I went to the range earlier today and I fired my T/C .50 Renegade for the first time in about ten years. I'm thinking about taking it on a pig hunt.

I'm curious what others do about keeping a loaded muzzleloader around for two or three days of hunting.

In the past when I carried this gun on (unsuccessful) hunts, I would just discharge it at the end of the hunt and take it home to clean it. If the hunt was a two or three day affair, then I'd load it at the start of the hunt and keep it loaded until the end. Of course, when transporting it in a vehicle, etc., there was no cap on the nipple.

I've seen those CO2-powered "muzzleloader unloader" devices for sale here and there, but to me the use of same seems like overdoing it a little. For hunting, I use Buffalo Bullet Co. conicals, and I would expect unloading one of these with the CO2 thing would pretty much wreck the bullet. Those bullets are hard to seat on the powder charge-- I can't see using a wooden under-barrel ramrod to seat one-- and loading, unloading, and loading again can't be conducive to maximum accuracy.

What do you do on a hunt that lasts more than a day? Keep your rifle uncapped but otherwise loaded?

I personally don't leave any muzzleloader loaded during a hunting season. I use an inline which makes unloading at the end of the day easier. If you decide to leave your sidelock loaded, make sure to tag it with your specific load and mark loaded. You might also get some orange surveyors tape and just put a small patch over the muzzle. I know your only talking about overnight, but if something should happen and you are not able to hunt the next day you'll already have your gun tagged. Hey, it's better to be safe than sorry.

I also have a 50 cal. renegade that I have hunted with for many years. I have always unloaded my ML at the end of every hunting day. Even though I would be hunting the next day I would touch off the load after hunting hours.

The biggest reason is because of moisture. It is usually snowing or raining during our late hunting seasons. All it takes is a drop to work it's way under the cap and down to the powder then it won't fire that day or the next day either. Of course you won't know this until that shot of a life time is right in front of you. Unloading it every night gives you a fresh charge every day.

The other reason like wolfhound mentioned is of course safety. If for some reason you were distracted and forgot that it was loaded. Then double charged the rifle. The results could be catastrophic.

I know the buffalo bullets are pricey but I would unload your renegade at days end.

Fisher and Wolfhound are exactly right. "Unloaded" means exactly that. Given your conditions of a "2 or 3 day hunt" we are only talking reloading once or twice . . . a small measure of inconvenience for the assurance of a clean, dry powder charge and added safety.

I appreciate the responses.

It does rain here in CA-- it is raining now-- but I'm not expecting to have to worry about rain contamination of the charge while hunting. If it is raining when I'm in the field I'll just use a smokeless cartridge rifle.

So far as safety is concerned, I think the biggest danger is my natural forgetfulness. I can see myself double charging the rifle or doing something else stupid like that.

I think the biggest problem with discharging the rifle at the end of each hunting day would be rust. Yeah, I can run a solvent-soaked patch down the bore after the shot. But I've always cleaned my muzzleloaders using 5-gallon bucket filled with very hot soapy water. I realize generations of people who had to use these guns (as opposed to myself, I choose to use one) probably had other means. So what is the best way here? Discharge the rifle at the end of the day, swab the barrel with a couple solvent-soaked patches, follow with some oil, and then a dry patch in the morning? Fire a cap or two to clear the oil from the nipple, etc.? Please tell me what you do.

Here in Pa. the Game Commission considers a muzzleloader to be unloaded if the cap is off the nipple or the charge is out of the pan. Although they do recommend a total discharge into a suitable backstop.

That being said, I personally do not unload my rifle every day. I plug the flash hole with a toothpick and leave the rifle locked up outside in the cold to keep condensation from forming. I have never had a charge fail to go off when hunting. I don't hunt with a flinter if it is raining.

I do not worry about a double charge because I run my ramrod into the barrel before I take it out in the field and check to see if the projectile has moved off the powder charge. I also do this a couple of time a day just to make sure. Just scratch a ring around your rod where you have a properly seated projectile.

And Zippy, don't take this the wrong way but forgetfulness and firearms are not a good combination.

Larry