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Posted: 7/29/2009 10:30:16 PM EDT
| As a newbie question, I was wondering just how long a BP charge could be safely left in a loaded position in a firearm and if there would be any damage to the firearm from the powder? |
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2 people leave an un-cleaned gun loaded and sitting around for a year…
These are not the examples you really want to follow – point it downrange and unload it through the muzzle. If for some reason you are thinking self defense… assuming it is reasonably dry, fire it off at 3 month intervals, clean and reload. |
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2 people leave an un-cleaned gun loaded and sitting around for a year… These are not the examples you really want to follow – point it downrange and unload it through the muzzle. If for some reason you are thinking self defense… assuming it is reasonably dry, fire it off at 3 month intervals, clean and reload. But some people will carry a loaded pistol in thier belt with the safety on, where it could just as easly be slipped off. To me a long rifle in the cabinet with no cap and the hammer down. Seems safe enough for me. |
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2 people leave an un-cleaned gun loaded and sitting around for a year… These are not the examples you really want to follow – point it downrange and unload it through the muzzle. If for some reason you are thinking self defense… assuming it is reasonably dry, fire it off at 3 month intervals, clean and reload. But some people will carry a loaded pistol in thier belt with the safety on, where it could just as easly be slipped off. To me a long rifle in the cabinet with no cap and the hammer down. Seems safe enough for me. Of course it does, to you... 
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2 people leave an un-cleaned gun loaded and sitting around for a year… These are not the examples you really want to follow – point it downrange and unload it through the muzzle. If for some reason you are thinking self defense… assuming it is reasonably dry, fire it off at 3 month intervals, clean and reload. what makes you think wy rifle was dirty, it was loaded an not shot 
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2 people leave an un-cleaned gun loaded and sitting around for a year… These are not the examples you really want to follow – point it downrange and unload it through the muzzle. If for some reason you are thinking self defense… assuming it is reasonably dry, fire it off at 3 month intervals, clean and reload. But some people will carry a loaded pistol in thier belt with the safety on, where it could just as easly be slipped off. To me a long rifle in the cabinet with no cap and the hammer down. Seems safe enough for me. Of course it does, to you...
With no cap it is technically unloaded! At times I have left it from deer season to spring loaded and it always went bang. If I was hunting in heavy rain I would clean and reload it daily. |
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With no cap it is technically unloaded! Technically, yes. In practice, don't be so sure. As long as there is powder and a ball in the barrel it can go off. When you are done using a ML gun, empty it. Fire it and don't reload or use a CO2 discharger. http://www.cabelas.com/p-0006480.shtml It's a CO2 cartridge that you place on the nipple or into the touch hole and blast a charge of pressurized gas which pushes the ball out of the barrel. It's a lot safer than storing a loaded gun and it's a lot more convenient than firing to discharge. If you are careful you might be able to recover your ball. Maybe even some of the powder. Muzzle loading guns can remain loaded for years and years and still fire. Every once in a while you still hear stories of 100+ year old guns with powder and projectile still in them. They should be treated as loaded guns just as you would treat a loaded AR-15 or any other gun. In fact, if it's a 100 year old gun that hasn't seen care, it might even be MORE dangerous than a modern gun. Yes, when it comes to game laws that say your gun must be "unloaded" by sundown, pulling the cap or dumping the pan is okay but when it comes to safety you often don't get a second chance. Your first mistake might be your last. Just empty the gun.
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With no cap it is technically unloaded! Technically, yes. In practice, don't be so sure. As long as there is powder and a ball in the barrel it can go off. When you are done using a ML gun, empty it. Fire it and don't reload or use a CO2 discharger. http://www.cabelas.com/p-0006480.shtml It's a CO2 cartridge that you place on the nipple or into the touch hole and blast a charge of pressurized gas which pushes the ball out of the barrel. It's a lot safer than storing a loaded gun and it's a lot more convenient than firing to discharge. If you are careful you might be able to recover your ball. Maybe even some of the powder. Muzzle loading guns can remain loaded for years and years and still fire. Every once in a while you still hear stories of 100+ year old guns with powder and projectile still in them. They should be treated as loaded guns just as you would treat a loaded AR-15 or any other gun. In fact, if it's a 100 year old gun that hasn't seen care, it might even be MORE dangerous than a modern gun. Yes, when it comes to game laws that say your gun must be "unloaded" by sundown, pulling the cap or dumping the pan is okay but when it comes to safety you often don't get a second chance. Your first mistake might be your last. Just empty the gun. I rarely leave my muzzle loader loaded beyond the particular season I am hunting.... and will reload during that season depending on the weather. However I fail to see how you would treat a loaded but unprimed muzzle loader and differently than you would a modern center fire weapon. Yes, I do not drop a flint on the frizzen in case a spark travels the touchhole, but unless I am testing trigger pull I never drop the hammer on a centerfire rifle either. But real blackpowder attracts moisture like crazy and will cause rust and I dont like rust so I clean my blackpowder guns regularly. |
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ok folks, after this thread i got to thinking about my doubble barrel shotgun that has been loaded for several years. yes thats right, several years. this was not done on purpose . i took it turkey hunting an never took a shot so i just put it away thinking i would use it later. well later i took the 870 an more or less just forgot about it . i did check it several times, i wipe them all down at least 4 times a year. i don't like rust.
