How long do you leave your muzzleloader loaded?

[rochelle]

When done hunting for the day do you fire your muzzle loader or do you leave it loaded for the next hunt?

[Muley Hunter]

You probably don't have to with BH 209, but I did anyway.

[Palehorse]

If I have a way to secure it, I will leave it loaded. Otherwise, I discharge it.

[Boonechaser]

I go back to, if it was loaded on a clean barrel. I will wait till i shoot it at an animal. If, not a clean barrel, i will shoot and clean when using anything but BH209.

[WV Hunter]

Originally Posted by Boonechaser

I go back to, if it was loaded on a clean barrel. I will wait till i shoot it at an animal. If, not a clean barrel, i will shoot and clean when using anything but BH209.

This is what I do also. My gun is in my safe right now....been loaded since early Nov. Will be going m/l hunting Fri/Sat...plan on discharging it at something this time

The buck I killed last year....my gun had been loaded for 11mos on a clean barrel. Fired perfectly, dead 9pt. (I don't typically do that, I just ended up not shooting it off last year for some reason...typically I unload and clean it before putting it away for extended time).

I probably would worry about it a little more if it wasn't stainless and kept in a safe. Never had an issue....been doing it this way for over 15yrs w/ pyrodex. Barrel is shiny new when clean.

[Doughboy2]

I will leave it loaded for a week or two....hopefully will get a chance to fire it this weekend!!

[Semisane]

My Omega X7 was loaded with GOEX in a clean dry barrel on November 12th. Haven't got a shot yet this season. Right now it's sitting in the gun box behind the seat of my truck, still loaded. As always, it has a flag on the trigger guard like the one in the picture below.

[bronko22000]

I will load my flinter on Christmas night for the following day's start of late season ML. I will keep it loaded until the end of the season which is sometime late January unless I shoot at a deer (or coyote) or if I suspect the charge got damp. Which is a good possibility during a PA winter. If any of these two scenerios occur I will clean and reload it. I've been doing this since around 1970 when I used my flinter during the regular rifle season prior to a ML season and never had any corrosion issues.

[Muley Hunter]

Not so much as corrosion, but moisture. It will still fire, but will be weaker. You might never notice a difference.

[Muley Hunter]

From the BH 209 site.


We always recommend that you start with a fresh powder charge every day. Although Blackhorn 209 is far less hygroscopic than any other black powder substitutes, barrel “sweating” can put moisture directly in contact with the powder and may affect powder performance. Why take the chance of missing the next mornings great shot?