During hunting season, how long will you gentlemen leave a load in a barrel before you lose confidence in its ability to fire consistantly and accuratly? I have heard of folks who fire off each days load and reclean their barrel every night then others who leave their barrel loaded (pulling the cap or primer when not hunting) for a couple weeks if they do not see anything they want to shoot.

Thanks, Mike

It depends on the weather. If it is dry, I might pull the primer all week long. (Oklahoma muzzleloader season is 9 days long) If it is raining I will discharge and re clean every day. I take special care to leave the gun in the garage where the temp is relatively close to outside temp. Then I case it and put it in bed of truck so it doesn't get condensation on it from the temp changes.

I personally either fire it off or I use a co2 type discharger every night. Clean it, dry it, oil it, make sure in the morning that it's free of anything that would hinder the ignition, load it, go after the elk.

I do what Muzzle does. I prefer to start over. It's mainly for my peace of mind more than anything. Now if I were limited to what I could carry (say in the 1800's), I'd darn sure make every one count. If it's been there long or not. But either way is fine. I know people who do one or the other...it's kinda like your underwear-it's up to you!
b

I left a load in a clean barrel from last year and it popped right off this year when I went to the range. I change my underwear daily.

[ 09-25-2003, 12:26: Message edited by: hunter_fish ]

Let's see Norman did not fire his flintlock during the second muzzleloading season in December, so the gun was "put up" for the winter.

He walked up to me on the firing line in June or July, primed the pan and 100 grains of FFFG sent 188 grains of pure lead into a PERFECTLY centered X score on the 25 yard NMLRA target.

All of that without somevsort of super primer to "be sure" it will go off.

LouisB

If it is black powder barring some interference it will very likely go off next century.

[ 09-26-2003, 05:36: Message edited by: TCLouis ]

If it is a "clean load" not a second shot, and you do your due diligence in keeping things dry, you don't subject the gun to significant temperature changes, who know how long the load will remain good. I have left a "clean load for as much as 6 weeks with absolutely no ill affects. Gun went off (and bagged a deer) the barrel showed no signs of damage or even light corrosion. I think the key is, the barrel MUST be clean and dry when you load it. Just my $0.02...

man, I gotta get hunting with my BP...

I am too used to leaving the range with a coupell empty boxes of 58s and no powder... but 2 rifles with 4 barrels eats em up!!

my kodiak is going in the shop and my sons is fine

jeffe