ihuntbuck

i loaded my gun on the 17th was wondering if i could leave it loaded until 2nd season it starts the 29th .

wabi

Probably, but I wouldn't. I seldom leave on loaded for more than a couple days. I'd rather pull a load than find out it had drawn moisture when I have a nice buck in my sights and get a pop instead of a BOOM!

gleason.chapman

If your huntin' for fun of going out in the woods, sure. If your huntin' for meat, no. Why risk it? when it is easy to pull the breech plug, dump the powder, keep the bullet and then reload. I don't think it is so much length of time, but constant temperature and humidity that is going to be your limiting factor. If you bring your rifle in each and every night to your house/cabin and it warms up to room temperature and you do out hunting and it cools down to the the 30 or 20 degrees it is outside, moisture forms and condenses and that gets absorbed into the powder. So if you leave it outside in your garage or your truck, then your ok.
Chap Gleason

cayugad

I agree with them. Actually it would be interesting to go and shoot that load off and see if it changed POI. Might be some good information there for future reference.

But if you want to insure that gun will fire the way it is supposed to, unload it, clean it, and load it fresh. I know there are people that leave them loaded weeks at a time and never have a problem. I just never been that lucky if you know what I mean. Also I worry about what is going on inside the bore of that rifle...

sabotloader

ihuntbuck

I do not know if there is a real good answer to that question. There are so mant factors involved... I think one of the biggest factors is which powder? and what is your humidity like... for me it is a gut feeling - I know where my gun has been and what it has been exposed to...

I loaded my White the evening of Oct 9, hunting season began Oct 10. When we are hunting elk I do not shoot deer - so that load was in the gun the 2 weeks....and there was no doubt in my mind about it. To extend it even a little further.. On 11/13 I did finally shoot it at the 4x4 buck... got exactly what I expected. So for me I will leave a load in quite awhile but - I THINK - I know what I am doing - someday it might bite me awful hard though...

Today was a very snowy damp day but I still have all the confidence in the world that it will go off - hopefully I will use it tomorrow as late season elk opens on Wednesday....

Buckhunter46755

I've left my ML loaded for a few days at a time. But only when it was dry outside and low humitity. It's always went of when fired, but I still don't like to chance ofa hangfire or misfire when hunting. As a matter of fact I'm just getting ready to pull a load and reload fresh. Be 4 days tomarrow and it got a little foggy & humid out today. Also if you take your rifle from warm to cold repeatly the condensation that forms may dampen your powder / ignition.... It all depends.... it can vary drastically. Like Sabotloader says, there's to set time with so many factors. It easy enough to push the load through on an Omega, so I'd probably start fresh if ever in doubt.

chris

ihuntbuck

thanks guys i think i will reload just to be safe but i think i will leave it in until sunday afternoon so i can shoot it out and check the POI

falcon

My muzzleloaders are often left loaded for a month or more. They always go bang when they are supposed to go bang. i have never noticed any change inPOI-neither have the hogs. Two of them are in the safe loaded at this time.

lemoyne

My new Triumph is very tight and I had it loaded for 2 weeks with 110gr 777 and a crushrib sabot and a 250gr Gold DotI took it out to the range to see what would happened [ido this with pyrodex and it has always shot right in the group] I shot it and 4 more it hit 4 inches low @ 100yds with the 2 week old load and 3 of the next 4 cut a clover leaf and the othe one ws .5 inch way the 4 shot group was 1 inch from outside edge to outside edge. This is the first time I have done this experiment with 777 so I do not consider it conclusive, but I have noticed that it clumps more when left loaded than RS does. Lee

mauser06

i left my flinter loaded since late season in january...thought i was going back out hunting, never did...took the barrel off and put it in a safe place...i just wanted to see if the charge would be ok when i got around to firing it...

didnt think it would been june or july when i got around to it! college and work kept me busy...

i know it went off like a champ...i cant recall where it hit...i know i shot some nice groups that day and didnt have any flyers or anything...but cant remember if that first one was an exception...surprised real BP went off like a champ though...