well i didnt get a deer this weekend, how long can i keep my muzzleloader loaded if i keep it dry? thanks.

I' ve kept mine loaded for weeks somtimes without any problems , but I don' t think that I' d reccomend it .

What I have read is that the problem is moisture affecting the load. I have had mine in for several days with no affect and shot fine. You could also point you barrel downward which would keep the moisture away from the load. Also, this could be dangerous. I had a friend that had his rifle loaded from a prior days hunt, and went hunting the next day. This was also a flint muzzleloader. Anyway, he hit the trigger while the gun was in the truck and when it struck the frizzum, it created a spark and the gun went off, without any powder in the pan.

Anyway, saftey is rule number one.

Good luck hunting....

well mine is a inline so i should be fine then right. the longest i will keep mine loaded will be a couple days. thanks.

Here what A & H recommends:


7. After how many shots or how often should I clean my rifle?

We recommend bore cleaning with patch and solvent after every 2-3 shots at the range and complete cleaning after every hunting or range experience, and especially prior to storing the gun, even for a day or two. The cleaning frequency may vary due to different rifling depths and weather conditions both of which affect fouling and accuracy. Excess fouling must be removed while shooting or projectiles will become very difficult to load. After bore cleaning on the range, don' t forget to snap off a couple of caps before reloading. This practice completely dries the barrel and adds to consistency in shooting.

Randy ,
who_else was refering to a live unfired load , not cleaning , but thanks for the tip .

Who_else,

A few days should be fine, but I would shoot it into something like soft dirt and disloge the shot if you wait too long. Also, in many states the carrying of a loaded rifle in a car is against the law, so please be careful. It is considered a load gun even without the primer.

Regards,

Tom

Kevin,

I understand that. With inlines , they are so easy to unload-- it just makes no sense (to me) not to. In my case, I' m cleaning anyway-- because I' m always hunting from a fouled bore.

I leave mine loaded overnight. If I don' t get a shot the next day then I shoot it out before I head home and start fresh the next day. My TC woods rifle will put the first three and sometimes four shots in the center of a paper plate at 100 yards. Thats starting off with a clean fresh charge. The first three are always on the money. The fourth may be out of the group by 2 inches. This is just loading and shooting. No cleaning no spit patches or anything. Good rifle. REAL BAD CHEAP SIGHTS. got to order new sights.

Well I was wondering about this too. Seems with my inline, I can just unscrew the breech plug and push everything out, no? I' ve kept my flintlock loaded over night in the past.