leaving a charge in.
 

Do any of you leave a load in at the end of the year untill next season? Why or why not? does it change if you go from black powder to 777 or to blackhorn?

If I am hunting a couple day stretch I will leave my charge in, any longer and I always shoot mine off. I would be a little worried about my bore and I would also not feel as confident in my shot going off if I left it in. I have a hard time thinking of a good reason not to either shoot it off or push it out.
Art

I usually load several guns at the beginning of the season. The load stays in the gun until it's shot during the season, or until my first range session with that gun after the season. Sometimes that's a week or two after the season end, sometimes a few months.

As long as it was loaded on a clean dry barrel (and I mean fully clean - no fouling shot - no caps popped) I would have no qualms leaving the load in for a year. In fact, my brother-in-law did that last year with his Knight.

no.. I don't leave a load in my rifle. Couple of reasons..

#1 I worry about the bore and do not want to leave the rifle with a load in.
#2 A clean rifle is a happy rifle and a happy rifle owner. It just makes me feel better knowing exactly what is going on in my rifle bore.
#3 I do not like leaving loaded guns around. Too many friends stop over with their little children. Loaded guns are stored in places no one will go to but me. Too easy to forget a loaded rifle.
#4 I always feel better about hunting from a clean bore. I then know the rifle was set up and loaded and there should be no surprises when I pull that trigger.
#5 I shoot too much. No need to leave a loaded rifle around the house. Shoot it off and if need be load a different rifle.

i was going to give my view but after reading the above posting i have nothing to add ...

i think ???? it is unlawfull to store a loaded weapon .?????

What Semisane said. Mine are often loaded for months at a time. They always go bang when they are supposed to.

Not hardly (at least in my neck of the woods). However, there are restrictions about transporting loaded weapons in vehicles on wildlife management areas.

Last year I left a load in for a year because my breech plug tool broke and I couldn't get it out. The next season i went to sight it in and it just made a thump and lobbed out of the barrel. The bullet landed maybe 20 ft in front of me then it bounced somewhere i couldn't find it.

So no i wouldn't leave a bullet in just because i wouldn't when that happening when a deer walks by.

STUPID and CARELESS is my answere ..

You talking `bout ME, boy? :mad1:

:s2::s2: :arms: :s2::s2::s2:

(Yes, I choose to have a loaded weapon in my home. If you need one pronto it ain't worth a damn unloaded. A weapon, either loaded or unloaded, cannot be either stupid or careless. However, it may be managed or handled in such a manner. I choose to manage mine in an intelligent and careful manner.)

Now I think that depends on the situation. If the gun is not primed it has no more chance of going off than a totally unloaded gun. I travel with a loaded but unprimed gun and do not consider it dangerous. I think it would be a good idea to have some way of marking the gun so there are no mistakes made. Maybe a red ribbon tied arround it or something like that. We can have different opinions and still all be sane, or at least half nutz.

No need to leave a loaded rifle around the house. Shoot it off and if need be load a different rifle. if i was living up FORBISHER BAY with polar bears around the house yes i would keep a loaded gun in the house ..

If it aint broke, dont touch it. We leave them loaded until we either shoot something, shoot them off at the end of the 9 day hunt or if we get suck in fouled weather.

Im with Semi. I keep more than one gun loaded in this house. Left a Hawken with 777 loaded for 3 or 4 months and it went boom and hit the target... but again as Semi said..it was clean bore with no caps popped.

As far as loaded ml's... in this state they are only considered loaded if capped.

When you think about it, an uncapped muzzle loader is nothing more than a long heavy unprimed cartridge (excluding flintlocks of course, which can fire without prime in the pan).

Hey Semi go easy on the boy, he is from Canada and they do things a lot different then we do down here. I think it is the way they get brought up. Or it could be the water, not sure!?!?

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So let me get this straight, you want me to take the time to load my gun when some scumbags are breaking down my front door during a home invasion and trying to do harm to me and my family. Is this right?

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Now back to the original question. Back in the old days this was a common habit. But as to today, it wold not be a wise move on your part and an unnecessary one at that. I will leave my ML loaded during the ML season, but will more then likely cleanout my gun if I had a reload in the woods. I don't like nasty and that is what you will get if you let this gun sit for any length of time.

When dealing with black powder or subs, clean is good. :wave: