Loaded my buddy's Revolution and my Omega the night before hunting.Put tape over the barrel. The guns were in a walkout basement where we keep the hunitng supplies at about 55 degrees. after the morning hunt we shot them and both shot about 2 inchec low at 100 yrds. Is this common or was this a fluke? I haven't had a chance to retest.

This was the first year in a long time that I was intentionallyleaving rifles loaded a couple days in a row. I did this more to test whether and how wellthey would fire the next couple days after the stored conditions. Also I wanted to see some rusting properties of powders on my rifles. Not to a point of damage to them but just how they would react. By the way, those who use a muzzle mit, finger cot, what ever you want to call it, TAKE THAT THING OFF AT THE END OF THE DAY AND WIPE THE BARREL OFF WITHOIL. I could not believe how fast a rifle started to stain under that finger cot.

On three rifles, my Wolverine LK-II, CVA Staghornand a Renegade .58 caliberI noticed that the POI shifted on the ice cold barrel. I stored mine is a wood working shop where the temp might have reached night time lows here. In some cases that shop can get damp or humid perhaps is a better word as any snow dragged in there if it melts really can not escape... It is cold in there. (I've even stored meat in there during the winter time when the freezer was too full without any problems.).

Two of those rifles shot at least a inch off at 50 yards. The CVA Staghorn I used one afternoon hunt actually misfired with a 209 Remington Kleenbore Primer the next day. On the second primer it hit over six inches low and two inches to the right. I was shocked and sure glad I did not have a shot at a deer that day with that. In fact that was the reason I took the flintlock with me Saturday, because I did not trust the CVA anymore. Good thing I did as it was my only shot of the season.

So in answer to your question, yes I have seen rifles do that. Also I will be running some other cold weather tests this winter to see how bad I can get a rifle to fail, if it will at all.

That two inches is very good. Many here will tell you it sometimes gets worse than that. These MLs are funny creatures.

If you sight them in on a fouled barrel, they shoot best on a fouled barrel.

If you sight them in during high humidity, shot groups will change when there's low humidity.

If you sight them in during 70 degree temperatures, shot groups will change at 25 degrees while hunting.

If you sight them in & shoot them every three minutes, they will shoot differently than shooting only oncelate in the hunting day - after that powder was exposed to the elements for an entire day inside your bore.

Several hours outdoors with the breech and muzzlee sealed still won't stop the accumulation of moisture. That moisture can penetrate any powder weaken it enough to drop the bullet two inches.Any moisture can form while inside two sealed ends of a metal pipe (your barrel).

Sometimes sealing both ends creates more moisture than not sealing the muzzle-side. I never seal my muzzle unless I'm walking thru thickets. Then when I reach my destination, I take the tape or wrap off. That's to stop pieces of branches from entering my bore.

Signed
a backyard, uneducated meteorologist...

I have always checked and reseated the bullet and load once I am in the woods to make sure everything was still in place. On more than one occasion I found it had moved up the barrel just slightly.

Dave

Thanks ,thats what I suspected, but haven't been able to test. I took the tape of in morning. I had my omega (after cuting off the QLA) shooting under 2" at 150 yrds with 100gr FF and 195 grain Duplex Dead Center. (no wind, ideal conditions)but I don't trust that first shot in the field yet. Even out of a fouled barrel. We hunt over CRP fields and my goal is to have confidence to shoot 150-200 under good conditions,but I don't feel I am there yet and won't take the shot unlees I can know wher ethe gun is shooting.

I sighted my Omega in at 1800ft. elevation and 78 degrees. I shot at 7000ft. elevation and 35 degrees and my point of impact changed from 2 inches high at 50 yards to 12 inches high at 50 yards. This was with 90gr. of Black Mag'3 and a 375gr. SSB. From now on I will make final adjustments at hunting altitude and temperature if possible. I had similar but not quite as dramatic results with my NEF which was shooting the same load. Only changed aboutfour inches. My synthetic stock Omega has a barrel stock contact problem that I have not fixed as yet. It sometimes does not retain complete barrel float. (I know, I know "fix it you dummy").

Fix it you dummy?? I wouldnt say that, I'd say, Hello TC? yes my stock isa POSand i want you to repair/replace it with a good one. Thats what warrantys are for after all!

i leave my loads in my muzzleloader for about a week during late season here in pa., then i shoot into stump..it usually hits stump where i aim..

as for being off a inch or so, i never checked it..i dont put mit over barrel unless its raining..i leave muzz in my garage overnight not in warm house..i wrap the gun up with blanket and put it in box in my truck bed,not in front seat with heater on..

if i was shooting rb in deer season, i would shoot off load each night but powerbelts are not cheap,so i let them in..

i have gone 4 weeks with max-ball in bore and it shot a beer can at 50 yds,offhand at end of season..