well any way i decided to pull the charges last night. i guess i just needed something to do. after pulling the charges i found no corrision what so ever like some of you might think there would be from the black powder left in the barrel. well if black powder was corrisive it would eat through the can it comes in. black powder needs to be burnt to be corrisive. any way the bores are nice an shiney like it was , clear to the breach. this was not the first muzzle loader that i have put away charged so i know what to expect. if the gun was clean an un-fired when you charge it , an it does not get wet you'll be go to go. i'll give you another example. my wife's muzzle loader was loaded from deer season sevreal years back. well that spring we were at a rendezvous , at her first shot was a playing card on edge at about 18yds. she reminded me that her rifle was still loaded from deer season an asked what would i would do . several other folks heard he an suggested she dump it an re-charge. i suggested she just shoot it. well she did, the charge went off like it was supposed to an the playing card went in two piecse. i said nice shot an went on. now i an not telling you to leave your weapon loaded , but if it was clean when it was charged an didn't get damp it will not hurt it. jim 
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| I leave several weapons loaded at all time in my house. My Cimarron .45LC SAA, my G17 and my wifes G19. None of them have ever tried to bite or given me a dirty look. I fail to see the difference between leaving a BP weapon loaded and uncapped, and leaving a centerfire loaded. Other than the chance that moisture might ruin the load on a BP gun, what is it going to do, try to climb out of the gun safe and kick my ass? |
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A few years ago, I pulled the breech on an old fowling piece my father-in-law had given to my wife. There was an old charge in the barrel-black powder and some birdshot wadded with what I think was some newspaper. I tried a few grains of the powder with a match and it flared right up. This gun is at least 150 years old, and there is no telling when that charge was loaded. |
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The problem is that it just depends upon the amount of moisture in the air and how much it contaminates your gun. BP firearms have an opening via the nipple or touch hole that will let in moisture. Cartridge guns don't have that. There is no way to tell if your powder is contaminated or not without trying to fire the gun.
For example, My son's inline uses musket caps. When we first got it for him we took it to the range and sighted it in with H777. The gun worked perfectly. We cleaned it up, then we took it out hunting. The morning of the hunt we fired a few caps through to clear it out, then loaded it up. After carrying it all day, on a nice sunny fall day, he tried to fire the gun to empty it. It finally had a hang fire on the 4th musket cap. The next time we went out hunting the same thing happened. We have since switched him to Pyrodex and have had no further problems. I continue to use H777 with my 209 in line and have had no problems. If I'm going out hunting the next day I'll pull the cap, leave the gun loaded, and simply recap it in the morning. But any longer than the next day and I'll discharge and clean the gun. I guess my long winded point is, do you really want to risk missing a shot at a big buck because you were to lazy to discharge your muzzle loader and clean it after your hunt? |
| way back when i first started black powder hunting/shooting about 40 years ago, i thought i needed a fresh charge every day. well i found out through the years if there wasan't a fouling shot prior to loading oriti didn't get damp , you'll be good to go. but like all questions asked you'll get more then one answer an sometimes more the one correct answer, you have to make your own call on this at the end of the day. keep your powder dry, jim |
| During hunting season when not in use , I leave my loaded rifle in my garage or my truck (of course with the pan empty)...once loaded it never goes in a warm environment so as not to cause condensation & ruin the BP in the barrel....whenever I store my rifle I use Gibbs oil in the bore as it stops & prevents rust from occurring.. |
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During hunting season when not in use , I leave my loaded rifle in my garage or my truck (of course with the pan empty)...once loaded it never goes in a warm environment so as not to cause condensation & ruin the BP in the barrel....whenever I store my rifle I use Gibbs oil in the bore as it stops & prevents rust from occurring.. that's what i do if it hasn't been shot 
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