During hunting season...
 

This will be my first year hunting deer with a muzzleloader and I'm wondering if you guys leave your guns loaded with charge and projectile or if you empty out the chamber after every hunt. I'm thinking that if I load up the night before opening day, I can just grab and go. Then it's just a matter of priming, and I'm hot. But if I don't get a shooting opportunity during the morning and I'm planning on hunting that evening or following morning, should I empty out and start over, or should I just leave the charge in? I have a Knight DISC. I'm planning on using pellet charges. What are your recommendations?

RE: During hunting season...
 

I have left mine loaded and it went off just fine.
Traditions sells little condom looking things to cover the bore,I use those and the TC sticker deals.
I leave my ML in a place where there will not be major temp changes.
I dont take it from a hot house to the freezing woods then back to the hot house.

RE: During hunting season...
 

That brings up another question I have: for the condom deal-i-o's they sell, can you shoot through those or do you have to take them off? Also, wouldn't a thin ballon work just as well?

RE: During hunting season...
 

Yes they are shoot through and a baloon would work just fine
The Traditions ones came with little O rings for the percussion caps that I guess protect them from moisture

RE: During hunting season...
 

Scott, do you notice a lot of corrosion in your gun when you leave the charge in for a couple of days? (BTW, thanks for the replies!)

RE: During hunting season...
 

I usually leave mine loaded (but unprimed) if I'm going to be hunting again the next day or in a few days IF the following conditions exist:
1. It is not very humid weather (powder does absorb moisture)
2. I can leave the weapon outside the house (unheated garage, shed or even trunk of car) where it won't go through major temp. changes
3. State laws allow transportation of charged weapon.

I have also used a balloon during wet/rain/snowy conditions and it worked fine. After the shot it was just GONE.

Good Luck

RE: During hunting season...
 

I leave mine loaded for up to 2 weeks.

When i am hunting and the weather is wet and nasty, i may feel like firing the charge off at camp, clean the rifle and reload. I've never had any problems though so i just leave them loaded.

RE: During hunting season...
 

I put a leather pad over the nipple and a mini condom over the muzzel and everything between stays dry. Keep it dry and corrosion is not an issue. The little condom thingies are available in pharmacies where the bandaids & like stuff are kept. They're called finger cots. Made to keep an injured finger clean and dry. No need to remove the condom it just disappears when you shoot. Old timers with flinters used to put a quill from a feather in the touch hole to keep the charge dry and to indicate that a charge was present in the barrel.

RE: During hunting season...
 

Black powder or substitute will not corrode your barrel in a short time. Only when it is fired and the residue left behind (fouling) is what is corrosive.
I, like FG, have left mine loaded - once for an entire season (4 weeks) and it went off without a hitch.
But like he said, if the weather is wet and damp, you may want to consider changing every day or every other day.As for the muzzle, if its damp, I usually just put a piece of electrical tape over it.

RE: During hunting season...
 

I have not noticed any corrosion.