleaning it. That's why I always hunt with an unfired muzzleloader. It gets old having to take apart and clean the muzzleloader every evening after hunting all day.

[funkster]

Clean it! During the spring bear season I loaded in the morning and hunted all day, shot it to unload that evening and thought it would be ok. I went out two days later and loaded it and hunted the day. When I went to unload all I had was a cap gun. Good thing I didn't see a bear that day. Keep them clean and dry and it will fire!

[dscubame]

Clean it but keep it very very dry in doing so.

[JColony]

I would not let it sit overnight without cleaning it. That's why I always hunt with an unfired muzzleloader. It gets old having to take apart and clean the muzzleloader every evening after hunting all day.

You beat me to it Bobcat.  Quickest way to ruin your smokepole is to not keep it clean!

[shorthair-on-point]

I'm with everyone else. Clean it.

[Rick]

I'm going to buck the system. I'm not going to clean it until next weekend. I may wind up kicking myself when I open the safe and find a pile of rust where an Elkhorn used to be.

I'm pretty sure it'll survive the next 4 days just fine though.

[bobcat]

Are you using Triple 7? If so, it might be ok for that long. As long as there's not been any moisture in it. But real black powder or pyrodex? You're gonna have a rusty gun. I'll be curious to hear how it fares.

[Skillet]

I'm going to buck the system. I'm not going to clean it until next weekend. I may wind up kicking myself when I open the safe and find a pile of rust where an Elkhorn used to be.

I'm pretty sure it'll survive the next 4 days just fine though.

That's not when you'll be kicking yourself - it's going to be when you have a buck or bear in the sights and it goes "pop..." instead of "pop-BOOM".
If you insist on doing this in spite of all the good advice, I'd suspect there are others out there that don't clean every time, too.  That just means I need to buy me some stock in CVA - they must have a healthy replacement barrel business.

~Signed,
Guy who found that pile of rust once himself

[Rick]

Are you using Triple 7? If so, it might be ok for that long. As long as there's not been any moisture in it. But real black powder or pyrodex? You're gonna have a rusty gun. I'll be curious to hear how it fares.

Yep, T7

[Rick]

I'm going to buck the system. I'm not going to clean it until next weekend. I may wind up kicking myself when I open the safe and find a pile of rust where an Elkhorn used to be.

I'm pretty sure it'll survive the next 4 days just fine though.

That's not when you'll be kicking yourself - it's going to be when you have a buck or bear in the sights and it goes "pop..." instead of "pop-BOOM".
If you insist on doing this in spite of all the good advice, I'd suspect there are others out there that don't clean every time, too.  That just means I need to buy me some stock in CVA - they must have a healthy replacement barrel business.

~Signed,
Guy who found that pile of rust once himself

There is only one way to find out whats gonna happen. Think about where we'd be as a society if everyone was afraid to experiment or think outside the box.

We'd still be throwing spears at our dinner and dragging our wives to bed by their hair.

[Skillet]

Touche.  In the interest of science, please do share the result.

For what it's worth, had I not left my gun uncleaned over a winter, I would never have made the best investment I've ever made in my muzzleloader - a Green Mountain LRH barrel. 

That's www.gmriflebarrel.com

Tell 'em Skillet sent ya.