I have left my T/C Hawken loaded for as long as five months with no problems with ignition. Not a generally accepted practice I'm sure, but it went bang when I pulled the triggers. I shoot Pyrodex so that may have some bearing on the whole thing as opposed to Black Powder but I'm not so sure about that. Our ancestors used Black Powder for centuries before the convenience of our modern technology and seemed to get along quite well. Oweing to their situation of being (sometimes) days away from the nearest Cabellas, Outers or other Sporting supply I'm sure they didn't go out each evening and cap off the trusty rifle, nor did they wait until they needed it to load the blessed thing. Load it up, store it safely and clear it out after the season is over if you haven't got a shot.