ahankster

I am pretty new at muzzleloading, so have some questions that may seem simple to many of you. This one deals with unloading after each hunt. By this, I mean taking the 209 primer out and simply repriming with a new primer after an unsuccessful hunt.
I am not talking long times between hunts, but rather a single day or night. What I have been doing is loading two pellets of 777 under a 295 grn powerbelt. Priming with a 209 on the way to the stand. At the end of a mornings hunt, depriming and leaving the rifle as is until the evening hunt and simply reprime (with a new primer). If the first hunt of that load was an evening hunt, doing the same thing over night. After two hunts, remove the breechplug and unload (or shoot the load). I haven't extended the process past this limit of about 24 hours and wouldn't try it at all when the weather was wet etc.
Am I messing up, should I unload and reload after each hunt? Or perhaps should I or could I go longer?
Thanks
Hank

MikeE51848

Sounds like you're ok with that. It would depend on the weather. In wet or rainy weather, you'd want to empty it after each hunt. Why take the chance on wet powder messing up an opportunity. I followed that advice and had no problems.

SnoBall57

Not me! I shoot mine after every hunt! You never know when something could go wrong (accident, illness, or worse yet death) and you have a loaded weapon in your house that no one else knows has powder and ball in it! Besides, I just like burning powder and enjoy shooting my front stuffers every time I take them out!

Ruger-Redhawk

I keep mine loaded the entire season unless I shoot at something. Then I throughly clean it before reloading.I have a Knight Disc with the Extreme Bolt.I didn't do it last season but I learned. My pellets got saturated in the rain after I unprimed it.As soon as I took the disc out I put it in my rifle case on the 4 wheeler.The dampness was enough to saturated my pellets.Plus the rain that had gotten in the where the bolt rides. From now on I'm going to use another disc with a fired primer in it to seal it when I deprime it.I never had a problem with my Traditional muzzleloaders. I remove the #11 cap and put a folded paper towel over the nipple and lightly let the hammer down on it.
Ruger Redhawk

powderburns

I have left my inline loaded minus the cap for up to 5 days with no problems, but up here we don't have rain only a possible snow storm. After 2-3 days unfired, I lube the barrel with gun oil. As far as firing it off after each days hunt, I don't enjoy cleaning it that much.lol. Just remove the breech plug + push bullet, sabot,powder out the back.

Tree climber

we have a 9 day B/P season,so if I don't shoot mine or unload it untill I shoot at something or the end of the season.
most of the time (every year since I go it , I have taken at least one deer).so It get unloaded durning that 9 days and cleaned.
if not I clean it when I am finished with the hunt,be it 1 day or 9 days.

skeeter 7MM

Only wet weather, excessive dust, extreme cold or after shooting mine do I worry about cleaning it during hunting season. I have hunting pals that don't worry unless it is really wet and leave it loaded all season (which is a month here!) with no problems. Same token I have one pal who shoots his after each hunt, cleans & then reloads. Really personal preference.

coolbrze0

Like they said, it depends on the weather. If its wet out, I unload and clean. Same w/ really high humidity. Other than that, I'll leave it loaded since I hunt all the time.

herman

I load it the day before opening day and if it is not raining it will stay loaded untill I get a shot at deer.But if I sit in the rain I clean it that night and put in a fresh load.If I am hunting out of my camper I leave it in the truck at night.I put a piece of tape over the muzzle to keep out anything.The only time I have had one to not fire is with a side lock and been sitting in a downpoor all day tried it when I got back to camp and it wouldn't fire.

doughboysigep

best thing I ever did was switch to a breech action ML. No worries about unloading. Can shoot it if you want to unload, but I just simply open action, unscrew nipple and push bullet and pellets out. Simple, quick, & easy. Love the breech action. (now I just need to get it to shoot some groups!!!)