8mm/06

I recently discharged my Traditions in-line. It had been loaded since Dec. 14th 2002. I had it safely stored in my out-building without the primer and in a damp-free environment. It went off fine and I observed no apparent fouling or corrosion.
Somewhere along the line though I think I remember somebody mentioning that leaving black poweder or black powder substitutes in your breech for extended periods of time can cause corrosion issues.
Is this true?? Any corrosion issues related to black powder or its substitutes being in contact with a steel or stainless steel barrels for extended periods of time?
It would appear not. But I' m wondering if any of our " mettalurgists" out there have any insight on this.

trac209

I think the reason is that bp will draw in the moisture and that causes the corrosion to form,I don' t leave a charge in the barrel for that reason and saftey also you never know what can happen if you leave a loaded gun around.

8mm/06

So the powder itself is a moisture draw!
I wonder if this is true re: all powders, including the substuitutes in pellet form.
And for the record, I don' t usually leave my BP weapons loaded for longer than the season....but it was a very odd year for me. I took the precaution of removing the primer of course, but also put the gun in a hard case and locked it case and all in a cabinet in my out building, which was also locked.
I' ll bet standard Black powder with patch and ball would be more of a moisture collector.

cayugad

I personally unload my Hawkins every day, even during hunting season. I then clean the rifle and get it ready for the next day of hunting. I know this sounds like a lot of bother but I have done it this way for 20+ years, and it has always worked for me, so why risk a change.

Another reason I never leave a load in the rifle is, before loading I often times will discharge a couple of caps through the nipple to make sure all is on the up and up there. By doing this I have already started the process of rusting in this area. So I clean them every day.

My friend had a Tradition' s Hawkins that he used to leave loaded all season. Two years ago he forgot the rifle, still loaded only to remember a few months after the end of season. He did fire the rifle off. I now have the rifle. He gave it to me actually. He said he did not want to bother with trying to get all the rust out of the thing. I have cleaned it out as best I could for the most part, but had a gunsmith check the bore with one of those lighted scoped things, and he told me it was all pitted in there. I have also not been able to get a new nipple back into the thing. Seems the threads where the old nipple was is full of rust. I will get it all cleaned out sooner or later, and then test fire it and see if I can get a load to work in it...

Good luck on the way you do it. You are not alone in your leaving them loaded, believe me...

8mm/06

cayugad,
When I used to shoot my little old CVA Frontier with cap and ball I did as you do....every day discharge, clean and reload. I then began to make sure my weapon was nipple picked and ready to go and would leave it loaded for the 3-4 day hunts I would fit in....then unload.
Then I began to leave it loaded the entire season and I honestly haven' t noticed one bit of difference. The key I think is to make sure the gun is never introduced to swift temp changes.
Belive me...leaving the gun loaded since Dec was not the plan...but I will probably continue to leave my Stainless Traditions in-line loaded for the season....unless I hear form others who think I should clean it every several days or so.
I checked the breech and bore after firing it last week....Looks like A Mirror!
Am still intersted in any opinions form those whoshoot the smoke poles....especially those folks who shoot pyrodex pellets in stainless inlines using the 209 promer ignition system.

oldelkhunter

I unload it every day during hunting season and completely clean it. An experience that really hammered this home was on a Elk hunt in Colorado where it snowed and rained almost daily. I was ridiculed by another hunter in camp for taking my gun apart and cleaning it every evening but pay back is a bi**h . He had a 30 yard shot at a nice bull and had a nice misfire .

rhetoric

Typically I discharge after every unsuccessful hunt, but last year, on a whim, I decided to leave it loaded since I knew I was hunting the next day. The next day I grabbed my gun (knowing it was loaded) but didn' t even think about the powder horn. I shot at a deer (60 yards), it ran out of sight and when I went to reload I realized my brain fart. Waited extra long, got out my knife (hoping I wouldn' t need to finish it off that way) and found her piled up 40 yards from the heart shot (Traditions .50 w/ patched round ball -- first BP deer).

I' ve never had a misfire, but I wonder about the condensation that forms on the gun (going from below freezing to the house). Hmmmm.

skeeter 7MM

I have heard the condensation is the problem with BP or subs. As such I feel it is impossible to keep the gun regulate at the same tempature to prevent condensation from occuring. Once you place the gun in a case you have changed the tempature, as the temp fluxuates the enviroment in the case will as well, how do you keep it regulated all the time??? My practice is if wet I clean immediately, if dry I hunt about a week then clean, if I fire I clean and at the end of the season I clean and store it away in a gun cabinet. I haven' t experienced any pitting, corrosion and never had a misfire...so I ain' t going to chance it now or push lady luck to far

However on the flip side I know guys who leave them in the garage and have on;y minor corrision that seems to leave no lasting damage, just a little extra elbow grease to get her clean. I just reserve myself to the fact I am anal about my equipment and use to cleaning after use....I do the same with all my shop tools[].

Tree climber

I did the clean thing every day and get ready for the next days hunt.did that for 10 years or so,then I started to leave it for the three day season,then we got a nine day season.so I left it till I shot something.I have taken at least one each year for about 25 years.I had never had a problem with misfires or rust problems.I had a CVA 45 single shot pistol,it staied loaded fro Oct. till Jan. no problem,fired fine.a little outside rust.
that B/P season I hunted one day and couldn' t hunt anymore because of an injury.I forgot the loade gun,(had surgery)it stayed loade for over a year.
It fired just fine and no rust.

so I don' t know if this is normal,or just a one time thing.the powder doesn' t rust the can it comes in so wyh would it rust in the gun if it is dry and clean? JMHO.

Indiana Dude

I leave mine loaded thru the season and havent had any problems, although
I do change my 209 primer every hunt. I usually leave my gun in my truck
overnight if I`m hunting the next morning, provided its not going to rain.
That way the gun stays cold and doesnt warm up rapidly.