I personally unload my Hawkins every day, even during hunting season. I then clean the rifle and get it ready for the next day of hunting. I know this sounds like a lot of bother but I have done it this way for 20+ years, and it has always worked for me, so why risk a change.

Another reason I never leave a load in the rifle is, before loading I often times will discharge a couple of caps through the nipple to make sure all is on the up and up there. By doing this I have already started the process of rusting in this area. So I clean them every day.

My friend had a Tradition' s Hawkins that he used to leave loaded all season. Two years ago he forgot the rifle, still loaded only to remember a few months after the end of season. He did fire the rifle off. I now have the rifle. He gave it to me actually. He said he did not want to bother with trying to get all the rust out of the thing. I have cleaned it out as best I could for the most part, but had a gunsmith check the bore with one of those lighted scoped things, and he told me it was all pitted in there. I have also not been able to get a new nipple back into the thing. Seems the threads where the old nipple was is full of rust. I will get it all cleaned out sooner or later, and then test fire it and see if I can get a load to work in it...

Good luck on the way you do it. You are not alone in your leaving them loaded, believe me...