How Long Can One Leave The Charge In?
 

This will be my first year hunting with my new TC Omega. Thanks to the help of forum members, I've had a blast working up a load and zeroing in my gun.

As the time to hunt nears, I'm wondering how long I can leave the charge in during the hunt. I will be hunting 5 consectutiive days. While I may score day one, it may be day five.

How long can I leave my T7 loose powder load in the barrel? Also, it will be cold in West Kansas in December. Do I leave the gun in the truck or bring it in to the cabin? I've always brought my centerfire in for the night.

Thoughts?

If you take the muzzy in to the cabin be sure and discharge it, going from the cold to the warm will cause moisture to collect in the barrel and you will have wet powder. I usually leave mine in my truck, as long as there is no primer on it here in Iowa it isn't considered loaded. Our muzzy season runs Decemder 21st through January 10th, and I had the misfortune of not seeing a deer all season last year, left mine charged the whole time so five days should be fine

Don

T7 attracts moisture after it has burned so if you fire the gun it should be cleaned.
My personal method which has never failed me is to clean well with boiling water and completely dry the gun before I load it then run a very lightly oiled patch over the bore down to the bullet and put a finger cot or a balloon over the end of the barrel to keep out moisture, and when I take the primer out I use a spent primer to plug the hole and keep the action closed. This has worked well for me for many years and the seasons here are separated by 3 weeks and if I do not fire the gun in the first season then it stays loaded until the second season. Lee

Sometimes one or more of my M/L guns are loaded for months. They always go bang when they are supposed to go bang.

I've left a charge of BH209 in my Endeavor for two weeks once. Took it out and it went bang just fine with the bullet going exactly where the crosshairs were.

I've hunted in CO's crazy weather with one load for a week and at the end of the hunt it always went bang. The key is keeping the moisture out. As you suggested, leave the gun in the truck if you can. Going from cold to hot will cause moisture buildup.

I have left a charge in My ML for over 10 months (I got lazy) and it went off fine and was right on the money when I fired it at the target. During our Hunting Season we get Rain & Snow and I have Hunted for days in the rain and My ML still went off. I have shot it after a few days in the rain for a pice of mind, but when I did all was well. I put tape over the end of the barrel and that method has never failed me for keeping out moisture.
I know some of you will disagree with me on this one......a-lot of times are Temperatures here while Hunting are COLD! 10degrees and below. My ML goes from COLD to a WARM Truck and Home. If I dont score on a Hunt I bring My ML in for the night (without) discharging it (the 209 Primer comes off) and when needed on the next hunt it fires just fine even if it's been a week or more. I got tired of fireing it and cleaning it after every day of Hunting for no reason. This gets expensive when you Hunt every day for over 5 weeks. Plus at the end of a evening Hunt by the time I get back to my Truck it's dark and I dont want to spook the Big Buck I have been after, so I dont fire it. I think by me putting tape over the end of the barrel and being sealed up water tight this helps a-lot. I have never had a problem with moisture and a shot not going off. I do change my 209 Primer through out the days while hunting.
If your not confident in your ML and want to be sure, fire it and clean it after every hunt, then there will be no surprises. Oh and I use Lose powder and pellets with the same results.
(BP)

Josmund

I believe that is a personal choice.... I have had my present load of t7 in my Knight since October 8 and there is no doubt in my mind it will go boom at the right moment. It has been in out of the truck, the house, and of course the in the field from the low 20's to the mid 40's. I hunted with it yesterday in the snow and the rain, barrel was covered with a muzzle mit and primer and breech were sealed with a red plastic jacket - brought it home wiped it down, cleaned the scope and it is ready to go for Sunday.

It was fired on the 7th of October to check POI - shot it four times. Patched it with a damp windex patch and reloaded that evening, and it has been that way since....

BUT! It is an experiance thing - it took me a lot of years to build this kinda confidence through trial and error. As you develope experiance with your gun and your powder you will know when to shoot it out or pull and when you can hunt with it.

I'd like to tell you more - but gotta go trap shoot...

Here is some information for you there is another one but I can not find it right now...

http://huntingnet.com/forum/black-po...ther-test.html

The really big thing - "if in doubt - get it out"

If the gun is clean when loaded, and there is a good seal on both the breech and barrel side, then you shouldn't have a problem. Keep a used primer and put that into the breechplug to keep moisture out when not hunting. If the sabot fits tight, and with most T/C barrels this isn't a problem, then unless the gun is soaked in water, it should keep the powder dry.

If you've fired the gun, however, you MUST unload and clean it every day. T7 isn't as nasty as BP or Pyrodex, but it is still hygroscopic (attracts atmospheric moisture) and will accelerate corrosion. If you've fired the gun at some point during the day and reloaded, shoot the gun clear in the evening and then completely clean it. If not, then it should be fine. Also, if it is cold outside, do NOT bring the gun into your house or other heated space with a charge in the bore. Just like a cold can of beer forms condensation (sweats) in the summer, the gun will too. Not good.

I don't know what Kansas law is regard what's considering a loaded weapon for transportation regarding muzzleloaders. In Iowa, as long as the gun isn't primed, it's considered unloaded. If Kansas considers a charge in the barrel "loaded," then you might have to shoot the gun every evening before you drive home. Check your local regs or ask a DNR officer about this.

Mike

BTW, I once left a load in my Savage for almost a year, and it shot to POA... but this was smokeless powder. With black powder and Pyrodex, I've left a charge in a clean bore as long as a week with no problems. I've shot T7, but not hunted with it, so your milage may vary.

Mike

Thanks Fellas
 

I feel better about my plan. One question on the tape for the end of the barrel. Do you just use scotch tape a fire right through it?

There was a guy came up to our cabin last year with his T/C Hawken percussion. He said he had left the charge in since last year and it went off and hit where it was supposed to. This is extreme and I definately wouldn't recommend it.

I use finger cots from the drug store most of the time.
Cheap and for the most part effictive.

I also got some of those ultimate bore protectors and they are much thicker and tougher than the finger cots.

http://www.ultimateboreprotection.com/

I use some good Masking Tape and cut the tape in circles, larger than the end of the barrel. I first take a pice of the tape and put it on and off the end of the barrel a few times to get any oil off the end of the barrel to insure a good tight fit. Then I use the pice I have cut in a circle for it. It will stay on through rain and snow. Yes shoot right through it with no problems, it wont affect accuracy.
My wife is also a Nurse and she brings me (finger cots) as mentioned above, I have yet to try these but other members use them regulary with the same results, Im sure there as good. But I like the look of the tape better.
(BP)

I shoot and clean my gun at the end of the hunt, daily. No need taking any chances. If anything changes with the load, I could miss that 200+ yard shot. Not uncommon on open-country muleys.

I have left mine in for a month of hunting in Iowa snow weather and no problems. Just cover the barrel with a couple layers of saran wrap and rubbler bands or use the ones they sell. Never had a problem yet in 10 years or more. That is with a modern muzzle loader not the older style.